Monkey Doodle Dandy Blog

Signed with Kids Preferred

2011-11-28T12:33:00.000-05:00

w00t! We signed a new plush licensing deal! New Squaredy Cats for 2012 will be made by Kids Preferred! We're already working on the spring series, and they look amazing!

See LicenseMag.com.

Squaredy Cats on WPIX 11 Morning News

2011-10-17T17:42:00.000-04:00

We were waiting as patiently as we could since we did this interview with Francesca Maxime around a month ago. It was finally produced, and aired on October 13 on the WPIX channel morning news Dunkin Donuts Studio On The Run segment.

Francesca and her production team made us feel very comfortable on the set, and Elaine did an amazing job explaining what Squaredy Cats are all about. We couldn't have been happier with how it turned out :)
They even flashed our Squaredy Cats Facebook page across the screen.

Francesca Maxime with Elaine de la Mata and Kurt Marquart, the inventors and designers of Squaredy Cats.

It seems everyone there had fun with the new plush line that's out now, and available at Toys R Us. Linda Church held, Tiger Lily, and Frances Rivera and Sukanya Krishnan really had a ball with a few others. Below you'll find a link to the broadcast piece, but directly below that check out what else we found. Someone posted a YouTube link of the team goofing off with the cats on the set, but we think it was terrific! How great that they had so much fun with our fun-loving toys.

Thank you to everyone at the WPIX Channel 11 Morning News in New York!

Here's a link to the embedded video below.

And here's the YouTube video of the fun banter.

Frances Rivera and Sukanya Krishnan a few of the Squaredy Cats.

Sukanya Krishnan holding Sandy (not squared to make waves) from series 2.

Sukanya Krishnan holding Honey (not squared to BEE smart) from series 1.

We're going to be on TV :)

2011-09-20T10:52:00.000-04:00

Last week we were interviewed by Francesca Maximé of WPIX in their Dunkin' Donuts Studio On The Run. The focus was Squaredy Cats. We're really excited, and can't wait to post a link when it comes up! We're thinking some time this week. The new line of Squaredy Cats plush should be hitting the shelves at any moment.

Here's a sneak peak of one we were able to do by popular demand...

Brooklyn is in the house

2011-06-22T12:49:00.001-04:00

We designed the logo, package and play tiles for this game. Game developer INI, Inc. brought this Brooklyn inventor's game to the shelf. This is the kind of work that really makes us proud. We design a lot for the big companies, but we love when we can play a part in the success of the little guy.

Support a local inventor. It's really a great game! Buy it here.

See what the NY Daily News has to say about George Weiss and his game, Dabble.

Pirates aren't the only ones who say "®!"

2011-06-08T11:17:00.002-04:00

The monkeys at Monkey Doodle Dandy are saying it now, too! As of yesterday, we got confirmation that our application has completed the long process with the USPTO. We now own two trademarks - Squaredy Cats® and Squarey Monsters®.

It's another milestone for us as licensors, and we're proud to be where we are.

"Doing Their Own Thing"

2011-05-23T19:35:00.000-04:00

We're on page 6 in the Art of Licensing supplement to License Global! They even used a picture of Giggles on the Table of Contents page :)

We're thrilled because we couldn't make it to Licensing Expo this year, but this magazine circulates through the show and will supplement two issues. We hope to make some new connections and find new deals. People are buzzing about Squaredy Cats!

Link to article.

Squaredy Cats at Toy Fair 2011

2011-05-18T14:32:00.001-04:00

I think we forgot to post this. We found it on parrygamepreserve.com. See their post on Gund showing Squaredy Cats at Toy Fair 2011 or check the direct link on YouTube :)

They introduce Squaredy Cats just after 5:55...

Squaredy Cats on NY1 News

2011-04-29T17:22:00.000-04:00

We were so happy with the report that Jeanine Ramirez of NY1 News did on Monkey Doodle Dandy and Squaredy Cats! In case you missed it, we were on New York Tonight on NYC Time Warner Cable station NY1.

Here's a link to the video and article.

And here's the best way we can think of to show our appreciation :)

Interview on Ideas Uploaded

2011-04-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

Elaine and Kurt were recently interviewed by Tara of the Ideas Uploaded blog. The blog is a valuable source for creative types. You'll find out what inspires designers, inventors, licensors, and anyone else in the toy industry.

Follow the Ideas Uploaded blog or on Facebook, and subscribe to the podcast.

We were both a bit nervous about being interviewed via Skype, not knowing what to expect. We were given an outline of the questions we'd be asked; but between not being fully prepared despite that fact (because we're always working), and both of us being somewhat "camera shy" we were somewhat nervous. Elaine did a fine job of speaking for both of us as I stumbled through confused thoughts, irrelevant tangents and unfinished run-on sentences ;)

Listen to the podcast interview or take a look at the blog post if you're interested in hearing more about how Squaredy Cats came about and our experiences making it happen.

ShakyGlobe is Shaking it up

2010-12-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

Found this article from aNb Media (Royalties, Toys & Family Entertainment, Time to Play Magazine) on ShakyPlanet today. We have a few ShakyGlobe collections in their store. If you have an iPhone check out the app, and start collecting!

