Vintage Movable Review: Statistics Weekly

Another interesting advertisement from the Land Down Under. There is no date but by looks of the clothing and hairstyles I’ll put this in the late 80’s (but then again I remember seeing a lot of mullets in my travels in Australia in the late 90’s, so who knows). The Australian Bureau of Statistics wants to make your life a little more colorful by providing access to their Statistics Weekly commentary. To illustrate the point the movable mailer employs a clever mechanism. I don’t want to ruin the magic on this one so just sit back and enjoy the video.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Shoal

Shoal \shohl\ noun

1. A shallow area in a body of water.

 

2. A sandbank or sandbar in the bed of a body of water, constituting a navigation hazard. 

Origin: Before 900, Middle English shald, and Old English sceald  'shallow'.

History Lesson: Stephen Sondheim is Born

On March 22, 1930, Stephen Sondheim is born in New York City.  Sondheim is known for his American musical theater work in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.  Not influenced by rock and roll, Sondheim was moved by the Broadway theater that was filled with top hats, chorus lines and big, show-stopping production numbers.  He went on to write the lyrics for West Side Story, Gypsy, and then wrote both the words and music for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Word of the Day: Valetudinarian

Valetudinarian \val-i-tood-n-AIR-ee-uhn\ noun

1. A weak or sickly person, especially one who is constantly or overly worried about his or her health.  A valetudinarian is in much worse shape than a mere hypochondriac. 

Origin:  Valetudinarian is from Latin valetudo 'state of health', from valere "to be well".

Artist Watch: Nate Coonrad

Just came across the work of Brooklyn-based artist, Nate Coonrad. I love his design sense in the illustration “above/below”, but it’s his works in paper that really grabbed my attention. The papercraft version of Nate is fun and his recent pop-up book promotion for Nokia is really well done. Working with a team at the ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy NY, Nate created seven pop-up compositions with an inset at the end of the book to house the Nokia N8 smartphone. The designers go a step further and house the “Where should we go?” book in an attractive custom case (which I would handcuff to my wrist so nobody could take away this clever promotion). Since you cannot get the pop-up book in person, check out a nice video of the book in action here.

~Kyle

Weekly Beast: Proboscis Monkey

The proboscis monkey is found only on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.

It gets its name from its large, fleshy nose. 

Its ability to eat mainly leaves gives it a niche where it's the only medium sized mammal living in the canopy of the forest.

~Gio

Word of the Day: Eidos

 Eidos \AHY-dos, EY-dos\ noun

 

1. The formal sum of a culture, its intellectual character, ideas, etc. 

 

Origin:  From Greek eidos (form, idea), ultimately from the Indo-European root weid- (to see), which is the source of words such as wise, view, supervise, wit.

 

 

Whats Popped Up: Made in Italy

This morning we had a special delivery from Italy. After a very successful internship last year with us, we are happy to welcome back our newest paper engineer, Giovanni. I first met Gio at the recent Movable Book Society conference in Portland, where the wild haired young man did his best Johnny Appleseed impression as he entered the hotel holding a tree branch with pop-up apple business cards dangling from the leaves. He then enthusiastically shared some of the pop-up creations he had made during school. Now back in the new year with a new look, Gio will be helping us on some big upcoming projects as he learns what it takes to make a pop-up book. (In fact, with his new haircut he looks a lot like the boy in this beloved Italian commercial for Big Frut.)

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition \juhk-stuh-puh-ZISH-uhn\ noun

1. The act or an instance of placing in nearness or side by side.

Origin: Juxtaposition comes from Latin juxta, "near" + positio, "position", from the past participle of ponere, "to put, to place."  The related verb juxtapose means "to place side by side".

Listen Up: 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople)'

There are days where I get the most random song stuck in my head.  Today is a song that we hear regularly at the studio on the 1950's radio station, it's 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople)' by The Four Lads.  The song refers to the name change of Constantinople to the Turkish name Istanbul.  It also mentions that New York City was first named New Amsterdam.

The song was originally written by Jimmy Kennedy and was recorded by The Four Lads in August of 1953.  The song peaked at #10 on the Billboard charts.

Check out the hypnotic video of the record and try not to get the song stuck in your head!





--Jess

Word of the Day: Orotund

Orotund \OR-uh-tuhnd\ adjective

1. Characterized by fullness, clarity, strength, and smoothness of sound.
2. Pompous; bombastic.

Origin: Orotund derives from Latin ore rotundo, "with a round mouth", hence "clear, loud," from os, oris, "the mouth" + rotundus, "round".  It is related to oral.

