Growing fans

I posted this little girl's picture a couple of years ago to underscore kids' intense love of color. (Oct. 2006 "Let them eat bright colors"). See how she's grown!

She was also one of Edgar & Ellen's young US fans while her father was working here. Now she's back in her native Holland. Her mother reports that she still watches Edgar & Ellen which now plays on Nickelodeon Benelux. I notice that the Fan Forum also has fans whose spelling is improving, whose writing is becoming more precise and whose attention spans are getting longer(they're still wacky).

What keeps fans in the fold? Here are theories: Varied humor (from silly pratfalls to clever pranks). Layered storytelling. Never talking down to them. Multimedia access. The ability to influence the content. The chance to add your own plots and characters to the story-world.

"Smash! Crash!"

After spending 6 months on the NYT Bestseller's List, this perfect boy property by Jon Szieszka is getting its own web world. You can imagine the audio.

Food marketers, alert: This property could get kids eating carrots, apples, pears, peanuts: Anything that goes "crunch."

And I predict "Wrecker Rosie" with her pink wrecking ball will be a breakout character. If I made Bubble Gum, I'd put together a deal with them "Smash! Crash!" before sundown.