The holidays are fast approaching and what better way to spread cheer than by stuffing your stockings with Aranzi Machine Gun! Each volume is packed with whimsical—oft times hilarious—comics and photos, starring the scary-cute characters that populate the world of Aranzi Aronzo. Each book also contains instructions on how to make fanciful appliqués, tissue-box covers, hand bags, and other useful items with the dandy denizens. There are three volumes available. White Rabbit—in an uncharacteristically foul mood—is featured on the cover of one. Not to be outdone, Bad Guy is strangely all smiles on the cover of volume two, while Sprite is his traditional too-cool-for-school self on book three, the series’ latest release. So do your part to prevent humbuggery this Christmas: Give everyone you know a Machine Gun!
Put a Machine Gun in Their Stocking This Christmas
Thursday, October 11th, 2007Cute Dolls/Fun Dolls to Debut at Maker Faire
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
Aranzi Aronzo fans rejoice! Fun Dolls and Cute Dolls will soon be here. Both books will be available on November 20, 2007, but a handful of each book will be available at the Austin Maker Faire, October 20-21, 2007. That’s right, a month ahead of schedule—30 days before your friends can get their own copies—you can snag one and have the entire pantheon of new, large-size Aranzi characters and mega-size versions of Aranzi favorites created before your drooling fans can even crack the spine on their copies of the books. Oh, but it gets better. EXCLUSIVE Aranzi Aronzo merchandise—sewing kits, mascots kits, and stationary sets, flown directly from the crafty environs of the sisters themselves in Japan—will also be available at the Vertical booth at the Maker Faire. The Maker Faire is a yearly celebration of creators; from inventors to crafters, robot builders to jewelry designers. So plan to be there and start practicing your “Nyah-nyahs” for when you see your friends after getting your hands on early editions of Fun Dolls and Cute Dolls, and exclusive Aranzi stuff .
Schmancy’s Exhibit Features Custom “Cute” Creations
Friday, September 14th, 2007
Schmancy’s—purveyors of quirky toys, collectibles, and original art in Seattle—will showcase a pair of custom-made Aranzi Aronzo dolls as part of their annual Plush You exhibit from October 12, 2007, to November 9, 2007. Plush You celebrates all things stuffed, and I don’t mean your Uncle Morty at Thanksgiving. Each year they invite crafters to submit original works of stuffed art. So what better dolls to feature than a pair from the team that helped define Japanese cute or “kawaii.” Custom-crafted versions of The Bad Guy and Liar, each sporting a T-shirt displaying I
SEATTLE and I PLUSH YOU, respectively, are on display. Schmancy’s will also be selling exclusive Aranzi Aronzo merchandise, imported from Japan, including sewing kits and tote bags. The exhibit runs from October 12, 2007, to November 9, 2007, but why wait? All the good Aranzi Aronzo stuff will be gone and this will be your only chance to see dolls custom-made by the hands of the Aranzi Aronzo creators.
Vertical Makes Big Splash at Renegade Craft Fair
Monday, June 25th, 2007
The Renegade Craft Fair held its 4th Annual event June 16-17 at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn. Actually it took place in the pool. Originally opened in 1936, the public facility covers three Olympic-size swimming pools. Today, it no longer serves as a pool, but rather as a unique place at which events are held. Given the humidity and soaring temperatures of the two-day event, there were many at the Fair who wished the pool were filled, including Vertical Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos, who showcased the Aranzi Aronzo craft/humor line and Higher Sudoku and O’Ekaki puzzle books. No surprise, the books were a hit, and many a happy customer walked away with their hands full of goodies, including To Terra… bookmarks, Aranzi Aronzo mini-posters, O’Ekaki samplers, and exclusive Vertical canvas bags and mechanical pencils.
BEA returns to NYC and Vertical is there
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007
Things really heated up at Book Expo America this year. And even when the Javits Center’s air-conditioning finally started working, it remained hot at the Vertical booth. Thousands of librarians and sellers attended the annual four-day event, many stopping by to discuss Vertical’s impressive line of books, including the popular Aranzi Aronzo series. Some picked up a free preliminary printing of renowned film auteur and Quentin Tarentino god Takeshi Kitano’s short story collection Boy. Other lucky visitors scored a copy of Shinjuku Shark, a new crime novel by leading Japanese hardboiled detective novelist Arimasa Osawa; while still others walked away, happily clutching a copy of an exclusive sampler of Vertical’s upcoming manga titles. Good thing the show comes around only once a year; it’ll take the Vertical crew that long to recuperate. Whew!
Welcome to the Wold of Aranzi Aronzo crafts!!
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
Aranzi Aronzo has long been followed by the underground crafts community online, and now finally the books will be available in English, from Vertical. The Aranzi characters have all rallied forces and convened at http://www.vertical-inc.com/aranzi_aronzo where you can see sample spreads and covers of current and upcoming Aranzi Aronzo books, and where you can leave comments and upload pictures! So cute it’s scary!
The Battle of Lepanto and Buddha 5 paperback now on sale!
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007
Vertical is kicking off the New Year with the releases of the final installment to Nanami Shiono’s epic East Mediterranean Trilogy, The Battle of Lepanto and Buddha Volume Five: Deer Park in paperback. Find them at your local bookstore or online and keep your eye out next month for To Terra…, Aranzi Aranzo’s Cute Book, and more!