Price Stern Sloan facts for kids
| Status | Defunct, assets now owned by Penguin Random House |
|---|---|
| Founder | Roger Price, Leonard Stern and Larry Sloan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Los Angeles |
| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | novelty |
Price Stern Sloan, also known as PSS!, was a publishing company. It started in Los Angeles, United States, in the early 1960s. The company was founded by three friends: Roger Price, Leonard Stern, and Larry Sloan.
Price and Stern first created the popular fill-in-the-blank game called Mad Libs. They also made fun drawings called Droodles. They came up with these ideas while working as writers for a TV show called Tonight Starring Steve Allen.
What Was Price Stern Sloan?
PSS! became known for publishing fun and unique books. They focused on children's books, novelty items, and humor. They published many different types of books.
Famous Books and Games
Some of the well-known things PSS! published include:
- Mad Libs: These are still very popular today. You fill in the blanks with different types of words, like nouns or adjectives. The result is often a silly story. PSS! still publishes about ten new Mad Libs books each year.
- Movie Tie-ins: They made books based on popular movies. These included films like Happy Feet, Wallace and Gromit, Catwoman, and Elf.
- Other Book Series: PSS! also published other beloved series. These were Serendipity, Mr. Men and Little Miss, and Wee Sing. They even published a famous humor book called How to Be a Jewish Mother in 1964.
What Happened to PSS!?
In 1993, a company called the Putnam Publishing Group bought Price Stern Sloan. This group is now part of the Penguin Group, which is part of Penguin Random House.
After the purchase, PSS!'s main office moved to New York in 1997. Today, Penguin Random House still publishes many of the books that PSS! used to make. However, they no longer use the name "Price Stern Sloan" as a separate brand.
