Cartoon characters provide comic relief

Pauline Bell

Friday, Jan. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Even computer nerds need to have some some fun.

That's why companies are coming out with designer computer accessories -- from cartoons to nostalgia to fine art -- anything to lighten up an otherwise somber office environment.

Many of these colorful accessories are on display at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show as companies entice customers in the accessories sector, expected to become a $1.2 billion-a-year industry by the year 2000.

It is also expected to become a tougher industry to dominate with the consolidation of U.S. and increased foreign competition. It seems manufacturers are out to capture consumers by making products that allow them to infuse a bit of their individual personalities into an otherwise sterile corporate environment.

Who better to provide a bit of comic relief than Dilbert, the witty workplace cartoon character? Curtis Computer Products of Muscatine, Iowa, is out with four different Dilbert mouse pads and two wrist rests. The products are selling well, said Marketing Manager Keith Metzger.

"Everyone wants to strangle their boss at one time or another which is why the hilarious scenarios depicted in the Dilbert comic strip have become so popular," explained Tim Neiley, vice president of marketing. "We realized that Dilbert's image is perfect for office accessories to help workers put annoying corporate problems in perspective and giggle throughout the day."

Curtis first introduced a smaller Dilbert line at Comdex in the fall of 1995 and has since expanded its offerings.

"We all lived through the 1980s with downsizing and all the different names of programs that meant we had to do more with less. It's a quiet rebellion in action," Metzger said.

Nostalgia, not rebellion, is what some of American Covers Inc.'s products are designed to evoke.

"They bring back memories," said ACI's Lori Waddell as she looked at a line of mouse pads featuring the Three Stooges, Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles, Elvis and James Dean. Humor is provided by the Tom and Jerry line of mouse pads and wrist rests.

"You know, I'm surprised our competitors haven't focused on the female market more," Waddell told CES attendees as she pointed out that most of the art on the accessories is male oriented.

Of course, ACI has come up with an answer to the problem -- mouse pads featuring the romantic images of world-famous children's photographer Kim Anderson, whose specialty is combination color and black-and-white pictures.

"They're very popular, they add fun to the workplace, " said Maureen Moore of Fellowes, as she showed off the manufacturer's lines of Looney Tunes and Disney computer accessories.

Products on which Mickey and his friends Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Pluto and Goofy will appear include mouse pads, wrist rests, carrying cases, diskette wallets and CD wallets.

The Itasca, Ill.-based company also has teamed with Warner Bros. to bring what it says are the first-ever licensed computer diskettes. The diskettes feature Looney Tunes characters Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Taz and Bugs Bunny.

And, these products aren't just for the office, Moore said. "They appeal to people from young children through senior citizens."