Desperation led American publishers back to pop-up books. Blue Ribbon led the charge. Blue Ribbon liberally borrowed techniques developed and used in the 1920s by the British Bookano series, which gave book buyers the first "automatic" pop-up—whole forms or figures that, when the page was opened, lifted up and were visible from all four sides. If Blue Ribbon imitated Bookano, or as some said violated the British firm's copyrighted paper engineering techniques, Blue Ribbon does seem to have originated the term "pop-ups."
The New Wave
Beginning in the 1960s, and continuing today, the world of pop-up books expanded dramatically. As Margaret Mignonette writes, these new books were not just for children: "Authors of movable books … remind us of their double audience, … both child and adult."[1] The exhibit features and shares in depth the work created from this exuberant range of ideas and broad audiences. Indeed, a new renaissance in pop-up books was occurring, and one of the most important figures in it was Vojtěch Kubašta.
Czechoslovakian by adoption, Vojtěch Kubašta studied architecture and engineering at the Czech Technical University. His curriculum was largely picked by his father, who saw it leading to a respectable career. But the young Kubašta was far more interested in pop-up books. He was particularly inspired by Geraldine Clyne and her
Jolly Jump-Ups series. In the 1950s, his first book,
How Columbus Discovered America (1953), featured wonderful recreations of Columbus's three ships: the
Niña, the
Pinta, and the
Santa María.
Among Kubašta's most well-loved pop-ups are his
Tip and Top series. Tip was impetuous, Top was cautious. Together, they explore the world. Sometimes though, a reader must acknowledge that their exploration is more an excuse to show Kubašta's technical prowess with a piece of paper. Story was increasingly taking second place to art.
Robert Sabuda, who, a generation later, would lead another revolution in pop-up books, summed up Kubašta's accomplishments this way: "What's astounding about Kubašta, as opposed to many pop-up artists today working with multiple layers of paper, is that he achieved his effects using a single piece of paper. That is the real magic of Kubašta. The simplicity of it, from a paper engineer's point of view, is simply amazing."[12]
In the 1990s, Kubašta was succeeded by a new group of artists who once again revised and reinvented the genre with their skills. Among the most important figures of this generation are Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud, Sam Ita, and Matthew Reinhart. The most prominent among them is Robert Sabuda.
Vojtěch Kubašta
Czechoslovakian by adoption, Vojtěch Kubašta studied architecture and engineering at the Czech Technical University. His curriculum was largely picked by his father, who saw it leading to a respectable career. But the young Kubašta was far more interested in pop-up books. He was particularly inspired by Geraldine Clyne and her
Jolly Jump-Ups series. In the 1950s, his first book,
How Columbus Discovered America (1953), featured wonderful recreations of Columbus's three ships: the
Niña, the
Pinta, and the
Santa María.
Among Kubašta's most well-loved pop-ups are his
Tip and Top series. Tip was impetuous, Top was cautious. Together, they explore the world. Sometimes though, a reader must acknowledge that their exploration is more an excuse to show Kubašta's technical prowess with a piece of paper. The story was increasingly taking second place to art.
Robert Sabuda, who, a generation later, would lead another revolution in pop-up books, summed up Kubašta's accomplishments this way: "What's astounding about Kubašta, as opposed to many pop-up artists today working with multiple layers of paper, is that he achieved his effects using a single piece of paper. That is the real magic of Kubašta. The simplicity of it, from a paper engineer's point of view, is simply amazing."[13]
In the 1990s, Kubašta was succeeded by a new group of artists who once again revised and reinvented the genre with their skills. Among the most important figures of this generation are Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud, Sam Ita, and Matthew Reinhart. The most prominent among them is Robert Sabuda.
Robert Sabuda
Sabuda grew up in Pinckney, Michigan. As a boy, he loved arts and crafts projects. But he found his life's passion when his mother brought home from work some used, manila file folders. The thick paper was perfect for making pop-ups. His mother, who worked as a secretary at the Ford Motor Company, secured a seemingly endless supply of used folders for her son to work with and improve his skill. Eventually, Sabuda moved on from pop-ups constructed from old file folders to attended the Pratt Institute in New York City, one of the nation's leading schools in the areas of art, design, and architecture.
While at Pratt, Sabuda interned at a children's book publisher. The experience changed his life; his dream became to make pop-up books. His goal, though, remained the same as it had been in Pinckney working with old file folders. "At my studio we are always trying to make the paper obey. I AM THE POP-UP MAKER. YOU ARE THE LOWLY PAPER. OBEY!" A command about which Sabuda sheepishly admitted, "But it never does." He added, "The paper is like a new puppy, adorable but incorrigible. Making pop-ups for a book requires a patience that is no longer common today."[14]
Sabuda, however, is a very patient artist, and a master at training paper to do things beautifully. As Steven Heller wrote in his
New York Times review of Sabuda's
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,