Happy Birthday, Halbert...

In honor of Gary Halbert's birthday, his boy Bond posted an audio recording of one of his newsletters, "The "BIG" Idea" (Happy Birthday Pop). In it, Gary tells the story of his involvement with Tova Borgnine and the creation of her perfume.

Coincidentally, QVC is currently honoring Tova with "The Signature Story" Celebrating 25 Years of Tova's Legendary Fragrance.

I got a kick out of reading the stories side by side. Hope you do too.

QVC's Story...

THE SECRET BEHIND TOVA SIGNATURE

Each year, hundreds of fragrances are introduced. More often than not, just as fast as they are launched, they disappear from our shelves and our memories.

It is all the more remarkable, then, when a fragrance comes along that possesses the extraordinary appeal and staying power of TOVA Signature -- such a true fragrance phenomenon that, 25 years after its introduction, this timeless scent continues to captivate wearers each and every day.

The longevity of TOVA Signature can in large part be attributed to the meticulous process by which it is created. Not unlike a fine wine or champagne, the fragrance contained in each and every bottle of TOVA Signature is literally aged to perfection for three months via a process known as maceration.

All of the ingredients that comprise TOVA Signature are first blended to perfection, following the exact same recipe as when the fragrance was first introduced 25 years ago. The blended ingredients are then aged for 60 days under constant monitoring, so that the delicate balance of each and every ingredient is allowed to evolve until it is smooth and harmonious. At the end of the 60 days, those ingredients are transported into large, stainless steel vats, where the perfume concentrate is mixed with alcohol at a 28.5% level of concentration and aged for an additional 30 days, allowing the aroma to develop to its full potential.

This progression is done under tightly controlled conditions and approved only after a perfumer is satisfied with the final blend. Once approved, the fragrance is removed at the precise cool temperature and filtered, thus producing the transparent liquid. The fragrance is then ready to be bottled, and, at last, the quest for supreme fragrance harmony is realized!


And here's Gary's...

On yet another fine day, the Prince of Print finds himself walking aimlessly through the streets of Westwood Village which is located just west of Beverly Hills. He comes upon an outdoor kiosk on one of the sidewalks of which he happens to be strolling. This little kiosk is filled with hundreds of test-tube-like thingys which are filled with different kinds of liquids. The friendly girl working in the little kiosk explains to ol' Guru Gary each test-tube-like thingy contains a different kind of essential oil... and how... she sells those essential oils to women who like to concoct their own perfumes.

Hmn. Quite interesting.

The Prince queries the sales girl, "Is there any one or two kinds of essential oils which women seem to like better than the others?"

"Oh yes!" she responds. "This one. It's called 'China Musk' and women much prefer it over all the others."

"No kidding," the Prince continues. "Why doesn't someone pour China Musk into a bottle, mix it with a little water and alcohol and call it 'ABC Perfume'?"

"Gee, I dunno. That sounds like a good idea," the fair maiden replies. "I guess it's just nobody ever thought of it."

Hmn. Well, Numnuts Halbert was sure thinking of it, and he bought a test-tube-thingy of that stuff and took it to a high-end jeweler.
"I want you to make a real fancy bottle to hold this liquid," I told the jeweler. "Then, I want you to have the name 'Tova' etched into that bottle."

A few days later, I picked up the bottle (it looked great), poured some China Musk, water and alcohol into it, screwed the top back on... and VOILA!... I created TOVA PERFUME!



Well done Gary. Happy Birthday.