The article mentions "...Monkey Doodle Dandy (soon to be a product line from Gund) are just a few of the licensed versions available," but it should be noted Monkey Doodle Dandy is the company, and Squaredy Cats is the property GUND is licensing for plush.

UPDATED:
The good folks at aNb Media made a change to the paragraph at our request (YAY! Thanks :)

It now reads:
"The licensing possibilities are endless. Licensing will play a large and immediate role in the snow globe concept. Speed Racer, ComicCon 2010, and Squaredy Cats (soon to be a licensed product line from Gund created by Monkey Doodle Dandy) are just a few of the licensed versions available."

Check their store for:

Squaredy Cats
Squarey Monsters
GirlMonsters

Here's the ShakyPlanet Facebook page.

Good news in good reviews

2010-11-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

There's a good review for the I've Never… game we worked on for INI over at creators.com.

We're always pleased to see when things go well for the companies we work for and products we work on.

Great gift idea for the upcoming holiday season :)

Squaredy Cats featured in AM New York

2010-09-27T18:17:00.000-04:00

Check AM New York's PDF archives. They did a story on Monkey Doodle Dandy and our Squaredy Cats on September 27, 2010. Article by Rachel Stern, photo by Michael Kirby Smith

You might be able to click the image above to read it.

aNb knows the Real Deal!

2010-07-08T12:11:00.001-04:00

Four from the first series of Squaredy Cats.

Our best press yet in the trades. aNn Media who publishes Royalties and Toys & Family Entertainment mentioned Squaredy Cats on the Real Deal page of their online version (hoping it makes a printed issue as well).
They were the first to use one of the photos we included with our press release about the deal with GUND. We need people to see these fuzzy creatures, so please pass it along :)

Link to article.

It's officially published. GUND is making Squaredy Cats

2010-06-22T15:14:00.001-04:00

We got our first alert since the press release went out. Gift Shop Magazine has published the news on their website. GUND is making Squaredy Cats plush :)
We couldn't be more excited! It's real ;)

Here's the link.

The first series will be nine Squaredy Cats. Below is an image of 4 samples of the plush Squaredy Cats in the first series GUND is making.

Squaredy Cats mention

2010-05-03T11:50:00.001-04:00

License Global mentioned our recent licensing deals for Squaredy Cats in their online daily news :)

The NEW new studio

2010-04-15T13:40:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since we've posted regularly, but that's probably a good sign because we are so busy or because SO MUCH is a SECRET! There's so much "mum" is the word on so much of what we're doing. We've been hoping to make some big announcements recently, but there seems to be a lot of hurry up and wait in the world of licensing.

Because we've been so sporadic in posting to the blog, I'm pretty sure we never got around to posting much about our new studio…that we moved into…in January, 2009 :P - and of course, we have since left that studio, and moved into a new studio after that…in October, 2009. It's now April, 2010, and I'm getting around to posting pix of our brand new empty studio. We've filled it with all our stuff since then, and maybe by the time we move out of this one we'll find the time to post those pix ;)

Here's what our studio on 2nd Avenue in Brooklyn looked like a few days before we moved in:

That's our Mini Cooper. Our studio is the fifth window in (without the AC).

The front door of Studio 35 looking into the hallway.

The building our studio used to be a textile factory, and is in is under the F,N,R trains.

By the way, this blog now feeds directly into our Facebook page. Fan us there for other updates, and you can follow us more closely as we monkey around.

Sketchatoy Interview

2010-04-07T11:25:00.003-04:00

We were interviewed on the Sketchatoy blog. Check it out here

Toy Fair 2010

2010-03-10T14:12:00.001-05:00

As usual, we've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to comment on the recent Toy Fair. We have to be careful about what we say since everything there is pretty much somebody's top secret. If we were "press" I'm sure we would be allowed to divulge some of the secrets we saw, but since we share a place in the industry as toy designers and licensors we must respect the wishes of who we talked to about what we witnessed.

This may have been our most important Toy Fair yet because we are working on designing Squaredy Cats with [undisclosed plush company], and we had a meeting with our agents and [undisclosed plush company] to view the most recent samples they've made. We were thrilled with how they look, and we can't wait to show you images of the actual products once they're made. We should have plush Squaredy Cats in stores this October along with some other fun items.

It's also always exciting to see products we had a hand in designing that show up at Toy Fair or in the stores. Typically it can take up to two years to see a final product on something we designed or helped design. Usually, by the time something shows up in public we hold back on announcing it because we feel we've grown so much artistically since the initial work was done. That might just be normal artist self-doubt.

One client that we work with was willing to allow us to photograph their booth. INI, Inc produces the game, I've Never… along with a few other titles and merchandise based on the I've Never brand. We've done quite a bit of work for them. Check out their games, and if you buy one of their items, tell'em we sent ya.

The INI Toy Fair booth with some of their titles, the I've Never…Game,

I've Never…Beer Pong, I've Never…Party Dice, the I've Never…Game for Kids.

Brainstorm Session

2010-02-04T18:23:00.003-05:00

Brainstorming is an important part of a toy designer/inventor's day. This is what a brainstorming session looks like at Monkey Doodle Dandy Studio!

