Archive for ‘Toy!’

April 30, 2012

We Don’t Clown Around

Except when we do.

Years ago we had a little creepy clown figurine. Somehow* it ended up in a mandolin slicer box that was then put on a sales shelf. Poor Margaret found it and was not pleased. I think that’s understandable, how would you feel if you opened a box to see if all the parts were there only to be greeted by a little purple haired creepy thing?

He stayed around for a while but then we sold him to one of Margaret’s friends who was traveling out-of-state with her so that the clown could make another unexpected appearance.

Oddly we haven’t seen much of Margaret since.

We’re pleased to offer a slightly less creepy, but still sort of sketchy clown doll. This one is too big to fit into a mandolin slicer box, but small enough to fit in carry-on luggage. He stands (sits?) 14 inches tall and has a ceramic head and hands.

It is in good condition.

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*”Somehow.” I put it in the box intending to surprise the person pricing when they checked to  see if all the parts were there. They didn’t check and so the joke had an unintended victim.

 

April 2, 2012

A Puzzle Of Cats

The collective name for a group of cats is a clowder or a glaring (seems right doesn’t it?). I suggest that a puzzle would be another appropriate name. Anyone who’s seen a pile of sleeping felines will know what I mean, all those legs and tails and the purring . . .

This puzzle of cats is wooden and stands 7 3/4 inches tall. It’d make a good shape recognition tool for the average hipster.

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March 19, 2012

Vintage Yahtzee Dice Cup

It seems Professor Red-bow is surprised by how the dice are rolling and it’s not adding up to a win…. Luckily the dice are now long gone and only the cup remains.

This isn’t the type of thing most stores would advertise, but we’re proudly abnormal.

The cup is about 3 1/4 inches tall and would still work wonderfully for its intended purpose, for dice rolling in “the fun game that makes thinking fun!” It could easily be re-purposed into a pen holder, container for mini surprise spring snakes or almost a million (we counted and boy are my fingers tired) other uses.

Yahtzee!

March 16, 2012

Cute Child Size Play Kitchen Unit

A plaything is a tool and the outcome is largely dependent upon the input of the parent. It’s impossible to really control what your kid will actually turn out like, but you can influence the potential outcome.

Start now by proscribing your child’s future by instilling ‘traditional values’, or begin creating the world’s next greatest prodigy chef with this child’s size play kitchen unit thing-a-ma-bob.

It features four faux burners, a work top, two drawers and two cabinets (one large and one small) accessed by three drawers.

It is 36 inches wide, 40 inches tall and 18 1/2 inches deep.

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February 27, 2012

Traveling Tic Tac Toe

This is a neat little homebuilt tic tac toe set. The markers are marbles and a cover on one end pivots to reveal two chambers that the marbles fit in. The grid lines are inlaid walnut and the rest of it seems to be oak.

It’s in good condition and is about 3 1/2 inches square.

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February 21, 2012

Not Da’ Plane, But The Lindbergh Plane (Model Vesion)

Model of Charles Linbergh’s personal airplane. It is a Ryan monocoupe that still exists, but for many years it was a static exhibit hung from the ceiling at the St.Louis airport. Luckily for aviation history buffs is was temporarily relocated just before the big tornado struck the airport.

This once was a flying model, one of the sort that’s guided by two long wires or strings and flies in a counter clockwise circle.

The craft is in OK condition but it’s probably best as a decorator piece. I suppose it could be made flight worthy again but it’d need a new propeller and some glue.

Overall it is 24 inches long and the wingspan is just over 35 inches.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding Lindbergh’s personal beliefs at least his co-pilot is a reputable character this time.

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December 25, 2011

Vintage Indonesian Shadow Puppets

A little while back we go in this great pair of shadow puppets. I first thought these were Burmese puppets, but it seems that shadow puppets aren’t an important part of that great tradition.

instead they’re from another great puppet theater family, the Indonesian Wayang Kulit shadow plays. The Wayang came to Indonesia with Indian traders and are now one of the oldest puppet theater traditions in the world. Originally the Wayang was associated with story telling within the Hindu religion but it has since been modified for other religious and secular tales.

The puppets traditionally made of  buffalo hide with bamboo or buffalo horn control arms. Our figures look like painted hide. The control sticks one the larger figure are wood and horn on the smaller one.

They are both in good condition. The larger puppet is about 31 1/2  inches tall, the shorter is  25 inches tall.