 

Vintage Movable Review: Northern Trust Bank

I recently received a treasure trove of pop-up ephemera from Australian pop-up collector and all around great bloke, Corrie Allegro. He and his wife have run a graphic design firm in Victoria, Australia for the past thirty years, where he developed an insatiable taste for movable and pop-up designs. Corrie has recently created a blog to share more about his massive collection.

Today we get to check out a quirky pop-up magazine insert from 1987. This advertisement for Northern Trust Bank asks “If you think nobody cares if you’re alive… try missing a couple of loan payments” as the single spread pop-up unfolds to reveal angry creditors knocking at an office door while a nervous man barricades it from the other side. The quote is attributed to the New York Post gossip columnist, Earl Wilson. The ad uses humor, catchy (if dated) artwork, and a great pop-up design to talk about something as boring as commercial banking. There is no information on the paper engineer or manufacturer of this piece, but it feels like something that Intervisual would have created. So in lieu of any more information on this piece I’ll leave you with a few more quips from “Midnight Earl”. Enjoy.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Nostrum

Nostrum \NOS-truhm\ noun

1. A medicine of secret composition and unproven or dubious effectiveness; a quack medicine.

2. A usually questionable remedy or scheme; a cure-all.

Origin: Nostrum comes from Latin nostrum (remedium) "our (remedy)," from nos "we".

History Lesson: the Moondog Coronation Ball

On March 21, 1952 screaming rock and roll fans broke through the gates at the Cleveland Arena to be a part of one of history's first rock concerts.  The event was called the Moondog Coronation Ball and was hosted by disk jockey Alan Freed and radio station WJW.  It's recognized as one of the first rock concerts because at that point in history, no one had heard of a "rock concert".

With the help of massive ticket counterfeiting and possibly overbooking on the part of the event's sponsors and estimated 20,000-25,000 fans came out for the rock concert.  The Cleveland Arena's capacity was only 10,000!  Thus the event was canceled after the other 15,000 fans broke through the gates.

Word of the Day: Bonhomie

Bonhomie \bah-nuh-MEE\ noun

1. A good nature; pleasant and easy manner

Origin: Bonhomie comes from French, from bonhomme, "good-natured man," from bon, "good" (from Latin bonus) + homme, "man" (from Latin homo).

Artist Watch: Hina Aoyama

One of my favorite blogs is Upon a fold out of Australia. Justine finds some of the most beautiful paper artists from all over the world. Recently, she introduced me to the Japanese born artist, Hina Aoyama. She has been creating delicate cut paper creations using just scissors for a few years now and the works are a marvel to behold. I thought I was pretty good with a pair of scissors but her hand skills and patience is on a whole new level. You can see a video of Hina snipping away at an earlier work here.

~Kyle

Weekly Beast: Handfish

The handfish are an anglerfish in the family Brachionichthyidae.  They are a small bottom-dwelling fish that is found in the coastal waters of southern Australia and Tasmania.  The handfish are really unusual, as they prefer to 'walk' instead of swim!  You can see them in action in the video below!

Word of the Day: Sang-froid

Sang-froid \sang-FRWAH\ noun

1. Freedom from agitation or excitement of mind; coolness in trying circumstances; calmness.

Origin: Sang-froid is from the French; it literally means "cold blood" (sang "blood" + froid "cold").

Whats Popped Up: Engaging pop-up book

One month ago, I asked my long-time love to marry me. During our Valentine’s dinner I wooed her with flowers, chocolates, and an elaborate home cooked meal. In return she sang me a German love song and presented me with a beautiful letterpress card and framed photograph of the two of us. Now, being a paper engineer has a lot of perks. I get to cut and paste paper all day long and make children’s pop-up books, but there is a downside. Your girlfriend knows your capacities and over the years comes to expect the occasional custom pop-up card. But I think that I was able to surprise her this time with a hand bound three page pop-up book. It is rare to make her speechless but rest assured that by the end of the book as I asked her a question on bended knee, she managed to whisper a single word…yes!

~Kyle

Word of Day: Nth

Nth \ENTH\ adjective

1. Being the last in a series of infinitely decreasing or increasing values, amounts, etc.

2. (Of an item in a series of occurrences, planned events, things used, etc., that is thought of as being infinitely large) being the latest, or most recent.

Origin: Nth is the figurative use of the mathematical term indication indefinite number, in which n is an abbreviation for number.

