Donnelley Produces a Major Holiday Catalog

Toys "R" Us inserted 56.8 million copies of its "Big Toy Book" in Sunday newspapers.

Staff -- graphic arts online, 1/1/2001

CHICAGO-R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company completed one of its largest specialty catalog orders with the printing and distribution of 56.8 million Toys "R" Us "Big Toy Book" catalogs that were inserted in Sunday newspapers nationwide.

Produced by RRD Direct, Donnelley's direct-mail business, the 68-page holiday catalog featured a complex, diecut cover with the store's mascot-Geoffrey the Giraffe-holding a gift, which opened to reveal savings coupons. The cover included a pull-tab panel containing about 30 colorful stickers for children, which read "Cool Toy!", "Love It!", and "I Really Want It!" that were intended to be affixed beside toys featured in the catalog.

The project, which Donnelley described as being six times larger than most large catalog printings, was a major undertaking. Donnelley's facilities in Wheeling, Ill. and Seymour, Ind. each devoted a press line to print the cover, running the job for more than 45 straight days. The inside pages were on press in three Donnelley divisions for about 40 days. To produce the "Big Toy Book," Donnelley used more than 11,000 tons of paper and 85,000 lbs. of glue.

Says Peggy Foxman, marketing and print production director for Toys "R" Us, "We've been working with Donnelley for more than 25 years and were eager to try something new with this year's 'Big Toy Book.' We turned to them for help in creating a piece that was eye-catching and unique. We hope it will lead to increased interest in our holiday merchandise."

Toys "R" Us, the world's largest retailer of children's products, operates 1,559 stores worldwide.