Remember in elementary school what a big deal folders and binders were? It was an epic decision, every fall: do I go with the Lisa Frank ballerina bunnies or the Christian Lassen dolphins swimming through an outer space sunset? My boss and I were talking about this yesterday and I thought it would be funny to do a quick throwback to top notch folder art circa the 90's.
Initially, I was a Lisa Frank Girl, obviously. I thought she was just superb. Exhibit A:
Ah, yes. The Fabulous World of Lisa Frank. A land where that little speckled rainbow seal can swim harmoniously and worry free with that giant smiling killer whale and doe eyed little polar bear. Incidentially, it is also a land in which the waters of the arctic feature white sand beaches for golden retrievers to frolic. A land where unicorns not only exist, they exist harmoniously in the jungle with a rainbow jaguar. Let's not neglect what's going on over the rainbow, that kitten is loving her hat and there seems to be some sort of talent competition between the ballerina bunny, the koala cheerleader, and that entertainer bear. Who wouldn't want to be a part of it?
I was so smitten with Lisa's work that when I was in fourth grade, I wrote her a letter, on Lisa Frank stationary, complimenting her on her art and commending her choice to create a world inwhich sad colors did not exist. She never wrote back. If I hadn't written to Steven Spielberg the year before (to ask him for Tim from Jurassic Park's home address so that I could initiate a correspondence of love letters that would ultimately lead to love, marriage, and a lifetime of happiness) and received a letter back from him (Steven wasn't at liberty to hand out the addresses of his child stars, even in the name of love) I might not have been as put out. I was really disgusted with Lisa's laziness, because surely she couldn't have had more going on than Steven Spielberg and he managed a reply.
After that incident I switched over to Christian Lassen in protest. He was a true artist:
What a mindfreak, right? Tigers in space? I can't even begin to figure out what is going on in that other one. Why are the planets so close to the water? It looks like the apocalypse. What is really going on here, Christian Lassen? I think we can probably guess what your true inspiration for these masterpieces was.
Annnnnnd that's enough.
2 comments:
Oh gosh Danielle, I do remember how difficult it was for you to choose between the two. We would be in Bradlees for a very long time before you narrowed it down.
I'm pretty sure I HAD that tiger folder. I was anti-Lisa Frank. Stupid little girls. It's probably been replaced by Bratz now, huh?
- Laura
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