Did you know that before a pop-up book becomes fully alive with color and art, it passes through a ghost phase?
I didn't either, until I got to see one for myself.
As the artist-in-residence at Willis Wonderland, I've had the pleasure of seeing some truly incredible projects take shape, including a pop-up book. Titled Willis Wonderland: The Legendary House of Atomic Kitsch, it's a tribute to the late, legendary Allee Willis and her absolutely fabulous North Hollywood home. Allee was the Grammy-winning songwriter and creative powerhouse behind classics like Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" and "Boogie Wonderland," the "Friends" theme song, the Pet Shop Boys' "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," and many more songs you undoubtedly know.
Her home, Willis Wonderland, is legendary in its own right, a bubblegum-pink Streamline Moderne dream filled floor-to-ceiling with kitsch, creativity, and endless stories. It's truly a living, breathing work of art.
The WILLIS WONDERLAND: The Legendary House of Atonic Kitsch POP-UP BOOK was designed by Hillary Carlip, features a foreword by Charles Phoenix, eerily accurate illustrations by Neal McCullough, and intricate pop-up engineering by Mike Malkovas. It was genuinely a team effort, showcasing every room of Willis Wonderland.
Before we got to marvel at the final book, the printer sent over what's called a "white dummy" (feel free to comment your jokes about that name). This blank prototype was created to rigorously test all the mechanical elements, including every tab, fold, pull, pop, and flip. It contained no artwork or text, just its movement and structure.
The completed book is a real joy, filled with surprise, delight, and wonder, and truly reflects the spirit of Willis Wonderland. The team should be real proud. It's a work of art to itself.
And, heads up, The World According to Allee Willis, the documentary about Allee, is now streaming on Hulu.
Here's that same page but with the final art:
And here's the photo that inspired it:
