DICE DICE BABY

The World's Biggest Manufacturer of Giant Fuzzy Dice in Wisconsin Story and Photos by Linda Godfrey Made in Southeast Wisconsin...Giant Fuzzy Dice They're furry, way over-sized, and they'll have you seeing spots before your eyes. But don't be alarmed...after all, what's not to love about giant, fuzzy dice?

Bob and Carole Phillips, who sew and stuff dice by the cartload in their rural Burlington home, find them not only lovable but lucrative. To their surprise, the Phillips' have become the nation's largest...and possibly only...manufacturer of giant fuzzy dice. But few people are aware Walworth County is the Giant Fuzzy Dice Capital of the World because Bob and Carole like to keep a low profile. And it isn't hard to keep things quiet when your house is stuffed with foam rubber.

Bob, former operator of the Country Estates Sanitary District, cuts fur with a rotary scissors and punches dots with a specially-made die. The dots are attached with a hot glue gun. "I do get glue burns sometimes," said Bob, admitting to one of the hazards of the fuzzy dice industry. Carole seams the faux fur slabs together on a machine that was once used to create "bunny costumes" for the former Playboy Club in Lake Geneva.

Used mostly for throwing out onto the skating floor to play skating games, the dice are sturdy enough to take a beating. "They say a roller rink who uses these extensively will wear out one a year," declared Bob. So how did two nice people from Wisconsin get into the mega-dice racket? Actually, dice were not the Phillips' first fuzzy product.

Their foray into the fuzzy universe started unexpectedly, said Bob, when his sister and brother-in-law who were part owners of a roller rink in Burlington told him that they couldnąt find anyone who was still making pompons for skates. Bob happened to be laid off from a trucking job at the time, and figured he could pop out a few pompons to help the rink. He and Carole designed an assembly line method that would later prove workable for giant dice, as well.

They tried making stuffed animals to sell at craft fairs, but decided they could never compete with Toys R Us. Looking around, they discovered roller rinks play games where skaters carry colored paddles that correspond to giant dice thrown onto the rink. Someone had to make those big dice, and the Phillipsą decided it might as well be them. They stopped making the pompons several years ago to concentrate on the dice. The neighbors like having a fuzzy dice factory next door, because it brings the UPS truck out every day. "Last year I came home from work one day near Christmas," said Bob, "and there were 32 neighbors lined up in the living room, waiting to fill out the forms and send stuff."

As for future expansion, Bob and Carole don't really want to enlarge their operation. They have considered making smaller fuzzy dice to hang in car windows, but the tiny dots are hard to cut out. One of their six daughters seems interested in taking over the fuzzy dice empire from her parents, someday, but Bob and Carole aren't quite ready to retire. The only drawback to the whole thing, they say, is the fuzz that accumulates throughout the house faster than it can be vacuumed. They do have the most colorful dust bunnies around, however. In the meantime, he and Carole just keep their fingers crossed that their giant dice never turn up super-sized snake eyes. To enquire about how to buy Fuzzy Dice phone Bob or Carole at 262-763-9646 or email fluffnstuff@genevaonline.com.