Daniel Stark’s newest book, Paper Cats of the PaperMade series, introduces kids of all ages (7-101) to a hands-on activity that is kid-friendly, mess-free, and requires no glue, scissors, or tape.
PaperMade is a series of five books featuring perforated shapes that you can assemble with nothing more than your hands. Following numbered guidelines on each shape and flap, you can fold these paper pop-outs until you’ve got yourself some new 3D friends: Pups, bots, ninjas, monsters, and now, cats.
“There are things out in the world that are like it, but nothing that doesn’t require a pair of scissors, tape, or glue,” Stark explains. “We wanted to do something that uses structural packaging, but is also easy and fun: you punch it out, fold it up and you’re done. It’s sort of like paper crafts for the lazy.”
As creative and principal director of Stark Design here in NYC, Stark oversees branding, packaging, strategy, and more. Stark says PaperMade is a creative outlet for which he has endless energy. “I think I’m just a kid myself,” he confesses. “I love toys and all that kind of stuff.”
When Stark had the idea for PaperMade about eight years ago, the team at Stark Design began designing different paper objects, like chess pieces, checkers, backgammon, and dice. “When we finally found a publisher in 2008, we got to work on our first book,” Stark says. “We thought it would be popular to do [Paper Pups], because everyone likes dogs.” Four books later, they’ve added Paper Cats to the line-up.
Illustrated by Pete Fowler and authored by Stark and his colleague Maria Tabet, Paper Cats hits the shelves this April. “We’re excited because it’s our first title with stars in it. You’ve got Piano Cat, Surprise Kitty, and Hang in There Kitty,” Stark explains, going through a list of cats who’ve achieved Internet fame. The book serves as a tribute to Stark’s former cats, too, including Mac, to whom the book is dedicated. It also features a cat scratching post that’s over a foot tall. “I think that’s kind of fun, to be able to take a 9”x12” book and turn it into a 14-inch tower,” Stark says. “It’s this big thing that comes out of a flat book, and for me, that’s what’s cool.”
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In an age when many activities are done in front of a screen, PaperMade is a much welcomed hands-on activity. Stark notes: “Don’t get me wrong, I love all that electronic stuff. But I do think that there’s something nice that our books take you back to, [like] working with your hands.”
The PaperMade books are a wonderful way to bring creativity into the household. “The great thing about creativity is that it’s pretty much cheap or free, and you can create something out of nothing,” Stark says. “I love our books because they’re family activities. They’re very much designed to not be done on a screen and done alone—you certainly can do them alone—but it’s much more fun when you do them as a group.”
Sometimes, fans send Stark videos or photos of their paper creations. “[It’s] really just so amazing to see someone take something that we created and then create something different or new out of it,” Stark says. “I think that’s what families can do with anything: make videos and stories; take some construction paper and glue; and get out and make a whole world.”
To learn more about the PaperMade books, visit itspapermade.com!