Paperoni Deluxe Studio has a commercial

2010-01-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

See THE COMMERCIAL here

The Paperoni Deluxe Studio is available on Amazon now :)

Spin Master's Paperoni Deluxe Studio is available on Amazon.
Elaine designed some of the Paperoni animals for this and other sets. She did preliminary concept sketches, and worked out 3-D mock-ups for most of these Paperoni characters.
Visit the official paperoni site :)

Squaredy Cats style guide covers

2009-12-11T14:08:00.000-05:00

This post is a bit late, but I saved the link to archive here.

These are pictures Karen posted of the Squaredy Cats style guide covers she did for us.

.

not squared to blog it

2009-12-02T20:36:00.000-05:00

From the Squaredy Cats™ blog.

From the Squaredy Cats™ Facebook page.

We finally started a blog and a Facebook fan page for the Squaredy Cats. There's tons of content to be added, so watch for it. The news for Squaredy Cats should be picking up too, so watch for that to increase as well.

We'll be posting cats on the blog along with anecdotes about what we were thinking when they were individually designed.

Check out the Squaredy Cats Blog

Check out the Squaredy Cats Facebook fan page

We'll keep the fan feed in the sidebar to the right as well.

Please design (X) for free

2009-12-01T12:18:00.003-05:00

As illustrators and designers, we've all bee through this. Simply put: Potential doesn't pay my mortgage.

But for a more colorful version of this scenario (which comes up all too often for those of us who wield a pencil and mouse for a living), please to enjoy:

An amusing correspondence from 27b/6™ regarding designing for the possibility of payment.

:P

Another one!

2009-11-30T12:52:00.004-05:00

Our first license went to A&A Global who distributes to vending machine companies. Please comment on their blog, and let them know how much you LOVE Squaredy Cats :)

GO HERE!

:)

Squaredy Cats stickers for sale

2009-11-30T12:41:00.004-05:00

Elaine just found this link for gumball machine vendors offering Squaredy Cats stickers for sale in bulk at Gumballs.com. If you know someone who owns vending machines or works at a vending machine company, please forward it to them.

Paperoni hit the shelves

2009-11-24T22:54:00.006-05:00

Elaine shows off a find of some of her Paperoni work.

Elaine and I were visiting my parents upstate, NY, and made our ritual visit to Wal-Mart. We found a large display of Spin Master's Paperoni in the toy section. These are some of the crafts that Elaine designed :)
She worked out 3-D mock-ups for most of these Paperoni characters.

We just discovered they finally have an official paperoni site :)

Bitzy Motion Test

2009-11-22T19:01:00.004-05:00

Our friend Liz Van Verth has done a motion test in animating Bitzy, the Squarey Monster. We are so happy with the way she looks bouncing around on the screen :)

Can't you just see the Squarey Monsters bouncing around on Nickelodeon?

Bitzy from Liz Van Verth on Vimeo.

Beer Pong

2009-10-29T13:12:00.005-04:00

INI's "I've Never… Beer Pong."

One of my clients just updated their website to reflect all the new merchandise INI is offering. Their signature game, "I've Never…" has been updated, and Monkey Doodle Dandy has helped in the branding by designing so much of their merchandise, and developing other games with INI based on the "I've Never…" concept.
Their latest… "I've Never… Beer Pong."

Check out their other games. They make great gifts :)

And, don't forget to check out the children's version of "I've Never…" which we also designed :)

Dora Links Doll

2009-09-29T09:44:00.004-04:00

The new Dora Links Doll will being unveiled today on The View. Set your DVRs and TIVOs, or watch live.

Elaine played a role in the design and development of the Dora doll and her clothing. She did a ton of graphics for the site connected to the doll, and I contributed with some illustrations.

Go to doralinks.com when you buy the doll or just check it out now.

Sorry, we can't post a picture of the doll until it's officially announced, but I'll throw something up later.

Squaredy Cats style guide

2009-08-25T17:10:00.007-04:00

It's finally finished. The Squaredy Cats Style Guide has been through a lot to get to this point. Despite already having signed a licensing agreement, we still hadn't sent out the teaser guides to anyone yet. We have 5 full guides and 15 teaser guides that we had Karen's Monsters make plush covers for.
We finished printing and binding all the books, and added CDs, postcards and pins. We're sending the guides to our agents at Redasign Studio, and are hoping for the best.

The pages are to be kept secret at this point. There are several never-before-seen cats that will probably debut as stickers in December.

PS:
Yesterday I was wearing a Squaredy Cats t-shirt, and I saw at least one girl craning her neck to see it :)

Bitzy turnaround

2009-08-04T09:38:00.003-04:00

Bitzy is alive! It's alive. It's alive. It's alive, it's alive, , it's alive , it's ALIVE!

Thank you, Liz Van Verth. This is exciting :)

16 New Squaredy Cats pins and magnets

2009-07-30T19:37:00.004-04:00

We've uploaded 16 new pins (in two sizes) and magnets to our Cafe Press shop. We hope to see you strolling around town with your new Squaredy Cats pin. Maybe you need more magnets on your fridge ;)
Send one as a gift today, and help spread the news Squaredy Cats are here!

SEE THE NEW PINS!

