Aladdin, via Associated Press The âDork Diariesâ series of books has sold over 10 million copies in less than four years. Even before the celebration at the Great Kills branch of the New York Public Library on Staten Island on Monday, someone had thought up a word to describe it: Adorkable.
What was being celebrated, according to Paula Amore, the information assistant at the library, was National Dork Day.
It was not a legal holiday like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July â" banks and post offices (not to mention public libraries like Ms. Amoreâs) were open as usual on Monday. And unlike, say, Christmas Day or New Yearâs Day â" two holidays with consistent, solid, seemingly indisputable names â" it may not be National Dork Day but âBe a Dork Day.â
Whatever, as Nikki Maxwell might say in âDork Diaries,â the series for tweens that has sold more than 10 million copies in less than four years. Ms. Amore said dork day was about self-confidence and self-esteem, about celebrating oneâs shortcomings, about not being ashamed of oneâs imperfections. The message of dork day, she said, is: âItâs cool to be yourself, no matter what anyone thinks.â
She said she had discovered National Dork Day online and had written to Simon & Schuster, which published the âDork Diaries,â saying she was considering scheduling a dork day event. Simon & Schuster âsent a kit filled with giveaways for the readers and T-shirts for our staff to wear to celebrate being a dork,â she said, adding, âI consider myself one, too, because Iâm 38 and I love Taylor Swift.â
As if the package from the publishing house was not enough, there was more available on the Internet. Zazzle.com, a Web site that sells mugs and T-shirts, had bumper stickers and magnets for âBe a Dork Dayâ ($4.45 for a bumper sticker, $4.40 for a magnet).
There is a market for such things because dorkiness âis cool now,â Ms. Amore said, thanks to television programs like the CBS sitcom âThe Big Bang Theory,â about four guys who are long on graduate degrees in science but short on social skills. âKids, they can laugh now and not wait until theyâre 38,â she said.
So maybe Monday was a day for plastic pocket protectors, polyester shirts or shorts worn with dark socks and dress shoes. Then again, maybe not. Chaseâs Calendar of Events, a compendium of dates, celebrations and observances, does not list either National Dork Day or âBe a Dork Day.â
âWe try to keep aware of what people are celebrating out there, but thereâs a lot,â said the editor, Holly McGuire. âWeb portals smack something out there with no documentation of where it came from. We try to find the documentation.â
Michael Yarish/Warner Brothers Television The CBS sitcom âThe Big Bang Theoryâ features characters with big brains but poor social skills. That may be difficult, at least for National Dork Day. Jonathan Pace, a spokesman for the New York Public Library, sent a link to a Web site with a section headed âHow Did Dork Day Start?â The answer did nothing to solve the mystery: âThere hasnât been any known or documented beginning of dork day.â (The Web site holidayinsights.com said more or less the same thing about Tapioca Pudding Day, also listed for July 15, but not by Chaseâs.)
Then there is âBe a Dork Day,â started by Thomas and Ruth Roy of Lebanon, Pa.
They are veterans in the holiday business, having invented dozens, including âHumbug Day,â âPanic Day,â âBlah Blah Blah Dayâ and âTake Your Houseplants for a Walk Day.â
As for âBe a Dork Day,â the Roysâ Web site explained, âThis is the day to be a dork and be proud,â their Web site said. âWear goofy clothing, donât brush your teeth, eat yucky food and fall off a swing set.â They also celebrate geeks with âEmbrace Your Geekness Day,â two days before âBe a Dork Day.â
So what is Ms. McGuireâs reaction to dork day? âWeâre neutral,â she said. âWe just want to put things in the book that people are celebrating.â