PINKHAM, Mary Ellen 1946-

PERSONAL:

Born June 4, 1946, in Minneapolis, MN; daughter of Albert Franklin and Pearl Eleanor (Mattson) Higginbotham; married Sherman Francis Pinkham, Jr., March 14, 1970; children: Andrew. Education: Attended public schools.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Mary Ellen Enterprises, Box 444, Minneapolis, MN 55440.

CAREER:

Mary Ellen Enterprises, Minneapolis, MN, owner, president, and board chair, beginning 1976, creator of a line of cleaning products, 1988. Presenter of a television series, TIPical Mary Ellen, Home and Garden Television; guest on television talk shows. Courage Center, Golden Valley, MN, member of board of directors, beginning 1979.

MEMBER:

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Lionesses Club.

WRITINGS:

(With mother, Pearl Higginbotham) Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Hints, privately printed, 1976, revised edition, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1979.

Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Kitchen Hints, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1980.

Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Hints, Book II, illustrated by Lynn Johnston, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1981.

Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Plan: "The One that Worked for Me," St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1983, published with Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Diary: It Will Work for You!, 1983.

Mary Ellen's 1,000 New Helpful Hints, illustrated by Lynn Johnston, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1983.

How to Become a Healthier, Prettier You: The Latest on Nutrition, Diet, Exercise, and Beauty, illustrated by Lynn Johnston, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1984.

How to Stop the One You Love from Drinking: I Know Because Intervention Worked for Me, Putnam, (New York, NY), 1986.

(With Dale Burg) Mary Ellen's Clean House! The All-in-One-Place Encyclopedia of Contemporary Housekeeping, Crown Publishers, (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Dalel Burg) Mary Ellen's Complete Home Reference Book, Crown Publishers (New York, NY), 1993.

Mary Ellen's Giant Book of Helpful Hints: Three Books in One, Wings Books, (New York, NY), 1994.

(With Dale Burg) Mary Ellen's Guide to Good Enough Housekeeping, St. Martin's Griffin, (New York, NY), 2002.

Author of columns in Star, Family Circle, and Woman's Day; also author of the syndicated columns "Mary Ellen's Self-Help Diet" and "Mary Ellen's Hints," beginning 1979.

The book Mary Ellen's Clean House! The All-in-One-Place Encyclopedia of Contemporary Housekeeping was published in Spanish. Her writings have also been published in Japan, Germany, France, and Italy.

SIDELIGHTS:

Mary Ellen Pinkham first suggested printing a collection of helpful household hints as a fund raiser for a local charity, but when they were unable to finance the project she delved into it on her own. Working with her mother, Pearl Higginbotham, Pinkham compiled hundreds of tips on how to run and clean a house using items already on hand instead of commercial cleaning products. "According to Mary Ellen's Hints, " related Ms. contributor Susan Dworkin, "you clean copper with catsup; get red wine out with white wine; drive a nail into your potato to make it cook faster; put your leftover birth-control pills (should you still have any in the house) in your violets to make them grow stronger; get white water stains off furniture with toothpaste; clean windows with ammonia, vinegar, cornstarch, and water."

Pinkham printed 50,000 copies of Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Hints and sent samples to bookstores and gift shops throughout the country. Her success was phenomenal; she sold nearly one-million copies of the original edition before Warner Books took over publication.

As the popularity of the book grew, Pinkham formed her own company, Mary Ellen Enterprises, so christened because Mary Ellen learned from her mother's business experience that you have to "promote your own name." Two of the company's projects include a wall calendar and a "Hit-a-Day" desk calendar.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 1981, review of Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Hints, Book II, p. 527; December 15, 1982, review of Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Plan: "The One that Worked for Me," p. 538; September 15, 1983, review of Mary Ellen's 1,000 New Helpful Hints, p. 115; September 1, 1984, review of How to Become a Healthier, Prettier You: The Latest on Nutrition, Diet, Exercise, and Beauty, p. 13; April 1, 1993, review of Mary Ellen's Clean House! The All-in-One-Place Encyclopedia of Contemporary Housekeeping, p. 1396.

Criticas, November-December, 2002, Carmen Ospina, review of Spanish translation of Mary Ellen's Clean House!, pp. 46-47.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 1982, review of Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Plan, p. 1333; August 15, 1986, review of How to Stop the One You Love from Drinking: I Know Because Intervention Worked for Me, p. 1285.

Kliatt Paperback Book Guide, fall, 1981, review of Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Kitchen Hints, p. 70.

Library Journal, December 15, 1981, review of Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Hints, Book II, p. 2392; February 15, 1983, review of Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Plan, p. 406; September 1, 1984, "Here's to Your Health and Beauty," p. 1674; April 1, 1993, review of Mary Ellen's Clean House!, p. 92.

Money, July, 1982, "Mary Ellen's Millions," p. 80.

Ms., October, 1979, article by Susan Dworkin.

New York Times Book Review, March 15, 1981, C. Lawson, "Behind the Best Sellers," p. 34; December 6, 1981, review of Mary Ellen's Best of Helpful Kitchen Hints, p. 91.

People, March 28, 1983, Mary Vespa, "Mary Ellen Pinkham Gives Herself the Best Tip Ever: Drop 73 Pounds and Write a Best-Seller on Dieting," pp. 119-120.

Publishers Weekly, April 18, 1980, Robert Dahlin, "Story behind the Hints: Mary Ellen Pinkham"; December 24, 1982, review of Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Plan, p. 58; September 23, 1983, review of Mary Ellen's 1,000 New Helpful Hints, p. 70; December 23, 1983, review of Mary Ellen's Help Yourself Diet Plan, p. 57; September 21, 1984, review of How to Become a Healthier, Prettier You, p. 92; July 18, 1986, review of How to Stop the One You Love from Drinking, p. 73.

School Library Journal, December, 2002, Carmen Ospina, review of Spanish translation of Mary Ellen's Clean House!, p. S46.*