We’re offering them as a pair.

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December 23, 2011

A Small Violin Playing Just For You

And it’s playing both kinds of music, Country and Western.  The Country Music Instant Fiddle plays a variety of classic country tunes by artists including Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and Willie Nelson.

I believe the songs it plays include:

1. Hey, Good Lookin’
2. Crazy
3. All My Exes Live in Texas
4. Oh Susanna
5. Jambalaya
6. Beautiful Dreamer
7. Abilene
8. Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

The duration of the notes seems to be linked to how fast you play. So, you could perform “Mamas…” as a dirge, or “Hey, Good Lookin’” as the next post-punk speed-metal hit.

it stands about 11 inches tall and works, although the volume level is not impressive. If your crafty it would be a good candidate for modification! Just add a microphone and an arena size speaker stack.

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December 23, 2011

The Perfect Gift For Uncles In New Jersey

Suppose you’re looking for something for a relative we’ll call ‘Uncle George’.

George lives out of town and you won’t have to face him when he gets his present.

You’re also running out of time.

We’ve got your back.

Just get this inflatable fruitcake.

If you send it airmail it should get to Uncle George in Hoboken in plenty of time. Unless they notice that the return address city and zip code don’t match, in which case you’ll be sending next years present from Guantanamo.

Air mail, inflatable fruitcake, Hoboken, Guantanamo. Air mail, inflatable fruitcake, Hoboken, Guantanamo.

It’s like a mantra for modern America: Air mail, inflatable fruitcake, Hoboken, Guantanamo, Om.

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November 22, 2011

The Lazy Pig Learns There’s Easy Money In The Used Book Trade

This illustrated children’s story book is in good condition. There isn’t much character development and the plot is pretty thin, but it is only 16 pages long.  Willing suspension of disbelief or a very young audience would help the story a lot.

Back in April of this year there was an interesting story about what happens when automated computer programs set prices of used books for retailers. In that case there were two programs designed to set their prices relative to the others price and this led to an upwards inflationary spiral ultimately resulting is a $23.6 million book.

Something like that is going on again with this book on Amazon, but there isn’t an obvious correlation between the asking price for set by one computer program and the real world.  Simply, on Amazon, you can buy a new copy for $12.95 however the only used copy will cost you a slightly more expensive $205.87 (!).

At least until the day that Skynet gains self awareness we’re happy to fight the rise of the machines by offering this for less than $5.

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October 24, 2011

Security Safe Deposit: Take Your Change To The Antique Cast Iron Coin Bank

This great little cast iron bank shows two late 19th century patent dates (March 1, 1887 and February 15, 1888). Given the stuff it came in with I’m sure it is actually an antique and not a modern copy. I estimate that it was probably made around 1900.

It has embossed decorations on all sides and four cast legs on the base. There is a slot in the top where you can drop coins in and inside is a little diverter to make it hard to shake the coins back out when you need bus fare.

It stands 4 1/2 inches tall 3 1/2 inches deep and 3 3/4 inches wide and is in excellent condition. In looking at some of the old catalogs in my personal collection this bank probably originally sold for $1 to $1.50.

It was locked when it came in, but I managed to crack the combination which brings my professional safe cracking career record to 2-1*.

To be honest it wasn’t that hard to do so I wouldn’t recommend actually storing anything truly valuable inside.

*The first safe I opened for the warehouse was stuffed full of all sorts of valuable stuff. Although it was donated to us and  hence the contents were probably ours in the eyes of the law we returned the items to the family of the donor.  This shows that the law is an inelegant creature that deserves to be ignored periodically.

The next safe I never did manage to get into. I tried and tried but never got it to open. I even considered peeling the safe but one look at the asbestos fire insulation between the shell and the interior convinced my that it wasn’t going to be worth the effort. I still presume it was empty.

October 12, 2011

‘Chinese’ Drinking Horns

I guess they’re drinking horns. I’m not really sure, but if they are drinking horns they’re for something potent. The pointy end is covered by decoratibve metal work in the shape of a dragon’s head. The other end also has a metal cap, with a shallow bowl shaped interior that can’t hold more than a few ounces (hence the deduction that little of whatever is meant to be drunk from them is enough).

They have a fine chain so one can hang them off a nearby nail, hook or stoutly fastened earring.

