Halloween Witch Cat Lulu from Cat Magic Toys

    Halloween has the coolest ties ins of any holiday and that's not really up for debate.  Christmas themed products? Blah.  St. Patrick's Day? Don't need any of that crap.  Give me orange and black and skulls and ghosts all day long on anything and everything.  I just got these outstanding pumpkin cookies from Wal Mart and I know that as soon as November 1st comes they're gonna change the shape to something dumb and it's gonna ruin them for me.  Yeah, they'll probably taste the same, but eating something turkey shaped doesn't give me that tingly feeling that an orange sprinkled pumpkin does.  I'll suffer through, but I'll still suffer.

   Cat Magic Toys speaks my language with this brand new Halloween Cat Lulu release.  First, they satisfy my need for seasonal products.  Secondly, they're cats but not only are are they cats they're also witches, which is like turning the whole mythology on its head.  What if the women we thought were the witches weren't at all and were just around so they could open the tins of cat food for the actual witch kitties?   I'm blowing my own mind with this one.

   If you want one of these magic sofubi felines they'll be on sale today (Saturday, October 13th) at 6pm pacific time only from https://cat-magic-toys.myshopify.com.

   

Samhain Sets from Taylored Curiosities

    Fall is my favorite time of year for a multitude of reasons.  The sun stops trying to roast me like a chicken, all the tourists go back home (which is really a bonus because none of them understand that left turns in New Jersey usually involve a jug handle), and the woods are free to walk in as the ticks have died off and the venomous snakes have begun their hibernation until spring.  The tourist thing is especially awesome though, as leaving the house stops resembling an episode of Jersey Shore.  That show is horrible in its accuracy.

     Autumn also ushers in Halloween season, which I'm told some people have to actually decorate their house for.  My house stays spooky year round.  Of course our celebration of Halloween is predated by the harvest festival of Samhain and to commemorate the occasion, Taylored Curiosities has created a special resin figure set.  Each one comes with everything you need to have a successful new begining after the spirits of your ancestors come to visit you on the 31st.  Should I buy like a cheese platter or wash extra towels?  I never know what to do when I have company, let alone dead relatives I've yet to meet.

    Only 20 sets are available for preorder and they can be had by visiting https://tayloredcuriosities.bigcartel.com

Belfry Kickstarter from Motley Miscreations

    I know it seems like as of late I only write about Kickstarter campaigns that are fully funded, but I swear it's not on purpose.  While it is great to hitch your wagon to a sure thing, it is merely just a coincidence because I've been so busy.  And I love this figure design from Motley Miscreations so much there was no way I was gonna let this campaign pass me by without helping spread the word on it.  So without further ado meet Belfry, a soft vinyl figure that when produced will stand nearly 9 inches tall.  He features five points of articulation and comes with two weapons for maximum shenanigans.  As it stands this guy is fully funded, so there's no questions about whether or not he will be produced, it's just a matter of what reward levels are left for you to take advantage of.  Check out this link to get in on it.

Autumn Algonac Mini from Chris Ryniak x Squibbles Ink x Rotofugi

      Anyone that makes any type of product that is set to release this time of year should always have the words "pumpkin spice" in the title.  I don't care what it is or whether it relates to what you're selling or not, those two words cause a feeding frenzy.  I hear Harley Davidson is having trouble attracting new customers, but not after they release the Pumpkin Spice Edition Sportster.  Don't mind me, I'm just out here saving us from the decisions of that failed business man that's ruining our country.

    Chris Ryniak's Algonac mini figure looks like he's taken my advice to heart, color wise anyway, as he is the perfect shade for Fall.  This stylized 2.25 inch vinyl turtle is produced by Squibbles Ink and Rotofugi and is limited to 150 pieces in this edition.  You can own one right now by visiting www.rotofugi.com.  They retail for the ridiculously low price of $17.95 each.  

