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January 5, 2012 •
You Be the Judge

In past issues, Stationery Trends has taken readers behind the scenes to show how a line or product is brought to life. When it came to doing so with MikWright however, it was quickly realized that only a more personal approach would suffice for this outlandish outfit, which turns 20 this year. The company is the brainchild of Tim Mikkelsen (the “Mik”) and Phyllis Wright-Herman (“the Wright”), who became friends in 1985 while working as ticket agents at the Tri Cities airport in Tennessee.

“It’s probably better that we’re gone,” Tim laughed, recalling how they used tell passengers they’d just waxed the floor and to be careful, then laugh as they tiptoed away. “(Or ask) ‘Window or aisle? Smoking or non-smoking? Catholic or Protestant?’ And they’d answer!”
Indeed, their formula for success revolves around their distinctive brand of Southern snark, namely, pairing old family pictures with unexpected, outrageous captions. Not only do they produce greeting cards, but a cornucopia of product from flasks to pocket tissues, calendars to gift books, with licensing partners Luckie-Street, Design Design, High Cotton, Andrews McMeel and TF Publishing.

I approached Tim and Phyllis inquiring if they would allow our readers to vote on a caption for an upcoming release, and Tim turned the tables on me by suggesting we use a personal photo from myself or one of the staff. We combed our photo albums, and Tim picked the image you see on a MikWright card-to-be.

A little exposition: That’s my grandmother, Sylvia Clara Rutenberg Pinsky, and I hope her smile had something to do with me, as it was taken about a month after my birth. Her life is a huge inspiration to me. Born in Russia, as a very young child her family fled the Russian Revolution after essentially losing everything. My grandmother never forgot hiding in the basement from soldiers. They settled in Philadelphia, and as a young woman she was an apparel buyer for a department store, with a great wardrobe to match; later she helped my grandfather run his upholstery shop. She lived to age 101, and I cherish her memory as an ultra-tough cookie and amazing cook with a dry sense of humor. It seems fitting to include her here.

Now, here is where you come in. Tim and Phyllis have supplied the following brilliant captions:

Choice 1: i understand you’ve gone gluten free. can i have all your grain alcohol?

Choice 2: how about a girls’ night mènage a trois? … you, me and a bottle of chardonnay.

Choice 3: it’s a good day when rex, luke and tyler all have shirtless scenes on my daytime soaps.

Pick the one you think is the funniest, or write one of your own by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/s/MikWrightStationeryTrends. We’ll update you with the winner in our spring issue, and also display it in our booth at National Stationery Show. Oh, and of course you can offer it in your store at that time. But if you can’t wait to get your hands around this line, visit MikWright.com or call 888-629-0695 to learn more.

MikWright logo

All captions and photos copyright MikWright Ltd.




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