Attempted Bloggery: Bell Atlantic

Showing posts with label Bell Atlantic. Show all posts

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Maurice Sendak: Wild Things Are Happening, Part 3

Maurice Sendak did not, as far as I'm aware, sell any of his original book illustrations, but advertising art was quite another matter. Original storyboard art from Bell Atlantic's "Wild Things Are Happening" campaign is currently being offered by Meier and Sons Rare Books of New Canaan.

Maurice Sendak
AbeBooks listing accessed June 16, 2021

https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/MAURICE-SENDAK-SIGNED~ORIGINAL-DRAWING-BELL-ATLANTIC%E2%80%99S~WILD/30928162862/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook

Note: Here's more on this advertising campaign, from the blog archives.

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Friday, February 5, 2016

Maurice Sendak: Wild Things are Happening

Maurice Sendak puts his iconic Wild Things to work in a 1997 advertising campaign for Bell Atlantic. This campaign marks the first instance in which Sendak permits his characters from Where the Wild Things Are (1963) to appear in commercial advertising. While some of the ads in the campaign promote internet safety for children, this one is primarily about service and connectivity. Nevertheless, the illustration makes it clear that the campaign will be concerned with the experience of children on the internet.

You first.
Maurice Sendak, Wild Things Are Happening, Bell Atlantic
The New Yorker, December 15, 1997, pages 136-137

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1997-12-15#folio=136

Note: Original artwork from this advertising campaign was featured on this blog before.

The archives have many other posts about Maurice Sendak.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wild Things are Happening

As Sotheby's points out in the lot description, the 1998 Bell Atlantic "Wild Things are Happening" advertising campaign was the first instance in which Maurice Sendak permitted his Wild Thing characters to be used in commercial advertising. Based on what I know of Mr. Sendak, I'm sure the reason for this is his strong belief in the campaign's messages. In the case of this drawing, the message is clearly internet safety. According to the listing, the title was, "Before you jump on-line, look to see who's holding the net." There is no net in the illustration, but a pun on the internet is there for the asking.

Mr. Sendak, of course, donates all of his original book illustrations to the Rosenbach Foundation in Philadelphia, but he sells his advertising artwork in the marketplace. Advertising campaigns such as this one have become the primary means for collectors to get their hands on Wild Things artwork.