Sidelines: It's a Book and Much More
Cynthia Clark -- 3/27/00
Sideline publishers find new ways to make sidelines look like books and vice versa
March is supposed to go out like a lamb, but tell that to the roaring rush of new sideline products from various publishers, all headed your way.
What has the spine of a book but the heart of a sideline? The new product from Field Crafts of Benzonia, Mich., which cleverly packages high-quality T-shirts bearing bibliophilic catchphrases and colorful images into tiny, shrink-wrapped, mass market paperback-size cardboard sleeves. No more cluttered racks, no more rifled-through tees! A variety of designs are available, with more to come. Call (800) 332-3131, fax (231) 882-4211 or visit the Field Crafts booth at BEA this year.
It's a postcard... No, it's a mini-book! Peter Pauper Press Inc., of White Plains, N.Y., jumps into the mixed-identity ring with Matchbox Mailers. Miniature illustrated gift books of quotations on selected, greeting-card-like themes are packaged in mailers that slide open like matchboxes, allowing the sender to add a personal greeting, seal the box with the two provided seals and send it all off with only three first-class stamps. New titles for autumn 2000 will be Happy Birthday, True Friends, You Go Girl! and You're the Best. Call (800) 833-2311, fax (914) 681-0389 or visit the Peter Pauper Press booth at BEA in June.
No, it's almost a book! Fliptomania, of San Francisco, offers a fabulous array of witty and stylish flipbooks in a number of categories, including several that serve as greeting card and present in one. The fine-art selections have fun with several well-known masterpieces, among them the Mona Lisa, Rodin's The Thinker, Grant Wood's American Gothic and a van Gogh self-portrait. Images of tree frogs, monarch butterflies, sharks and even a T-Rex adorn the pages of Fliptomania's Nature and Animals endeavors. Travel and Landmarks titles range from the beautifully crafted History of Flight to Cable Car Warp 9, Space Needle Blast-Off and New York, New York. These are terrific little point-of-purchase must-haves. Call (888) 396-5849 or fax (415) 512-9695.
No, it's more than a book! Over the past few years, Chronicle Books, also of San Francisco, has expanded its gift collection well beyond the note-card-and-journal stage. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way has inspired a 2001 engagement calendar, illustrated with images from the collection of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and a creativity kit. The elements within the kit include a writing journal featuring quotations on creativity, 60 writing exercises, 75 cards with creative tasks and a packet of sandalwood incense with a ceramic holder.
The Observation Deck, another tool kit for writers, includes a 160-page paperback book and 50 cards to summon the muse. You can also stamp it out, with a number of nifty stamp kits in Hebrew and Chinese. If words just don't come to you, stamp out some West African or Celtic symbols. Chronicle also presents the Interactivity Kit, which teaches you to construct your own mobiles within minutes; materials are provided for your first creation.
After a flurry of activity, mellow out with the Buddha Box, which combines a 96-page hardcover book with color images detailing the life story of Buddha; sutras, mantras, and prayers; a Buddha statue; and a box that transforms into a portable shrine. The Relax Deck features 51 cards with inspirational illustrations and meditative exercises. If that fails, try the Smoothies Deck, 50 surefire, luscious recipes for blended fruit drinks, or the Bartender's Deck (add the Lounge Lizard Journal and shake). This is only the tip of the ice cube. Call (800) 722-6657 or visit www.chroniclebooks.com.
No, it's a CD-ROM! Tivola Electronic Publishing, a major European children's multimedia company (with bestselling titles in Germany, England and France), launches a full range of titles for varying age groups in the U.S. for 2000. For ages three and up, the Play and Learn series is designed to help develop learning skills. Ages four and up can explore the World Around Us, which follows Oscar on a number of nature explorations. The Super Sleuth series solves mysteries and hones deduction and logic with Tiger, Kevin, Katy and Grunter. Call (212) 431-4420 fax (212) 431-4537; or visit their Web site (www.trivola.com).
No, it's a baby! To ready the next generation for all of the above, the Baby School Company of Coconut Grove, Fla., creators of the award-winning So Smart! series of products for early child development, introduce two new products- Baby Language School and Baby Music School. Starting off with Spanish, the Baby Language School kit includes a video, songbook and two audiocassettes. The Baby Music School learning kit provides a video, audiocassette and a plush rhythm ball to help keep the beat. Both are for ages six months to four years. Call (305) 740-0559 or fax (305) 740-4472.
When all the stimulation and creativity produce glazed little eyes, pull out the Yoga Kit for Kids from Imaginazium of Pacific Palisades, Calif. Both a game and a teaching tool, the kit combines illustrated cards, instruction book and music tape; ages four and up. Call (800) 800-7008 or fax (310) 230-0909.
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