Archive for the ‘Toys’ CategorySpike Jonze directs another installment of The Continuingly Ill Adventures of the Beastie Boys, which find Action Figure versions of Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D fighting off a gaggle of (probably Eastern European) bad guys, with a little assistance from a Yeti and the singer Santigold. The Inception/Team America-inspired short acts as video support of the Beasties’ song, “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” off their excellent album, Hot Sauce Committee Part II. Also awesome is their insistence on calling the plastic Beasties “action figures” and not “toys.” We’ve been known to do that, too. Thanks, Mike Dolan!
We’re digging these toy soldiers NYC-based artist Steve Nishimoto dressed up with skateboards instead of guns. Check out the other two after the break. (Mike Dolan via Jeremy Brautman via Dangerous Minds)
It’s not often that we see a new product invention and think, “Wow, that has the potential to be absolutely huge.” Well, such is the case with Blocklets, these interlocking pieces of laser cut wood-acrylic that snap together to form anything from sculptures to furniture and even an Arduino-based Trebuchet (I didn’t know what that was either: watch the video). In an interview with Geek Dad, Blocklets’ inventors, Mark & Gabe, explained the purpose of their creation:
Which is why they decided to keep Blocklets a Creative Commons project: “Together, we all have more great ideas than any of us can separately, and we can take advantage of that to help each other out. We love the idea of system that anyone can modify and use. What we give up in control, we’ll gain many times over in innovation, good will, and ideas. We think the trade-off is well worth it.” Blocklets just reached its funding goal of $22,500 on Kickstarter, but that shouldn’t discourage potential pledgers, as some great rewards are up for grabs. For instance, pledge $1,000 and they’ll build you a coffee table! (Check out all of the rewards and a bunch of fun promo videos here.) With products in general, it’s impossible to predict future success. But just by looking at the playful functionality of Blocklets and the open source ethos of its creators, I think it’s safe to say that they have the potential to build a powerful community around what they’re doing. And passionate supporters at the ground level goes a long way in taking something from obscurity and into the mainstream. Blocklets are manufactured in Raleigh, North Carolina, and they will be available to purchase in the next few weeks. Jeremy Immortalized in Ham, Provolone & Seaweed
Posted:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
in Art, DIY, food, pop culture, Press, The Internet, The Toy Maven, Toys
I don’t know what to be more impressed by here: that Jeremy is forever immortalized in ham, provolone & seaweed or the skill and accuracy of the artist, Brooklyn-based bento and plush designer Anna The Red, who made this. It looks just like him! It’s incredible. This all came about after Jeremy was kind enough to answer some questions about the toy industry for Anna, who in turn wanted to thank him by adding something to the “props” page on his website, Jeremyriad.com. Head over to Anna’s blog to learn more about the creation of the meticulous “Coolest Guy I Never Met Yet,” as well as to see detail shots, commentary and learn what happened when she finished. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t pretty for food Jeremy.)
I’m a big fan of toys that spark ethical and political diatribes, and the Breast Milk Baby (having just arrived in the US market) is currently a hotbed of activity. According to Berjuan Toys, the makers of the baby doll that attaches to a child-size halter top complete with star-shaped nipples and proceeds to make suckling sounds, “Bill O’Reilly and Fox News can’t even bother” to call them back, but “God supports The Breast Milk Baby.” The dolls come in 6 versions that cost $89 each. Strapped for cash? You can also tweet your way to the top. Berjuan will give 5 Breast Milk Babies to its biggest social advertisers. The current queen of the leaderboard climbed her way up by tweeting her love for the Breast Milk Baby ad infinitum to her total of 23 followers. Which is to say, this could be anybody’s contest now. Get on it like a Breast Milk Baby to a star-shaped nipple. [via BoingBoing]
Lego customizer, Morgan19 is sure to have heard said of his/her work: “You must have too much time on your hands”. I’ve come to realize that sentiment, while certainly passive aggressive, is actually a very high compliment. It’s sort of akin to how in Victorian times, being pale was a sign of wealth that meant you didn’t have to work outside. People who call into question other peoples’ use of time are likely speaking from their own cubicle-induced frustration. I say: Morgan19, you keep making those Legos that look like Fidel Castro. They’re pretty awesome. Click through for some of our favorites. Many more via How to be a Retronaut. Read the rest of this entry »
Thanks to the Cold War and copious conspiracy theories, the moon landing has always been a hot topic. On April 12th, 1961, Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first human to journey into space, but eight years later, American astronaut Neil Armstrong took the first footsteps on the moon. Or was it a Disney-sponsored, Kubrick-directed film set? We may never know, but in the meantime, you can teach whatever version of the story you like best to your kids with Luno the Moon Rover. Full disclosure: Luno the Moon Rover was designed by my friend, Moscow-based toy designer, Sergey Safonov, and I helped him launch the Kickstarter project. It’s not lost on me that a Russian designer has created a cute, whimsical Moon Rover. Call me a hippie, but maybe it just takes cross-cultural toy art to heal decades of space race bragging rights? Luno the Moon Rover is a handmade limited edition resin toy you can reserve by pledging here. Your pledge dollars go directly to Crazy Label in Hong Kong, who will make the toys once the funding goal is achieved. You can also pledge $15-$35 for original art by Sergey or an adorable Mini Luno toy. See you on the Moon!
Garageworks Industries is bringing artist Ron English’s “HulkBoy” to life. The Hong Kong-based company will produce 10 handcrafted 22″ HulkBoy sculptures out of high-density fiberglass, which will then be signed and numbered by English. (The character was first the focus of at least two English paintings, “American Infantile” and “The Incredulous HulkBoy,” the latter being the reported basis for this piece.) For information and pricing on HulkBoy email info [at] garageworksindustries [dot] com. (Via High Snobiety)
Posh Tots asks you to consider how much you really love your kids. The small children’s furnishings company makes some of the world’s most expensive luxury playhouses. For the right price ($47,000), your little princess can sleep in the Palace Playhouse Bed. For $52,000, your little pirate can storm Red Beard’s Revenge (while you and 3-4 other adults drink mead in the captain’s quarters). Looking like miniature golf course obstacles on steroids, some of the prefab mini-mansions approach the prices of small homes (though not anywhere near where we live). But as they say in a footnote on their About page: “Don’t [your] little ones deserve it?” |