:)

Bitzy begins the robot revolution

2009-07-30T11:20:00.005-04:00

Bitzy, of the Squarey Monsters.

Bitzy front view

Bitzy 3/4 view

Bitzy side view

Bitzy top view

Elaine and I are VERY excited. Our friend Liz Van Verth is working on an animation with Bitzy of the Squarey Monsters. We are talking with Liz about how she will move, and are thrilled seeing our character come to life, and can't wait to see what she comes up with.

Visit Liz Van Verth's site.

Visit Bitzy

Bitzy is a Witzy-wonk, a robotic monster from Wonky Island. She spends her days spiffing up and her nights programming. If you have a gadget on the fritz, chances are she can fix it.

Pins and Magnets available

2009-07-24T14:20:00.004-04:00

We set up a logo pin at our Cafe Press Store to place on the plushy Style Guide Teasers. The artwork is still attached to the store in the Squaredy Cats Section, and we applied it to 3.5" pins, 2.25" pins and 2.25" magnets.

If you are interested in purchasing pins or magnets please visit this link. And thanks for your support. These are going to be collectors' items ;)

Squaredy Cats have style

2009-07-23T16:19:00.004-04:00

After several versions, revisions, additions, and redesigns we've finally settled on the Squaredy Cats first edition Style Guide. The full version still has to be printed, and we're working with Karen of Karen's Monsters who made some of our Licensing Expo plush samples. She's making cute plushy covers for our first guides, and the teaser guides.

We got our first teaser guide sample back (without Karen's extra touch), and we are so pleased with how it looks! I like to think we are making the job easy for our agents at Redasign Studio ;)

Pitches begin soon. Wish us luck!

PS A reminder for Facebook users: Why not send a Squaredy Cats Gift today? It's free!

Interviewed by Ruby Winkle

2009-07-18T15:37:00.003-04:00

Meghan Killeen of Ruby Winkle interviewed me about Monkey Doodle Dandy this week.
I was a little late in sending images, so I hope she can still insert what I sent today. We are always so busy, and of course, working on this beautiful Saturday.

What a great feeling to know that what you might have to say is important to someone other than yourself!

Read the interview here.

Thanks for finding us, Meghan :)

Not squared to go green

2009-07-14T11:45:00.003-04:00

We've been very busy developing our Squaredy Cats style guide for licensees. Many pitches are planned, but it looks like we may have our first licensing deal very soon (details to come). Since we were so busy we forgot to mention we signed our licensing agreement deal with our agents for Squaredy Cats and Squarey Monsters. Seems fairly anticlimactic after a few months of negotiations, but we're ecstatic about being represented.

Here's a little bit about our representation:
Redasign Studio is a branding and design studio specializing in building successful brands through licensing. With a combined 40 years experience in marketing, licensing and design, its team members, Robert Reda and Kim Winkeleer, have been instrumental in the development of multi-million dollar licensing and brand extension programs for properties such as baby Gund, She’s Charmed and Dangerous, the Teletubbies and Eloise at the Plaza.

To celebrate we popped a bottle of champagne. We hope you'll celebrate with a reusable stainless steel SIGG water bottle from our Cafe Press store.

Here's a perma-link to our store in case merchandise is moved in the future.

Party Favors

2009-06-25T13:16:00.005-04:00

Mini-Foosball, Skee Ball and Mad Libs party favors.

This was sent by a friend a while ago. It's a cell phone photo - a little chopped off, but it's three party favor games that we had our hands on in designing for Tara Toy. We did a revised Foosball field and Mad Libs accordion fold fun-books. Much of it is restricted by the rules of style guides, but some fun was had in designing the Skeeball board.

Skee Ball design and mock-up.

I've Never, but Justine has

2009-06-24T11:58:00.007-04:00

Click the image above to go to the online Justine Magazine.

Still catching up on news. A client of ours who markets the game I've Never receives press for his items, but I believe this was the first press his I've Never… received for the teen version that we designed. It was featured on page 36 of their April/May issue.

Click the image above to go to the grown-up version of I've Never…
at the Barnes & Noble's online store.

I couldn't find a link to the teen version on the Barnes & Noble website, but it's in stores. The above image is the adult version of the game. I did the illustration for that package a couple of years ago.

Tara games

2009-06-23T11:31:00.006-04:00

I finally got around to posting these pictures. I designed the logos and cards for a number of games for Tara Toy in 2008. Games is a fairly new category for them, so I am happy to see that of the seven or so games I worked on, these three went through to production, and can be found in stores.

Product logos and illustrations are the most fun part of this job.

I feel like Steve Martin

2009-06-18T13:47:00.003-04:00

Remember in The Jerk when Steve Martin found his name in the phone book, and cried out that he was famous? I feel a little like that when I post this, but as much as a mention of our studio in passing should really be no big deal, we feel it's a compliment to have been mentioned at all in a marketing guru's blog along with two other known brands.

After all, you may know who Cookie Jar is, but everyone knows Ugly Dolls. Well, Monkey Doodle Dandy was mentioned in the same sentence in this post in Jason Manwaring's blog talking about Licensing Expo.

