The evolution of the Cootie

I was delighted to find this old ('patent pending') version of Cootie at The Earth Toy Store in Cincinnati about a year and a half ago. This is the actual game that is in my possession. It prompted me to provide a little chronicle of the evolution of the Cootie.

This is the version I remember playing with (and not really getting) as a kid (below). What was this game about? I loved the Cooties, but mostly just assembled them and played with them like they were tiny dolls. Did anyone play the game the way it was supposed to be played? Also, as I recalled it, the game's name was "Cooties", but they are in fact called "Cootie"...fascinating, I know.

Apparently, this is what they look like now (below). I like the 2nd version best - it's more caterpillar-esque. The new Cooties have shoes on! What's that about? The 1st version was just a little too creepy.

The Wikipedia entry for Cooties is also amusing.

Mmmm...Subversive Fashion

Over this Christmas break, as I sit in front of my computer choking on caustic dye waiting for my hair to bake (a girl's gotta look stunning for New Years), I reflect on a little 'costume' I fell in love with several years ago. It's got all the components of anti-fashion fashion that I find so obnoxiously appealing.

I decided that I like the word "bloke". So I began making what I think a bloke is. Blokes must be male and have some type of horn and must have at least one goat part. This is the cockney bloke, at present I'm working on a Jersey Bloke.

I also started making Shelas for girls. Must be female, have some type of tail and at least one part of her must be feline. I'm quite mad but, I thought this formula would be fun for all.
I'll be posting my Blokes & Shelas as I complete them.

GO! GO! GO! GO Make an action figure of the deadly viper assasin squad!
Just kidding, i just wanted to bring some nostalgia to those like me who love this movie.

art history 110: sketchbook

i know, this is a little basic, but i just love this face!

i had to share it with you.

I thought this was an interesting collection. (Click to Enlarge) It's a layout of the Lego Star Wars Mini Figs released up to about '05 or '06... only consisting of characters of the original trilogy. Now the 'interesting' part for me is that The Lego Group has released very few other 'original trilogy' characters after these. Sure, you might be able to add 15 or so more, but as you can see from this list, that's just a drop in the bucket. Anyhow, I thought this was cool.

So, Can you guess the most expensive Mini Fig on this list?... The Answer Is Below The Image...

That's right, Fan Boy! ...It is Boba Fett! In particular, it's the one with printed arms and pants. That small hunk of plastic can easily demand $75+ on Ebay. In second place, we have Greedo who attracts about $40.

Creepy Gifs!

Does anyone know where the drumming monsters came from? It looks like some early Ed Roth stuff, but I can't be sure. I'm curious about the Disney Cat one as well. ...If anyone knows where they're from, please speak up!

Images Of ROTF Jetfire!

Insightful as always, TFW2005 has managed to nab some images of in package Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toys! These are 'Legend' class (really small) toys so they're not super accurate for transformation, but they give you a good idea of what to expect. Anyhow, The ones of most interest are 'Springer', and 'Jetfire'. Springer, only because I've never seen him before... Jetfire, on the other hand, is a whole other story! Jetfire is a friggin' SR-71 Blackbird!

There he is! It looks as if the neck of the aircraft acts as his torso! Awesome!

So, I've been waiting a long time to see this guy because I think he's a nod to one of me favorite GoBots / Machine Robo Toys: Snoop! Snoop is a beautiful little transforming toy from the 80s that measured about 3.5" long in SR-71 Blackbird mode, and transformed into a charmingly clunky robot. I have yet to take any nice pics of mine, so all I have as reference is the pic I swiped, below. Beautiful toy, like many of the early Machine Robo robots. ...If this is a nod, Kudos to Hasbro! They got my attention!

For info on the SR-71 go here. Feel the love!

Because our own Mr. Sparkle (Chris) has just received 80+ lbs. of Legos, and seems to appreciate shelled quadrupeds...


Chris, can you make me one of these? :) :) :)

Monster Monday!

Here are some beautiful Kaiju Card Sheets... Most look to be Ultra Man.

art history 109: sketchbook

an open letter to my parents:

it wasn't just a phase.
and deep down we all knew it.



p.s. i'm not left handed. so apparently this is actually a drawing of a reflection in a mirror. now that is weird.

That's it, little Missy!

...now you've gone to far! This is an amusing/interesting article posted on MSN today regarding little miss Barbie's increasingly trampy attire. Hey, a girl's gotta compete, right? Barbie's not as young as she used to be. So much pressure, even for Barbie now-a-days! If it didn't sell, it wouldn't have come to this...

Dolls Gone Wild
A fishnet-sporting Barbie joins the offensive-doll bandwagon.

Vintage Sausage Queen? From Zion?

Living in the Greater Cincinnati area, where goetta is honored and celebrated with its own annual Glier's Goetta Festival, I certainly can appreciate a good suspicous pork product. Shoot, I enjoyed a delicious slab-o-goetta just this morning!

But this, I'm not certain that I understand. Not that I'm judging. I do love an original costume.

Bloodsport Diorama

Remember shoebox dioramas? This original gem was created by Kid Charm co-author Dave Cupp. I thought I'd take the liberty to share as it might inspire your next diorama.

