Vivian Greene

Let’s Kiss The General Mills Company Pink with Vivian Greene.

Pink! Pink! Pink! National Breast Cancer Awareness month came to an end, but you wouldn’t know it by my house. This may be the single best licensing campaign for awareness and fund raising ever conceived. And I know how to make it even better.

Kisses™ make everything better!

No one in my family has ever had breast cancer, and they probably never will. What a wonderful job the American Breast Cancer Foundation has done of creating awareness, support, prevention and more and more success with cure.

I Love Pink! Everywhere you look, there is pink ribbon cancer awareness. It’s on my Musselman’s Natural Applesauce (and not on the Cinnamon one, that has corn syrup). It’s on my box of Cheerios, along with a Pampers coupon so the Cheerios from Publix Supermarket are practically free.

And it’s on my new line of pink water bottles I just designed. I’m looking to collaborating with the Safe Water Foundation and other companies that like to make a difference in the world next year. My name is “Greene“ after all. But for now, let’s stay with Pink, Pink, Pink!

We’re still working on the pink water bottles and other ideas. These are just initial prototypes. Let us know what you think.

When I stop for a little snack of Fiber One Chewy Bars, I see “Pink Together $2 Million Dollars is being donated this year by General Mills to Susan G. Komen for the Cure” draped across the package. At first I thought the $2 million was a contest, or my purchase was part of the $2 million goal for chewy bars.

Oh Oh. While writing this today, I read the small print. The $2 million is being “donated this year by the General Mills Company. Hey, General Mills you can do better than just $2 million dollars!! How many more Cheerios and Chewy bars were purchased with that pink ribbon, and the good will for your company?

If you can’t afford more than $2 million dollars, call me and I’ll help you next year.

I mean I happen to know just who that masked man was. General Mills Company was the sponsor of the radio show of The Lone Ranger even before I was born. And then they brought us Zorro on TV. And if that weren’t enough, I totally love General Mills for Häagen-Dazs.

So…come on…only $2 million? Did I misunderstand?

General Mills Company (NYSE: GIS) is an American Fortune 500 corporation, headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota. I’m sure with one of the world’s best ice creams, and such known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno’s, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Cheerios, Lucky Charms and Wanchai Ferry they could afford to give more than $2 million for Pink, Pink, Pink.

I mean they’re not perfect. Who is? Remember those monster cereals in the disco days? I love to dance, and I live in Miami, the home of the Latin Hustle, the Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, dancing all night. I’d come home from a day of designing my cards and Kisses™ comic strip, sleep from 6 pm to 11, slip on my dancing dress and boogie the night away at Regine’s, or the Cricket Club, or Honey for the Bears – featured as the best disco in the country. Then my friends and I would go to breakfast. There was no Pink, Pink, Pink on the shelves then.

General Mills Company made cereals called Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy. Yukky. But the sugary monsters were discontinued. And General Mills started using whole grain so we’d be healthy enough to keep dancing.

Since 2004, General Mills has been producing more products desired by we health-conscious consumers. I understand they use less sugar in the kids cereal now too.

So, since they’re promoting the American Breast Cancer Foundation, and they are really equally promoting General Mills, I think we should find a way to give the charity more than $2 million dollars. If I misunderstood that inscription on my big box of Whole Grain Cheerios, “Pink Together $2 Million Dollars is being donated this year by General Mills to Susan G. Komen for the Cure”, sorry . I’m just quoting the box. And regardless, I’m sure I- or rather Kisses™ – can help generate greater awareness and profits to prosper all concerned.

This is what I did when I didn’t even know what I was doing that was a huge success in Japan in one year – and believe me, they didn’t have anything near Häagen-Dazs, or Cheerios, or as important a mission as a cure for cancer.

Tour de France champion Mr. Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor and internationally recognized advocate for cancer research, spoke to Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN’s Vital Signs at the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland. He said as research progresses and people are educated on healthy living, “cancer can at least be managed as a chronic disease rather than a terminal illness”.

