Category — Oodles and Oodleville

Lately I have been getting lots of comments calling me “man.” I guess because I’ve carried a male name, Paris, all my life I forget that people naturally assume that I am male. That’s why I though I should post my picture so that you could put the face to the name and the messages.

I am a great-grandmother of 4, grandmother of 14 and mother of 3 surviving sons and 2 daughters. I am retired, but has recently published a book for children, The First Trip, and designed the characters into rag dolls called “Oodles,” the first one to be introduced is Bubba Oodle. Writing is one of my favorite things to do, so I enjoy writing this blog and hearing from my readers.

I appreciate so much all the wonderful comments, and those slightly left of wonderful (LOL). I learn something about myself from the way that you all see me and the thoughts you share.

It is good to know that my work has played a part in the advancement, enlightenment, and encouragement of so many. I try to give my honest opinion, while being mindful of the opinions of others, and respecting the fact that we may not always agree.

Now that we’ve come to the end of another successful year, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and God bless. Please continue to follow my work, and to let me hear from you. Take care, Paris

This is my first video blog. I have met so many great friends and have received such wonderful comments, I wanted to let you see and hear me. Take care.

After working diligently to get my children’s book and rag dolls published and manufactured, I am constantly made aware that there is always something new that needs to be done. There’s always some tweaking, redesigning, refining, and redefining required.

As our products move along in our plans for them, we become more aware of how time is affecting what we have to offer, as well as the way in which we have to offer it. For example, on one of the sites where the image of the doll is imprinted on various products, another image requiring a transparency rather than a picture will be utilized.

This change was suggested by the artist who did the vector illustrations for the book. This alteration will give a more updated, cleaner look to the products and the artwork will provide outlets for further items like cards, posters, etc.

It is changes such as this that is required to keep up with what is happening in the marketplace. When I watched cartoons with my grandson on Saturday morning, I was delighted to see how fresh and beautiful Mickey and Minnie and Goofy and all the Disney character’s looks have evolved.

Seeing Disney as an outstanding role model, and observing their evolution, keeps me moving forward. Their success motivates me to continue to realize that there is always something that needs to be done, and being willing to make the changes can be very beneficial as well as promote longevity.

This is a picture of my rag doll, Bubba Oodle. For the last 18 years I have prepared for, cared for and now I’m introducing Bubba to the world as the first visitor from the land of Oodleville. Bubba is one of 10 characters in my adventure stories for children, the first one is entitled, “The First Trip.”

The idea for Bubba and the other Oodle Dolls was conceived during a conversation with my daughter. We were sharing stories about toys and dolls we loved as children. I mentioned how I made dolls from soda bottles, clothes pins and hemp rope; she mentioned how she loved rag dolls. Then she asked why there were no commercial black rag dolls, and could I make some?

Having been a seamstress for a large portion of my life, I had scraps of cloth and ribbon in my sewing basket and soon had all of the dolls made. They were given names and occupations, and the stories seemed to flow about their imaginary land of Oodleville.

Now that the first story has been published, and the Bubba Oodle dolls’ store is up and running, things are in ready for Bubba to meet children from around the world, and I feel like a parent whose child is going off to college. As with that event, I am very proud of what has been and will be accomplished.

http://oodleville.myshopify.com

www.thefirsttrip.com

www.cafepress.com/oodleville

For the last 18-plus years since I have been trying to bring my dolls and books to market, there have been many occasions when I’ve felt like throwing in the towel and giving up, and I often wondered why I hadn’t.

I have signed three contracts and seen many people come and go who have become enthused and excited about my project, but who have faded away over time. I have even had people whom I have asked for advice and direction, and some who would have loved to see me fail, suggest that I should give up and try something else… but still I held on. Something always pulled me back whenever I got too close to the precipice of throwing in the towel. 

In time I came to see that it was not because I needed to do what I was trying to do. I’m retired, I have a nice apartment; good friends; and a loving family. It was not because I am a materialistic person, I can buy whatever I desire and come and go as I please. Sure I could use more money, who couldn’t, but money was not motivating me to keep going either. Like Martin Luther King, Jr., what was holding me hostage was the realization that I had a dream. 

My dream was and is to help my family; help other people who like me have a dream; and help parents and their children. The desire to help has been so strong it keeps pushing and pulling, carrying me along through all the disappointments, deterrents and detours I’ve had to overcome and endure. Throwing in the towel was not an option, and if nothing else, I’ve learned to be patient and to believe that “delay does not mean denial.” 

Now I have published my first children’s book, The First Trip, and have the first character doll, Bubba Oodle, ready for market and I know the thrill of achievement. But the greatest lesson learned has been the establishment of faith in my ability to successfully accomplish whatever I say I can. 

