SOUTHERN BERKS NEWS 09-24-2003

Transcript of the Article:

Southern Berks News, September 24, 2003

By Diane Van Dyke

     For adults, a brown box is typically used as some type of storage container.  For children, however, it could be a castle, a submarine, or anything else they could imagine it to be.

     David C. Pool of Douglassville wants to foster that creativity and produce some family fun in the process, which is why he has written and self-published The Big Brown Box Vol 1, Care, Maintenance and Training Manual.

     This lighthearted, yet constructive book will provide hours of entertainment for adults, who will enjoy the humor, as well as for children, who will enjoy the results of the box projects.

     "Boxes are the ultimate transformer toy of all time," said Pool who appeared with his toys at the Birdsboro Community Fine Arts Show on Sept. 13, 14 and 15.  "With boxes, the kids are the artists, and they [the boxes] are their canvasses."

     Pool was inspired by memories with his children and now by his grandchildren to develop the manual after listening and watching them play with boxes.

     "This has been a labor of love for me over the last year," he said.

     His labor is evident in the manual with the humorous, descriptive origins of the box, including an uncanny connection between corrugated and tree fungus.

     In another section of his book, he labels the parts of the boxes with names like "left superior minimus flapus" for the left, upper short side flap and "foldae majoris lateralus" for main folds - long to short sides.  There is even a passage on how to take proper care of a box.

     Intertwined with the humor are concrete, easy-to-follow instructions to make a house with an attached garage, a mansion or a "Kid Kathedral" by adding a steeple and some pretend stained-glass windows.  There are also instructions for army tanks, sport cars, vans and space cruisers.

     Photographs by Jan Lopuski are displayed in the manual to illustrate the steps and show the end results.

     The creations are designed for a 30 by 30 by 48-inch box, which Pool sells with the manual, although he says that other boxes will work too.  The projects are held together with self-adhesive VelcroŽ and/or releasable cable ties, which are available at most home centers.

     While the box toys are fun for families, Pool also believes they would be good teamwork projects for classrooms, Cub Scouts and Brownies and other childrens' clubs.

     "Give the kids some paint or markers and let them use their imaginations." said Pool's wife, Helen, who is supportive of her husband's imaginative endeavor.

     While Pool has brought new life to the basic brown box, he also has future plans to make the box come alive in the form of a cartoon character, Browny Big Box.

     "We are developing a story for this character and hope to have a children's book soon," said Pool.

     For more information about The Big Brown Box, visit the box headquarters at www.thebigbrownbox.com or call 610-906-3330