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" deal, only with numbers, not animals [which came 27 years before Eric Carle, btw]

!] You may get a discount for the French copy, though.
Now about that UPS logo.

..
The alliterative headline thing only goes so far.

Forbes published its list of the top-earning dead celebrities this week, and while everyone else goes on about the significance of Kurt Cobain displacing Elvis for the top spot [$50 million vs $42 million], and the whole music-in-ads licensploitation of rebellious rockers by the corporate world [thanks, Boomers, for bequeathing us this valuable legacy], I think there's another story that's staring at us from beyond the grave: the Baby Industrial Complex.
Eight celebrity estates earned $10 million or more in the last year, and half of them have big baby- and kid-related licensing or book deals in place:
#3 Charles Schulz ["Peanuts", $35 million] and #7 Theodore Geisel [Dr. Seuss, $10 million] are the obvious ones.

But #4 John Lennon [$24mm] artwork can be found on Wal-Mart's store-brand diapers and on nursery gear. And #5 Albert Einstein [$20 mm] gets a royalty from the educational video company whose real/only genius is marketing.
Give it a couple of years, though, and Cobain's people'll figure out a baby deal, too.

Somebody get Dave Grohl on the phone...

This GPS teddy bear waves its paws to tell you the direction to your destination. And when you miss a turn, it mocks you.
And when it mocks someone with a handgun, he shoots it in the forehead.

[Wait, when did they get handguns in Japan?]
According to Kawasaki-based manufacturer iXs Research, this kind of robot assisted "motion media" is meant to augment existing audiovisual modes of navigation assistance. I guess if it's even 10% less annoying than that voice in the Hertz Neverlost system ["Right.

Turn. A. PROACHING.

"], it'll be a winner. iXs is demo'ing the thing Nov 3-4 at the Kawasaki Jitaku Koen [Home Park].
Navirobo GPS Teddy Bear Prototype [my dad saw it on , who got it from , who had the same right-between-the-eyes punchline, sigh]
First, the puppet bad news: When I linked to that yesterday, I thought, wouldn't it be nice if there were some puppets, too?

Unfortunately, the only were so brittle, the seller didn't want to take them off the beer bottles that had been shoved into them [very classy]. And besides, they're from 1955.
But then this morning, a set of colorful vintage Creative Playthings finger puppets turned up, with a box, from 1969, the same time frame as the theater.

Of course, they look like scraps of old kitchen curtains , but I guess that's the creative part.
If you don't win, though, no sweat: you can just shove some fabric scraps into some wooden drawer pulls and draw some eyes on with a Sharpie. You know, get creative with your playthings.

To my esteemed fellow author, Ms. Gertrude Stein:
First let me say, I love your work, and I think you have a very promising future in the arts. Second, congratulations on what appears to be your second children's book, To Do: A Book of Alphabets and Birthdays.

The witty wordplay of all those names for each letter? Great. I think kids would love to hear the alliterative sounds, and with an alphabet structure, who needs a narrative anyway?

Now I know I've only been in this book publishing biz a few days, but I hope you'll let me give you some friendly advice, as an admiring colleague in letters, you understand.
First off: Your author's portrait on your book jacket. It doesn't even really look like you!

And you have to admit, it looks a little mannish. You should consider having someone else do a portrait of you. Do you know anyone?

Because I could make some recommendations.
And second, well, actually, that's all I had. Just the picture.

Good luck! See you at Borders!
Gertrude Stein's To Do: A Book of Alphabets and Birthdays was only published in 1957 as part of her unpublished writings [huh?

] [abebooks]
Or get it straight from the publisher in Copenhagen, [greeninteger.com]
An illustrious advertiser, the 92nd St Y, has a ticket giveaway for Daddy Types readers. The first five people to email with 'daddytypes' in the subject will get early, guaranteed admission to one of the city's most highly respected pre-school programs.

Haha, kidding! But now that I have your attention..

.
Actually, it's something just as good: tickets to the next installment of the with Steven Isserlis on cello and Jeremy Denk on piano:

When Steven Isserlis picks up a bow, he can turn his cello into a swan, a braying donkey or someone in love. He can even make it play Beatles tunes!

Join Steven and his friend, pianist Jeremy Denk, and find out how he makes his cello sing!

The first five people will receive tickets for up to 2 adults and 4 kids.