Bad Badtz-Maru by Amanda Visell

Amanda Visell posted a few custom versions of her Bad Badtz-Maru for sale. (You can buy the mundane version at eBay.)

Badtz-Maru by Amanda Visell

Badtz-Maru by Amanda Visell. "Standing 6-inches tall and retailing for $39.95 US (£36.00 UK; 40€ Europe), this flightless fellow is available at Kidrobot stores, Kidrobot.com and select retailers starting January 13."

*Buy Amanda Visell toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. You should probably be very suspicious of the Kinect and what footage it's recording and broadcasting to Microsoft.

2. Hello Kitty finds herself delicious in these paintings by Kristin Tercek.

3. "In a possible symptom of environmental decline, Alaska’s birds have experienced a sudden and inexplicable rash of beak deformities." Via.

*Buy Hello Kitty toys at eBay.

Hello Kitty water park

A few highlights from the Sanrio 50th Anniversary Art Show:



"Sanrio's 50th Family Vacation" by Martin Hsu.



"an unsuccessful attempt in which fate remains concealed" by Mark Bodnar.




Kiki & Lala Little Helpers by APAK.



"Hello Mello" by kaNO.

And I'm not sure who created this Alice in Wonderland painting:



*Buy Hello Kitty toys at eBay.

Hello Kitty art show

Badtz Maru by Travis Louie.



Hello Kitty by Eric Joyner.

Both are from an upcoming Sanrio 50th Anniversary art show at Barker Hanger. You can see a few more preview images here.

*Buy Hello Kitty toys at eBay.

New kidrobot toys by Tara McPherson and Mori Chack

November toys by kidrobot:




$40 "Magic Love" Hello Kitty by Tara McPherson.






$30 "Pound" Gloomy Bear by Mori Chack.

*Buy Tara McPherson toys at eBay.

Hello Kitty/Thundercats mashup

Hello Kitty/Thundercats mashup t-shirts by Seven Hundred on sale here.

*Previously: Hello Kitty Wizard of Oz toys.

*Buy Thundercats action figures and collectibles at eBay.

Medusa is a cat person (and more)

Medusa, Mario/Alice in wonderland mashup, Cobra Commander and Skeletor and more - - just a sampling of the artwork on sale at Justin Hillgrove's site.

*Previously: Joust propaganda poster.

*Buy flying monkeys at eBay.

Ewok Lego CubeDude (link roundup)

Ewok Lego CubeDude by Larry Lars.

And a few more links:

1. The One Laptop Per Child Computer won a design award in 2008. But here's how it worked in the real world.

2. There's a Japanese-style cosplay café in Culver City California with its own photography light box to help food bloggers take nice photos. Via.

3. Hello Kitty meets the police. Ironic to see a Ffffound user threaten anyone who wants to use his images without permission.

*Previously: Ewok driving a velociraptor.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Hello Kitty anatomy toys (link roundup)

Hello Kitty Anatomy Toys by Dr. Romanelli and Hello Kitty. See more photos here. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Sam Mendes will direct a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical.

2. I'm really enjoying SuperFreakonomics, and this paragraph does a great job of demonstrating how good the writing is, and how interesting the topic choices are:

Such birth defects aren't as rare as you think. Douglas Almond, examining U.S. Census data from 1960 to 1980, found one group of people whose terrible luck persisted over their whole lives. They had more physical ailments and lower lifetime income than people who'd been born just a few months earlier or a few months later. They stood out in the census record like a layer of volcanic ash stands out in the archaeological record, a thin stripe of ominous sediment nestled between two thick bands of normalcy.

Yes, they provide the answer. There's a similar heightened occurrence of birth defects for people born in certain months.

3. Former Army Ranger Gustavo Zamora Jr. rescues/recaptures people's children when they've been taken to another country as part of a custody battle. Via.

*Previously: Papercraft Willy Wonka.

*Buy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory toys at eBay

Hello Kitty spaceship (link roundup)

Hello Kitty spaceship made by Metin Seven to illustrate a news article about a Japanese spaceship docking with the ISS space station. Metin has some great toys on sale here, including a radioactive sheep lamp.

And a few more links:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West was arrested while driving a motorcycle. He had a pistol in his waistband, another pistol strapped to his leg, and a shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back.

2. Man walking the plank bachelor cake. See also: Gallery of heinous pirate cakes.

3. A sign the economy's improved at least a little - - four months ago, I applied for a Chase Visa card and was rejected despite excellent credit. Today I received unsolicited mail telling me I'm preapproved for the card.

*Previously: Hello Kitty desktop icons.

*Buy vintage spaceships at eBay.

Hello Kitty desktop icons (link roundup)

Download Hello Kitty desktop icons here.

And a few more links:

1. I've mentioned my love of Phineas and Ferb before. Here's a good example of the show's humor. In an episode I just watched, the lovable villain was listening to a book on tape - - it was Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain translated into evil. Chapter One starts, "Tom Sawyer's dislike of Aunt Polly was only rivaled by his hatred of puppies."

2. Kidrobot has posted a scavenger hunt with a $1500 prize. Wouldn't hanging toys from a telephone wire be a crime?

3. Funny police sketch. Via.

4. Reporters in Kansas City, Missouri found that 17 of 20 restaurants tested were not serving the fish they claimed to have been serving. Via.

*Previously: Hello Kitty as a Gloomy Bear.

*Buy Hello Kitty toys at eBay.

Hello Kitty Wizard of Oz toys

Hello Kitty Wizard of Oz plush toys. On sale for $16 and shipping at eBay.

*Previously: Hello Kitty as a Gloomy Bear.

*Buy Wizard of Oz posters at eBay.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves condom ads and a few other abuses of innocent childhood memories

Snow White and three dwarves for Primeros Condoms. Link.




Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for Bärenjäger honey liqueur. Link.




Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for Unimil Condoms. Link.

And here's Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, etc as big game trophies in "Goodbye Innocence" ads for SHS Teen Clothes. Link.




*Previously: Annie Leibovitz photographs Michael Phelps and Julianne Moore as mermaids for Disney.

*Buy vintage ads at AllPosters.com.