Skullhead Black Porcelain from Huck Gee x K Olin Tribu

   I have one experience with porcelain in my life and it involved high school ceramics class and a bad attitude.  We got to make whatever we wanted as long as there was no chance we could smoke something out of it.  The teacher had grown up in Philadelphia so he was wise to whenever some hillbilly kid thought they were being really slick.  I wasn't interested in smoking devices, but I was interested in being a weirdo so the first things I made were a set of loose teeth.  Having not fully filled my potential, nor having an adequate idea as to what I was going to do with them, I then turned my attention towards fashioning a toilet.  My methods were crude, so this was more abstract than the found and functional art of Duchamp, but it had character.  I decided it was an ash tray for the outlaw biker father I never had and a small drip of pride settled in at the bottom of my heart.  It was actually the second ash tray I had made in my life, the first being a rendition of Monstar's head from Silverhawks when I was in first grade.  The stranger thing about that is that no one I was related to ever smoke, so I have no idea why I decided everything had to be an ash tray.  Weird.

    You cannot as a matter of fact use this Skullhead figure as an ash tray because that would be dumb.  Huck Gee and K. Olin Tribu present their latest edition of this porcelain figure in all black, which is quite menacing looking.  Limited to an edition of only 50, and presented with a signed COA from the artist in a wooden box, you can order one of these now by visiting https://www.artandtoys.com/en/.

Tuxedo Kittypillar from Casey Weldon x 3A

    I used to be a serious germaphobe and would wash my hands after touching anything I thought could make me sick.  Even being in close proximity to something contaminated would make me feel like I was covered in sure fire death.  Living with five cats has all but cured me of the germ nightmare that I was trapped in.  Case in point: the other night I went to bed and I'm laying there a few minutes before I decide that a blanket is the way to go.  So I reach over and in the handful of microfiber luxury was a hairball.  It wasn't fresh, so the outside thankfully lacked that coating of slime that is their trademark, but not unlike a Twinkie, the inside was still filled with a gooey surprise.  Now old me would have happily thrown that blanket in a pile to be washed, gotten another one, and scrubbed my hand until the first layer of skin had been adequetly punished.  New me carefully walked to the bathroom, removed the rest of the hairball from the blanket WITH MY BARE HAND, washed my hands like it was no big deal, and returned to bed with said blanket.  I did flip it around so the filthy end was at my feet, but other than that I took no special action.

   Casey Weldon is one of my favorite artists, so much so that I have one of his prints hanging next to my tv, which is considered sacred space in my house.  3A has brought one of his most famous images to toy life with this outstanding rendition of Kittypillar.  I am thankful cats are limited to only four paws in real life, because they manage to transfer plenty of litter bits with their toes as it is.  Any more methods of carrying it and my floors would transform into the Atlantic City beach front of the late '90's.  Gross.

   This tuxedo version of the mighty Kittypillar stands 8 inches tall and is available for preorder right now at http://www.bambalandstore.com for $89.  The price includes shipping, which is scheduled to commence in November.

3DRetro Exclusive Releases for the Life is Beautiful Festival

   I've never been to Las Vegas, but I live about 15 minutes from Atlantic City so I feel I've gotten the Cliffs Notes version of it.  Casinos are a disorienting carnival of free drinks, flashing lights, and forgetting momentarily that the money you're feeding that slot machine is proportionate to the amount you have to bargain with the electric company to not cut your power off.  I can see the appeal, don't get me wrong, especially as easily distracted as I am by shiny things. And I don't know anyone who doesn't have a dream about being independently wealthy.  I had a dream last night that I lived in this massive house that kept getting bigger the more I explored it and I never had to leave because it had a grocery store and a doctor's office.

    The casinos are pretty much all Atlantic City has going for it so I am extremely jealous of events such as this that are absent from our little seaside den of sin.  The Life is Beautiful Festival promises attendees a weekend of music and art, and while most of the bands aren't my cup of tea, the art alone is worth the trip.  M Modern Gallery has a lineup for their Crime on Canvas exhibit that is beyond drool worthy, and 3DRetro will be there selling some exclusive vinyl toys.  There will be new releases from personal favorites Gary Baseman and Shag, as well as a glow in the dark edition of KRK Ryden's Moe Hawk figure.  Check out the pictures and if you're in the Las Vegas area this weekend and an art fan, you have no excuse not to be a part of this.