It should seem like no big deal, especially considering the sentence was not all that positive (really not negative regarding our studio either). But, hey. We got noticed.
We're famous! ;)

Fisher Price badge

2009-06-18T11:10:00.005-04:00

The day before we left for Licensing Expo in Vegas, we were invited by Fisher Price to their Vendor Fair. There, we got to have face time with some of the people we do work for; and we also get to meet new people for potential work. We had a portfolio, promotional material, and a table to greet Fisher Price designers and project managers.

I joked about their security at the time. We had to sign waivers promising not to discuss anything we saw (so, mum's the word), and we got badges on which we were to write our names. Only today, about two weeks later did I see the extent of their seriousness in their security when I found the badge in my bag. A time exposed ink "appeared" on my badge. Cool.

Not squared to send Facebook gifts

2009-06-17T19:05:00.003-04:00

If you are on Facebook, get the new Squaredy Cats Facebook Gift app, and send some to friends. When you install it you will only see a few, but more unlock each day.
Click the "become a fan" button when you get there, and you will be notified when we upload more images. The Squaredy Cats you see here are not necessarily exclusive, but you'll find some here you'll never see anywhere else!
Wear your anxiety on your Facebook wall and own it!

Click here to get it!

Paperoni - pasta, present, future

2009-06-17T10:39:00.008-04:00

The original Paper'oni logo we created.

Our apartment was filled with these Paper'oni boxes and jars while Elaine was developing uses for the craft product.

Elaine at the Happy Hands booth, Toy Fair 2008. Paper'oni was their featured product. Elaine designed all the packaging and banners.

It's always nice to see the fruits of your efforts drop to the earth so that the seeds plant new trees that grow before your eyes. Sometimes we miss the scope of what we've contributed to particular products, and sometimes we just have to patiently wait to see what comes up.
A few of years ago Elaine met a new client at Toy Fair. He hired Monkey Doodle Dandy to develop a new craft concept with him. We even provided a list of creative titles for the product, and Raymond Suskin, the inventor chose a name we brainstormed: Paper'oni. We knew immediately, based on his idea, and how we felt about the name that Raymond had a hit.

I designed the logo, and Elaine did most of the development; presentation boards, product illustrations, packaging, etc. We were both very proud when Raymond at Happy Hands told us his Paper'oni was doing well in other countries.

It seemed like it happened over night. One day last year, Elaine got a call from an unrelated client who hired her to develop their new license… Paper'oni! The product caught the eye of Spin Master, and coincidentally, Elaine helped develop the license for new product. More illustrations, and a slight change in the name (Paperoni without the apostrophe), and Spin Master has finally released Paperoni to market… and we can finally show it.

This Amazon link might not last forever so images are below.

Spin Master's first Paperoni item.
Elaine and I sketched and rendered concepts for the machine, and Elaine designed the 2-D and 3-D animals. This was one of the projects our friend, Nancy Sampson helped with.

See Nancy Sampson's website.

Monday is fun day

2009-06-08T12:12:00.003-04:00

The monkeys are back in the new studio trying to catch up on emails. Then we have to sort everything out that we learned at Licensing Expo. The show was a success for us. We came home with a stack of business cards as big as an Uno deck. Now comes the follow-through.

We are very excited about it all. We'll likely sign with our licensing agent for the US and UK this week or next, then they'll take some of our leads and make things happen.

*fingers crossed*

First Day at first Expo

2009-06-03T09:09:00.004-04:00

Elaine and Kurt in the Monkey Doodle Dandy booth at our first Licensing Expo.

Kurt and the Squarey Monsters banner.

Elaine and the Wudjadoo banner.

The Jitterbutter banner and Betty Bones' skateboard concept.

The Squarey Monsters display.

Our first day of Licensing Expo went very well… even better than either of us had expected it could. We met manufacturers and producers from all over the world. Sometimes inventors had a product they thought would work well with our images. Sometimes an agency wanted to know what was available. There seems to be pretty even interest among all four of our properties, Jitterbutter GirlMonsters, Wudjadoo, Squarey Monsters and Squaredy Cats.

Today is the second day, and we don't know what to expect. We hope it can go half as well as it has already. I can't wait to see what the end result will be, and how these new connections will affect Monkey Doodle Dandy.

We haven't figured out if our ad in Art of Licensing has sent anyone in our direction. It's possible, when everyone browses their papers from the show they can find us then. Not like we had many free moments yesterday. It seemed like someone was always stopping at our booth, and we're thankful for that! Even the heads of Tara Toy stopped by to say hello.

This booth is made for stompin'

2009-06-01T19:35:00.005-04:00

Elaine and Kurt stand in the empty booth 1873 at their first Licensing Expo.

First order of business… hang the Monkey Doodle Dandy Banner!

Elaine and Stephanie assembling our shelves. Not sure where everything goes yet.

Elaine and Stephanie. All the banners are up.

Now we know where the Squarey Monsters are going, cut stickers for packets.

Last minute concept mock-ups to assemble.

Squarey Monsters await fame while Elaine goes through last minute portfolio changes.

We're pretty much finished setting up the booth for Licensing Expo. Booth 1873. We'll post more pictures showing the entire booth tomorrow when the union gets all the skids out of the way and the carpet is down.

