Woodstock Flea Market Fighting Force, Episode 11

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Toy cars interact with the iPad

This is pretty slick.

War Styles, an interview w/ Kid Robot

I mentioned these new Kid Robot break dancers recently and ended up tracking them down for an interview.

It posted on Kill Screen today.

The Easy Bake Oven for the Next Generation

At a glance, this looks amazing. But, Origo is not to market yet. I ran it by a rep. at MakerBot and he said, "Print or it didn't happen."

That said, whether it's Origo, or something else, this is the future.

Once again, if you aren't up to speed on 3D printing...now is the time to check it out.

Physical GIF @ the Luminary in St. Louis

Physical GIF's are currently spinning at the Luminary Center for the Arts in St. Louis, Missouri. The show is called FORMAT, check out more info here.

Playmobil weirdness

I'm not going to go off too much about this, actually I am. It has come to my attention that Playmobil is basically a Christian only toy company. And, that's just weird. FAO Schwartz, for example, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, has a substantial section dedicated to Playmobil, and a portion of that dedicated to Playmobil's Christmas toys with a noticeable absence of any other religion represented. Why? Why not make toys for every religion, Play Mobil? That would be...awesome of you! Instead, it's Christianity only? This really does boggle my mind. So, I went to the site, and upon immediate arrival, the countries page that I normally click through and basically ignore, I took a second look. And, sure enough, all the countries on their splash page are essentially Christian countries. Weird. No Israel, no Arab or Muslim countries, and...no Asian countries??!? I mean, it's possible that there is a Playmobil presence on the Japanese internet so to speak...but still, wouldn't that flag also show up on this list? So, I popped on into the site, and sure enough, the only religious holiday in their list is Christmas.

Naturally, I then headed to the internet for some more info.

Here's the first link I came across, a post from 2009 from a Jewish blog. It basically calls Playmobil out as producing sets of toys that are rooted in the persecution of Jews. So, clearly I'm not the only one who has noticed this.

In this article from a blog with "A Jewish Twist on Parenting," Joanna Brichetto discusses how a whale became a Jewish toy when it swallowed Jonah, a Playmobil figure. She points out that Playmobil, "produces no Jewish toys per se."

In this story that got a lot of attention, Playmobil apparently got super pissed when a pastor in Germany augmented Playmobil figures to recreate the Passion of the Christ in a series of scenes. Another site shows the pastor's Play Mobil Jesus on the cross, and it boggles my mind as to why this would anger Playmobil so much?

Yet another article is about Hans Beck, the creator of Playmobil. Here's a brief passage that also caused me to raise an eyebrow or three: Mr. Beck's motto for Playmobil was "no horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends." But the company didn't always follow his imagination, as his prototypes for medieval punishments and Chinese railroad workers were killed by company higher-ups. "We had second thoughts," he explained to the Christian Science Monitor.

Dare I go on? Why not.

Then I found this from 2006, and its 21 comments, the last of which is by the personal assistant to the commercial director of Playmobil. Here's a sample comment from this list of eye openers:Tom Tyler said...

What a very odd illustration for a children's toy. Like yourself, Your Grace, I am perplexed and cannot help but wonder whether this is yet another subtle example of the attempt by certain political elements to "normalise" Islam, this time aimed at the eyes of those too young to question it. Has this matter been brought to the attention of the manufacturers concerned? I would have thought that the obvious historical inaccuracy of the illustration would warrant correction, if not out of altruism then out of a desire not to cause any offence to either Christians or Muslims. (though I rather think that the illustration would be more quickly corrected, should it be even hinted that it might offend the latter group, rather than if it were proved beyond all doubt that it offends the former group).

So, then I came to the Playmobil security checkpoint, and this article about it from a blog about Pakistan. A link from that article leads to active links on Amazon showing these additional pictures of the airport security set.

