Our Punch Boxes can be described many ways, but we like to think of them as super-fancy three-dimensional slow-release greeting cards. You've probably never seen anything like them (or maybe you did way back in the 1930s or 40s). Each Punch Box is assembled by hand and features colorful covers and twelve compartments that you "punch" out with the eraser-end of a pencil to reveal hidden messages. You can see our standard Punch Box editions here...

Our standard Sweet Words edition Punch Box

The Assignment
Tania and LeeAnn came to us after seeing our Sweet Words Punch Box and asked us to design front and back covers and help craft secret messages based on a Wunderkammer -- or Renaissance era "cabinet of curiosities." The Punch Box would represent the room, and each hidden compartment would feature a surprising message that gently pushed the user beyond the boundaries of their familiar world. Just as a Renaissance man might have stepped into a Wunderkammer with no knowledge of the wonders inside, Tania and LeeAnn wanted to evoke mystery, surprise, and wonder with each "punch."

"Musei Wormiani Historia" showing Ole Worm's famous Wunderkammer.

Ferrante Imperato's "Dell'Historia Naturale," one of the first known illustrations of a Wunderkammer.

What We Designed & Made
Nothing conjures up the image of a Wunderkammer quite like Ferrante Imperato’s 1599 etching Dell’Historia Naturale, so we used this as the inspiration for the Punch Box cover artwork. One side of our custom-designed Punch Box features a cabinet of small mysterious objects, while illustrations of a clock and a birdcage, among others, adorn compartments on the other side. One punch hole is held up by a whimsical floating hand that seems to be reaching into the cupboard to see what might be inside.

The front and back covers feature a mix of historic imagery and fresh whimsy.

Tania and LeeAnn settled on twelve messages that invite the user to do--or ponder--something a little bit daring or unknown. A firm punch with the eraser-end of a pencil reveals instructions like:

- “Mission: Today, invite a friend to play tug-o-war with this note. Winner gets…?”
- “Mission: Today, do that thing you've been meaning to do (you know the one).”
- “Mission: Sneak this note into someone’s pocket, purse, or book, and it will bring you both wonder-luck."

The twelve scrolls are folded up nice and tight inside the colorful compartments.

Sorry, you'll have to get your hands on a special-edition Wunderkammer Punch Box to find out what's on the other nine hidden scrolls!

The Response
Now that Tania and LeeAnn have handed out many of their custom made Wunderkammer Punch Boxes to clients and friends, Tania shares:

“We've used our wonderful little Punch Boxes as gifts for special clients and collaborators. Across the board, the reaction was surprise, wonder, and delight. I particularly enjoy people's tendency to hold the Punch Box very tenderly in both hands as though it is a magical little box with treasures inside (because that's exactly what it is).”

Our suspicion is that many of these Punch Boxes are still floating around on clients' desks or sitting on their nightstand weeks or months later. Most people punch the holes out slowly--one a week or one a month--which means that the Wunderkammer Punch Box will help Tania and LeeAnn stay top of mind with their clients for quite some time.

Create Your Very Own Custom Punch Box
If you're in the market for creative promotional products and would like to discuss your ideas for a custom Punch Box, we'd love to hear from you! Just drop an email to lea@leafcutterdesigns.com and we'll get back to you right away.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Minimum order quantity for custom editions is 75 Punch Boxes
- Pricing ranges from $9-16/ea depending on design and quantity
- Expect 2-3 weeks for design/proofing and another 2-3 weeks for production

More About Wunderkammers
- Visit MoMa New York's super-fun online exhibit: Wunderkammer: A Century of Curiosities
- A fascinating book: Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder (paperback - published 1996, also available on Kindle)
- A blog of oddities for perusal: http://cabinet-of-wonders.blogspot.com/
- The wonder-box art of Joseph Cornell: Google image search, also see the newly discovered and incredible Manual of Marvels (multimedia format - published 2012)

Our Wolverine toy fridge in action at the KPFA Holiday Craft Show

The detailed lithography on some vintage fridges is really charming.

What am I Looking For?
As far as I can tell, the golden age for toy refrigerators runs from the 1940s until the early 1960s. We've  been using the vintage refrigerator pictured above as a fun, playful way to display and sell our Recipe Dice at craft shows. It's a Wolverine brand, made of tin, and is about 20 inches tall. We get lots of compliments and more than a few people have asked to buy it from us. (Of course, it’s not for sale!) How awesome are those color lithographed food illustrations on the interior of the door? And the swinging shelf! These vintage metal toys are playful, thoughtfully detailed, and made to last.

eBay Is Your Best Bet
As always, the main challenge with searching for vintage items on eBay is zeroing in on the subset of listed items that are truly vintage, in good shape, and reasonably priced. Here are some tips to get you started...

Suggested Search Terms
Keywords: vintage, antique, toy, fridge, refrigerator
Filters: -magnet, -magnets (to eliminate refrigerator magnets from search results)
Also consider including: lithograph (but keep in mind not all sellers use this term to describe the inside of the toy fridge)

Pricing
I've seen great toy fridges go for as little as $15 and as much as $150. With a little patience and focus, a beautiful one in excellent shape should be found for about $50. You’ll pay a little more for one with the lovely lithography inside, but I think it’s absolutely worth it. Once in a while, you’ll even see miniature toy food items or tiny toy ice trays included.