Also, great to note:

A google alert made me aware that our Exhibitor profile has been published at TMCnet.com.

Here's how it reads:

Company: Monkey Doodle Dandy Booth: 1873 Media Contact: Elaine de la Mata Phone: 718-398-2338/917-450-2483 E-mail: studio@monkeydoodledandy.com Web: monkeydoodledandy.com Since 1998, Monkey Doodle Dandy, Inc. has developed properties for major companies including Scholastic, Nickelodeon, Fisher Price and Mattel. The Brooklyn-based art and design company is now expanding as a licensor, introducing its own brands Squarey Monsters, Squaredy Cats, Wudjadoo and GirlMonsters. Whether they're furry, fanged, or four-sided, these endearing creatures allow young consumers to express themselves with an individuality that resonates with their age group but still meets the approval of parents. For more information, visit www.monkeydoodledandy.com.

Donk, Bitzy and Clup are GO!

2009-05-30T18:18:00.005-04:00

Kurt wearing Donk's Eyes.

Clup, Bitzy and Donk as plushies!

Terry cloth Squarey Monster, Bitzy… she's a bath buddy!

Terry cloth Squarey Monster, Donk… he's a bath buddy!

Plush Squarey Monster, Donk trying to use Kurt's mouse.

We are so excited to fly to Las Vegas for the Licensing Expo Sunday morning. We worked in the studio today for some last minute finishes. A few product mock-ups, labels and details for… YES! THREE MORE plush Squarey Monsters!
My brother-in-law has a tuxedo shop, and we hired his seamstress to work up Bitzy and Clup as pocket mouthed bath buddies and Donk as a plush pillow. I made simple patterns for reference, and Maria did a great job interpreting my mess :)
We printed some eyes on board to simulate plastic, and set up some labels for a mini-shampoo, soap bar, etc. to go in the mouths of the bath buddies.

Couldn't have described this better

2009-05-28T11:04:00.006-04:00

Self-employed does not mean unprofessional.

I saw about seven friends post this on Facebook, and it rings so true for those who are self-employed. It's been kind of a running joke in the free-lance world for a long time. It's like when stand-up comedians tell the story about when people meet them, they want them to tell a joke or "say something funny."

With respect to all clients, past and future, being self-employed is difficult. It becomes even more difficult if our efforts as artists are treated as flea-market bargains or swap-meet negotiations. I urge all clients (for the benefit of all who are self-employed and your own good) to watch this video. It presents our dilemma clearly, and in a humorous way.

Flitz is my bag

2009-05-27T17:08:00.004-04:00

Squarey Monster, Flitz as a plush bag (sitting on Squaredy Cats postcards).

Karen Goetsch in our new studio with the commissioned Squarey Monsters plush bag, Flitz.

Karen of Karen's Monsters came through again with this last minute sample for Licensing Expo.
We are less than a week away from the show, and we couldn't be happier with all the concepts we have. This plush Flitz bag came out perfect!
We shipped everything else a week ago, but we still had some last minute postcards, giveaway pins and mock-ups to finish.

Squaredy Cats™ are a Facebook app

2009-05-23T14:49:00.004-04:00

We've set up a Squaredy Cats Facebook gift app. If you use Facebook, please help us promote our Squaredy Cats by sending gifts to friends. The more you send, the more you unlock, and you can send more. Become a fan too. Put Squaredy Cats on your wall!

Start sending Squaredy Cats gifts!

Clup and Dodger are for real

2009-05-20T12:43:00.004-04:00

Karen Goetsch in our new studio with the commissioned Squarey Monsters, Clup and Dodger.

Plush Squarey Monster, Dodger.

Plush Squarey Monster, Clup.

We hired Karen of Karen's Monsters to make plush versions of three of our Squarey Monsters. She's finished Clup and Dodger already (shipping to the Licensing Expo today), and Flitz is still to come. We love how they turned out, and can't wait for the show.

Check out Karen's Monsters.
See more pictures of Karen's Monsters.
Heck, even Betty Bones is loving her work.

Matt Likes This

2009-05-15T15:41:00.005-04:00

The bright yellow Squarey Monster, Bitzy was hanging on our studio door for a while. One night when we left the studio to head home we found out that Facebook had crossed over from the digital world into real life.
A recognizable image of a thumbs up with the words, “Matt likes this,” was taped below Bitzy’s image. It took a while to post this, but we were certainly amused.
Look closely for Elaine poking her head into the picture.

Expo pins

2009-05-13T14:14:00.003-04:00

We just ordered our pins for the Licensing Expo. They should be here just in time before we take off to Las Vegas.
This is the first place the third character is appearing from the Wudjadoo brand. Elaine designed the pig and bunny, and now the new puppy.

The Art of Licensing

2009-05-12T14:04:00.003-04:00

Our ad is in the digital Art of Licensing on page 10! w00t!
Can’t wait to see if we get any interest before the Licensing Expo in June.

Licensing Expo banners are ordered

2009-05-05T18:49:00.005-04:00

We uploaded our banners artwork for the Licensing Expo today. Check out UPrinting.com for a great experience, and a reliable printer who turns out brilliant colors at affordable prices.

