What are the rules on "Flat Stanleys"?

[sodapop11 0]

I told my boys we would travel this summer. Of course due to schudule changes I can't. I want to make something like a Flat Stanley (using their likeness) and have it travel. Can I use a picture or does it have to be a drawing? Or is there a copy right on the idea? I would like them to travel separtly. Tracking who has been to the farthest, most places. I forgot to mention; I would attach a tag and instructions.

Edited April 28, 2010 by sodapop11

[+power69 0]

I told my boys we would travel this summer. Of course due to schudule changes I can't. I want to make something like a Flat Stanley (using their likeness) and have it travel. Can I use a picture or does it have to be a drawing? Or is there a copy right on the idea? I would like them to travel separtly. Tracking who has been to the farthest, most places. I forgot to mention; I would attach a tag and instructions.

Whats a flat stanley in laymens terms please.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

Is that one of those cardboard cutouts that travel around like a Roaming Gnome and get there picture taken everywhere? There are no rules...make it up as you go along.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

I told my boys we would travel this summer. Of course due to schudule changes I can't. I want to make something like a Flat Stanley (using their likeness) and have it travel. Can I use a picture or does it have to be a drawing? Or is there a copy right on the idea? I would like them to travel separtly. Tracking who has been to the farthest, most places. I forgot to mention; I would attach a tag and instructions.

You can also get Travel Bug tags to attach. If you don't use a photo, I'd get a caricature done! For your boys, you could even just use something inanimate, like their favorite toy car. The cutout will get more photos though.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT 1]

 

Whats a flat stanley in laymens terms please.

I can't beleive I'm doing this...LMGTFY... http://www.google.com/search?q=flat+stanle...;rlz=1I7ADFA_en

[+succotash 0]

We've done several "Flat Stanley" projects for nieces and nephews as part of school projects. The request we get is to have "Stanley" visit places that will highlight our area or to take him along on our travels. We create powerpoints with the photos of the cut-out and add some kid-friendly words explaining where "Stanley" is and/or what he is doing.

 

It's a great idea to use the Flat Stanley concept as a virtual trip for your kids. But if I were doing it for that reason, I'd send some to friends and family around the country (if that is an option) and ask them to participate in addition to creating the travel bugs. The travel bug idea would be exciting and could result in unknowns but might also be a disappointment if they get stuck somewhere.

 

Good luck!

[+firemanjim903mfd 0]

One of my sons did a school project on Flat Stanley . This was done before we started caching . The best way to explain Flat Stanley to a geocacher would be that it just like a travel bug only the way we did it was send him in the mail to friends of ours . Then they took pictures of him in neat places then send him and the photos back to us and then my son took them to school .

[Mr.Yuck 14]

Both my kids did Flat Stanley projects in (different) elementary schools. I believe it would be an interesting Travel Bug project. Heck, you can make anything you want a Travel Bug, right? There was also a thread yesterday about "homemade" travelers. You probably wouldn't get as good results as an official trackable though.

[+BlueDeuce 9]

Click here for TB examples.

 

Flat Stanley

[+TheAlabamaRambler 3]

No rules that I am aware of, but two suggestions...

 

Make your Flat Stanley out of flexible plastic sheeting so that it can be rolled or folded to fit in small caches and it will likely travel to more places.

 

Paint the TB number on rather than attaching a TB Tag so that the tag does not become separated from the Flat Stanley.

[+kunarion 2700]

Paint the TB number on rather than attaching a TB Tag so that the tag does not become separated from the Flat Stanley.

The one I found had the TB itself laminated flat onto the back of the photo. And at least one of the racers (one family member's flat photo TB) appears to be missing, after a run of 3 years.

 

Be sure your photo is durable and waterproof. Consider how it will hold up after being creased and bruised (say, if you cut it for arms and legs). A good TB size is one that fits in a pocket, but not so small that it gets buried in the pocket.

Edited April 28, 2010 by kunarion

[BCProspectors 0]

...the way we did it was send him in the mail to friends of ours . Then they took pictures of him in neat places then send him and the photos back to us and then my son took them to school .

It might have been easier to just Photoshop your kids into photos and use those.