Thanks to programs like Pink, Pink, Pink, companies like General Mills, Musselman, Ford, and so many more – as well as the grass roots efforts and STS (Survivors teaching Students), there is a far more optimistic and enlightened view: “All that is real is seen with the heart.®”

Well, the pink ribbon is also on a pink 2010 Cancer Calendar called The Cancer Warriors Calendar, created by Mikel’s Fine Art Photography. It is filled with uplifting stories. It came to my attention because a quote of mine is so beautifully illustrated by the November warrior, Martha Gallub Esposito. She writes:

“I was diagnosed with two unrelated cancers which required a double surgery…then radiation and RAI treatments….I sent emails to my friends to let them know what was going on. The outcome of support was both awesome and humbling. The realization that I really meant so much to so many people gave me a lot of strength. I called it my “cancer journey”, and made it humorous, sending photos in my new fun wigs. I kept my mind and body active, doing things, visiting people, walking for exercise, enjoying life and believing I would get through this ok, then I would be fine. I tried to make the most of every day. As Vivian Greene said, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

2010 Cancer Warriors Calendars are available through Mikel for $10.00
702-564-7166 www.MikelsFineArt Photography.com.

We applaud Pink, Pink, Pink and our company, Invest In Love inc.
We will give a matching Gift Certificate for products or events
for the first 50 orders or donations.

 

Kiss The General Mills Company Pink with Vivian Greene.

Vivian Greene
Invest In Love inc
“All that is real is seen with the heart.”

Please Leave a Comment

© 2009 – 2011, Vivian Greene. All rights reserved.

Dance, Baby, Dance!

I’ve been called a lot of things lately. My new name is “Anonymous” or “Unknown” and appears with my quote, ” Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Not always, of course. Just often enough to occasionally get me sued. Why me? Because if I sell exclusive rights to a publisher, or manufacturer, to make thousands of things with the quote –I’m obligated to protect the company’s investment.

Occasionally, it’s an innocent mistake. When I first started in business, Sparky (Charles Schulz) introduced me to Aviva Enterprises. The owner, Eliot Steinberg, used my idea for “Gucci Pucci” luggage featuring Peanuts, and Kisses™ Jewelry.

One day, Eliot called me and said, “I feel so silly. Here we’ve been making your jewelry and I didn’t even notice my daugher, she’s two, was sitting on your faces.”

I thought maybe he’d been drinking.

“Sitting on what?” I asked.

“Your high chair!” he exclaimed.

“My what?”

“Your copyright is right on it! Your high chair cover.”

“I make greeting cards, not chairs.”

I thought maybe I should have a drink. But I don’t drink, really.

The high chair cover was indeed covered with my Kisses™ character’s faces.

A college girl had made a collage of my greeting cards in a repeat pattern and sold them to one of the biggest vinyl manufacturers in the country. Kisses™ was selling like crazy on baby bumpers, strollers, diaper bags, and many items I knew nothing about. Babies?

Talk about copyright infringement!

“Dance, Baby, Dance!” was as close as I came to the word “baby” at that time, the height of the Disco era.

I didn’t sue the college girl. I was in college myself three years earlier. I hired her. The textile company paid me a huge advance with royalties and we created more designs.

Hmmm…. maybe I’ll call Elliot, or send him this, and see if his grand babies use the high chair?

The nice thing about this is even if no one remembers my name, or calls me Anonymous, the characters live on and on.

In fact, here’s one of my favorite pieces of animation. Bill Melendez who was Sparky’s best friend, and made these cartoons died recently. He was like a surrogate father to me. He took me to the movies with Big Helen (his wife of 65 years who was barely 5 feet tall) to see THE BEAR, and taught me to drink tequila and fly a kite. But that’s another story.

Of course, one of the main reasons I love this video so, is because they’re dancing!

Dance, Baby, Dance!

Vivian Greene
Invest In Love inc
“All that is real is seen with the heart.”

© 2009 – 2011, Vivian Greene. All rights reserved.