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| Darren Patterson creator of the Orange Barrels brand shows off related merchandise. |
It was almost ten years ago, when Darren Patterson came up with the idea of The Orange Barrels - a series of children's books and products designed to help parents teach their children about fun facts in their respective states.
The idea all started from an innocent drive.
"We were riding down a street called Euclid Avenue in Cleveland Ohio, and I said see those orange construction barrels down - I'm going to make a book about a family of construction barrels that travel to different places and wherever they travel, they're going to teach their kids about the places they travel to," Patterson recalled.
Now, the metro Atlanta middle school teacher has two books in the Orange Barrel series published - one covering the state of Ohio and another discussing the state of Georgia. Each book contains important land marks and bits of history about each state. Plans call for Patterson to eventually branch out and write about other states.
"They're educational and entertaining," Patterson said of the books.
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| Donaven (left) and Danielle Barrel - the youngest members of the fictional Barrel family. |
But to simply think that the Orange Barrels are a book, would be a gross underestimation of what Patterson is trying to accomplish. The Ohio native coyly admits that he's trying to establish and brand with the characters of the book, that can be used in anything from coloring books to cartoon shows.
"I want to have stickers and bookmarks, and also a coloring book which should be ready pretty soon," he said. "I also want to have an app and a board game [with the characters]. Definitely I want to have it evolve into a cartoon."
There's even a monthly newsletter to update readers about the products and how they can take part in the Orange Barrel franchise.
The drive to work on the brand actually came from Patterson's family, who set the example of hard work and going above and beyond the call of duty.
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| Pops and Mimi Barrel, the caretakers of the fictional Barrel family |
"I think it may come from father because he worked for this Gas company back in Ohio and then I remember when he first started his own business, which was a family business. Then he started his own real estate brokerage. His mindset was not just one thing, and not just being a broker, but to have something bigger and have it grow. So I definitely don't want to be looked at as just an author."
For more information on The Orange Barrels contact Patterson via e-mail at dp@theorangebarrels.com
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