[+wimseyguy 5]

I told my boys we would travel this summer. Of course due to schudule changes I can't. I want to make something like a Flat Stanley (using their likeness) and have it travel. Can I use a picture or does it have to be a drawing? Or is there a copy right on the idea? I would like them to travel separtly. Tracking who has been to the farthest, most places. I forgot to mention; I would attach a tag and instructions.

 

I suspect the rules on Flat Stanley can be more easily found on the Flat Stanley website. But you have been given some excellent advice on how to adapt a FS to geocaching.

 

Several of my nieces and nephews mailed their FS's to me when they were playing with them. I took them on my geocaching trips and took lots of pictures for them. I've not seen a FS geocaching TB, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Keep in mind that if you do not attach a laminated sheet with goals/targets/destinations to your travelers, they could go anywhere. And even if you do attach the sheet, their journey might still deviate from your wishes. Once you set them loose anything can happen.

[Luckless 1]

I found Flat Melissa.

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=788010

I think they just glued the dog tag to the back although doesn't seem like it would stay together very well that way.

I posted all kinds of pictures of Melissa at various places as requested. Disappointed to see no one else has. She has done quite a bit of traveling.

[+BulldogBlitz 7]

I found Flat Melissa.

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=788010

I think they just glued the dog tag to the back although doesn't seem like it would stay together very well that way.

I posted all kinds of pictures of Melissa at various places as requested. Disappointed to see no one else has. She has done quite a bit of traveling.

i've heard she gets around.

[+leeroyboy 0]

I travel with a small plastic shark I got at a Pier 1 about 30 years ago. I call it the Party Shark. After awhile friends would go on vacations and ask to take the Shark with them. He's been to more exotic places than me, including Mongolia. He's also been to China, twice. I still haven't been there.

[Keystone 3458]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the Travel Bug forum.

[+5Taylors 0]

This is a great idea! We are getting our 3 girls TBs and I may just have to steal this idea for them!!

Denise

[+The Blorenges 22]

I've never heard of Flat Stanley before seeing this topic - It sounds a nice idea.

 

Just in case anyone fancies the idea of mailing their Flat Stanley somewhere abroad, so that he can make his way back home, I thought I'd just provide this link to: The World Release Register for trackables.

 

MrsB

[+AuntieWeasel 0]

This lady made a flat Stanley -- or more precisely, a flat Paul -- of her deceased husband. He attended his own funeral.

 

Okay, I'm not sure if that's really cool or uber creepy.

[+jinglish 0]

My kids and I found "flat Jack" in a cache in the fall in the Netherlands. It came from an elementary school in the States. The teacher had the kids draw cartoon bodies and used a cut out photo head of themselves. It was pretty cool to go to the TB page and see where Jack had travelled. He's been going for a couple years already. We just missed picking up one of his classmates at another cache in Germany by a day. Would have been cool for them to get together over here in Europe.

[+power69 0]

 

Whats a flat stanley in laymens terms please.

I can't beleive I'm doing this...LMGTFY... http://www.google.com/search?q=flat+stanle...;rlz=1I7ADFA_en

both of which are common words. rather than search through 26,470,280 results, a few words rather than a rtfm response would have been nice. i gathered what it was from one of the other replies from people that didn't have a holier than thou attitude. thanks anyway.

[sodapop11 0]

both of which are common words. rather than search through 26,470,280 results, a few words rather than a rtfm response would have been nice. i gathered what it was from one of the other replies from people that didn't have a holier than thou attitude. thanks anyway.

 

What does rtfm mean? Is it something you can't post here??

Regarding Flat Stanleys'. Even though there maybe other Stanleys out there; they are different because of different TB and likeness?

[+BlueDeuce 9]

both of which are common words. rather than search through 26,470,280 results, a few words rather than a rtfm response would have been nice. i gathered what it was from one of the other replies from people that didn't have a holier than thou attitude. thanks anyway.

 

What does rtfm mean? Is it something you can't post here??

Regarding Flat Stanleys'. Even though there maybe other Stanleys out there; they are different because of different TB and likeness?

 

Yes, it can be inappropriate. Perhaps we should get past that little spat and stay on-topic.

 

There is no limit to Flat Stanley's. If you want to make it a travel bug just add a tag.