Vintage Movable Review: Hand Semaphore Trainer

Today’s item came from the United States Navy Special Devices Center. (I’ve often wondered what other oddities came out of this cryptic naval office.) Dated around 1965, we have a Hand Semaphore Trainer (device no. 12-WW-2) manufactured by the Einson Freeman Co. Inc. [Fun fact: Founder, Morris Einson is recognized as “America’s Picture Puzzle King”.]

The Semaphore trainer is intriguing and especially effective as it utilizes both sides of the movable wheel in training aspiring flag wavers. If you are receiving a message than you spin the dial until it matches the hand positions presented by a faceless seaman, thus decoding a single letter. Flip the card over and line up the letter to learn the correct gestures to send your message.

For the landlubbers among us, flag semaphore is a method of communicating over a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags. Semaphore has been used in the maritime world since the early 19th century, but the term is from the ancient Greek for “sign bearer”.

While I may not have any immediate use for this trainer I was able to put it to the test in decoding the Fab Four figures on the front of their Help! album (which was also coincidentally created in 1965). I thought I had stumbled upon an early clue to who was the walrus, but it turns out they are calling out Nujv! since the producers didn’t like the original hand positions. We may have been tricked by the Beatles, but at least we can be confident able the origins of the peace symbol. A synthesis of the semaphore symbols N+D, which stands for nuclear disarmament. Peace.

~Kyle

Listen Up: My Drive Thru

'My Drive Thru' by Santogold, Julian Casablancas, and N.E.R.D is a song that was produced for Converse's centennial.  The idea behind the music video is paper cut out dolls that are linked together, and that people are linked together by their Converse shoes.  Doesn't sound like much, but once you watch the video it's a really fantastic concept.

I am really in love with the handmade and tactile feel for the video-- paper cut outs being animated?  Count me in!  The music video took about 4 months from start to finish where they not only used CGI they also used nearly 10,000 paper cutouts of the artists!  That's a lot of paper!

Word of the Day: Surreptitious

Surreptitious \suhr-uhp-TISH-uhs\ adjective

1. Done, made, or gotten by stealth

2. Acting with or marked by stealth

Origin: Surreptitious comes from Latin surrepticius, "stolen, secret, surreptitious", from surripere, "to take away secretly; to steal", from sub- "under' + rapere "to seize, to snatch".

History Lesson: The Barbie Doll is Introduced

On March 9th, 1959 the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.  She was the first doll that was made with adult features and mass produced in the United States.

The doll was named after Ruth Handler's (the woman behind Barbie) daughter Barbara.  After watching her daughter play with paper dolls of adult women instead of baby dolls, Handler realized that there was a part in the toy market that had yet to be fulfilled.  Thus Handler created Barbie so that little girls could play and imagine the future.

Even though Barbie has seen some controversy the positive note of the doll is that she provided a different role model for little girls of the 1950s.  Barbie has held many different jobs such as doctor, pilot, Olympic athlete, and even U.S. presidential candidate.

DIY Pop Up: Easter Bunny

Spring is just around the corner and so is Easter!  Check out our DIY Easter pop up that you can make yourself.  Have fun coloring the eggs and cutting out the cute bunny!

Word of the Day: Lambent

Lambent \LAM-buhnt\ adjective

1. Playing lightly on or over a surface; flickering; as, "a lambent flame; lambent shadows."
2. Softly bright or radiant; luminous
3. Light and brilliant

Origin: Lambent is from the present participle of Larin lambere, "to lick".

 

Word of the Day: Protean

Protean \PROH-tee-uhn\ adjective

1. Readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable.

Origin:

1598, from Gk. Proteus,  sea god (son of Oceanus and Tethys) who could change his form; his name is lit. "first," from protos  "first."

 

Artist Watch: Doug Cowan

In an age where a lot of illustration is digital, it's refreshing to see work that is done with minimal digital help.  Doug Cowan's work is just that-- refreshing illustrations of pen/brush and ink, and watercolor.  His attention to detail and yet still stay loose is amazing to me.  Cowan also popped up on our radar because of his Topps' Star Wars Galaxy 6 card sets which I've been told, are rare.  Check out his great work below and you can find more about the artist here!

Whats Popped Up: Library Salon Follow-up

The Children’s Literature Salon at Children's Center in the main branch of the New York Public Library this past Saturday was a wonderful success. It was a packed room despite competing with a warm sunny day as Elizabeth Bird kindly ushered us through about a dozen questions touching on our backgrounds, inspirations, and the pop-up creation process. Sam Ita was in a jovial mood as he described how he came from humble beginnings as a pedicab driver and luggage salesman before answering a newspaper ad to work at a pop-up studio. Legend has it that he expected to design pop-up ads on the computer before he took a good look around and realized they made books.

