This oversized Rubik’s Cube sculpture in the exhibit Cars Are Beautiful perfectly captures Mr. Brainwash’s talent for transforming familiar cultural symbols into exuberant, large-scale spectacle. Constructed from thousands of tiny Matchbox cars — each meticulously painted to correspond with the iconic color blocks of the classic puzzle — the work fuses childhood nostalgia with pop-art bravado. From a distance, it reads instantly as the beloved brain teaser; up close, it dissolves into a dense mosaic of miniature automobiles, each one a self-contained object of desire. Continue reading Rubik’s Cube Sculpture Made of Matchbox Cars By Mr. Brainwash→
While wandering through the Museum of Modern Art last week, I noticed something unexpected in the gift shop: a new collectible Barbie inspired by what is arguably Vincent van Gogh’s most famous painting, The Starry Night. The doll felt perfectly placed, considering the original painting hangs just upstairs as part of MoMA’s permanent collection. Continue reading Yes, It Exists: Starry Night Barbie→
While strolling down Clinton Street on the Lower East Side recently, I passed a neighborhood bakery that I affectionately refer to as the “ghetto bakery” — mostly because the cakes in the window rarely look like anything you’d actually want to eat. Case in point: this Pink Barbie-themed Kids’ Birthday Cake. Continue reading Pink Thing of the Day: Barbie Birthday Cake (But… Why?)→
If you happened to visit the LEGO Store at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street last year, you might remember their spectacular tie-in display for the movie Wicked — complete with life-size LEGO sculptures of both Glinda and Elphaba. Earlier this year, I shared Glinda as a Pink Thing of the Day, but with the release of the new film Wicked: For Good (full disclosure: I haven’t seen either movie yet), it only seems right to give Elphaba her moment in the spotlight as well. Continue reading Life-Size LEGO Sculpture of Elphaba From Wicked→
This Sand Shark (Attack) Bar Puzzle by Janet Hill Studio (via the New York Puzzle Company) turns beachside bliss into a hilarious scene of seaside peril. The 500-piece puzzle depicts a whimsical beach bar shaped like the gaping jaws of a Megalodon, where carefree cocktail drinkers lean against the counter while shark fins slice through the sand around unsuspecting sunbathers. Look closely and you’ll even spot the flailing legs of an unlucky diver half-buried in the background! Equal parts cheeky and charming, this one’s sure to make puzzle time a splash.
Photographed in the Gift Shop at the Legendary Hotel Del Coronado, in San Diego.
