It all started in 1962,
after a summer camp artist signed her work with a cartoon-likeness of herself instead of her name.

A fifteen-year old camper named Pammie Walter was very impressed with the artist's skill and said to herself, "Wow! I wish I could do that!"

"So do it!" said a simple inner voice.

"But I don't know how to draw faces or hands or anything like THAT!"

"So?" said the voice. "Do it without them!"

Astonished, Pammie did. 

Two eyes, four strands of hair with a bow on top, and two stick-legged feet made up her unique doodle. She drew doodles of other campers that were similar in form, yet as distinctly different in content as each child's individual personality. All of them had just eyes, hair and feet, but were recognizable in an instant. She called the doodles "YEBEN!s®" (pronounced YEE-binz), spinning tales and parables about them within this context:

           “. . . YEBEN!s® live in The Heartland, the secret place inside us that no one else can see . . . And when YEBEN!s® from The Heartland Remember. . .when they hold onto their hearts and Remember 'Something Very Special That Is True' . . . No matter how hard or how scary something gets, YEBEN!s® find a way to YEBEN!® DO IT!"

By the time she was 35, Pamela was full-fledged parent (aka "Rent").  As a stay-at-home-mother of two and then step-mother to three more, she had many occasions to soothe hurt feelings. She began telling new YEBEN!® stories and found that, even in the most difficult times, giggles replaced tears whenever the YEBEN!® Stories were told.

After her children grew up and went off to raise their own families, she quickly became known as "Gramela Pamela" and was expected to re-tell and preserve her well-remembered and much-loved  YEBEN!® Stories for this next generation.

“After all, now I was officially a Grandie! So I held onto my heart and remembered The YEBEN!® Motto: Make the Most & the Best of Whatever You've Got!  YEBEN!® when it's a little - YEBEN!® when it's a lot!” laughs Gramela.

“My Chillies kept singing me The YEBEN!® Song until I promised to go for it.”

So . . .

Gramela Pamela YEBEN!® DID IT!