About Us
Ted and Linda Walke were married in 1977 and have three children – Megan, Ben, and Abby. They lived in Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, for the first years of their marriage. When Ted was hired by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission in 1983, they moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Ted was employed by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission for over 23 years. During that period of time he advanced from the position as the Commission's graphic designer to editor, to the manager and creator of the agency's Educational Media Services Section. Ted's section produced Pennsylvania Angler & Boater, the agency's magazine, the PLAY newsletter for children, and many more of the Commission’s educational publications and products. As an active member of his staff, Ted also applied his editorial and artistic talents to publications such as the Commission's annual summary of fishing regulations, its award-winning boating handbook, and painted all 110 fish species illustrations used by the agency and featured in Pennsylvania Fishes--another award-winning publication. These fish illustrations, validated by fisheries biologists in the agency, have also been in use by many other state wildlife and fisheries agencies, and by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Web site.

Linda worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until the birth of their second child, Ben. Shortly after Ben was born, she started a creative agency called Within Reach Inc. With the help of Ted’s creative abilities, Linda has made Within Reach a successful enterprise involved in producing many interpretive, educational, and human resource products for organizations such as General Electric, Toitu, Training Resource Corporation, Cowles/Primedia, United Cerebral Palsy, Bank One, AMP, Marine Midland N.A., National Wildlife Federation (NWF), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), American Canoe Association (ACA), and Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF).

Activity Books
In 1999, Ted and Linda created the characters and storyline for the Boating Safety Sidekicks. The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) through its executive director, Virgil Chambers, commissioned Ted and Linda to produce the first "Sidekicks" activity book. The Sidekicks are a group of seven children who teach and practice safe boating skills. Three of them are named after the Walke’s children – Megan, Ben, and Abby. The Boating Safety Sidekicks book was developed to introduce children to the world of boating with safety in mind. The activities in the book are presented for children to enjoy on their own or with the help of an adult. Megan, Ben, and Abby helped with the development of the book by applying their expertise as boating and fishing kids to test many of the book's activities before the book was published.

The Sidekicks activity book series continued to grow. In 2001, the Walkes were approached by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) to produce a fishing version of the Sidekicks book as part of RBFF's “Take Me Fishing” initiative. Boating Safety Sidekicks Go Fishing is an activity book that teaches children the fundamentals of fishing and fishing safety. Throughout the book there are games and activities that teach and reinforce key fishing principles to ensure safe and fun experiences.

Web Site
It was in 2000, when the Boating Safety Sidekicks went "cyber" with an interactive Web site. Providing a continued resource for children to enjoy the Sidekicks beyond the books, the Web site, with its highly graphic interface, was created with a core purpose: to inform and educate youth about safe boating practices. It is "boating fun with a purpose." The site is full of games, activities, and useful information with links to related Web sites.

In 2005, Adobe® Systems Incorporated, awarded the Sidekicks site with its "Site of the Day." Noted with this recognition was the site's "Color-a-Fish" page.

Contests have always been popular with children, so in 2004, Ted and Linda created the annual Sidekicks writing contest. The contest, in association with NSBC and West Marine Inc.®, inspires and provides the incentive for children to get creative and voice their reasons for boating safely. In addition to writing, the contest was expanded in 2005 to include poster design and video production.

In 2006, Ted and Linda developed a great national online resource with the Sidekicks' "Safe Boating Kidsite Central." This is a hub of what each state's boating organization provides online. With an easy and consistent interface, children can find what information their state provides for safe boating and fishing.

The Sidekicks in Motion
In 2005, the Sidekicks launched its first DVD-video called "Expect the Unexpected." This short animated video features the voices of Ted and his daughter, Megan, and teaches children the importance of being prepared with the knowledge of safety while on the water.

