We’ve seen just about everything reimagined in Lego form, so now it’s a different European plastic toy’s turn. Joy Division as Playmobil! I can’t tell what’s better: the frantic drumming, or the idea that they make Playmobil dudes with scraggly hair. READ FULL STORY »
Tag: Toys (21-30 of 60)
Feb 8
2011
11:28 AM ET
Clip du jour: Joy Division in Playmobil form
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Dec 23
2010
06:25 PM ET
PopWatch Confessional: What's the best reaction you've ever had to a Christmas gift?
In attempt to get my mind off the video of the little boy who hates books the other day, I started thinking about my own reaction to Christmas presents as a kid. I recall wide, gap-tooth grins aplenty — especially when I’d unwrap a Fisher Price play food item or a new addition to my Playmobil collection — but I couldn’t remember ever witnessing or experiencing an especially strong positive or negative reaction to any present.
My dad, who I posed this question to, had a different story — and the best part was that it wasn’t about me. It was about my sister, Lucy (who I wish I could tell you was named after the Peanuts character, but she wasn’t). “Mija had heart attacks. I was always afraid of giving her something and killing her,” dad quipped.
The best reaction, he claims, was to her purple-haired Rio doll she got Christmas in ’86. My sister, the biggest Jem fan of the era, had begged and pleaded for the powerfully ugly doll for a while, so she blew my parents’ ears out with excited shrieks (by dad’s recount) when the plastic love of her life was revealed under the tree, ’80s sportscoat and all.
She subsequently lost her wits again a few months later, when Rio’s head unceremoniously popped off and couldn’t be fixed. Luckily, my ridiculously dedicated parents, victims of the pre-eBay era, packed up their station wagon the next weekend and drove the family (then minus me) two hours to Corpus Christi, Texas to get her a new one from an out-of-the-way toy store rumored to be carrying them. Now, that’s love.
Your turn, PopWatchers. What is the best reaction to a toy you’ve seen on Christmas? And most importantly, what toy was it?
Last but not least, a PopWatch PSA: Remember to donate one toy for every evil deed you’ve done this year. The $100 I just dropped at Target says my slate is clean until Jan. 1. Well, it’s at least half-way clean, which is good enough for me.
Related:
Kid scolds parents for gifting him books for Christmas. I run to hug my ‘Goodnight Moon.’
Which toy from your childhood do you miss the most?
Nov 1
2010
01:40 PM ET
Watch Funny or Die's 'Human Centipede' sketch: It's 100 percent medically accurate AND 100 percent NSFW
In the months since Tom Six unleashed his freakish horror film Human Centipede — in which a crazy German surgeon stitches together three unfortunate souls to make (bingo!) a human centipede — we’ve seen all manner of unauthorized spin-offs and items of general weirdness. There’s been the Human Centipede video game, the Human Centipede foot tattoo (well, technically, “feet tattoo,” I guess), the House/Human Centipede 2 parody poster, the Human Centipede cat toy, and of course, the inevitable Human Centipede sock monkey.
In fact, it is tempting to accuse the team over at Funny or Die of outrageous slow-pokery, given that they’ve only just gotten around to delivering a Centipede-oriented sketch. But I’m not going to do so, because the skit — which you can watch below — is too darned funny. But be warned: It’s also pretty darned disgusting.
Check it out and tell us what you think. Does it have you in, uh, stitches? And are you looking forward to Six’s sequel, The Human Centipede (Full Sequence), which he has said will make the original look like My Little Pony (and which IFC recently picked up for distribution)?
Oct 19
2010
05:05 PM ET
'Glee' crafts: For the Gleek who wants a Brittany rag doll
Glee is a rerun tonight, so rather than perform my typical pre-show ablutions, I instead turned my attention to the wondrous powers of the Internet. And behold, the Internet smiled upon me. Check out all these fun Glee crafts! I’m particularly taken with this Brittany doll. If only you could pull a string and hear one of her amazing one-liners. I couldn’t find a Rachel doll, but I did find this American Girl doll outfit, so…yeah.
On the more grown-up side of things, this Gleek necklace is a mere $15, and understated enough that you could probably wear it in normal life and not feel like a total choochbag.
Finally, if you’re more into the decor side of things, this meticulously cross-stitched “Who is Josh Groban? Kill yourself!” sampler is the bee’s knees.
Admit, Gleeks: You have some Glee stuff. Right?
Sep 21
2010
10:00 AM ET
Children reenact 'Inception' trailer with household items and their dog
Remember how awesome the Inception trailer was? Then remember when everyone decided they needed to make their own spoof version? (Dora’s Incepcion, anyone?) Everyone wanted in on summer’s blockbuster hit. The people over at MakerBaker (they make and bake things, hence the name) are a little late to the game, but I think it was well worth the wait.