At this point I did a search on Lego and religious sets and they have pretty much steered clear of religion. I went to their site to see what countries were represented on their home page, and pictured is their list. I also noticed that Lego sells an Advent Calendar from their CITY collection, but it actually appears to be a guy dressed as Santa, and then a sort of cops and robbers scene? Odd, but not that religious.

So, Lego, a company 100 times the size of Playmobil, can seemingly avoid controversy all together when it comes to religion, but Playmobil seems to be a magnet for such drama. Lego doesn't sell religion, and Playmobil sells Christianity. Again, why? Either, 1) they want to only support a Christian world, pushing forth an elitist ideology in which there is but one correct religion, or, 2) they aren't very good business people.

So, lastly, I looked into how well the company handles their money, and saw this: More than 2.2 billion figurines have now been sold in more than 70 countries, with the Brandstaetter Group reporting 452 million euros ($581.3 million) in sales last fiscal year. Two-thirds of the company’s Playmobil profits are generated overseas. The company’s release of a riding stable set, which it says is among Europe’s top three best-selling toys, boosted sales in 2007.

After that, in the same article, linked here, According to Beck, Playmobil’s success came about because the toy “does not impose specific play patterns on children, but rather stimulates their imagination."

Really?

The Amateur American Hobo

I've been keeping an eye on this blog about catching trains and hitch hiking all over North America. It's always been easy for me to romanticize the life of the vagabond, and this guy sheds a little more light on the total experience, each post a tale of playful misadventure. One recent post he recalls hopping a train to a small town because he was due in court for trespassing on the grounds of a train yard. Another post is comprised of pics from the train, all of them offering the hobo's perspective in motion across the great landscapes of the continent, a sample of those is pictured. Also, I'd like to add, that Max is my cousin.

The two times I've hitch hiked, I also created little reports complete with pictures, and the experiences for me were very much akin to childlike adventure. My trips were both 18 hours or less so not even close to the cross-country experiences that Max is having. My trips were across the state of Oregon and the other around the Big Island of Hawaii, both times I really felt like I was acting, role playing the hitch hiker character. I was pretending to be a hitch hiker while I was doing it. In many ways this is obviously what's known as a poser. In other ways, a tinkerer. I like to think of myself as the latter. I add this bit of my own experience because I think this story speaks to the idea that play, like art, love, and a lot of abstract concepts, is highly subjective. Play for one person might be torture for another. Max isn't JUST getting from point A to point B the way we all might when we board a plane, train or auto. He's going for an adventure in between, wide eyed, not only thinking but living outside the box. In that line of thinking, I'm fascinated by the concept of play as it exists across the entire spectrum for all people, in all situations, my interests (mostly) remaining within the parameters of human decency, and this link to my cousin's blog is another piece of the human puzzle, all of us putting it together one piece at a time. [Holy nostalgia am I seriously going to link to a Pearl Jam song right now? Yes, yes I am.]

I hope it's clear how all this fits in with my thinking of play, toy design, and experimenting with those things. And, if it *perfectly* clicks with you, then this is something you probably either love or hate.

Lego Greenhouse at London Design Festival

This might seem like a waste of Legos - why not just use glass? or other materials? - but think about the fact that pretty much anyone over the age of 9 could literally build this on their own and jump into all the joys that a functional greenhouse offers.

From the 2011 London Design Festival, once again we see that traditional Lego blocks plus a little innovative thinking can result in accessible, functional, playful design.

Unique Lego Pieces

Lego fanatics are always aware of the slightest design variations from traditional blocks in the form of unique new pieces that many sets introduce. Once a Lego piece, always a Lego piece, and change means an expansion of the library, a re-defining of the language.

As I strolled through FAO Schwartz today, not many toys stood out, and I'd even seen the Pirates of the Caribbean Lego sets before. But I hadn't looked closely enough to catch this precious little globe. It's not an object I personally want, but it did catch my eye as a standout design choice for Lego.

One of the newer Lego pieces that I did find in my possession is the ostrich from the Prince of Persia sets. (I tried to watch the movie and couldn't get through it.) Notice how the new custom piece, so to speak, differs from a more traditional approach to building with Lego.

