Let’s knit toys
My newer favorite tee has a lot in common with my older new favorite tee: they both came from a Graniph spree in Japan, they are both pink (not my favorite color), and they both depict cute animals who could fry you with their bionic eyes.
I’ve also already managed to stain this one, like I did the older one, with some ramen broth or something. Sad!
A few of these little guys will be part of the prizes for the upcoming photo contest. Full details next week!
How about another dose of cuteness?
In Japan I picked up a miniature capsule toy machine, somewhat akin to the Frog Style toy that I blogged about a while ago. But this one is Rirakkuma!
Some assembly is required, with stickers to decorate the outside of the machine and stickers to put on the inside of teeny tiny capsules (that actually open).
After assembly…
I love the detail involved with this toy. It even comes with a tiny clip that you can use to attach two capsule machines together, as in a bank of machines that you often see.
Turn the crank and the capsules pop out!
If you’re wondering where you can get this awesome toy, I have just one more, and you can WIN it by entering this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest! I’ll be announcing all the details in early June (check out the details from last year’s contest here), but you can go ahead and start entering now by uploading your photos to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr pool.
My friend Kana just came back from a visit to Yamagata prefecture in Japan. Apparently that region is known for its delicious edamame, so I got the cutest cell phone strap as a gift!
Peas have an extremely high cute factor to begin with, so Hello Kitty peas are off the charts! The little pod is just about one inch long.
Saturday was gorgeous in New York, a perfect day for the Hell’s Kitchen flea market. There were fewer vendors than the last time I went, but I still found a treasure: a rubber cat!
It’s approximately the size of a real cat, so I’m keeping it on the floor until I get a real cat. (Someday I will have a real cat.)
As a bonus, it has creepy dolly eyes that blink when you tilt the cat.
According to the imprint on his underside, Rubbercat was made in 1960. He has a small tear also on his belly, and he could use a washing, but I think he looks pretty good for 48 years old and ten bucks!
I suspect that many of you are fans of Blythe, the ’70s-toy-turned-indie-fashion-icon who’s so popular with the scissor set these days. I’m not so much of a doll person, but even I’m charmed by her enormous color-changing eyes.
If you’re a fan and in New York, you’ll want to check out the opening we’re having next Thursday at gallery hanahou, for “Lilliput ~ my little friends.” The exhibit is an installation by the Japanese avant-garde art collective ALFORT, who will use 60+ customized Blythes to create a dreamlike scene of little people who inhabit a landscape of unconscious memory.
ALFORT are five women who create art around the concept of an imaginary ballet company whose productions all star Blythe dolls. (Can you get more Japanese than that?) Three of the members of Alfort will be at the opening on the 10th, and it’s even rumored that they might bring mochi!
The show will run April 10 - May 14, so if you can’t make it to the opening, you’ll have about a month to stop by. And if you live someplace besides New York, the dolls and other artwork from the show will also be available online at the gallery website starting around April 16th.
Hope to see you there on Thursday!
Lilliput ~ my little friends
Theatre ALFORT
April 10 - May 14
Opening reception Thursday April 10, 6-9 pm (RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com )
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
[Seventh Floor of the Cable Building, NW corner of Broadway and Houston]
M-F 12-6 pm, Sat by appt. only
If you’re in the New York area and looking for something to do tonight, drop by gallery hanahou (my day job) for MY WORLD IS FLAT, a solo show of work by character artist SUPERDEUX.
Vinyl toy fans may recognize this artist for his Dunny designs (he has one in the new French series, which will be available tonight at the show)—SUPERDEUX also has his own toy series, STEREOTYPE and SHIKITO, in addition to the commissioned work he’s done creating logos and animations for MTV, Sony, and other top brands.
The show tonight, opening 6-9 pm and then running through April 2nd, features extremely rare custom toys, limited-edition prints, t-shirts, wall stickers, and more. Check out these hand-sewn plush STEROTYPE toys!
Or if plastic poop is more your thing:
The artist will also be at the opening party tonight, so you can meet the man behind the vinyl. And I’ll be there too, of course!
MY WORLD IS FLAT
February 28 - April 2 / Opening Party Feb. 28, 6-9 pm
gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730 NYC
[7th floor of the Cable Building, NW corner of Broadway and Houston]
As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m a complete pushover for the Legend of Zelda games. Though each game that comes out seems to temporarily turn into my favorite one, this time I believe the Nintendo people have outdone themselves with their latest DS offering, Phantom Hourglass.
I had to wait for Christmas to get the game, because it was basically the only consumer product I’d really wanted last holiday season, and so it remained the only thing on my Amazon wish list for several long months. But worth the wait!
I’m a little too worn out from playing it all 3-day-weekend long to go into much detail, but Phantom Hourglass is a continuation of the Windwaker story, with its adorable cartoon-y design and seafaring theme. Interspersed with the gorgeous graphics are some wonderful “wooden” cut-out sequences, which have been my favorite moments in the game.
The play is challenging, but not overly so, making it a great traveling companion. And this is the first game I’ve played on the DS that made perfect use of the stylus. It’s almost Wii-like in its fluidity, only on a smaller scale. If you don’t have a DS, I would say that it’s worth getting one just for Phantom Hourglass.
OK, back to playing now.
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