We have a 10' x 10' booth #1873 June 2,3,4 in Las Vegas. Be sure to stop in, and say hi. Pick up some postcards. We are hoping to get pins done in time too. This will be our first expo (outside of MoCCA Fest), and we are excited and nervous.

Dreams, and what's running through my head

2009-04-24T17:57:00.006-04:00

I’m not sure how often I’ll actually post a dream to this blog, but since it was so perfectly symbolic, I fell I must share it.
I woke to a dream this morning where Elaine and I were in Canada. In the dream Canadians had a love for American Lawyers for some reason. We saw a self-standing small building that was supposed to be a law office/lawyer exhibition gallery which looked very much like a fast food restaurant from the outside. We went inside expecting to see desks and lawyers, but instead found kiosks and racks of very fancy, expensive sneakers and fitness clothing. All the shoppers were in terrific shape, and could not stop talking about how good these running shoes were. The expense was well worth the cost.

Here’s our current situation:
We are on the verge of signing with a licensing agent, and have been shopping lawyers. Since we are creative people we are only doing this on recommendation more than a feeling we need a good attorney for this sort of thing. Mind you, we are smart enough to know, but, man it’s expensive.

So here’s what I got out of the dream:
I’m not sure where Canada comes in (maybe because we are talking international licenses for our properties), but it makes so much symbolic sense. Use the lawyer despite the expense, and we will be able to move forward quickly, and with great comfort; and we’ll be in good shape.

It was a very hopeful dream. I hope good thoughts like this will help us move forward to achieve our goals!

I've Never… at Toy Fair

2009-04-20T17:41:00.004-04:00

Jay Vohra at the I’ve Never… booth.

Kurt never made it to Toy Fair this year, and Elaine didn’t have a camera with her when she visited Toy Fair at the Javitz Center in 2009. Jay Vohra was kind enough to forward us a picture of the INI booth where the new teen version of I’ve Never… was unveiled.
Monkey Doodle Dandy designed the board and packaging as well as the booth banner and podium.
Check out the game here.

Toys are not our only bag

2009-04-17T14:14:00.002-04:00

Ditch the old bag.

We got some great news this morning. I was hired last year to draw a character image and some instructional graphics for a new product at Teas Etc. As it turns out, the package designer, Amy Rau Segnit alerted me that her package won Best New Packaging at the New Tea Expo with Get Real, Get Loose! See the product here: www.DitchTheOldBag.com.
We are proud to have contributed to Amy’s award-winning packaging. Congratulations, Amy!

One of the illustrated steps.

I’ve Never iPhone app

2009-03-18T16:34:00.004-04:00

The I’ve Never iPhone application.

The I’ve Never… game that Monkey Doodle Dandy designed for INI Inc. now has an iPhone version! CLICK HERE if you have iTunes loaded. I am absolutely certain that this should be even more fun on the iPhone. Think about it… in this world where sound bites and video clips inform and entertain us more than ever, a quick game of I’ve Never could be just what you need to break up the monotony of that morning subway ride :)

I’ve never… bought an iPhone.
If true: What are you waiting for?
If not true: Why haven’t you clicked yet?

Squarey™ Monsters are here!

2009-03-12T13:18:00.003-04:00

After a lot of work, we've finished designing the characters, and putting up the site. We are proud to announce our latest concept turned property available for license…

SQUAREY MONSTERS!
Please click above, and take a look

We’d love it if you would buy something from the store too ;)

Not Squared of success

2009-03-10T13:53:00.006-04:00

Elaine’s friend Pete posted this pic along with a link to squaredycats.com today. We’re glad to see that people are liking our new Squaredy Cats. Thanks, Pete :)
See Pete’s Daily Booth post here, and click through to see more of his daily pics.

Squaredy Cats™ is go!

2009-02-20T14:03:00.003-05:00

We’ve launched the site to our newest property available for license.

Monkey Doodle Dandy will be exhibiting at Licensing Show in June (booth 1153), and we have a few new surprises in store. We would love to hear feedback from you on the designs in the link below.

We are pleased to introduce Squaredy Cats™
squaredycats.com

If you like it, please pass it along.

Let the GAMES begin!

2009-02-19T09:42:00.004-05:00

This link is to iVillage hottest toys of 2009 based on Toy Fair. #8 Of 15 is a Tara Toy game called Meatball Madness. It’s not something we worked on here at Monkey Doodle Dandy, but we have done games for Tara Toy, and even a few for other companies. It’s great to see Tara move in the direction of games.
We’ve done a lot of work for Tara over the years. We had our monkey paws all over some of what you see here.

Here’s a game we designed for INI, Inc. Last year I did this illustration for INI’s successful drinking game. It was repackaged with this illustration on the box.

Since the game is based on a classic, it made sense that it should be applied to kids. Pictured below is the game we designed for INI’s kids’ version. It will be in stores soon, but here’s a link so you can buy it now!

Wildlife Control

2009-02-03T13:11:00.004-05:00

The studio is still new enough that it's still kind of messy. That explains why I was outside in a t-shirt in the snow breaking down cardboard boxes for recycling. That doesn't explain the funky Wildlife Control vehicle parked across the street.
I hightailed it back inside for fear that someone reported wild monkeys running around in the neighborhood. Hey, at least these monkeys recycle!