So to any entrepreneur who needs to hear it, don’t throw in the towel just yet. There could be something greater than you ever imagined waiting to be realized.

For the last three years, I have been doing online social networking. To date I belong to over 250 different networks and groups. I also have three groups of my own: iAmerica, The Seniors of Society and the Cultural Arts Network.

Getting on the internet was a somewhat frightening idea for a 60-plus year old great-grandmother, but my late son, Tracy, would tell me almost daily, “Mama, you can do it.” If it had not been for me losing him too soon, and his encouraging me before he died, I doubt I would have ventured forth. But now that I have, I find great joy, fulfillment and a greater sense of worth for my efforts.

In the beginning, having little more than knowledge of word processing, I was limited in knowing the terms being used or how much of an education internet social networking would require or give me back. I knew how to ask questions and articulate my needs from my pre-retirement days as a secretary and administrative assistant. Soon I was blessed with knowledgeable people placed in my path who have helped me along each step of the way.

I have learned how to upload pictures, download information, and send comments and videos. I was soon adding friends, chatting back and forth, sharing stories and engaging in discussions. Now I am a blogger who is also learning the art of “tweeting.”

Through my friends from around the world, I have seen art, pictures and places of interest, heard and enjoyed music of every kind, and learned about many cultures, personal triumphs and tragedies.

Merging the medium of social networking with the magic of computer technology has given me international exposure of my business venture, The Oodles Company. The launch of my children’s book, The First Trip, and rag doll character, Bubba Oodle, garnered many congratulations and is bringing in online sales. It seems that Tracy was right…Mama is doing it!

Recently my partner and I were discussing possible stereotypical backlash now that our first “Oodleville” children’s book, The First Trip, has been published, and Bubba Oodle, our first character doll, is available. For me, the Oodles’ black color has been the subject of conjecture since I began working to manifest my dream. 

In our conversation, therefore, we talked about ways to address the dolls’ color. We discussed comparing the Oodles to gollywogs who were and still are depictions of black-faced minstrels who were entertainers during the days of slavery. In 1965, however, all caricature depictions of blacks, like gollywogs, were deemed politically incorrect. This action also caused many creative works by blacks to also be exiled to local or near-underground marketing. 

Although gollywogs have been removed from public display, they have been sold for over a hundred years in England, and can still be purchased online and through gollywog clubs in the U.S. The Oodles, however, are not gollywogs, nor do they represent any aspect of minstrels or slavery…other than the fact that I am black and a descendant of slaves. 

My grandmother, Mary Pigues, was born in 1865, the year that slavery was legally abolished. My grandfather, Ben Pigues, who was much older than Grandma was obviously a slave. On my father’s side, the similar situations probably existed. Prior to slavery, I imagine my ancestors being free, happy and enjoying life in Africa. 

“Oodleville” is a similar world, and the Oodles are characters conceived in my heart and mind and created from my imagination. Rather than human, they are human-ess; meaning they possess the best of human values like honesty, caring, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, and commitment. 

They represent my freedom of expression, and are simply playthings for all children, and their color should not determine whether or not they have merit. My mission for Oodleville and the Oodles is to bring fun, friendship, a new perspective, and a unique product by a black person back to the mainstream…to pick up where my people left off.

www.thefirsttrip.com

My brother, who has been involved in the music industry for many years, has been bugging me about the necessity to create a “buzz” about my newly published children’s book, The First Trip, and its accompanying rag doll, Bubba Oodle. But being little sister, of course, and stubborn, I envisioned things going a certain way when I began my journey with this endeavor over 18 years ago. And I’ve doggedly stayed the course of my intentions.

My partner and I, both novices in PR and creating a “buzz,” were following the logic that all we needed to do was put information and pictures on the web and the world would flock to our door…NOT!! We have found that there is more to this “buzz” game than we thought.

Even with my spending nearly every waking hour for the last three years at the keyboard, joining countless groups (well over 250), making thousands of network friends, taking, cropping and uploading dozens of pictures and videos, sending innumerable comments, and literally trying to be everywhere on the web at the same time, our efforts have created a limited “buzz”, while we still await the onslaught of orders on our website, www.thefirsttrip.

Our faith in our product has not waned one iota. We still believe we have the greatest toy and gift idea since the Cabbage Patch doll, but we have learned that when it comes to creating a “buzz” the challenge is more daunting than we expected. So we must rethink and redirect our thoughts and energies to new ideas, and the skill and knowledge of others in order to created the “buzz” we need to obtain the breakthrough I feel is coming.

When that happens, I will give my brother all the credit for his wisdom and insight.