The Pingmag holiday delights post had these crazy little Kaomoji characters from Yojin on them, and i had no idea what to expect when i clicked through… one thing’s for sure though, i didn’t see the super crazy animation coming! These Kaomoji are part ascii art, part emoticon, and part crazy japanese toy character… more images of them below!
Twilight Turtle is another baby/toddler toy i came across the other day. Made by Sleep Sheep and Friends or Cloud B ~ this turtle is cuddly under its shell, lights up in various colors, and projects the night sky on to the ceiling (or your tent, fort, etc). “Choose from three soothing color options – blue, green, and white – to create magical, tranquil environments that are ideal for helping children of all ages ease into a restful sleep.” And it projects 8 constellations for kids to learn. Also interesting is their Sheep Sleep, which plays 4 sounds that comfort babies ~ Mother’s Heartbeat, Spring Showers, Ocean Surf, and Whale Songs. You can actually control the volume and it auto times out after 23 minutes. This one even now has a stroller/to-go version. More images of all below!
Honestly, with both of these being priced in the 25-40$ range, they’ve totally made my list for new parent gifts!
PeekABoo Stuff makes these seemingly simple PeekABoo Bags which are pretty brilliant, especially when it comes to keeping kids quiet… assuming of course that the kids don’t have sharp objects (or teeth… or razor sharp claws) such that they can tear it open and ingest the bits… But basically, its a clear bean bag pouch with plastic pellets and random objects that the kids can try and find, and each bag comes with a list of all the objects inside so you can challenge them to find them all. For the creative ones, there is certainly a DIY project here waiting to happen, just make sure you double/triple those seams to keep those beads in! Close up images below, and video with a super perky demonstrator.
Gift Guide Day 4! Playful stocking stuffers, desk toys, marshmallow weaponry, diy straw construction, vinyl goodies, 007, and far more… or view this and all that came before it.
And we’re into the final 5 gift guides… Gift Guide Day 5 is another set of favorites from Charles & Marie (huge thanks for supporting NOTCOT and being our primary sponsor!)… their store really does end up being a collection of products that are so very NOTCOT in every sense… so continuing from my picks on Day 31, here are the rest of my C&M faves. And for those who want to see everything until now on one single super right scrolling page… here is the entirety of the NOTCOT Holiday Gift Guide 007 minus the 4 remaining guides to come…
I Golfini Della Nonna, USA has branched out from their Terrorism finger puppets and Gay Marriage finger puppets and just in time for the holiday season they have Political Candidate Finger Puppets! As it says on Moss: “Have your own debates. Pit your right hand against your left. Who needs Iowa or YouTube? The set consists of political candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Fred Thompson, and Rudy Giuliani, surrounding current President George W. Bush in the dunce cap. Become part of the national discourse. And don’t forget to vote. “
Gift Guide Day 8 is all about indulging your vices ~ and whatever they may be, we pass no judgments… this ones focused on some products to go with your drinking, smoking, sexing, snorting, etc…
Indigo Snow ~ snowboards, skis, helmets, goggles, glasses, and all accessories you need… The combinations of woods, leathers, and 3d snake skin designs are unlike any i’ve ever seen before… they speak for themselves, so see my many collages below for a feel for their collection. Isn’t that green incredible? And the black snake print is beautiful as well! The helmets are just as impressive with a fusion of wood and leather, perfectly topped off with their goggles!
It is quite probable that having the vinyl cutter next to me is increasing my attention to silhouettes, but then again i’ve always had a thing for them and the vinyl cutter obsession may be b/c of that? Anyhow, i was checking out Decor8, who has this cool post on German store, Raumformplan and in one of the store pics there was a coat rack cluttered with these adorable felty animal silhouettes! Turns out these felt keyrings are by Parkhaus Berlin ~ and they have quite the assortment of cozy felty goodness… particularly cute were also their bunny egg covers. And i’m loving that black car silhouette key ring!
Gift Guide Day 11 is all about kids, particularly the littler of the kids, although big ones will probably enjoy these as well. From robotic dinos and wifi bunnies to finger crayons and pirate sailboats… wood treehouse/dollhouses and clacking pull toys!
I wish i knew a new grandmother to give this to… Good Granny, Bad Granny by Mary McHugh, illustrated by Patricia Storms. I couldn’t stop laughing when reading through the few sample pages (see them below!). Shade Elaine and i decided bad granny was definitely our kinda lady… taking those grandkids to Neiman Marcus to buy fingerless gloves and motorcycle boots! (Instead of knitting them mittens)… teaching them how to download rap music to their ipods… only $10 at Amazon.
Gift Guide Day 14 is my belated birthday posting… focusing on designer Creature Comforts this is one for your cats, dogs, birds, and fish!
Ooooh update on NINJATOWN! Remember i told you about the upcoming Nintendo DS Ninjatown game and the crazy cast of ninjas living there? Well, although you’re still going to have to wait till Fall 08 for the game, the blind box microplushes of the whole cast are dropping Nov 30th! Here are some sneak peeks at what you’ll get for $5.95 a box!
Oh! And wouldn’t these make awesome xmas tree/Hanukkah bush ornaments? Or better yet, i think it’d be fun to just sneak around and leave ninja’s in random trees.
While over at the Smart House (home of the Smart Car) on Abbot Kinney for the A+R dinner, i noticed they had these great little capsules of Smart Stuff. In fact they even had playful Smart Capsule dispensers on the wall that took Smart Tokens. They were so cute, here are some pics of it all (more below).
Rogue Status have teamed up to create a special release of 333 specially designed and numbered snowboards, and they are sweet enough to tempt me to buy one so i can make a gorgeous bench out of it in combination with Vitamin Living’s Powder Seat (picture below as well)… anyhow Rogue Status is most memorable to me for their guns as art patterned shirts, bicycle seats, hoodies, etc… and these boards are the perfect combination of both ~ gorgeous wood with subtle patterns, that upon closer inspection you realize are patterns of guns and and ammunition belts - and this whole collaboration is very local, both brands being based right here in Venice - it’s also nice to hear what mutual admiration they have for each other brands: “I’ve been a fan of Rogue’s approach to in your face, stop and think art since their tees started showing up around Venice,” said Arbor’s President, Bob Carlson. “For Arbor, guns as art, not instruments of urban destruction, is a message we embrace. So working with RS on a collaborative design has been a great way tell a larger story with our boards.” “Arbor is our local snowboard brand, they’re our friends, and they were the best choice when it came time to design a snowboard,” says, Yo Esbensen, Rogue’s President. “I’m into their use of real wood and bamboo, and their long-term dedication to using environmentally friendly materials.”
