The classic children’s hobby and activity series from Klutz Press covered a wide variety of fun topics, and every book came with toys, materials, and accessories needed for the activities in the book. Additional supplies and replacements for the supplies that came with the books used to be available through their catalogue, The Flying Apparatus Catalogue.

The founders of Klutz Press were college friends who originally started the company as a way to earn some extra money to support their river rafting expeditions, not really expecting it to be as much of a full-time business as it became. It was a source of unexpected success for them. Some books in the series are credited to specific authors, and some are more generally credited to the editors at Klutz Press.

However, Klutz Press was acquired by the Canadian children’s entertainment company Nelvana in 2000, which is now owned by Scholastic. Scholastic now sells Klutz books and activity kits online through their website instead of The Flying Apparatus Catalogue. They still offer an interesting variety of activity kits, but to be honest, having grown up with the original Klutz Press book and The Flying Apparatus Catalogue in the late 1980s and 1990s, I’m somewhat disappointed at the Scholastic offerings, which don’t have the same offbeat selection as the The Flying Apparatus Catalogue.

Some of the modern activity kits do look like fun, there are a variety of interests represented, and I was pleased to see some of the original books still on offer. However, I was sad not to see some of my old favorites still on offer, and some of it just doesn’t compare with the offerings of The Flying Apparatus Catalogue, which I remember included a dazzling array of stuff from children’s dreams, from stilts and juggling equipment to pranks and magic supplies and just plain odd and unusual things, like harmonicas and propeller beanies. The charm of Klutz Press was always taking odd, unusual, offbeat interests and making them more accessible to curious, imaginative, and adventurous children. I appreciate that there’s still a focus on do-it-yourself fun, but like I said, it just doesn’t have the same vibe without those more unusual elements. I miss the oddball quality of the first books and play equipment.

It’s still possible to get some of the out-of-print Klutz books used, but not all of the used copies have their extra equipment still intact. If you try to get a used copy of a book through a seller on Amazon, Ebay, or another site, be sure to ask what it includes and not just assume that it will still have its supplies. In my experience, the parts that deteriorate the fastest and are unlikely to be found intact with used copies are the ones made of rubber or gummy materials, but face paints would also no longer be usable, and craft supplies like thread for friendship bracelets are also most likely to have been used. In general, if it doesn’t specifically say that a used copy of an out-of-print book includes the extra materials, it’s safer to assume it doesn’t because the materials were meant to be used. Some of them are also available to borrow and read for free in your browser through Internet Archive.

There are too many books and activity kits from Klutz Press to list all of them here. For a more complete list, see the list on Goodreads.

Books in the First Series:

Juggling for the Compete Klutz (1977)

The first book in the series. It came with three cube-shaped bean bags for juggling.

The Hacky Sack Book (1982)

The Klutz Book of Knots (1985)

A guide to how to tie different types of knots. It came with two cords for practicing, one red and one blue.

The Klutz Yo-Yo Book (1987)

It came with a yo-yo.

Kids Cooking (1987)

A book of simple recipes that children can make with minimal adult help. It came with a set of plastic measuring spoons.

Country and Blues Harmonica (1988)

It came with a harmonica.

The Klutz Book of Marbles (1988)

It came with marbles.

The Official Koosh Book (1989)

It came with three mini koosh balls.

The Klutz Book Of Card Games: For Sharks And Others (1990)

It came with a deck of cards.

The Book of Classic Board Games (1990)

It includes black and white glass playing pieces and a pair of dice in a zippered pouch attached to the front of the book. The game boards are inside the book, printed on the pages.

The Klutz Book of Magic (1990)

The book came with small pieces of magic trick equipment, like a fake thumb tip, a small scarf, and a length of cord.

The Official Icky Poo Book (1990)

Explorabook (1991)

Official Foxtail Book (1991)

It came with a foxtail outdoor toy. Foxtail was invented by Klutz for this book, but you can make your own at home.

Kids Shenanigans: Great Things to do that Mom and Dad will just Barely Approve Of (1992)

It came with a kit for making your own whoopie cushion.

Everybody’s Everywhere Backyard Bird Book (1992)

Cat’s Cradle (1993)

It came with the cat’s cradle string.

Stop the Watch (1993)

It came with a multicolored stop watch for timing the activities.

String Games from Around the World

Table Top Football (1993)

It included a finger football made of leather.

Boondoggle (1994)

About how to make lanyards. It included the plastic lanyard lace.

Kids Travel (1994)

A book of travel games and activities that can be done on long car trips. It came with a pouch of materials for the activities, including thread for making friendship bracelets, a set of markers, a set of gummy playing pieces that would stick to a game board included in the book, and an activity book held to the back of the book with a clip.

Hullabaloo (1995)

Shadow Games (1995)

Draw the Marvel Comics Super Heroes (1995)

Friendship Bracelets (1996)

Puzzle Arcade (1996)

Peg Solitaire (1996)

The Etch A Sketch Book (1996)

What Would Happen If– ? (1996)

Classic Outdoor Games (1997)

The Best Paper Airplanes You’ll Ever Fly (1998)

Backyard Stars: A Guide For Home And The Road (1998)

Cootie Catcher Book (1998)

The book includes pages with cootie catcher patterns printed on them, ready to fold.

Simple Sewing (1999)

Classic Cookies (1999)

Glove Compartment Science: Experiments, Tricks, and Observations for the Backseat Scientist (1999)

Additional Books Published Under Nelvana/Scholastic:

Artrageous (2000)

Bedroom Astronomy: Science That Really Sticks to Your Ceiling (2000)

Tricky Pix (2001)

A guide to do-it-yourself trick photography, all based on physical tricks, no Photoshop or similar software. The original book included a real camera that took 35mm film, although the film was not provided.

Face Painting (2002)

It came with a set of face paints and a brush for applying them.

Window Art (2002)

The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes (2004)

Me and My Friends: The Book of Us (2004)

Design Your Own Charm Watch (2005)

Lettering in Crazy Cool Quirky Style (2006)

Included a set of colored pencils, a set of markers, stencils, and practice paper.

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity (2007)

A collection of pranks, stunts, and fun things to do.

Paper Flowers (2007)

My Style Studio (2008)

Paper Fashions Fancy (2008)

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity, Volume 2 (2009)

The Klutz Book of Inventions (2010)

Paper Flying Dragons (2012)

Star Wars Thumb Doodles (2013)