The Sidekicks in Action
In 2006, the Sidekicks brand extended its presence to life jacket design. Ted and Linda were approached by NSBC and Mustang Survival to help design a high-quality series of life jackets for children. In addition to becoming a lead retail product for Mustang Survival, these jackets were also part of a "cause marketing" effort partnered by Washington and Oregon state boating agencies, O'Loughlin Trade Shows, and NSBC. As part of this annual marketing initiative, over 5,000 of these life jackets are distributed free to children attending those states' premier boating and sport shows.

Other Creative Efforts for Safe Recreation
In addition to the Sidekicks, Ted and Linda have been assisting NSBC with its annual deployment of the North American Safe Boating Campaign. Since 1999, Ted and Linda have steadily increased their roles from creating the original Boat Smart. Boat Safe. Wear It! logo to producing the campaign's printed publications, online resources and Web site, to managing its order and publications fulfillment program.

In 2004, Ted and Linda edited and designed the American Canoe Association's SmartStart for Paddlers flipchart and presentation educator kit. In addition to logo design, the couple concepted and produced the illustrations and graphics for the project. Utilizing their illustrations, Ted and Linda also produced the Sidekicks online Flash version of this successful educational tool. With the addition of motion and sound, this presentation has proven to be very popular with children.

In addition to producing ACA's SmartStart for Paddlers kit, Ted and Linda produced a companion printed brochure and oversized instructional banners. Completion of these SmartStart products marked a reunion of sorts with the ACA. It was in 1987, and again in 1989, when Ted designed, edited, and illustrated ACA's two large format posters on River Canoeing and Canoe Camping for the ACA in collaboration with Dr. Robert Kauffman. In addition to quantities of these posters for the ACA, separate versions were produced for the Boy Scouts of America.

From 1995 through 2002, the National Wildlife Federation commissioned Ted and Linda to produce a variety of editorial and design projects for NWF's conservation and wildlife outreach programs. Services ranged from program logo design, to text origination, to print fulfillment and replenishment of all publications created. Production and support included publications for Backyard Wildlife Habitat®, Schoolyard Habitats®, Community Wildlife Habitats®, Animal Tracks®, and NatureLink® programs. One notable project was the book Natural Fun. Produced in 1996, in collaboration with award-winning outdoor writer and editor, Gary Soucie, this 96-page children's activity book served as a creative predecessor to the Boating Safety Sidekicks. The book featured the "NatureLink Family" – a group of 11 children from all backgrounds that demonstrated knowledge, skills, and activities to make the outdoors more fun.

In 2007, the NSBC commissioned Ted and Linda to provide creative services and develop the online presence and interactive resources for California's "Wear It California!" life jacket awareness initiative. This initiative is one of the USCG's first efforts at experiential marketing with a targeted location of the California's Delta Region.

One of their newest ventures is “Team Tacklebox.” Ted has given life to a new group of cartoon kids who specifically teach everything a person, young or old, ever wanted or needed to know about fishing. The Web site, both adopted by RBFF's Take Me Fishing initiative and commercial tackle manufacturer, Zebco, is filled with information, instructions, and activities all aimed at making the sport of fishing a fun adventure.

On the Fun Side
Cartoons have always been one of Ted's favorite creative outlets. In 2000, Ted created "Monarchy," an online cartoon series highlighting the funny side of having six legs. Also created around this time was "Gil 'n' Rocky." These two funny fish and their finned friends (say that three times quickly) will capture your smile in these one-panel cartoons.

Another creative turn is Linda's embroidery company, NatureWeave®. Since 1998, NatureWeave has produced two embroidered patches – one butterfly and one hummingbird collectible patch per year. Look for more of these domestically produced patches in future years.

A Rewarding Trip Continues
It's been a long trip since the birth of Ted and Linda's first child, Megan, in 1984, but this is the spark that helped the Walkes understand what learning and interpretive content appeal to children with books, online resources, and other products. Now that Megan is a fourth-grade elementary teacher, learning and teaching has come full circle. If you'd like to contact us and provide some feedback, or just say "hi," please exercise your keyboard and e-mail us at: sidekicks@boatingsidekicks.com.