Happy Turn vs. Disco Girl
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2008 in Japanese TV
Is it me or does the model from this 1979 snack commercial for Happy Turn remind me of Roller Girl from the film Boogie Nights?
Oh, Ooh! It’s Little Lulu
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2008 in Comix
El Estratografico collects cropped Spanish comic book images and posts them to Flickr, I just love the Roy Lichtenstein quality of his picks. Shown above is Little Lulu in action…
Tom Corbett: Space Cadet Song and March
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
From the rocket fields of the academy! I wonder when the Sci Fi channel will do a remake of Tom Corbett: Space Cadet? Shown above is the cover for a 1951 record which features Mitchell Miller who would go onto fame in his own right with his Sing-Along with Mitch records in the 60s. As for Tom Corbett the TV series ran from 1950 until 1955 and inspired additional books, comics, a radio show and other goodies. I love the level of detail in the back cover of the record which shows you a typical space academy classroom:
And Up Next: Cesar Evangelista Bautista
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 29, 2008 in Comix
I just love the character designs above — you almost want to go out and party (or go on some magical quest) with the two of them. The credit for the artwork goes to Cesar Evangelista Bautista who is from Mexico City, México (check out his blog here).
Telepathy-Love
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 29, 2008 in Japanese TV
Shown above is a commercial featuring 70s J-Pop sensation Telepathy-Love, one of the many acts that rose up after the success of Pink Lady. Below is a fun album cover featuring the duo:
Album cover found via Kimberly Lindbergs, check out her cool sites: cinebeats.com, peppermintkisskiss.com and jsound.blogsome.com. I also got a kick out of her art and photography site.
Doc Ock Illustrated by Fernando León
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 28, 2008 in Comix
I love the whimsical quality in this illustration of Doctor Octopus by Fernando León who is from Tunja, Colombia.
Roarr! Gulp!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 28, 2008 in Comix
El Estratografico collects cropped Spanish comic book images and posts them to Flickr, I just love the Roy Lichtenstein quality of his picks. I love the artwork above, the primitive use of color makes it all the more fun…
Noriyoshi Ohrai: Stellar Star Wars Illustrations
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 28, 2008 in Star Wars
Noriyoshi Ohra is an amazing illustrator from Japan who does quite a bit of work related to the movies dating back the the 70s and covering every film from King Kong (the Jessica Lang remake) to Mad Max. However one of of his more interesting ongoing subjects is Star Wars, and there have been a number of amazing special edition books featuring his work aimed at Japanese fanboys (and fangurls too). What makes his work great is that it has a very strong painterly quality to it, you can see the brushstrokes at work throughout the canvas. His sense of color, lighting and sheer scale is also magical too. If you want to see more of his work check out this amazing article at starwars.com.
Hello Kitty Hokkaido Lavender Bear
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 28, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
I’m sorry I just couldn’t help myself! These two little plushies were just too cute to blog about. Anyway I’ll try not to let this happen again in the future…
Found via Sarah from Atlanta, GA!
Indiana Jones Sofubi
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 27, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
This set of vinyl Indiana Jones statues sort of reminds me of the Muppet Babies, but in a good way:
Indiana Jones Sofubi by PansonWorks
“When the new Indiana Jones movie bows on May 22, Indy isn’t a young man anymore. He’s an old guy. So what’s a toy producer to do? Make an old man toy or hearken back to an earlier time? The choice is obvious in Pansonworks’ upcoming Indiana Jones sofubi (soft vinyl) toy which features a fresh-faced adventurer and his wizened dad. Indy’s also sporting about a day’s worth of stubble on his chin.”
Get Your Ass to Mars!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 27, 2008 in Science
I say we skip the friggin moon! We’ve been there done that — time for something cooler:
NASA must look beyond the Moon
“Pressure is growing on NASA to speed up development of technologies that will allow astronauts to explore Mars, as envisioned by President George Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration. A new report echoes earlier concerns that sending astronauts to the Moon is dominating NASA’s agenda.”
Vintage Star Trek Medical Tricorder
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 26, 2008 in Star Trek
I just love the detailing on this vintage Star Trek replica, in fact I’d love to see some enterprising fanboys kitbash it with an iPod! But sadly you’ll have to wait October to play doctor:
Star Trek Original Series Medical Tricorder Replica
“Based on the classic 23rd century design, the electronic Tricorder features silver highlights over a black finish, as well as light and sound effects taken from the classic Star Trek series. Also included is the removable scanner accessory - perfect for your next away mission! ”