architextures: Goofy Gadgets

Monday, June 2, 2008

Goofy Gadgets

This next company, Kikkerland, has so many awesome things I wouldn't even know how to blog about them all. So I'll try to narrow this down to the best of it. For the rest, you'll just have to go look around their site, which I recommend. I had a grin on my face the whole time I was looking around their booth.

This one fell into the "Too Busy" category and from what I could overhear without eavesdropping, it sounded like the guy was talking to a potential retailer. Since no cards or anything were laid out, I had to kind of butt into their conversation to ask for some literature. It was only the one guy handling the booth, though, so I'm not holding that against him.

Basically, they're just selling a bunch of funny little clever household objects. Of course I appreciate the designers who can make our lives more beautiful, I think that goes without saying, but this is a company devoted to making our lives more fun, and that's every bit as important.

The pictures are a little on the small side. Hopefully you can see them okay. Some stuff for your office--this is a Battery Eater:

When your batteries are dying, this robot will eat the last remaining juice, which makes its eyes flash.

Here's a USB Hub Man:

Bone paperclips in a food dish:

And I think this is so clever, rubber-bands in the shapes of things:

I love this because the recipient of the package wouldn't even know it wasn't a normal rubber-band until s/he unwrapped it and went to discard the rubber-band.

And here's a clock that looks like a solid block of wood, except that the LED numbers shine through it:

Then there's some items for your kitchen/ bar--here's a Bottle Cap Eater:

ARGH!

They had this at the show, it's a cube cocktail jigger with different volumes on each face:

Some coasters--warnings about drinking too much:

And a puzzle:

These are stainless steel, so put together, they can be used as a trivet, also. Multiple uses is good. It also appears that you could put together groups of eight/ twelve/ however many you want.

Tiny classical urns for your herb garden:

And speaking of gardens, here's a little deer, about eight inches high, for your lawn:

Moving on to stuff just for playing--here's a do-it-yourself music box, where you punch out whatever song you want, and it will play it for you:

They say this would be a great gift for a musician, and I agree.

Here are "invisible" playing cards:

They have a glow-in-the-dark invisible deck, too.

These votive candle holders were at the show, and I think they're completely awesome--backyard chimney:

Campfire:

Oil Drum:

I think that's hysterical.

And I feel like I've seen this before, but I still think it's great--a "Don't" ashtray:

Lastly, some stuff for when you're out and about--compasses for specific cities:

They have Boston, San Francisco, and NYC, too. I showed DC, though, because the NYC one just says "Eastside," "Uptown," etc. which I think is a little less interesting.

And some great keychains--a ghost: