I am a creative writer who is the child of a kindergarten teacher. Perhaps this is why I immediately fell in love with eeBoo, which creates toys, games, notebooks, arts supplies, and other gifts for children and full-grown people who other people sometimes mistake for children. eeBoo’s products are all original and use artwork commissioned from children’s book illustrators. As a writer/artist, I loved the company’s focus on arts and crafts, including storytelling and writing. Late last week, I wrote a post about some of my favorite eeBoo products.
Many of eeBoo products have earned the Oppenheim Best Toy Awards, which, if you spend any time in children/game sections of stores you will probably recognize:
Envy led me to Mia Galison, the president and creative director of eeBoo, whose headquarters are located in a turn of the century ballroom in New York City (what?!?!!). I hid my jealousy and asked her some questions about her magical job.
1. A lot of your products, including a fairy tale board game and many whimsical notebooks, encourage people to share their own stories. In a few sentences, describe your life as an enchanted tale — stick to the main plot points, but feel free to add dragons, witches, and fairy god mothers here and there.
I was the old woman who lived in a shoe. I had three children in less than two years and my husband was a self employed artist. I was a tortoise moving slowly, but I kept saying to myself “I think I can, I think I can.” There were no fairy godmothers to help or dragons to threaten, just a lot of smart, kind and helpful friends, family and associates that made the hard work mostly a pleasure. After what seemed like an endless journey, eeBoo became a goose that laid golden eggs.
2. Please describe the design process at eeBoo.
Most often I have an idea while walking to work or sorting through junk at a flea market –or cooking, or staring into space.
Most often I have an idea while walking to work or sorting through junk at a flea market –or cooking, or staring into space. I flip it around in my head–what the colors wills be, the package, the artist I’ll get to make the illustrations, that sort of thing. Then I ask [my husband] Sax about it. We walk back and forth from work every day so we have a block of time both in the morning and afternoon to discuss things. Sometimes he has good ideas and sometimes he makes me mad because he doesn’t see what I see, but even if we disagree it helps me firm up my vision of the project. I have ideas all the time. When I feel particularly buzzed about one I get started right away by calling an illustrator and sending him or her a sketch- and I get the art started. When it is a new format I get letters out to manufacturers so I can see prototypes and get prices. Often I make my own prototype in the office. Once I get some art in-house, I start to work with one of the three designers that work at eeBoo. Sometimes that means seeing a box cover design or making patterns. Sometimes it means experimenting with something completely new, like folded paper hats. I stick all my current ideas that I’m really considering on a big bulletin board. We are always working on new projects and new formats, and whatever I think I can get to market during a given season, I make..and keep the rest for the next season.
3. My mom is a kindergarten teacher. She is also the mother of a 26-year-old writer (me). Name one eeBoo product that would equally fit the bill for both parties.
We make very nice quality pastels that everyone would probably like.
4. Is your studio as amazing as it looks in the pictures? If it is more amazing, then what wonders does it contain that I can’t see in the pictures?
Our studio is in fact as amazing as it looks photos. It was built as a ballroom at the turn of the century and has 18 foot ceiling 60 running feet of skylights, mosaic floor made of yellow marble pieces, 10 foot windows and a large staircase down to what used to be the kitchen where my husband Saxton Freymann has his photograph and painting studio. What you don’t see in the photos is how many wonderful things are being made there. We are always experimenting with papers and fabrics and new materials. eeBoo also has ten lovely employees that would never allow anyone to take their pictures.
5. What are you visually inspired by?
I can be inspired by many things. Among many other things, I like Japanese illustrators from the 1930′s and 40′s, Chinese deco rugs from the 1920’2, the color pink, Belgian encaustic tiles, brand new Shanghai style, silhouettes, American quilts and naive embroidery, Hmong fabric from Chiang Mai. Unique objects that look as thought they were made for children by their mother or father with love. Embroidered blankets, crocheted hats, handmade wooden toys and stuffed animals. I could go on and on.
6. EeBoo makes lots of games for children (some of which have won awards). This makes me wonder what non-EeBoo games you play. Let’s say you’re inviting a bunch of your adult friends over for game night. Which five games do you have on the middle of your table when they arrive? (Bonus question: What snacks are next to the games?)
We are not a big game playing family but we have played a lot of Bananagrams
7. What is your best-selling product? What product are you most proud of?
I Never Forget A Face was one of our early products and I’m very proud of it. It’s a Matching Game that includes 24 pairs of faces of children from all over the world including a girl from Afghanistan and a boy from Iraq. We included these nationalities because we made this game at the beginning of the wars and we wanted to remind as many people as possible that there were children in those countries. We get letters from children and parents all the time telling us how much they love and appreciate seeing the different faces, and about how their children make up stories about which of the children are friends.
8. One of your new products is pipe cleaner craft kits for children, animal lovers, & crafty adults. Each of the 18 different designs are creatively named for the color family of pipe cleaners they contain, and each packet can be used to create a specific animal. If these animals could come to life, and you consider their relative pipe-cleaner size, which two animals would be have the most interesting (friendly) wrestling match? Who would win?
I prefer not to think about these fuzzy little animal fighting. The Yellow Bird is a wonderful shape and the Mushrooms are wonderful.
9. Finally… what are you currently obsessed with?
Current obsessions–gnarly mushrooms from farmers markets, pom poms, fancy knee socks, Georgian miniatures, hand spun and dyed wool, and making hats.
Next week, we’ll be posting an interview with the president & creative director of the toy company eeBoo. While you’re waiting, check out some of my favorite eeBoo stuffs.
So, a summer-fun post to end the week. As usual, I’m going to attempt a blogging break over the weekend. So, until Monday, enjoy the heat (especially you East Coasters like me)! Also, a reminder to subscribe to the Stickers & Donuts feed if you want (it’ll be fun, I promise)!
We (royal? blogosphere?) were all very excited when Veer created its Very Secret Order of Creative Understanding which included secret booklets, secret widgets, and secret handshake wallpapers. Those of us who got pretty booklets in the mail were extra-excited.
This summer Veer has a new treat for creatives: the annual Veer Summer Fun Activity Book (with extra online goodies!). Though the book can be downloaded in pdf, it would definitely be more fun to get your hands on a hard copy.
And, if you can’t get a hard copy, there are enough free web-goodies, no printing required, to go around. These include wallpapers (very cute!), games, and the ability to create a doodled world full of doodled creatures (this is actually very cool). Look above to see the world I’m working on.
One of the funniest parts about the Veer’s summer fun extravaganza is the printable Kernie monster and the accompanying contest encouraging you to take pictures of the Kernie doing all kinds of human things — or just standing next to badly kerned signs. How adorably dorky!
So you think you know your fonts? Prove it! The Rather Difficult Font Game (presented by ilovetypography.com, which is an ironic name because I both love typography and i love ilovetypography.com). Try to identify fonts and prove yourself as the Ultimate Typography Knowledge Base. (I did score above a 50%, which means I can identify fonts better than Chance can, and Chance gets them right, what, 25% of the time?)
