Thursday, October 25, 2007

Wild Bill Tick Tock



One of the many hats I wear is that of Mrs. Wild Bill Tick Tock. That's right. Bennie has been making clocks under the name of Wild Bill Tick Tock for better than ten years now, and we have shipped hundreds of them worldwide. Some of the more interesting places where they reside: a Tasmanian sheep farm, an auto dealership in Albuquerque, a headmistress's office in London, a New Jersey town hall, and finally, our living room. (It took "Bill" about five of those years to get around to making one for us!)

How'd he get the name? When Oakley, always an original soul, was 8, he walked through our bedroom mumbling to himself. What he said was "Wild Bill Tick Tock." Bennie was just starting to make the clocks then, and in a moment of marketing math, I put 2 and 2 together and asked Bennie what about donning the pseudonym Wild Bill Tick Tock? It stuck. Now it's amazing how many emails we get at the gallery addressed to "Bill."

The purple and black clock is called "Soul Train." It, like all of Wild Bill's clocks, has a top that lifts off to reveal the contents of your choosing. We keep those pesky Estimated Tax forms in ours, along with dental appointments, the occasional love letter, and utility bills. Wild Bill always tells people to hide their chocolate there. In our household, chocolate never seems to make it that far.

We recently shipped one of the "grandfather clocks," which are large enough to stand on the floor, to Australia. Diane, the buyer, is pictured above--she's the one holding onto "Grandfather Magic"--with her entourage, a group of family and friends who'd decided to rendezvous here in Santa Fe. Once her clock arrived in New South Wales, Diane emailed to tell us that "Grandfather Magic" is bringing her family and friends much joy, reminding them how good life is. They use the box as a repository of well-wishing messages to one another. And when we receive such messages from our clients, that's as good as it gets.

4 comments:

p said...

glad you posted a clock, HOW FUN!
hundreds you have sold? wow....I will try not to feel too envious. Cool stuff.

San said...

Paula, glad you like them--I thought you might. Yeah, we're pushing 700 now, with regard to number sold. Through the years, the designs have gotten more ambitious and more labor-intensive. We both like it when a new design catches on. That makes it more fun for both of us.

Lee said...

How neat, San. That clock in the picture looks totally fun. When I visited your gallery's website I saw the ones there. Is there a page with past editions that I could wander through to see how they have evolved?

Peace!

San said...

Lee, the older models aren't on our site. Funny--today a couple came into the gallery and purchased a clock after having bought quite a few several years ago--as gifts--and they were pointing out all of the differences in the new clocks. But those older pictures aren't in digital form.