Present Professor » art

Gift List: Off-the-Beaten-Path Gifts For Off-the-Beaten-Path People

carli — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:44:12 +0000

1. Miniature campfire tea light candle holder, $20

2. Star Trek Interactive Tribble, $19.99

3. Santa Dreidel, $4.95

4. Chumps Mini Series Art Toys, $7.95

5. Zombie Haiku book by Ryan Mecum, $9.99 (No, really. It’s an entire zombie story told in Haiku form.)

Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid. . . Robot

carli — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:03:00 +0000

The brainchild of designer Paul Budnitz, Kid Robot is at the forefront of the growing art toy movement.
Aimed towards older teens and adults, the items sold by the Kid–many designed by enormously popular artists in coveted limited editions–prefer the mantelpiece to the toy box

Perfect for geeks, hipsters, wannabes, nerds, graphic designers, surly teenagers, funky teenagers, funky-smelling teenagers, and anyone who’d rather stare at a Boba Fett action figure than a still life of fruit.

Many of the series, including Dunny (shown here, $6.95 each), are sold in blind assortments–there are a series of designs available, but you don’t know which one you have until you open the box. This can, of course, lead to copious purchasing of little vinyl designer art toys in an attempt to “catch ‘em all.” But the beauty of the pieces is that they stand alone just as well as they stand side by side or lined up in rows as if they’re a little action figure army.

I’ve Got Gadgets And Gizmos Aplenty. . . And Also, Official Disney on Broadway Merchandise

carli — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:56:52 +0000

Congratulations to our Snow Globe Giveaway Winner: Samantha Pruitt!

Not every fan of the Great Big Mouse (AKA Mickey) can make it to Great White Way (AKA Broadway) to take in one of Disney’s stage adaptations of their beloved screen musicals. But now, thanks to Disney on Broadway’s new Web shop, the exclusive merchandise previously only available to patrons of Broadway’s slate of Broadway shows (which currently includes The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins) can now be purchased by anyone sitting in their apartment at 3 a.m. dressed like Mary Poppins and insisting that “Julie Andrews only portrayed me in a movie about my life.” But enough about my Dad. . .

To paraphrase from another musical starring Ms. Andrews as a nanny to difficult children with hearts of gold, here are a few of my favorite gift options for the Disneyphile in your life:

I really dig this replica of Mary Poppins’s parrot-head umbrella ($39.99). Sadly, the bird does not speak. Happily, it doesn’t poop on your head, either. There’s also a child’s-size umbrella and an ornament rendering ($20.50).

A Mary Poppins carbet bag key chain might not hold an endless supply of spare change ($9.95), but it’ll have your recipient happy enough to be singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidoscious–which, by the way, is spelled out on a shirt ($19.99 for kids; $24.95 for grown-ups).

Over at The Little Mermaid, you’ll find a replica Dinglehopper fork-shaped hairbrush ($10.50 and very confusing for those not familiar with the story), as well as a lovely charm bracelet ($50.50)
and several t-shirt options for children.

And representing The Lion King–the patriarch of Disney’s presence in midtown Manhattan, is a fabulous special edition Simba ornament ($19.95 and a unique set of coloring cards based upon the show’s design ($9.95).

Merchandise is also available for fans of the departed shows Tarzan and Beauty and the Beast, as well as the not-so-Broadway High School Musical Tour. Not available: Commemorative dancing Herbie Dolls from The Love Bug: An Opera In Seven Acts. Not available, because the show doesn’t exist. . . YET. I’ll see my vision come alive someday!

Now, I could end this post with some spiel about happily ever after, feeling Happy instead of Grumpy or Dopey, or sprinkling fairy dust, etc., but instead, I’ll end it in typical Monday fashion with. . . a giveaway! Please leave a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win a Little Mermaid on Broadway Snow Globe! It plays “Part of Your World.” It snows, even if there’s no snow under the sea!

It’s magic, see?

And we’ve got even more magic this week. If you subscribe to our RSS feed, you’ll be given 3 additional entries – that’s a total of FOUR chances to win this gorgeous Little Mermaid Snow Globe. Just subscribe, then come back and let us know in the comments that you did.

Giveaway ends Sunday, 11/23/08, 11:59pm ET.

It’s a Colorful Life

carli — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:05:17 +0000

To me, there are two types of art supplies: Crayola, and the ones that are all waxy and gross and break very easily. And Crayola’s got some great new products out. We here at Present Professor really like the new True-to-Life markers (also available as crayons and pencils).There are three colors per tip and it just requires a slight angling of the marker to get different, but complementary colors. The crayons are “speckled” with three complementary colors mixed together. They’re nice for coloring large spaces like landscapes or ocean waves. I’d definitely recommend these for any age child, except for babies, because babies are really into drawing pretentious experimental murals, and I’m kind of so over that kind of art.

There’s also a new twist to the good ol’ box of 64–you know, the one with the sharpener on the built right into the box. This new set features eight new “kids’ choice” colors, such as “Purple Mountain Majesty,” and “I’m Cranky So I’m Throwing This Mac And Cheese Against the Wall Orange.” (Wait, that last one might not might have made the final cut.)

And since today is Monday, we’re giving away a box of the new 64s and a set of Crayola No-Drip Paint Brush Pens. To win, just leave a comment below. Then color yourself a star, and wish upon it.

Update: Congratulations to Sarah, our winner of this week’s prize. Happy coloring!