Folding a single sheet of paper into a high performance, blow-the-competition-away flying paper machine has never been easier. The package includes clear instructions for folding 10 impressive kid-doable planes and 40 sheets of custom-designed paper in a variety of groovy patterns.
It's a complete guide to folding aerobatic amazements.
Making Paper Airplanes doesn't feel like science. And it's not quite art. Near as we can figure, it's magic. Paper Airplanes fly because of good, old reliable physics. And it takes a sharp eye and a clean fold to make them right. But launching a regular old piece of paper into the sky so that it soars, loops and glides - thats pure magic. We present here a complete guide to folding aerobatic amazements. The ten airplanes in this book are the best we've ever seen: easy to make, forgiving of mistakes, attractive and flight-ready under all kinds of conditions. Clear instructions and step-by-step illustrations make even the most impressive plane kids do-able, while trimming and tweaking tips give basic principles of flight instant real-world relevance. This big book comes complete with 40 sheets of flight-tested, ready-to-fold paper, printed on both sides in a variety of 20 colourful patterns, including leopard print, wood grain, hot rod flames and lose-it-on-the-lawn grass. It's everything you need to rule the skies.
About Klutz
Klutz was incorporated in 1977 in Palo Alto, California, by three friends from Stanford University. They began by selling sidewalk juggling lessons along with a trio of no-bounce bean bags. A week's effort earned the group $35. 'It was then we realized the sky was the limit.'
John Cassidy, the English major of the group, put the instructions in book form and titled it Juggling for the Complete Klutz. Darrell Lorentzen, the business major, wrote up the original business plan and the other partner, B.C. Rimbeaux, was assigned the task of getting a bank loan. Mr. Rimbeaux was a psychology major.
The first 3,000 books were distributed via bicycle and backpack, and sales grew from there. 'It really was a failed scam,' explains Cassidy, who remains the creative force of the company. 'Our dream was to do a book on juggling, sell a bazillion in a couple of days, buy an island and retire. It didn't work out. After a year of steady, unspectacular sales, we found ourselves staring down the barrel of a career.'
Today, how-to books from Klutz come packaged with the tools of their trade (from juggling cubes to face paints to yo-yos), and are designed for doing, not just reading. 'We think people learn best through their hands, nose, feet, mouth and ears. Then their eyes. So we design multi-sensory books,' Cassidy says. The appeal of this hands-on approach is borne out by sales figures; Klutz is a fixture on U.S. book and toy bestseller lists, and is available in 24 countries around the world.
Having expanded the offerings to include Klutz Toys, Klutz Kits, Klutz Buckets, Klutz Guides and, in 2001, an educational product line, Cassidy seems to have an unlimited supply of ideas. The inspiration? 'I marinate myself in children,' he says. 'Some years ago, I created a few. With the help of my wife' (Nancy Cassidy, the voice behind the gold-record-winning KidsSongs recordings).
In 2002, Scholastic Inc., the largest children's book publisher and distributor in the world, acquired Klutz. For those of you who collect corporate mission statements, here's the Klutz credo: Create wonderful things, be good, have fun.