Overall they’re about 6 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

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6 1/2 inches long by 2 1/2 inches in diameter

October 10, 2011

Articulated Abalone Bottle Opener

When you do something long enough you get to see how certain items show up again. The last time we had one of these was 2 3/4 years ago.  It was probably another 2 to 3 years earlier that I first saw one.

In other words, if you’d like this I recommend calling soon, or checking back in sometime around April 2014.

This vintage bottle opener consist of abalone pieces glued to a metal substructure. It is in good but used condition with a few missing scales, bends at 10 places along the spine and is about 8 inches long.

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October 8, 2011

Middle Class Sterling Rattle & Teething Ring

Though not quite of the class that one would expect to give to a baby that will someday run for president this is still a pretty decent teething ring and rattle.  As a vintage item this does not modern standards for teething rings (as summarized in CPSC Document # 202 The Safe Nursery, p.8) so it is a decorative item rather than a practical gift.

In any case it is much nicer than what we had where I grew up. In fact, we used to give the kids old car tires and stove length pieces of wood to chew on, except for the real tough babies who we’d set down along the abandoned rail road tracks. They didn’t have much of an impact on the old rails, but they were never anemic either.

Thankfully we didn’t live in the tough part of town.

This vintage Lunt sterling rattle with teething ring is about 3 1/2 inches from tip to tail (you decide which is which). The teething ring is commonly advertised as  “mother-of-pearl” but a multitude of tiny trapped air bubbles indicates that this is actually opalescent plastic. . . which bears an uncanny resemblance to the current field of presidential candidates.

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September 26, 2011

The Matryoshka’s Are Multiplying Like Rabbits

Approximately 5 1/2 inches tall.

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September 24, 2011

Vintage Rollers Skates & Case From Our Own Oaks Rink

Cool old vintage roller skate case from Portland’s own, world famous and still operational Oaks Park.

Like many older amusement parks Oaks Park was originally (1905) built as the anchor for the end of a suburban trolley line. This was not an uncommon practice at the time since having an amusement park on the line helped build ridership during off-peak commuting hours, like nights and weekends. Elsewhere in the Portland area this same model was applied to a much shorter lived park on Council Crest.

Oaks Park is still running and the iconic roller skating rink is alive and well. The rink was originally installed sometime before 1944 and was (and is) one of the largest in the northwest.  In 1955 a pipe organ, formerly located at the Broadway Theater (installed there in 1926) was relocated to the park where it remains in operation.

Our skate case contains a pair of size 8 Chicago Custom GM II skates from the great roller skating revival of  the 1970′s (as indicated by the official 1973 American Roller Dance Skating handbook). They’re in good condition and we have various wrenches for them too.

The case is in excellent condition. It is about 15 inches long by 12 inches tall by 6 1/2 inches thick. Of all unexpected miracles we have the key.

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September 20, 2011

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Joker, Magician, Minister: Three Burmese Puppets

Well, I screwed up and somehow managed to not schedule this at the right time.  So only eight hours late, here is today’s 9 am post at 5 pm.

 

What I’d like to spend most of my time doing is figuring out the weird stuff, deciphering the enigmas of past culture while learning not-exactly useful (on a daily basis) information on the way. Unfortunately the reality is that I get to spend more time than I like doing the dishes, spit-shining furniture and shifting things from one place to another.

So, sometime things take longer than one would like to make it from the pile of denial (the place where all the enigmas go before being decoded) into the store. These neat fellows have been around quite a while (approximately the gestation time of Homo sapiens sapiens), and I’d like to write the tale of how they made it to America (it involved tricking a tourist in a game of seven card stud, stowing away on a tramp steamer and then a dangerous swim through the surf to reach the Port Of Portland) but some things can’t be told in more or less public forum.

We’ve had Burmese puppets before. Discovering what they were was a world ranging exploration in itself, from Korea to Japan and southward to West Africa, before closing in upon Burma (Myanmar). Once we figured out where they were from it was relatively easy to decide which of the set-piece characters in the codified Burmese puppet theater the object represented and go from there.

We know where these come from (that’s the easy part), but which characters do they represent?

 

The characters in Burmese puppet theater were more or less officially codified by the royal patrons of the theater in the early 19th century. Luckily for us this means that the possible field of characters is restricted and we only have to look with in a relatively finite set of 30 or so individuals.

We’re pretty sure we have one of the Three Jokers (Yaw Yuet, Lu Phyet & Lu Shwin Daw). The pointing index finger on the right hand is the primary indicator of this. We’re not sure which of the three jokers this is, but it’s pretty definitely one of them. The pointing index finger on the right hand is the defining trait and they’re not laughing with you, they’re laughing at you.

