Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools
(Book Review)
by Janet Attard
Are you looking for a gift that is sure to put a smile on someone’s face this
year? An inexpensive gift – perhaps a stocking stuffer for your spouse, or a
grab bag gift for the office?
If so, we’ve got a new book you’re going to want to know about – and buy. It's
the kind of book that's too funny to put down. In fact, you may want to buy at
least two – one for a gift, and one for yourself.
 The book is Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools , a parody
of an office supply store catalog.
How can an office supply store catalog be funny you ask? Well, it’s got a lot
to do with looking at things traditionally found in an office in a new light. In
it you’ll find "product listings" and photos for everything from a "coffee ring
stamper" to "application forms for people who bring their family to an
interview."
Each catalog item has an appropriately humorous text description with it,
too. Below are two examples. (Note: images and text Reprinted with permission
from St. Martin’s Griffin. © 2005 by Universal Spoofs LLC. All Rights reserved.)
 Deadwood
File
The high cost of office space leaves little room for sentiment. Luxurious
pullout drawers are just the answer for executives past their prime. Roomy
interior allows placement of ledgers and telephone, contains shelving for
mementos of successful days gone by. E-Z
Roll ® wheels allow closet-to-closet maneuverability on a daily basis.
SKU PASTURE
$69.99 Reg. $79.99
 Business
Weak Magazine
Crappy companies need love, too. Business-Weak focuses on the stories behind the
losers, why they stink and how you can avoid them at all costs. Special issues
include "100 Technologies You’ll Never Miss," "50 Slowest-Growing Hedge Funds"
and "25 CEOs Who Hung Themselves in the Bathroom." A must-read, especially if
you’re in prison and have a lot of time on your hands.
SKU LOOZER
One caveat: Stooples ridicules just about everything and every office
stereotype you can think of. So, it might not be a good gift for someone who is
easily offended. But just about everyone else will find it hilarious.
My advice: buy several copies. They make great gifts for business
acquaintances and office buddies. And don’t forget to buy an extra copy for
yourself. Otherwise the gift book will be too dog-eared to be given away as
a holiday gift.
|