Monster Monday

Today we honor one of the coolest monsters to ever be conceived: Garamon! Also known as Pygmon, this strange beast has come to the aid of humanity and Ultraman numerous times. Sadly, his help is usually at the cost of his own life. :( And for those of you who have seen the first series of Ultraman, you know well that there is no dignified death for a monster in Japan. Even the 'good' ones.

Rarely ever a 'foe', let's have a moment to meditate on the saint of all monsters: Garamon.

Don't be fooled, Garamon is a good guy!... I believe he's just being tricked by another monster in this video.

art history 108: sketchbook

it's the eighth sketchbook entry! and on the eighth, what are the odds?

to show it the honor it deserves, how about this; the death berry.
i was sitting in art class when someone showed me the cover of a japanese comic. and in it's engrish it said "whizzing with the death berry."

the drawing sort of created itself.



actually, that's a filthy lie even.
it bears more than a passing resemblance to some art work that jason rainey did, eons ago. i don't know if he still has it or not, but it was hanging in the window of his dorm when he was checking out SCAD over the summer. maybe 1998ish?
it was the sort of art that burns itself into your brain, and you rip it off whenever you find yourself out of ideas.
sad really.

check out jason here:
http://idiodrome.blogspot.com/

he's completely awesome, tell him i said "hello."
and if you have time tell him, "sorry i stole your drawing."

Here are a couple of images I use as reference when I'm rounding out some slick vector art. The represent good balance in line weight and over all image. Hope they help you guys looking to knock some socks off with Illustrator goodness! ;) Click on them to enlarge.

Bandai M.U.S.C.L.E. Men

Cool Images of what I believe are the original Bandai M.U.S.C.L.E. Men. Click on them to enlarge.

Are Pics Picking On You?

Found This. It's a pretty good Photoshop job that I thought shows a good balance between 'you want it to be true', and 'sloppy fast, Photoshop trickery'. Just take note of the ghosting on the climbers tuchus, and the incomplete ropes. ...But it all makes for an interesting pic. Take note kids!

Here are the 2 blocks Natalie & I created for the 'Block Buster Project'.

Mine was a 'Spray-Paint Kaiju'.

Natalie's was derived in part from a story she's writing.

"Try my muffin. It's really yummy."

There's all sorts of wrong in this Playskool (Hasbro) commercial. ...and it doesn't seem that old either yet I feel as though I've been whisked away to the pastel 50s for a brief moment. Oh well... *cheers* ...Here's to your dreams, you crazy kids!



Kudos to Paul who landed this video first over at his kick-ass toy website: ToyBender.

Akira Toriyama is a model citizen! Here is some of his smashingly cute Dragon Ball art to prove it!

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Review

Nice artwork, Huh? ...Too bad Final Fantasy Tactics A2 sucks. Really. The only thing this game has in common with its namesake, is a few of the class names. Other than that, the similarities end. The battles last too long, the characters and the classes are old hat, the classic FF weapons and Magics are decaf, and there's absolutely no 'tactics' to speak of. None! You can basically pump one character and just have him do everything necessary on field. And since there's nothing interesting to steal or magics to cast, about all you'll be doing is watching your one character bounce around the screen to kill everyone in the same ole' boring way every time. It's lame. ...And then those stupid judges are back too! What a terrible idea they are. They compound the lack of speed in the game by giving you random, senseless rules for you to follow. There's no reason for it. ...It's not fun, and it's not interesting.

...So there it is. Be warned. My review for Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is that it sucks. A big ole' IT SUCKS! It's not even good for eye candy. If you want a game with 'tactics', check out Advance Wars Days of Ruin. That game has decent characters... great vehicles... and it will beat you mercilessly, should you decide to step to the plate.

EDIT... I should mention that this game has over 400 missions and can easily take 100+ hours to complete. You have to assume that any game that has 400 missions plugged into it, probably didn't have a ton of thought put into any of those missions, and you would be correct. Over 90% of these quests are rehashes of previous quests. ...It all just ends up feeling sloppy and an exercise in spinning a player's wheels.

Vintage Toy Tuesday

For my Kaiju / Robot fans out there... Look what I found! Let The Hunting Begin! ;)

Starlight Starbright, Playa'!

Sorry about the random complaining earlier. To make it all better, here are some nice pics of vintage girls who really appreciate a good celestial backdrop. I like 'em... even if they are a little communastic!

Welcome Back 'Charmers!

Welcome back everyone! I hope your Turkey weekend went well. Mine was a pinch on the miserable side. I had the pleasure of getting to visit my two sets of grandparents this last weekend and where as this is usually a great time, I don't feel that I was able to spend the time with them that I would have liked to, or at least how I would have liked to. ...Grandparents need to tell stories. Not look bored and tired in a corner, because their children and grand children won't stop yammering about mundane crap. *sigh* I've never seen my grandparents look as deflated as they looked this weekend. ...it sucked. Things just didn't seem right this weekend. ... Sorry to bring it here, but it really bothered me. Anyhow, *cheers*! Here's hoping yours was better than mine!

And Remember: Take Care Of Your Old Folks! If They're Bored, You Suck.

art history 107: sketchbook

good day to you! how about we kick off december right, shall we?

what do you want for xmas?
some old sketches?
and maybe a sword to cause panic in the hearts of your enemies?

why not both?