Calgary co-operative gives artists an edge.
By Pamela Sexsmith Green Windspeaker Contributor CALGARY Strength in numbers, creative diversity and a complementary presentation are the cornerstones that have given AB-Originals an edge in the highly competitive arts and crafts market in Calgary. "What's good for the group is...

PRODUCT ROUNDUP.
HAMMOCK-TENT The Clark Jungle Hammock is a three-season backpacking tent that hangs between two trees, eliminating the need for poles, air mattresses, and foam pads. Constructed from water-resistant nylon and nylon-mesh, the hammock sets up in less than five minutes. Large pockets sewn underneath the hammock provide...

Winnie-the-Pooh and the Canadian connection.
ROSS KILPATRICK teaches classics at Queen's University. Lately, there have been increasingly strident claims by both British and Americans for ownership of Christopher Robin's original plush toys: Pooh, Kanga, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet. Since 1947 they have resided in the United States, most recently in the New York Public Library....

Ich Bin Ein Action Figure.
This fall, Hasbro unveiled the latest addition to its line of G.I. Joe dolls, the "John F. Kennedy PT-109 Boat Commander" action figure. JFK thus joins two other commanders-in-chief, George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower, in being so honored. In marketing what has been called a "respectful, tasteful...

The culture of everyday venality: or a life in the book industry.
Here is the rap on independent/non-profit/alternative literary presses like McPherson, Semiotext(e) Autonomia, Feminist Press, Coffee House, Dalkey Archive, Sun and Moon, Permeable Press, Asylum Arts and many others: * they're ineptly run by visionary but incompetent people living in former doll factories in Brooklyn or quaint Ruskinesque cottages...

Made to Play House: Dolls and the Commercialization of American Girlhood.
In this volume Miriam Formanek-Brunell examines the relationship between dolls and American culture over a one-hundred-year period that encompasses the Victorian era and the evolution of modem industrial society. Challenging specifically the prevalent interpretation of dolls as static agents of a uniform approach to gender socialization and, more generally, the...

A Doll for the Global Economy.
Artist elin o'Hara slavick parodies the doll industry and punctures U.S. history in a pamphlet called "Post-Colonial Girl Doll." She presents several costumes for "Miss Global Economy" to wear. For more information e-mail the artist at eoslavic@email.unc.edu, or visit her web site at http://www.unc. edu/~eoslavic/zine.htm. Priscilla is...

Skoodlez to Join Hollywood Santa Parade.
Interactive booths at Winterfest public and VIP areas offer educational family fun PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif., Nov. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Kamar Innovation Toy Group announces Skoodlez participation in the 77th annual Hollywood Santa Parade and Winterfest on Sunday, November 30. The famed parade will be extra...

There's a New Doll in Town.
A very special birthday launch party took place last night at The Children's Museum of Manhattan NEW YORK, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a new doll in town. Her name is Maru(TM), and she just had a birthday launch party celebration at The Children's Museum of Manhattan...

Fat Brain Toys Announces Winners of 2008 Fat Brain Toy Awards.
The only toy award program 100 percent driven by consumers Thousands of parents voted for their top choice in 28 unique categories ELKHORN, Neb., Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Fat Brain Toys, the leading online retailer of specialty toys, announced today the winners of its awards...