gall and gumption

Monday, June 28, 2010

Further West, More Mysterious



I don't know if you can read the text. It says

Welcome to the " Happy Girls" world. Lots of fabulous dreams and adventures are in store for you!And the odds are you will survive it!


Odds are that you won't, though, realistically speaking. Sorry.

This is the jewel of my small collection of Korean children's notebooks. I'd probably have more of them if I hadn't moved away from the source, which was a supermarket out near the Tick Ranch. They cost a dollar each, though I did pay $4 for one that had a sort of rodent (guinea pig? capybara?) in overalls standing in a little sailboat, apparently setting out to sea from an Italian fishing village. Every few weekends or so I'd run to this supermarket (it was also where I bought dog food garnish) and go into the kids' and babies' section to look for notebooks because they were so completely awesome. And I'd certainly have more of them if I didn't give them away.

But after all what else can one do with a bunch of wacky Korean notebooks? I have been giving them away as gifts but only to people who appreciate their specialness. Sometimes these recipients appreciate it a little too much: one twelve-year-old, given her choice of several, turned down the one with the mysterious blue fuzzy animal driving his convertible and grinning like a maniac because she said "It was too creepy." It was hard to disagree, to tell the truth.

Anyway I sort of forgot that I had these wonderful things until I found myself describing them to someone at the Big International Organization where I'm working now. And then I thought of someone else there who might like one, so tonight I pulled them off the shelves to admire them again, and to share with you, my small but select readers.

For those who might be frightened by the dark undertones of Happy Girls, I think you'll find you're safe with Chip Chip Star:



Again, the text:

Look at Chip Chip Star. She may be small, but she's very fashionable.


Rock on, Chip Chip Star! And to hell with the odds!