Lisa Frank

April 21, 2025

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Lisa Frank, born on April 21, 1955, is an American businesswoman who founded Lisa Frank Incorporated in Tucson, Arizona. She is well-known for her bright and colorful commercial designs for school supplies and other products intended primarily for children and adolescents. She was the epitome of what was known as “cool” in the 1980s and 1990s. She deserves to be celebrated on her special day.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Lisa Frank

Birth date:

April 21, 1955

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Taurus

Height:

5' 5"

Relationship Status:

Single

Net Worth:

$200 million

Background

Lisa Frank was born on April 21, 1955, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Her father was an art collector who introduced her to pop art artists such as Peter Max. She studied art at the University of Arizona in the 70s. When she was only 24, she founded a children’s jewelry company named Sticky Fingers (which later became Lisa Frank Incorporated). It was known for its colorful designs on various items such as school supplies, lunchboxes, and stickers.

Her company’s artwork incorporates rainbow and neon colors, as well as stylized depictions of animals such as dolphins, pandas, and unicorns. Her products, which included items such as toys and Trapper Keepers, were popular among elementary and middle school-aged girls in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2017, Frank collaborated with Reebok to release two limited-edition Reebok Classic leather shoes. The company’s headquarters were once located in Tucson, Arizona. The company no longer manufactures its own products. Since 2018, it has licensed its name to smaller businesses.

In 1994, Frank married James A. Green, who was president and chief executive officer of Lisa Frank Incorporated from 1990 to October 2005. She, however, filed for divorce in September 2005. They have two sons, Hunter (born in 1995) and Forrest (born in 1999).

Career timeline

1979

Her Own Company

At 24, she establishes Lisa Frank Incorporated.

1987

A Very Successful Company

Her company’s success skyrockets as it produces school supplies with original and classic designs such as those of the Panda Painter.

2011

Her Clothing Line

She launches a clothing line using vivid colored patterns.

2017

Frank Collaborates With Reebok

She partners with Reebok to release two limited-edition Reebok Classic leather shoes.

2020

She Partners With Morphe Cosmetics

She collaborates with Morphe Cosmetics to launch an eye shadow palette decorated with Lisa Frank characters.

Why We Love Lisa Frank

Her festive and vibrant designs
The majority of Frank's designs catered mostly to children. But adults loved her products too. We surely loved those colorful stationery sets, crayons, stickers, and notebooks using neon colors and stylized animals like unicorns.
Her planned theme park
Frank once expressed her desire to create a theme park based on her characters, in addition to expanding her franchise into many other product lines. She actually has several ideas for the theme park, which she hopes to make a reality one day.
The stories behind her characters
Some of her characters have backstories, according to Frank. Markie, the magical unicorn who lived in the clouds above Frank's Fantastic World, is one of these characters. Markie liked to collect stars, explore the clouds, and go on adventures.

5 Surprising Facts

She started very young
Frank was already into business when she was in high school; she sold her artwork at a senior year art show from which she earned $3,000.
She used real people’s names
She named two characters in her designs after her children.
She prefers to stay private
She is very secretive about her personal life, even requesting that her face be obscured in recorded interviews in 2012.
Mila Kunis starred in Frank’s ad
Kunis was 13 years old when she starred in a commercial for a Lisa Frank stationery ad in 1996.
She collaborated with “Friends”
A special clothing line was released in July 2020 in collaboration with the hit T.V. show "Friends."

Lisa Frank FAQs

When did Lisa Frank’s business peak?

It peaked in the 1990s when her product line consisting of folders, pencil cases, erasers, Trapper Keepers, and notebooks earned more than $60 million in sales per year.

Is Lisa Frank still in business?

Though her company no longer manufactures products but contracts out the production of supplies, the brand is active on social media where it sells some of its items.