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(If your subscription is current, click here to Login or Register.)1984 - Volume #8, Issue #4, Page #19
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Twin Boys Poster Is Popular Item
"Have you been farming long?"That's the caption, and the picture of two small blond boys says the rest. As a poster, this winning combination now has sold more than 237,000 copies and is selling more each week.
It all started with a mother's love for her firstborn ù identical twins. Like ever..........
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Twin Boys Poster Is Popular Item AG WORLD Ag World Have you been farming long?
That s the caption and the picture of two small blond boys says the rest As a poster this winning combination now has sold more than 237 000 copies and is selling more each week
It all started with a mother s love for her firstborn ù identical twins Like every parent Diane Jacobs wanted to capture the first steps of her boys ù Chris and Matt ù in photographs for the family album
Now one of those pictures of these twins ù then 1¢ years old with their hands stuffed in their new bib overalls ù is found on the walls of farm households bedrooms office walls and barns throughout the Midwest and the rest of the United States and Canada
The boys had just gotten a new pair of bib overalls Jacobs noted in a telephone interview from her Hanford Calif home 25 miles south of Fresno The boys had just found the pockets and were not paying much attention to me when I snapped that shot
We really liked the picture and showed it to our family and friends Everybody seemed to like it and wanted a copy she said The picture was on its way
Later Jacobs would enter the picture in the San Luis Obispo County Fair but the judges didn t like it As in life the picture suffered a setback It later would suffer another setback
It didn t win but it sure drew a crowd Jacobs said After the fair people began contacting us wanting to buy copies of the picture
Later a friend submitted the phototo the Guernsey Breeder s Journal Columbus Ohio and the Jacobs twins graced the cover of the national journal in November 1980 The picture was on its way
In 1981 Babson Bros Co of Oak Brook Ill purchased a copy of the photo for the company calendar for its Surge dairy product line And in 1982 the photo marked the year for recipients of calendars from Surge Recognition of the picture was growing
Meanwhile Jacobs decided to approach the company which manufactured the Osh Kosh bib overalls The company declined the chance to use the Jacobs twins picture to advertise its clothing products according to Jacobs The photo had suffered its second setback but not for long Later the company asked permission to use the picture she said
In the fall of 1982 fate took one of its unique turns Roy Reiman was visiting daughter Julie at Iowa State University in Ames Iowa The daughter asked her father to look at a photo on the ISU agronomy department s bulletin board
And there it was ù a little four-inch print of the two small blond boys in bib overalls Reiman liked the picture instantly
He felt the photo would have some appeal to farm families He recognized this appeal quickly since he is on constant watch for new material for his company s Reiman Publications Inc of Greendale Wis varied publications which include Farm and Ranch Living Farm Wife News and Country Kids
Reiman originally intended to use the picture for the cover of his Country Kids magazine but the photo didn t fit the format So the photo was run inside the magazine Then the telephone calls began and the letters started coming ù all requesting a copy of the picture Now the picture was becoming famous
The requests mounted and soon Reiman s company had the photo made in a 14-x18-inch color poster To add a little humor Reiman added the slogan ù You been farming long? The poster has sold more than 237 000 copies according to Reiman
Neither the Jacobs nor Reiman thought the picture would be such a hit
I knew it the picture was special the minute I saw it but I am still surprised Reiman said We are thrilled with the success of the poster Jacobs said We had no idea it would sell this much
How do the twins ù Chris and Matt ù feel about their increasing popularity Right now the 61/2-year-old boys are still kind of indifferent toward it Jacobs commented They ask what s the big deal For a long time they could not even tell who was who on the poster
The boys do enjoy the attention they receive from time to time though their mother said Recently a couple from Manitoba Canada took the time
That s the caption and the picture of two small blond boys says the rest As a poster this winning combination now has sold more than 237 000 copies and is selling more each week
It all started with a mother s love for her firstborn ù identical twins Like every parent Diane Jacobs wanted to capture the first steps of her boys ù Chris and Matt ù in photographs for the family album
Now one of those pictures of these twins ù then 1¢ years old with their hands stuffed in their new bib overalls ù is found on the walls of farm households bedrooms office walls and barns throughout the Midwest and the rest of the United States and Canada
The boys had just gotten a new pair of bib overalls Jacobs noted in a telephone interview from her Hanford Calif home 25 miles south of Fresno The boys had just found the pockets and were not paying much attention to me when I snapped that shot
We really liked the picture and showed it to our family and friends Everybody seemed to like it and wanted a copy she said The picture was on its way
Later Jacobs would enter the picture in the San Luis Obispo County Fair but the judges didn t like it As in life the picture suffered a setback It later would suffer another setback
It didn t win but it sure drew a crowd Jacobs said After the fair people began contacting us wanting to buy copies of the picture
Later a friend submitted the phototo the Guernsey Breeder s Journal Columbus Ohio and the Jacobs twins graced the cover of the national journal in November 1980 The picture was on its way
In 1981 Babson Bros Co of Oak Brook Ill purchased a copy of the photo for the company calendar for its Surge dairy product line And in 1982 the photo marked the year for recipients of calendars from Surge Recognition of the picture was growing
Meanwhile Jacobs decided to approach the company which manufactured the Osh Kosh bib overalls The company declined the chance to use the Jacobs twins picture to advertise its clothing products according to Jacobs The photo had suffered its second setback but not for long Later the company asked permission to use the picture she said
In the fall of 1982 fate took one of its unique turns Roy Reiman was visiting daughter Julie at Iowa State University in Ames Iowa The daughter asked her father to look at a photo on the ISU agronomy department s bulletin board
And there it was ù a little four-inch print of the two small blond boys in bib overalls Reiman liked the picture instantly
He felt the photo would have some appeal to farm families He recognized this appeal quickly since he is on constant watch for new material for his company s Reiman Publications Inc of Greendale Wis varied publications which include Farm and Ranch Living Farm Wife News and Country Kids
Reiman originally intended to use the picture for the cover of his Country Kids magazine but the photo didn t fit the format So the photo was run inside the magazine Then the telephone calls began and the letters started coming ù all requesting a copy of the picture Now the picture was becoming famous
The requests mounted and soon Reiman s company had the photo made in a 14-x18-inch color poster To add a little humor Reiman added the slogan ù You been farming long? The poster has sold more than 237 000 copies according to Reiman
Neither the Jacobs nor Reiman thought the picture would be such a hit
I knew it the picture was special the minute I saw it but I am still surprised Reiman said We are thrilled with the success of the poster Jacobs said We had no idea it would sell this much
How do the twins ù Chris and Matt ù feel about their increasing popularity Right now the 61/2-year-old boys are still kind of indifferent toward it Jacobs commented They ask what s the big deal For a long time they could not even tell who was who on the poster
The boys do enjoy the attention they receive from time to time though their mother said Recently a couple from Manitoba Canada took the time
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