Whoa, it's only Jan. 2, and already, I've uncovered the coverup of the year. Lane Smith, the guy who illustrated the classic with John Scieszka, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales.
The kid's had The Stinky Cheese Man for a while, and I'm sure she'd have been into it earlier, but frankly, the word-to-picture ratio is too high. For us. For a burned out parent, there's no more tiring way to end the day than a book with more than five words per page.
Now that I've read it a few times to her today--just the title story, though--I have to say, I'm shocked there's no Stinky Cheese Man plush toy available. Didn't they have licensing in 1992? What's the deal? [Anyone can put me in touch with a good bootleg plushtoy maker, I'll be much obliged.]
Barnes & Noble once made a Stinky Cheese Man Bobblehead, but supposedly, the head kept falling off, so it was recalled. Or at least, that's the official explanation.
Poking around Smith's website, I think I know who's to blame for this brand extension heresy: Opus Dei. Turns out Smith also did the cover design for The DaVinci Code. [Never have read it, but since it was playing on every flight I took the last 30 days, I was able to watch it 25 times with the sound off. I sure hope the book was better, but somehow I doubt it.]
via ye old archives at Lane Smith Books [lanesmithbooks.com]
