Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, August 21, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Aug. 21, 2000 | 9:24 a.m.

Color me mauve

If you thought you wouldn't have to answer anymore census questions for another decade, think again.

Crayon maker Crayola is inviting people to surf on over to its website (crayola.com) by Dec. 15 and participate in the Crayola Color Census 2000, and join a "cyber search for America's favorite crayon colors."

All registered participants have a chance to win the a grand prize: a 10-day trip for four to a colorful place such as Yellowstone National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and the White House. An indigo-colored iMac computer will be presented to the randomly selected first-place winner.

Some celebrities have already cast votes for their favorite crayon colors. Wild strawberry (a red hue) tops golf giant Tiger Woods' list. Pop tart Britney Spears likes robin's egg blue (but you probably already knew that if you're an avid reader of teen magazines).

Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush also nominated blue -- blue bell, that is, the flower of his home state, Texas. Comedian Billy Crystal's choice is a nostalgic one -- burnt sienna. "It's the color I used as a kid when I made pictures of autumn in New York."

Worth noting

Besides coloring, crayons can also be used in conjunction with a new book that parents and children both are sure to appreciate.

"Lunch Box Letters: Writing Notes of Love and Encouragement to Your Children" (Firefly Books, $8.95) is the brainchild of authors Carol Sperandeo and Bill Zimmerman, though its concept is an old one.

This colorful book features more than 100 pages that can be torn out, written on by parents and other loved ones and stuffed into youngsters' lunch boxes so that they'll have a surprise message from home to read while munching on their peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The pages are titled with small but inspirational messages including, "You're a terrific kid" and "Have a great day," and also feature corny jokes ("Why are baseball players so rich? Because they play on diamonds"). There are also pages themed for holidays that fall during the school year (Valentine's Day, Halloween) and birthdays.

Pet perps

Is nothing sacred? Not even man's best friend, it seems, is exempt from being a target of crime.

The Pet Club of America recently released warnings to people whose pets are missing. It seems that crooks are working scams that get folks to shell out cash for bogus promises that their pet will be returned.

Among the most expensive scams: Individuals are claim to maintain a database of lost-and-found pets. Instead, they take pet owners' money and do nothing to help him or her find the pet.

Owners of missing pets are urged to visit the Pet Club of America's website (petclub.org) for "special alerts" featuring descriptions of other scams. The site also offers suggestions on how to go about finding a lost pet.