sny spotlight: Superman tags urge action

Sales of new accessory to benefit research on spinal cord injuries

MIKE ANTONUCCI
Knight Ridder

The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation has sold more than 12,000 packs of Superman Tags -- a pair of dog tags with the Superman logo -- and interest in them may be about to super-accelerate as a style statement.

The foundation, which started selling the tags in May, says celebrities including Nicky Hilton, Josh Holloway, Orlando Bloom and David Boreanaz have given permission to use their names as fans of the tags. The tags, which carry Reeve's exhortation to "Go Forward," were created in cooperation with DC Comics and jewelry designer GTO Design.

The pop-culture world is taking notice, and a recent issue of Wizard: The Comics Magazine notes that the tags are being compared to Lance Armstrong's yellow LiveStrong bracelets. Reeve, the "Superman" movie star who died in October, fought for almost 10 years to overcome the paralysis he suffered after a horseback riding accident.

The tags (one on a clip and one on a chain) are sold online by the foundation as a set for $10, plus shipping and handling: go to www.christopherreeve.org. Proceeds benefit research into treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury, plus quality-of-life grants to improve the well-being of people living with spinal cord injuries.