2009-01-15T13:13:00.004-05:00

Here’s an image showing just some of the Christmas cookies Elaine baked. We sent them out to as many friends and colleagues as we could. There were somewhere over a thousand cookies that we put in our custom tins. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the tins, and we sent all 72 out!
Here’s the image I made to put on the tins as a sticker. We also based the holiday card on this.

New studio!

2009-01-07T17:38:00.002-05:00

Monkey Doodle Dandy has moved into a new studio. We still have the 17th Street address in Park Slope, Brooklyn; but now we have another small space on 5th Avenue in Park Slope.

I’ll post pictures when the place is more presentable. Right now, we have things in working order, but we are having shelves put in. We’ll pose once the floor is cleared, and boxes are unpacked.

Hopefully there won’t be any more setbacks like the one where I started a fire in the shredder. That was a close one. Lesson learned. Keep screw drivers away from uncovered light switches ;) Phew! That was a close one!

TRU T-Rex

2008-12-03T13:22:00.002-05:00

Elaine and the Toys R Us T-Rex.

Elaine and Kurt went to Toys R Us for research. If you’ve been to the TRU in Manhattan you’ve seen this, but we are riveted by their Jurassic Park life-size T-Rex every time.

Monster book by colleague

2008-07-23T12:39:00.003-04:00

My old art director, Timothy Young, from my first toy industry job at the bizarre and now defunct idea factory has just had his first book published! It is called I'm Looking for a Monster, published by Random House. Lift the flaps and pull the tabs to find the monsters. I will admit that I haven't seen it in person, yet, but I'm pretty sure that it will be awesome and maybe just a little bit SCARY!

Secret Lego Vault

2008-06-24T23:11:00.003-04:00

I hope someday I get to work on a Lego design. I found this link with a video walk-thru of a vault where they keep almost every Lego set ever made at Gizmodo!

Check it!

Retro Toys

2008-06-17T09:05:00.002-04:00

Many who are adults in the toy business today will remember most of these. I found this link to a slide show of old school toys. I didn’t personally have them all; but I have a big family, so most of these were in my house. There are only two we didn’t have — the Slip ‘N Slide and Lemon Twist. My favorites were Merlin (my brother’s), and the Big Wheel (also my brother’s). My “Big Wheel” was what we called the Little Wheel because it was a smaller knock-off. One of my other brothers had the Green Machine — the envy of the block.

Click for link.

Escalators for dummies

2008-06-11T18:16:00.004-04:00

There are always unusual characters at the International Licensing Show at the Jabob Javits Center in NYC, but I thought this was pretty funny. I was eating lunch and watching the “…For Dummies” character doing stretching exercises after resting on the floor upstairs at the circle lounge. He must not be allowed to remove the mask in public.
I tried to get my camera out in time to make a video, but he’d gotten up already. I followed him down the escalator after finishing my lunch. He’d decided to dance up and down the escalators for some girls who were also having lunch. By the time I got my camera back out he was resting on the way down.

Millions of Monkeys

2008-06-10T19:11:00.003-04:00

Because we have so much time to spare, and not enough to do, I started yet another blog. This was Elaine’s idea, and will be our shared “blog as art” project. She thought of it when I mentioned how much I love Skull-A-Day, a blog that collects images of skulls. Not what you expect. It’s actually fascinating how many different ways skulls can appear. I hope you’ll visit his blog because he sends lots of link to my GirlMonsters blogs.

Back to the Millions of Monkeys. Check it out, and help us out by emailing a monkey pic along with a little explanation of what it is. Send emails to webmonster at monkeydoodledandy dot com. Sorry, no email link. I don’t want junk mail spiders to find me.

Legos inspiration becomes Legos art

2008-06-09T10:48:00.005-04:00

Legos always seem to be a very basic inspiration as they probably were early on for many modern day artists. New ideas are hard to come by, and seemingly rare, but sometimes with just the right garnish even Legos become art instead of just inspiring it.
Here are a couple of links I found this weekend.
Artist Group patching spaces in Italian brick walls with Legos here.

Photographer recreating famous photos using Legos here.

Paris loves Tara

2008-06-06T17:47:00.004-04:00

One of our very first clients was Tara Toy Corp. in Hauppauge, NY. Elaine used to work there, so that’s where I got my first taste of freelancing in the toy industry.
Recently, we got an email from a friend at Tara who attached the above picture. Apparently Paris Hilton was photographed buying one of Tara’s items – the Barbie® Giant Activity Floor Pad. It was this email that got me thinking we need to start a blog. There’s always some goofy thrill that we’d love to share, but we don’t. We’re busy working, and by the time we get around to sharing stories with our families and friends we find ourselves acting like zombies with no interest in Paris Hilton. I guess that makes sense, though. She hasn’t any tasty brains to offer for a snack. Crayyons. Craaaayyyoooons!!!
We can’t necessarily claim with any certainty that we took part in any of the designs or illustrations in Paris’ particular choice of Barbie® Giant Activity Floor Pad, but we like to think that some pages we worked on may have made it in that one. Don’t worry about staying in the lines, Paris.