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If you grew up in the 1980s or ’90s, it’s very likely that you came of age with Lisa Frank-branded school supplies, party favors, stickers, beach towels, and all manner of rainbow-splashed products. The company, which at one point brought in an estimated $66 million, was immediately recognizable for its bright pops of color and cuddly, big-eyed animal characters, with fantastical illustrations featuring dolphins, unicorns, puppies, and kittens.
But the storied brand has also seen its share of troubles, which are laid out in a new four-part docuseries, Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story, premiering on Prime on Dec. 5. Executive produced by Mary Robertson, Lisa Kalikow, Eli Holzman, and Aaron Saidman, and directed by Arianna LaPenne (who is also co-executive producer), Glitter and Greed features never-before-seen footage and more than 20 interviews with former Lisa Frank, Inc. employees, journalists, and even Frank’s ex-husband and the company’s former president and CEO, James Green. (Frank herself was not interviewed for Glitter and Greed.)
Tracing the rise, fall, and attempts at the rebranding of Lisa Frank, Inc., Glitter and Greed works to understand the woman at the center of it all—the notoriously private Lisa Frank—whom the docuseries outlines as an extreme figure prone to emotional highs and lows and as a toxic, little-seen manager capable of making threats and outbursts. And yet, as former senior designer and product development lead (1987-2002) Rondi Kutz told filmmakers, working for Frank was like having “a parent you wanted to please.”
Below, we break down the allegations of a “grueling work environment” where anyone could be fired at any time, lawsuits, and controversies behind Lisa Frank and Lisa Frank, Inc., a brand that defined the look and feel of late 20th century childhood.
Who is Lisa Frank?
Behind the multicolored, whimsical designs is a real person: The titular artist graduated from the Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield…
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