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CNN Saturday Morning News
Hot Springs, Arkansas Prints Bill Clinton Trading Cards
Aired August 11, 2001 - 09:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: So what do you think about a Bill Clinton trading card?
They think we're kidding. They think -- you think we're kidding. No, these are Bill Clinton's trading cards. They're rolling off the presses in Arkansas.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN ANCHOR: It's a promotional thing for the city, and the cards are going like hot cakes. At least that's what Steve Arrison says. He heads the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, and he's on the phone with us. And this is on the front page of your local newspaper there, the "Sentinel Record."
STEVE ARRISON, HOT SPRINGS ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION COMMISSION: I tell you, good morning. I think it's on the front page everywhere from the amount of phone calls, e-mails, and mail that we've been getting in the last couple days.
PHILLIPS: How'd you come up with this idea, Steve?
ARRISON: I tell you, if you're from Arkansas and you travel, it seems like in the last 10 years, everywhere you check in or every rent-a-car you get, everybody wants to ask you, Do you know Bill Clinton? What do you think about Bill Clinton? And it doesn't matter if they're Republicans, Democrats, if they like him or hate him, they're all interested in Bill Clinton.
And we were on a sales trip selling our city and our convention center, and we started thinking about this. We came back and ran into fishing legend Forrest L. Wood (ph), the founder of Ranger Boats, and he had a little card that had his picture on the front, told a little bit about himself and his company.
So we said, Why don't we do that with President Clinton?
BUCKLEY: Now, Steve, is it true that you handed these things out yesterday, and there was a line with hundreds of people in it?
ARRISON: I tell you, we had the first run off the press, so we said from 12:00 to 1:00 we'd offer them to Hot Springs residents. The first guy showed up at 6:00 in the morning, stood in line at 12:00, and in one hour, I think, 1,029 people came through the line.
BUCKLEY: Man. PHILLIPS: Now, Steve, these are free. Who funded this project?
ARRISON: I tell you, the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission. We funded the project. Obviously on the back is our 800 number, our Web address. So actually it's getting the word out about Hot Springs and the great things that there are to do if you visit Hot Springs, Arkansas.
BUCKLEY: So the actual trading card, does it have facts and figures on Bill Clinton, where he was born, what was his batting average, that sort of thing?
ARRISON: Well, no batting average, I don't think, Frank, but, yes, it tells you a little bit about his history growing up in Hot Springs, graduating from high school, little bit about his mother, who lived in Hot Springs. Just gives you a little bit, and then it tells you about the city of Hot Springs.
PHILLIPS: Doesn't have how many home runs he's hit, huh?
ARRISON: No, ma'am, it doesn't.
BUCKLEY: So Steve, everyone asks you, how is that Bill Clinton? Do you know him? What's he like?
ARRISON: I've met him several times. He's just quite a personality, just-- I mean, when-- if you meet him, you like him.
PHILLIPS: What does he think of the cards?
ARRISON: I tell you, I talked to Dick Kelly, his stepfather received the first cards from us yesterday, and he said the president was really excited about them. We shipped some to his office yesterday in New York and also sent some to Senator Clinton's office in New York. So hopefully he'll have one in his hand pretty soon.
BUCKLEY: Well, it'd be mean to talk about Bill Clinton and not do what you guys are trying to do with this card, to talk about Hot Springs. Tell us a couple of quick factoids about Hot Springs.
ARRISON: I tell you, Hot Springs, Arkansas, just a beautiful place. We have five lakes. We had one of the first national parks in the country. Great place to visit, shop, www.hotsprings.org, that's where you need to go to find out about Hot Springs, Arkansas.
PHILLIPS: Steve, how about Hillary cards?
ARRISON: I tell you, I don't know. Hillary didn't grow up in Hot Springs, but we might consider it if the president's standing next to her.
PHILLIPS: Steve Arrison with the next collectible. I wonder how much money they'll be worth in 10 years.
BUCKLEY: A lot. Maybe.
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