Archive for the ‘What’ Category
As a brand, White Castle has become more synonymous of late with stoners and the brilliant Neil Patrick Harris than their reportedly delicious (I’m from the west and haven’t tried one yet) sliders. From a PR standpoint, their participation in the Harold and Kumar movies was rather ingenious, efficiently keeping White Castle, the world’s oldest hamburger chain, relevant in the zeitgeist. Not an easy thing to do in the fast food industry, unless you’re the Double Down. Zoom to the present and White Castle is still reaping the benefits, as they’ve released this product, the hamburger-scented candle ($9.00), to oddly widespread and mainstream publicity. The first run sold out immediately, with the proceeds going to autism research. (You can learn from our friends at Perpetual Kid when the candle is back in stock). Pick one up, support the kids, and enjoy the sweet smell of mass produced meat wafting around the office. It’s really a win-win.
Nice little collection of mini retro wooden cameras that have been turned into stamps, magnets, a pencil sharpener and a tape dispenser. Each is available over at Fred Flare for $12 – $20. These zipper pulls are nice, too! Grenade Salt and Pepper Shakers (Thatbo — $15.00) Weapons are some of the most universally recognizable objects in existence which makes their signature shapes perfect for adaptation by product designers looking to mass produce an item with instinctive appeal. While guns, grenades and such are generally associated with war and violence, that same fact makes their transformation into innocuous gift items ideal. It’s a quick and dirty recipe for edgy designs. Included below are 22 different Weapons of Mass Production, from gun fans to lightsaber chopsticks and samurai sword umbrellas. Check ‘em out, and please feel free to write us if we’ve missed any gems.
Above: Ice Invaders (Fred; $7.99) There has been a pervading trend at the last few major gift fairs (in both New York and Hong Kong) and that, my friends, is silicone ice cube trays. The material lends itself enviably to the product, as it can be easily molded into anything you can dream up. So with a burgeoning fad in mind (and in the spirit of summer’s imminent arrival), we’ve compiled a list of 21 of the hippest ice cube trays available. While the good folks at Fred have the market cornered pretty well, there’s always room for new ideas. If you have one, please leave a comment below. Who knows? We might just end up making it (with some profit and credit going your way of course). *There’s also a bonus World Cup-inspired tray at the end, so make sure you scroll the whole way!
Robots are easily one of the more ubiquitous figures in the gift industry. And why not? They’re instantly recognizable, making their alteration into things like walking salt + pepper shakers, walking pencil sharpeners, and key covers a pretty obvious and bankable decision. These robots here don’t season food or change lead, and they aren’t mass produced. They’re “art blocks,” meant to stand guard on mantles and bookshelves. The artist, John W. Golden, first prints out the designs and then wraps the paper around small wooden blocks. Set of 8 for $48.00 at Supermarket HQ. Click through for a few more photos.
It’s getting to the point where Star Wars characters have been transformed into pretty much every product imaginable. If a tally is being kept somewhere, they can now officially cross off cookie cutters and pancake molds as well. The former includes a Boba Fett, while the pancake molds keep it original with only Darth, Yoda and a Storm Trooper. Pick ‘em up via Williams Sonoma ($19.95).
The gangsta’ chain is a gaudy ornament synonymous with rappers, hip-hoppers, and generally having too much money. Most of them are diamond encrusted and some of them spin. Others are designed like the Transformers logo, or like an iced-out box of Frosted Flakes, and one even depicts the rapper himself. But for the normal human being, spending outrageous amounts of dough on a silly necklace isn’t an option. That’s where GoodWoodNYC comes in. Run by Kerri O’Connell, Brooklyn-based GoodWoodNYC makes a collection of pendants, necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings that are hand-sanded, -painted and -lasered from a variety of exotic woods. The pendants are the most interesting, as they mock the gangsta’ chain culture, and even resemble designs similar to the ones seen on your favorite wordsmith. (The Jesus one especially, since it’s also perhaps the most ubiquitous one out there. The Black Jesus, shown above, is O’Connell’s most successful creation to date — the original was worn by Biggie, Kanye West and Jay-Z.) O’Connell’s pendants have become increasingly popular. And with cool kids, too! In a twist of irony, which I can’t personally explain, the same rappers who once spent a mint on variously-colored diamonds shaped like a box of crayons, are now rocking GoodWood’s infinitely more affordable ($30.00-$60.00) pieces instead. What do you say about that? Check out below GoodWoodNYC’s just-released-yesterday series of medallion-shaped pendants commemorating the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup. Pick something up through their online store if you feel so inclined.
South Korea’s Lufdesign specializes in “green products” like this just-released Leaf Tie, which is available to purchase in a spectrum of colors. They’ve channeled a bit of nature and produced a seemingly useful (but limited) contraption for making sure one’s cords stay in line. Shown below are a number of photos of Leaf Ties doing other, more design-y things, like decorating a bike and looking rather emo on a wire in front of some buildings. The peeps at Lufdesign are selling them via their online shop ($7.00). [Via Noquedan Blogs]
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