Frank Kozik’s Labbit is honestly the best toy-with-a-hole-that-you-can-stick-things-in since Mr. Potato Head hit the scene. I admit wasn’t so crazy about the bad-ass Smorkin’ Labbits when I first encountered them, but now I think the Labbit series has really hit its stride on this side of the cute spectrum.
I’ve been meaning to get a white Labbit for a while now, but this new Easter Labbit coming soon to Kidrobot is to die for - and it’s seasonal.
I was a little surprised to find out that my mother-in-law is also Labbit fan. But my mother-in-law is cooler than I am, so it should not have surprised me, after all.
Tums the Hippo is the newest resident of Mochimochi Land. He is the twice-removed cousin of Pepto the Elephant. They usually only catch up at large family reunions and pharmaceutical conventions, but they managed to get together for a quick photo op today.
I’m moving on to more unusual creatures next, but I would eventually like to add a giraffe to this series.
Today was our opening party for “Pictures You Will Like,” a solo show of digital artist Kirsten Ulve’s gorgeous limited-edition prints. The prints (most of which Kirsten prints herself) are so brilliantly color-saturated, they would all just pop right off the wall if we hadn’t secured them so well.
Geisha
Kirsten’s work is dangerous candy. Her images are sugar-sweet, but all contain a hint (sometimes more than a hint) of delightful darkness.
Filli Folli
This little digestive tract-dwelling monster would make a great soft toy.
Alice in Wonderland
I love almost anything Alice in Wonderland, but I think Kirsten’s version captures the mood of the enchanting-but-spooky Wonderland especially well.
“Pictures You Will Like” runs February 23rd through March 16th at gallery hanahou in New York, and her prints will also be available online soon at the gallery’s online shop.
Does this look like a hippo? He’s given me some trouble, but I think I’ve finally gotten somewhere with the head. I was looking forward to doing a project with some fun shaping, and a hippo nose seemed like just the opportunity. Hopefully, after adding some features (eyes, teeth, etc.), we’ll get further away from the realms of bunny and dog and closer to hippoishness.
The body is the same that I used for Pepto the Elephant. I would love to make the hippo’s head tilt a little to one side, but this is proving difficult. Full results soon.
Growing up, I spent many an hour in the local hardware store, waiting for my dad to find his whatnots for his latest project while I desperately tried to find something of interest to my own soft head. To my dad’s disappointment, I never picked up any of that boyish love for tools and parts that he tried to instill in me, but I did eventually come to appreciate the hardware store in a different sort of way.
Doesn’t this toilet float look just like a funny anteater? I love the robust shape of the body and that uncompromising snout. Classic cute shape.
And this curious three-legged creature. Ten points to whoever guesses what it is. Give up? It’s a sewage ejector!
This little guy didn’t need any photoshopping to bring out his inner character. This quirky thing going for a walk is none other than your common electrical fitting. (Thanks to acehardware.com for the images.)
Mochimochi Land is still getting its act together, but it will be a website/ magical land where knitted toys will be born and bred. Cute and somewhat disgruntled, the toys of Mochimochi Land (aka “mochis”) are one part craft, one part art toy, and two parts kawaii.
At the Mochimochi Land site, knitters will be able to purchase patterns to make their very own mochis, and non-knitters and lazy people may also be able to buy exclusive one-off toys through the site.
If you would like to receive a notice when the site is up and running, please send an email to info[at]mochimochiland[dot]com.
If you’re a knitter and are interested in testing patterns before they’re available for purchase, please also email info[at]mochimochiland[dot]com.
And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy my blog, which will occasionally feature a free and easy pattern.
Yesterday I took my mochis on our first ever photo shoot. The Sausage Dogs were just crying to be photographed in a real butcher’s, so I packed them up in a spare “Dag Bag” and we taxied over to Esposito Pork Shop (aka Esposito’s Meat Shop) in Manhattan, which boasts a classic exterior as well as plenty of hanging meat.
I was a little hesitant to ask the butchers if I could hang some stuffed animals I made up in their shop and take pictures. It seemed a little difficult to explain, and I haven’t even eaten meat in about ten years, so I was a bit out of my element.
But the head butcher immediately put me at ease - when I said I would like to take a photograph, he exclaimed that he had been in two movies with Cher, and proudly pointed to some pictures on the back wall. He seemed to be saying that he was a minor celebrity in his own right, and deserved to have people ask if they could take his picture. So the dogs had the honor of posing with the butcher, who said, “take as many as you want! You want me to wear the little piggies around my neck?” Yes, I did, so they went around his neck.
I’ll give him a photo for his help. And all you New York-based meat lovers, Esposito’s is the place!
So the photo shoot was a great success, and I hope to do more in the future with my other mochis. I really shouldn’t pass up the great backdrop that is New York.
Since I’ll probably never speak of butchers here again, below is a “classic” meat-themed commercial, courtesy of You Tube, for your enjoyment.
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