Crystal of Destiny, blogging @ Maker Faire

Full day at Maker Faire. Wow. Overwhelmingly awesome. Created quite a few video clips for the New York Hall of Science's Tumblr, not the least of which I'll share....right.....here:

Alan Watts, Self as Play

Alan Watts points at ancient wisdom. Dig it.

Woodstock Flea Market Fighting Force, Episode 10

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Maker Bot // Maker Faire

Leading up to Maker Faire this weekend, I assume, the NY Times ran a substantial info-graphic on MakerBot's Thing-O-Matic yesterday. I was at the Open Hardware Summit yesterday and heard Bre Pettis talk for a bit. He was, as usual, hilarious, witty and simply seems like a good person. For example, from yesterday:
"We're living in the future. Community rules, it kicks ass. It's a do-ocracy, if you do something awesome you get to be awesome." -@Bre

If you're not familiar with 3D printing, now is the time to take a look. MakerBot sells this kit which is essentially DIY 3D printing, but it's only a matter of (less and less) time before this sort of thing is as common as a regular printer.

I love the way the Thing-O-Matic feels like a toy that can print toys. In that way, from the perspective of toy consciousness, it's a God Toy. The Creator.

I'll be at Maker Faire all day tomorrow, blogging for NYSCI and will of course also share some thoughts and pics here.

p.s. Another highlight from the OH Summit, in the same vein as DIY 3D printing, is the LaseSaur, a DIY laser cutter.

Gandhi Memorial in Kanyakumari

Some good friends, Ian and Deborah Reeves, have taken off for India where they plan to walk a good portion of the country. They started a blog with some amazing photography and equally thoughtful writing.

Amidst their recent posts, as they begin their journey, I noticed their photo of a Ghandi Memorial located on the southern tip of India, in Kanyakumari. Of course, architecture that is foreign to someone can often appear to be toy-like, but there's no denying the playful design of this pink building looks like something out of Candy Land.

This all reminds me that I need to put in a special request to Ian and Deborah to snap some pics of toys and play as they go. I'll keep you posted.

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio

Always on the lookout for toy blogs, and recently came across the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio. Along with their posts, Stephanie Oppenheim blogs regularly in her own space. A recent post about a breast feeding doll takes a side, which is always nice to see.

Woodstock Flea Market Fighting Force, Episode 9

Episode Title: Soul Search
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Blogging for the NY Hall of Science

I'm happy to report that I've been pulled aboard the sailing ship of the NY Hall of Science to, essentially, blog for them! The museum is doing a lot of interesting things and I'll be helping to present some of their projects and research to the public.

Naturally, on my first day there, I spent a good bit of time wandering the museum, and can highly recommend the permanent exhibitions, especially the 30,000 foot science playground which is...amazing. Also looking forward to a round (or 7) on the rocket park mini golf course.

I'll point at various NYSCI stuff as I move forward, not the least of which is right around the corner: Maker Faire.

Adam Sorensen glows in the dark

Continuing with a survey of NW artists whose work intersects with the world of play, if only in my mind, this piece is by Adam Sorensen.

My development toward play and toy design has drawn me nearer to these paintings of digital black light landscapes. If you like this image, you will like all of Adam's work as seen on PDX Gallery's site, with a special exhibition at the Portland Art Museum as well, opening today!

Woodstock Flea Market Fighting Force, Episode 8

Title: What happened to the USA's Space Program? (In this episode, we also watch Isaac as his surface identity is revealed to him.)

Playful shoe design, Kobi Levi

Wheel'd heals, LED flashes, and generally colorful shoes are always fun and eye-catching for kids.

But Kobi Levi is thinking outside the shoebox with his designs. My favorite is the playground slide pictured, but there are lots more on his site.

Green Army Men evolve: Breakdancers

Am I really seeing green Army men toys that depict violence and war evolve into neon breakdancers, depicting art and craft? Yes, yes I am.

Kid Robot drops these on your world in a couple weeks.