Once I discussed some ideas behind my pop-up books Castle and Baby Signs, Sam displayed his latest title, Frankenstein. I was delighted to learn more about the various versions he created to tell the occasionally gruesome story. Sam even touched on the fascinating idea of free will as he described the automatic pop-up movements of the Monster versus the viewer activated pull tabs that brought the townspeople’s actions to life.

After we shared our personal stories and showed our latest pop-up titles, Sam brought out some interesting early prototypes of his newest pop-up books as the audience swarmed in for a closer look. In fact, the book lovers were so excitable that when two pop-up books were offered as a prize to the member that produced a winning note from under their seat, dozens of folks mistakenly tore off the product labels of the fabric chairs and waved them triumphantly in the air. With colleagues and pop-up fans like these, I could not think of a better place to be.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Pied-a-terre

Pied-a-terre \pee-ay-duh-TAIR\ noun

1. A temporary or second place of lodging.

Origin: Pied-a-terre is from French, literally "foot to the ground".

Word of the Day: Hyaline

Hyaline \HAHY-uh-lahyn\ adjective

1. Glassy or transparent.

noun
1. In biochemistry, a transparent substance found in cartilage, the eye, etc., resulting from the pathological degeneration of tissue.

Origin:
Hyaline stems from the Greek hyalinos "of glass".

Vintage Movable Review: Magic Wand Book

Simple Simon’s Mother Goose Magical Picture Book is a curious and coveted book. The cover boasts that it includes a “magic wand that brings characters and verses to life in realistic action”. Is there any kid (or adult, for that matter) that would not want a magic wand to control characters in their favorite nursery rhymes? In this case, the wand is a red wooden dowel, it’s magic comes when the tip ratchets a fixed wheel in the center of the page. It is a clever spin on the traditional movable wheel and the uncredited paper engineer did not stick with one template and varies the movement and utilizes both sides of the page as the reader takes a journey with Johnny and Mary to Mother Goose Land.

There is little information about the title. We know the book was published by the Dyco Publishing Company out of Philadelphia, yet the author remains anonymous. The last page mentions a copyright in 1946 by B.B. Corp. with a patent attributed to inventor, Frederick Voges at Advertising Ingenuities, Inc. in Chicago.

Our omnipresent guide, Simon Simple may look angry throughout the entire ordeal but you sure won’t be if you ever get a chance to visit Mother Goose Land yourself. Until then enjoy some photos.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Philter

Philter \FIL-ter\ noun

1. A magic potion for any purpose.
2. A potion, charm, or drug supposed to cause the person taking it to fall in love, usually with some specific person.

Origin: Philter originates from the Greek philtron "love potion" which itself derives from the Greek philos "love of".

History Lesson: Dr. Seuss is Born

On March 2, 1904 Theodor Geisel who is better known as Dr. Seuss was born.  Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.  He went on to graduate from Dartmouth College and also studied at Oxford University.

Geisel's first children's book "And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street" was rejected by over two dozen publishers before being printed in 1937.  His first bestseller, "Cat in the Hat" was published in 1957.  Other classics include "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", "Yertle the Turtle", "Fox in Socks", and "If I ran the Circus".  Though he also published books with more serious themes like the environment ("The Lorax") and the nuclear war threat during the Reagan presidency ("The Butter Battle Book").

Geisel lived and worked in an old observatory in California where he passed at the age of 87.

Word of the Day: Upbraid

Upbraid \uhp-BRAYD\ transitive verb

1. To scold or criticize harshly.

Origin: Upbraid is from Middle English upbreiden, from Old English upbregdan, " to twist up, hence to reproach," from up- "up" + bregdan, "to move back and forth; to weave."

Artist Watch: James Gulliver Hancock

James Gulliver Hancock is on a mission.  To draw all the buildings in New York.  This is a pretty bold statement, but I believe in this guy!  I love his line quality and the way he gets to know a building as he draws it.  And the Control Tower at JFK is really great-- you can just feel the chaos inside.  Check out his work below!

http://allthebuildingsinnewyork.blogspot.com/

http://www.jamesgulliverhancock.com/index_illustration.html

Word of the Day: Scrabble

Scrabble \SKRAB-uhl\ intransitive verb

1. To scrape or scratch with the hands or feet.
2. To struggle by or as if by scraping or scratching.
3. To proceed by clawing with the hands and feet; to scramble.
4. To make irregular, crooked, or unmeaning marks; to scribble; to scrawl.


Origin: Scrabble derives from Dutch schrabbelen, from Middle Dutch, frequentative of schrabben, "to scrape; to scratch".