What to Avoid
The plastic toy fridges simply don’t have the same charm. Also, when shopping for antiques, always avoid any listings that say "new reproduction" or "vintage-inspired" or “vintage style.” If there aren’t photos of all sides of the fridge, keep in mind that you’re only seeing part of the story. Ask for more photos—of the back and the inside—if you want to be sure the quality is good all the way around.

Signs You're On the Right Track 
There isn’t a bunch of rust, the weight seems substantial (the good ones are fairly heavy) and there are at least a few other bidders. Wolverine and Marx are two classic brands. If the item description doesn’t say whether there is rust, scratches, bends, etc., feel free to message the seller and ask. You might also want to confirm whether the door handles still work. (Mine don’t, but I don’t mind.)

Wolverine brand - made in the USA!

Good luck, and be sure to check out all these great toy fridges we’ve found especially for you that are currently available on eBay >>>

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Best Match Items Ending First Newly-Listed Items First Price + Shipping: Lowest First Price + Shipping: Highest First

1960s vintage Wolverine tin toy pink miniature refrigerator & matching oven! $65.00 End Date: Friday May-24-2013 21:06:32 PDT Buy It Now for only: $85.00 Buy It Now | Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Die Cast Toy Car-Lesney Matchbox No.44 Refrigerator Truck GMC $12.95 End Date: Saturday May-25-2013 9:29:24 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Toy Metal Walt Disney's Snow White Refrigerator, Tin Dishes, Sifter $4.99 End Date: Saturday May-25-2013 11:13:26 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage SNOW WHITE Toy REFRIGERATOR, Metal, DISNEY PRODUCTIONS, by Wolverine $20.00 End Date: Saturday May-25-2013 13:22:32 PDT Buy It Now for only: $20.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Stove Toy and Refrigerator toy by Wolverine Manu. Pittsburg, PA - Vintage, USA $15.99 End Date: Saturday May-25-2013 18:18:16 PDT Buy It Now for only: $25.00 Buy It Now | Bid now | Add to watch list

Wolverine Vintage Sunny Susy Yellow Toy Mini Fridge 1960's, for play $9.99 End Date: Saturday May-25-2013 18:38:55 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

LITTLE TIKES ~Child Size~ 1980s REFRIGERATOR~Vintage Toy Retired Kitchen Fridge $39.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Sunday May-26-2013 16:10:42 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage Refrigerator Tin Toy Made in Mexico Maxi . R $9.99 End Date: Sunday May-26-2013 18:07:18 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Vintage 1950's WOLVERINE Toy Tin Metal REFRIGERATOR $6.50 End Date: Sunday May-26-2013 18:33:57 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

ANTIQUE/VINTAGE TIN TOY REFRIGERATOR - IT'S A POLAR IN GOOD CONDITION $31.99 End Date: Monday May-27-2013 18:59:01 PDT Buy It Now for only: $31.99 Buy It Now | Add to watch list

Vintage 1950's Sunny Suzan Brown Tin Toy Wolverine Refrigerator lrd $19.99 End Date: Tuesday May-28-2013 11:58:56 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

VINTAGE SOVIET CHILDREN TOY FRIDGE "LITTLE SNOW" $45.00 End Date: Tuesday May-28-2013 13:33:21 PDT Buy It Now for only: $45.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list

The Design Concept

A rough sketch showing various blanket configurations and colors. Hundreds of different shapes are possible!

What might that hole be for? Perhaps a visitor...

This system of small triangle shaped blankets allows for flexibility in terms of how many people want to sit together. It is also, of course, fun to arrange and re-arrange them into crazy shapes! It's sort of like tangrams in kindergarten (remember those?), but giant sized.

Field Testing (pun intended)
It worked! There's still some finishing to do on the blankets, but I was able to get all the triangles cut in time for a first test at the November 6 picnic.

I think the bright colors work really well against the grassy background.

Is that a wormhole to another world?

And here's the very best part: one of every three triangles in the blanket set (24 total) have holes the same size as the real gopher holes that are all over the park. They serve as a standing invitation for the gophers to "join" us at our picnic. And truly, not just the gophers, but the trees and the insects and the birds and all the creatures that share this park. Worms too. It's a peaceful gesture that embodies a compassionate and playful relationship with nature.

Here I am embroidering the edge of a gopher hole with dirt-colored thread.

To emphasize this gesture, everyone gets to join in (at future events as well) and embroider designs around the holes in the blankets (in soil-colored thread). The embroidery work is sort of like a tiny welcome mat - a design that marks the meeting of two worlds. Of course, a real gopher is unlikely to use one of these holes, but it's the gesture that we love and the many peaceful practices that such a gesture encourages and inspires. Nevertheless, we thought it was fun to line up the blanket holes with the real gopher holes in the grassy field just in case.

And then...

WOW!

No way!

For real?!

Well, hello there.

Yes! A real live gopher suddenly poked its little head up through one of the blanket holes! Carla and I were sitting on the blanket next to this red one and I practically jumped to the moon and back with joy and excitement. And of course, I'm ecstatic that Carla caught the little visitor with her camera. Note: This hole still needs embroidery - maybe you'll join us at the next picnic and add some?

The gopher must have seen one of Sam's sweet hand-drawn event posters, as he popped up right about 3pm, more promptly than most of the humans.

The on time gopher gets the... cheese!? What do gophers eat?

You'll find plenty more examples of our custom work here, and you can keep up with Friends of the Kezar Triangle on their Facebook page. Thanks Carla & Sam for the chance to be creative and playful with you!