Hey, Cool Kids!

This isn’t the first time that we’ve shined our spotlight on Mr. Dave Coulier (a.k.a. Joey Gladstone on ‘Full’ and ‘Fuller House’). A number of years ago, I wrote a Blog post about him that covered things like what school was like for him, his camp years at Camp Highland right here in Wisconsin, and his work prior to ‘Full House’.

His previous post only scratched the surface about this funnyman! Let’s learn some more things about Dave and have a little ‘Full House’ talk.

Dave Coulier recalls his audition for ‘Full House’ as the easiest job he ever auditioned for. He said they were calling for every comic from New York and Los Angeles. He read for the part of Joey and before leaving a producer asked if he would read for the role of the father. He was in and back out in about ten minutes. He figured it meant he didn’t get the part. However, a message on his answering machine was waiting for him when he got home to let him know that he actually had landed the role of Joey.

A number of years ago before there was ever a pitch for a show called ‘Full House’, Dave made friends with a fellow comedian at a comedy show in L.A. They became really good friends. Bob would even let Dave sleep over on the couch while Dave was looking for work, trying to get his career started. The two would eventually work together on ‘Full House’ by random happenstance.

When you work as close as these guys did for all those years, you don’t have to play best friend to one another so much as you just are. Bob Saget, John Stamos, and Dave Coulier have remained good friends in the years after ‘Full House’ came to an end and each were all too happy to reprise their roles in the Netflix series sequel, ‘Fuller House’.

Thanks to Dave for making us all laugh with his hilarious impressions and goofy voices! And, as always, thanks to all of you for reading!

- John

Hey, Comic Strip Lovers!

Interest in Comic Strips has held the fascination of children and adults alike throughout the decades. Summer camps know how cool comic strips are so most are sure to offer a comics program. When I set my mind to feature a Pioneer or Record Setter from the world of Comic Strips, one name immediately comes to mind: Bill Watterson. For 10 years, from 1985 to 1995, Mr. Watterson captured the essence along with the magic of childhood in his strip ‘Calvin and Hobbes’.

One record he holds is the first cartoonist to use the word ‘booger’ in a newspaper comic strip—a record he expressed that some historian would someday confirm—you’re welcome Mr. Watterson.

We’ll get to more about his record setting in a minute, but first, a personal word about my connection to this strip. As I write this post, I look up at the four panels of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ wall art I have above my computer and recall fondly all the great adventures I went on with these two lovable characters!

His artwork has an intimate attitude about it, possibly because of where he drew his inspiration. Hobbes, Calvin’s stuffed tiger, was fashioned after Watterson’s cat, Sprite. And he’s said that in the past that he never thought about all the people he was reaching with his comic but his main inspiration for writing ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ was to entertain his wife, Melissa.

Bill Watterson is a hero of mine for his consistent refusal throughout the years to license ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ merchandise (despite nonstop proposals for toys, animated series, and more). He never took the ticket and his strip lives on transcending the generations!

One last interesting point to make before we move on is that Mr. Watterson’s middle name is the same as the town where Everything Summer Camp headquarters is located—Boyd. His full name is William Boyd Watterson II.

And now back to his achievements in the comic strip world! In just his second year of writing ‘Calvin and Hobbes’, Bill won the Reuben Award for ‘Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year’. That year, he became the youngest person to ever win the award! He won the award yet again in 1988.

For a strip that ran in only 35 newspapers to begin with, it grew to over 2400 newspapers at the strip’s peak! Bill’s work reached hundreds of millions of readers by newspaper alone and who knows how many by his book collections! There are plenty of book collections that explore all 3,160 published strips of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ and the sales of these books are in the tens of millions!

Easily the reigning king of comic strips, Bill Watterson, through his work, has worked his way into plenty of people’s hearts. Be sure to check out ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ if you’ve never given it much attention before and let it inspire you to make your own cartoon creation. As always, thanks for reading! See you in the funny papers.

- John

Hey, Winter Warriors!

The temperatures have been low for a while at this point of the winter which means it’s been slipper-weather for a while now. I’m wearing mine right now! And I was very grateful to get this new pair of slippers from my mother for Christmas this year. They’re extremely comfortable and they got me wondering how long people have been wearing such luxury footwear.

The name ‘slippers’ comes from the verb ‘to slip’.  The earliest record of slippers was is in the 1100’s when the writer noted that he saw someone wearing this interesting footwear in current day Vietnam. While slippers spread across to every culture throughout the world, they originated in the east and took another 300 to 400 years before any mention of them in the West.

