Promotional Dough scraper tools

Four stunning dough scraper tools, from the massive, Flea market at The Malvern Three Counties Ground, last week. I had to have them! Apparently companies would send these plastic tools direct to the bakers along with their various products. Theyre almost too nice to use!

Typographic display font system

Ive had this display type kit for a while. Its a lovely thing! It came in the plastic tray, that you see here. While the font looks Thirties, the tray makes me think its much later.

Each letter slots in to the next, and has a small base. Ive always thought it was for a window display, perhaps a jewelers? but today for the first time it looks too big, as each letter has a height of 20mm!

Ive got a few other signage kits, like this. Ill try and post the others at a later date.

1970s Showaddywaddy Beetle crusher silk scarf

Heres another item that could only come from the Seventies. It made me laugh, when I found it last week. It evokes strong memories of The Scots coming to Wembley in 1977, winning 2-1, and then tearing the goalposts down ...... Like you do!

Tomy Pokemon figures

I showed our boys the London Olympic mascots, and asked them for their thoughts. They werent particularly vocal, but they did bring down their Pokemon figures, and decided I should put these six on the blog.

Apparently the owl is called Hoot hoot, the duck is Dodou, the cucumber moon is Metapod, the star is Staryu and the mushroom is Vileplume.

I hope you like them, as much as they do?

badly drawn Canadian Puzzle

Id like to be able to tell you more about this rather odd wooden eight piece puzzle, that I picked up recently. Its naivety makes me think of David Shrigley. Printed on wood, and with its limited palette, Its hard to resist.

J Otto Seibold Swatch watch

All the talk about mascots the other day reminded me that J Otto Seibold created a character Glüp for The Hanover expo in 2000, that the organising committee rejected. Mores the pity.

Seibold was the first artist that really exploited the possibilities of drawing on the computer.
When Space Monkey & Mr Lunch were first released, they were like a breath of fresh air, but unfortunately they spawned a 1000 poor imitations. In 1998, at the height of his success, Swatch released two watches by Seibold. I bought this one, while you can see the other design here.

R Dakins' Dream Pets

Weve picked up a few of these recently at different car boots, although it took a while to realise they were from the same series. Apparently Dream Pets were first released in 1957. They were originally made in Japan, and the story goes the stuffed toys had been used to protect toy trains imported by R Dakin & Co. They caused quite a stir and by the late seventies there were over 2000 characters to collect.

Reissued in 2004, The characters stand about 5" high and are made from a mixture of felt, and a suede like product. The three above, are #19. Roquefort #18. Pancho & Demo Donkey. Below is a label detailing the range. You can see a few more over at Pidgeonblog, and a few more here.

Wenlock & Mandeville

Well that explains a lot!

I wondered why my World Cup Willie post was getting so may hits yesterday. Today Wenlock and Mandeville were unveiled to an unsuspecting public. The mascots for the 2012 Olympics! Ive got to say it made my heart sink. Perhaps over time Ill warm to them, but Im not convinced. Here was an opportunity to produce something special, but instead we get some shoddy, silver Gogos, or worse still, one eyed mobile phones? To be frank one even looks like hes soiled his pants.

I appreciate that the brief may have been difficult: to embrace multi cultured Britain, not to offend, and to produce something modern, but they just look cheap! They lack charisma, and look like theyll have a shelf life of two minutes. The result, no doubt, of design by committee!

Michael Morpugos story may have some substance behind it, as do the characters names, but will anyone delve beyond the childish facade?

We actively sought out Cobi, Mariscals mascot for the Barcelona Olympics. We were enchanted by the five Olympic figures from Bejing, but poor old Wenlock & Mandeville look in danger of being remembered for all the wrong reasons.

I suppose at least everyones talking about design today.

Holiday on Ice Musical memory Record Card

Wow! On our way over to my sisters this weekend, the car came to an abrupt halt along the A46, as we saw the signs for a Saturday Carboot in Beckford. The sun was out and our hopes were high! You cant beat the joy of an unexpected trawl.

The boys were happy because they found a mountain of this years Match Attax. (Football trading cards. See, Ive even managed to get them collecting too!) Then I found a pretty battered copy of Angela Banners' Ant & Bee. So everyone was happy! But then, just as we were leaving, I spotted the above. Its in a sorry state, and sadly unplayable, but it's a fore runner of the flexi disc!

Odd, because only last week me old mucker, Nainesh was on about our friend Paul Bayley putting a programme together for Radio 4 on The Wonderful Weightless World of the Flexidisc. The programme goes out on Thursday 27 May 11.30am. Ill be listening!

I didnt get anything to Paul in time, but this Holiday on Ice record is a bit special. Published by Lyntone Recordings of London, the reverse (below) is a postcard! Imagine getting that in the post? The track from the show is The Song is You & Wunderbar, sung by Iris Villiers.




















Now I just have to find the other flexis I wanted to get to Paul!

You can listen to the show here on the bbc iplayer.

1960s badges

Heres three more badges, from the vast collection I found the other week. I hope you like them?