Pack-O-Fun on TV
In the 80s and 90s Clapper Publishing ventured into television – with shows on both PBS and cable stations – and Pack-O-Fun magazine provided a natural source of material. Although the shows were well received and had a substantial following the costs were extremely high. About that time, the internet was blossoming and we concluded ...Read moreNew Office for GrandpaLyle
Ever since we moved here nearly four years ago, Marie and I have shared an office. It wasn’t much – a table from Ikea about six feet long and a couple chairs along one wall in the guest room. Marie’s days were spent at the offices of 8th & Walton, Jeff’s company. I occasionally needed ...Read moreEdna Clapper 1918-2004
As a Cub Scout den mother, Edna Clapper had a knack for turning everyday household throwaways into Transforming an empty bleach bottle into a piggy bank, dry-cleaning bags into a poodle, and burnt matchsticks into a cross were some of her creations to keep her Scouts busy each week. Edna hard at work in the early ...Read morePack-O-Fun backstory
I was only ten years old when my parents, Edna and John Clapper, published the first issue of Pack-O-Fun magazine, but I can still recall some of their adventure. That they knew nothing of publishing is an understatement. * * * Dad’s family lived in Minnesota and had been hard hit by ...Read morePack-O-Fun debut
Build-A Products paid for groceries but little else. Mom and Dad, now in their early thirties, wanted to create something with a future. Mom had proven to be a guru full of ideas for turning empty boxes, egg cartons and plastic bottles into gifts, games and toys. Could they make a living from that? Yes. A ...Read more