He’s in OK condition and comes in traditional dress, carved wooden hair, fixed hands (see below) and clay painted face (with a few scrapes as shown in the picture). He’s about 13 inches tall.

This is the Alchemist or Magician (Zawgyi) they always wear red and the characters “dance is full of high jumps and somersaults and the puppeteer is usually very skilled in his craft.” Without any quantitative basis for thinking this I suspect our Magician was made more recently* than the Joker above. He’s in great shape and stands 23 inches tall. Like the first Burmese puppet we had this one has articulated hands which is just really neat. His beard hairs are plugs of human hair,which is kind of cool too.

*I suspect I’m thinking that relative simplicity (primitivism) is can correlate to greater antiquity. This is a fundamentally false premised based on the idea of progressive evolution and that sophistication increases over time. As the Middle Ages shows so well when contrasted to Imperial Rome this is not the case. As such I could be totally wrong. But I’m a generalist so I do what I can. If the change in construction techniques and styles in Burmese puppets happens to be the subject of your master’s thesis and I’m wrong please let me know and I’ll make the necessary revisions.

The third one appears to be a minister (or possibly a hermit which says something about how in touch with the populace government officials really are). The tall hat suggests that he’s a very important person we’ll go with the idea that the size of the hat correlates to the (perceived) importance of the person wearing it.

He isn’t as elaborately made as the Magician so he probably wasn’t as important a person on the stage. The decorative style suggests that he’s come from the same place and or time as the magician though. He’s in good condition and stands about 16 inches tall.

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September 11, 2011

A Trojan Horse Of A Different Color

It’s not only the Trojans who have horses.

Model Trojan horse. It’s only 8 inches long and 7 1/2 inches tall and has two tiny compartments for hiding small things. I’m not sure if it ever had an actual use, but it makes an OK metaphor.

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“I go to defend Liberty as a friend. The happiness of America is
intimately tied to the happiness of all mankind. One day she will become
the safe haven of tolerance, equality and peaceful liberty.”

Marquis de Lafayette May/June 1777

One of the defining aspects of the post September 11, 2001 world is the massive growth and reach of government security services.  This giant mechanism has grown so large and complex that “no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.” Because they’re so secretive even the spooks don’t know who is already doing what they’re doing. It’s like Spy vs. Spy but on a huge scale and it’s all funded by us, the unsuspecting dupes that are the tax-payers.

The Marquis de Lafayette wrote the quote above while on board the ship that was to take him to America in early 1777.  On September 11th of that that year he proved himself as a commander worthy of the American cause by rallying the retreating and defeated American troops (although shot in the leg) at the Battle of Brandywine.  Philadelphia was lost, but the cause of liberty was only set back, not defeated.

I hope the events of September 11, 2001 will be viewed in the same light a few hundred years hence, rather than as the watershed moment when the cause of liberty was irrevocably undermined by the security state and the factions that thrive in secretive darkness.

 ”Every nation that has ended in tyranny has come to that end by way of good order. It certainly does not follow from this that peoples should scorn public peace, but neither should they be satisfied with that and nothing more.

A nation that asks nothing of government but the maintenance of order is already a slave in the depths of its heart; it is a slave of its well-being, ready for the man who will put it in chains. In such a nation the despotism of factions is no less to be feared than the despotism of one man.”

Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy In America

We’ve been warned.


August 2, 2011

Fuzzy Kitteh Luvs Amerika

And it’s glad the debt ceiling didn’t fall on its head.

This is a cat shaped knickknack made of genuine dead rabbit fur. It is 7 1/2 inches tall and surprisingly it isn’t the first one of these we’ve had.

I’m sure there has to be some well thought out and logical reason for this sort of thing to exist. Unfortunately I can’t come up with it. I suppose one could use it to teach your Labrador to retrieve or you could torment your cat with an unblinking mock rival.

Alternatively might it be just the thing to keep the neighbor kids off your lawn after you’re cut off from wearing your bunny suit?

July 25, 2011

Vintage Playskool United States Puzzle: Alaska And Hawaii Need Not Apply

This wooden puzzle shows the lower 48 states, and alludes to the presence of Alaska and Hawaii.When the pieces are removed one can see the major products of each state, the state capitol and information about the original territorial status (where applicable). Alaska and Hawaii excepted, of course.