A custom developed around slippers in Eastern culture that called for visitors to remove their shoes and put on slippers when entering someone’s house. This custom became especially recognized in Japan. In the late 1800’s, special slippers were invented that were designed to pull over shoes as Western friends of the Japanese were not accustomed to removing their shoes.

European slippers of the mid-16^th Century brought about a whole new level of style to the indoor footwear. The material used was leather, silk, or velvet. They often featured patterns that would match an outfit. And the slippers would be adorned with jewels, ribbons, and bows. They flaunted a panache and glitzy kind of style for those who were privileged to a wealthier means of living.

Queen Victoria’s reign which began in 1837 rang in what we now call the Victorian Era. During this time, her husband, Prince Albert, inspired the ‘Prince Albert Slipper’ which boasted a quilted silk lining and leather outsole on this velvet slipper. Very fancy! Its style has remained and is still worn today!

Once upon a time, we offered slippers here at Everything Summer Camp for your travel comfort as well as at home! While we no longer offer slippers, we do still offer a great selection of footwear for your camp stay. From sandals, to tennis shoes, to hiking boots—check them out by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Brushers!

Whether you’re home or away at camp, it’s incredibly important to maintain your dental hygiene which has been linked to heart-health. Just like you, we want to see campers wearing their best smiles and feeling their best. Such a domestic habit as brushing your teeth can be difficult to keep up with when you’re away from home. So we try to find products that make brushing during our travels as convenient as can be!

The Go Sonic Toothbrush from Pop Sonic adds some serious pop to your brushing routine! For that clean and fresh dental feel, nothing gets the job done quite like this battery-operated toothbrush (besides maybe the dentist). You simply need to take the time to head to the bathhouse to brush. Let the Go Sonic do the rest!

Have your preference between two different vibrating speeds. This brush is smartly programmed to pace your time spent on different areas of your mouth and counts off a 2 minute brushing session. Dental hygiene doesn’t get any easier than this. And the handle is slim, streamlined, and lightweight to make it comfortably handheld too! What a brush!

Simply pop the top cap off and unscrew the bottom where you'll find the port to load the single AAA battery required for this brush's great 30,000 brushstrokes-a-minute capability. And the motor on this baby has been designed for an efficient use of energy and long battery life.

The compact case is cool, colorful, and makes travel extra convenient! For the easiest travel brush around, Go Sonic and get the proper tools for your dental care at camp and beyond. It all starts by clicking here at Everything Summer Camp. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans! Have fun when you head to camp and don’t forget to brush your teeth!

- John

Hey, Camp Folks!

When you work with all the great summer camps that we do here at Everything Summer Camp, it’s hard not to sing their praises. But we like singing anyhow, so we do it pretty often. We work with more than 270 camps and today, we’re shining our summer camp spotlight easterly to North Carolina very near the Blue Ridge Mountains where we find the beautiful Camp Pinnacle, founded on June 1, 1928.

Sitting on 126 acres, Camp Pinnacle is home to the majesty of the forest, creeks, fields, and large, private 20-acre Wolfe Lake. One decade ago, Camp Pinnacle discontinued their summer camp program, however, after only three years of hard work with renovations to the facilities and updates to the staff, Camp Pinnacle reopened! 

Kids have a lot of fun with jam-packed days at Camp Pinnacle, filled with awesome summer activities. Have fun at their waterfront which offers a diving board, rope swing, and blob. You can learn to Canoe, Kayak, and Stand-up Paddleboard. The provide campers the opportunity for traditional sports and camp activities like Archery and Riflery, Basketball, Capture-the-Flag, Lacrosse, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Soccer, Spiderball, Volleyball, and Whitewater Rafting. You can also have fun with less active activities like Crafts, Drama, Painting, Tie-Dye, and so much more!

With the majority of the campus overlooking Wolfe Lake, Camp Pinnacle keeps a wonderful campus with an accommodating Dining Hall, Gymnasium, magical trails, rustic and comfortable cabins, and much more.

The cabins were erected in the 1920’s but freshly updated in the last decade! They are built to house eight to 10 campers along with two counselors. They each have a newly built porch and each one is in close proximity to the bathhouses which were recently renovated too. Complete with treehouses and swinging bridges on the cabins for younger campers, your kids are sure to feel at home during their stay at Camp Pinnacle.

Enjoy looking into Camp Pinnacle even further for your own summer camp experience. You can check them out closer on their website by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John