They decided to reenact the trailer using things they found around the house. I have to say they do a pretty good job. For a refresher, take a look at the original Inception trailer here. Then, watch the MakerBaker’s version after the jump. READ FULL STORY »
Sep 2
2010
09:00 AM ET
Hurricane Earl preparation: Which pop culture board game will you be dusting off?
A storms a-brewin’, PopWatchers! The Category 4 unsexy beast goes by the name Earl, and he’s headed to a coast hopefully not near you. The latest projected path has the little bastard ruining weekends along the coast from North Carolina to Maine, according to reports.
For our Boredom Forecast, I’ll toss to, well, me again. Unfortunately, most people will have to nix all planned outdoor activities (sans hurricane streaking!) due to the weather. Conditions are looking even worse if you end up being among the unlucky without power. As you’re probably well aware, no TV and no computer make PopWatchers go something something. That’s why proper precautions must be taken.
I recommend keeping the Friends Ultimate Trivia Game next to your batteries, canned goods, first aid supplies, and tequila. If you do not like Friends, get out of here now try the Saved By the Bell game. I don’t own it, but the tagline says: “Go on a different perfect date every time you play.” I like those odds. Just don’t waste your time trying to save the Backstreet Boys Around the World game from any rising waters. I own two (one for playing, one for preserving, duh!), and I wish I hadn’t lost my receipt in 2006.
Your turn. When the power goes out, all the books are read, and you need a pop culture fix, what pop culture-themed board game are you reaching for? Which ones do you own but are so bad they’re not worth selling on eBay?
This has been your PopWatch Weather report. For more, follow @EWSandra. And, in all seriousness, be safe.
Aug 24
2010
10:00 AM ET
Which toy from your childhood do you miss the most?
A few days ago I returned from a week-long visit to my parent’s house in South Texas. When I wasn’t busy trying to think of creative ways to prevent my spontaneous combustion from excessive heat exposure, I found some time to clean out the toy-filled closet in my old bedroom. And by “found some time” I mean I was tired of my mother’s dirty looks.
At some point while sorting through my memories from ages 2-12, I caught myself thinking something that horrified me: “They just don’t make them this way anymore.” Suddenly, a montage of every elderly person on TV I’d ever seen saying the exact same line flashed in my brain, and I felt awful. After about two seconds of feeling like the oldest person on the planet, I snapped the heck out of it because my point was totally valid.
The majority of my childhood has long since been given away to younger cousins and sold at garage sales, but every now and then while sorting through my piles of junk, I would come across a spare piece of a toy that instantly jarred my memory. READ FULL STORY »
Aug 16
2010
06:09 PM ET
Clip du jour: The best yo-yo video ever
Congratulations to the 2010 world yo-yo champion Jensen Kimmitt. He took top honors Saturday, and now you too can experience his thrilling yo-yoing. Behold! I’m not being sarcastic at all, this video is nuts: READ FULL STORY »
Aug 6
2010
03:15 PM ET
Lunchtime Poll: Wish Bear vs. The Situation
Image Credit: Sorrentino: Mejia/Asadoria /Splash News Oh, yes. This is Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino’s hair right now. He’s a star he’s a star he’s a star, just like Dirk Diggler.
Wish Bear, legit star of Care Bears: Big Wish Movie and other important films, is so puzzled. Who is that taller bear with insufficient fur, trying to cop his signature logo and hue? Silly Wish Bear. It’s The Situation. “S-I-T-U-A-T-I-O-N”; just ask the pizza guy on last night’s ‘Jersey Shore’. The More You Know…. [Dlisted]
Read more:
‘Jersey Shore’ recap: Love is blind, and so too (temporarily) is Snooki
Yesterday’s Lunchtime Poll: When I hear ‘Skarsgard,’ I think of….
Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett
Jun 23
2010
06:51 PM ET
Troll doll movie: Are we hoping they're naked or clothed?
DreamWorks Animation is set to bring the Good Luck Troll doll to the big screen after inking a deal with Denmark’s Dam Things, the company that produces the wild-haired toys. Per the announcement, “The Troll doll phenomenon was born in 1959 when Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam, too poor to afford a Christmas present for his young daughter Lajla, carved a doll for her based on the legendary Scandinavian troll. This modern-day Geppetto couldn’t have imagined that the Troll dolls would soon become one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1960s.” Dam Things had been planning to bring the Good Luck Troll toy line back into homes, and a feature film will definitely help. Do we, however, want to see the Trolls on screen longer than their cameo on the train in the opening action sequence of Pixar’s Toy Story 3? That’s the question. I think it comes down to whether “building on the mythology” of the Troll dolls, as DreamWorks says it will do, involves them being naked or clothed.* I find them more endearing naked. PopWatch poll!
* Shockingly, DreamWorks Animation did not respond to my request for comment on which way they were leaning.
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