This must be an older map as it shows the major products of  Oregon as fish and beef, rather than  environmentalists, wanna-be-cowpokes and methamphetamine*.

The puzzle is in excellent condition and measures roughly 19 3/4 inches by12 inches. All the pieces are there.

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* For the sake of accuracy, the major products of the State of Oregon are excess bureaucracy, unneeded fiscally unsound ($ 5 to 10 billion) boondoggle bridges, and a citizen mandated prison population that threatens to consume all other parts of the state budget.

Alternatively if you’re a literalist and have had a good night’s sleep lately they’re timber, paper products, farming (wheat, cattle), mining, computer equipment and other electronics.

July 11, 2011

That Kid Is A Whiz At Pouring Drinks!

On rare occasion I find things out in the wider world that I feel compelled to bring into the store, even if they’re rather juvenile. Really though, what fun is it if ones life is all seriousness, good posture, proper grammar and Puritan work ethic?

Bah humbug.

Meet the Little Whizzer. He’s an automated beverage dispensing machine modeled after the Brussels Mannekin Pis fountain of Jerome Duquesnoy the Younger (strangled and then burned at the stake in 1654).

The decanter holds 18 oz. and is powered by two AA batteries.  It works and it stands about 7 1/2 inches tall.

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July 4, 2011

Closed Today For Independence Day

In between the lighting of fireworks (and subsequent counting of your fingers) you should have time today to ponder weighty things. Things like the big numbers that comprise the  the national debt, which is now in excess of 14 trillion dollars*. To keep track of such a large number the folks at the Treasury Department would need a correspondingly large abacus.

Our example is two feet by four feet, and has 13 rows. Unfortunately 14 trillion requires is 14 rows of beads to process on an abacus. Hence, while our example is a bit  larger than the typical shop keepers abacus it’s not quite big enough to help figure the national debt.

That’s seriously messed up.

Happy Independence Day. To bad it’s not financial independence!

*On Friday December 31, 2010 it was exactly $14,025,215,218,708.52 according to the  Treasury Department.

June 7, 2011

Vintage Kids Puzzles!

Something fishy from 1962. Child Guidance Toy No. 902-Fish with 10 plastic pieces that stick to the board with the use of magnets. In excellent condition 9 1/2 inches tall by 11 1/2 inches wide. SOLD

We give you the world. Rather, we’ll sell it to you to give your kids for a modest fee.

An old puzzle showing the continents and oceans. It has a built-in compass and a portrait of Neptune . It is in good condition except for a break between the Caspian and Arabian Seas. 19 1/2 inches wide, 12 inches tall. SOLD

Take ‘em out to the ball game! Major league attendance is falling due to the prevalence of big high-definition TV’s and expensive seat prices. You should get them to the game before they stop allowing the public altogether. This 1950′s vintage puzzle is in very good condition. It is 11 1/2 inches tall by 9 1/2 inches wide. SOLD

Puzzle featuring a stereotypical village in Holland  by Simplex. In very good condition. 7 1/2 inches in diameter. SOLD

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May 27, 2011

There Is A Point When Disgustingly Cute Becomes Merely Disgusting

Apparently it happened sometime in 1980.

Five handcrafted bears of various sizes in a handcrafted wagon made from a soda crate.  One was found after the photo was taken attempting escape by hiding in the back of the truck, so isn’t pictured here.

It was so close to making it. . .

May 6, 2011

After The Death Of Renard Angry Beaver Drifts

Or would have. You see the idea of drift racing is predicated on driving a rear wheel drive vehicle. Instead he managed to steal this front-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf from an easily distracted teenager, “Look over there, it’s Elvis” “Who’s Elvis” “Uh never-mind. . . look! An elephant!” “What? Where?”

His maniacal laugh could be heard over the squealing tires, but only barely.

Since he couldn’t drift, Angry Beaver chose to do the next best thing, wander aimlessly.  He plugged his iPond into the dash, cranked up his playlist “Great Songs of Canada*”,  and headed for the open road.

Die cast VW Golf R32 “GRDZ Tuner” by Maisto. It rolls and the hood, trunk and doors open too. In good condition.

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The Great Songs of Canada” playlist consists largely of bands you’ve never heard of in central North America. This is too bad really as there is some mighty fine music that never made it south of the border. Unfortunately music promoters are soulless wraiths and so some things made it south that should probably have stayed home (like the seven Christmas albums of Anne Murray’s career).

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