Really Insane Partyer

Illustration of a tombstone with orange text, a skull at the top with skeleton hands on an orange, white and blue background.  

The acronym R.I.P., originates from a Latin phrase: requiescat in pace, “may (the deceased person) rest in peace.” The Latin phrase began appearing on Christian gravestones as early as the 8th century and became popular on Christian grave markers by the 1700s. The modern phrase Rest In Peace connotates the memorial of a turbulent life finally come to rest. This humorous take on the RIP acronym, meaning Really Insane Partyer, implies that beyond death, the life of the party can still have a good time, as seen with the illustration of the skeleton holding a wine glass.

Founder Russ Berrie started his business with $500, he rented a garage in Palisades Park, New Jersey, and launched his own firm named after himself. Berrie intended to design, market, and distribute “impulse” gift items. From the start, Russ Berrie & Company produced a string of hit products that quickly found their way onto countertops, desks and dashboards across the country. Among the company’s earliest creations: Fuzzy Wuzzies (tiny fur ball-like critters bearing messages like “You’re My Best Friend” or “Wild Thing”), troll dolls (squat gnomes with plumes of brightly colored hair) and the Bupkis Family (a motley collection of endearingly ugly rubber figurines). The owner believed in the power of “transformational giving,” partnering with energetic, visionary leaders to change the world for the better. He took an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy, using his keen interpersonal skills to identify people and causes in which to invest and working closely with partners to hone strategies and set expectations.  “There is nothing more important in life than helping a fellow human being.”  — Russell Berrie (1933-2002)