Posted in Sparks in the wild, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Whale of a time

Struggling to find a gift for that man or woman who has everything? Searched all the usual gift shops and online retailers? Want something unique, that will impress and make you stand out from the crowd? Then allow me to introduce The Killer Whale Submarine. For a lazy $100k, your friends (well, two of them at a time) can hop on board this “watercraft that breaches and submerges just like the Orcinus orca after which it is designed”.

The pilot (let’s call him Cap’n Ahab) pulls the levers to roll and dive, apparently “enabling realistic behaviors such as porpoising or skyhopping”. This “whale” can hydroplane up to 50 miles per hour over the water’s surface and cruise up to 25 miles per hour while submerged. The “dorsal fin” includes a snorkel that ensures air supply (to a limited depth) and also features a built-in camera, whose images are displayed on the LSD screen in Cap’n Ahab’s cockpit.

I am still not sure that this isn’t a cruel April Fool’s joke from the good people at Hammacher Schlemmer, but if you have $100k spare and have always wanted either a whale or a submarine, you can investigate further here.

Posted in Home sparks, WWWhat?

Sit down, pet

Sometimes mainstream furniture doesn’t quite cut it. You’re looking for more of a statement piece – something that you won’t see in the lounge rooms of all of your nearest and dearest. Or perhaps you’re just no good with an allen key, which rules out the array of flat-packs that magically turn into real-life furniture (give or take a few extra screws). Or maybe you fancy a life like Old McDonald, rather than a cramped studio apartment in the city. Or you’re bored with your pet mouse and want the company of a new furry friend. Whatever the reason, you should check out this range of animal chairs/stools from Japan.

There are a range of different animals in the collection (from the farm to the jungle, via the forest) and they hold up to 80kg in weight. So you could sit on a donkey, giraffe, zebra or elephant (and a deer…at least I think it’s a deer). But I like this cow – it is cute and the Fresian markings are actually a map of the world, which is pretty cool. However, please note that, as in real life, adults shouldn’t sit on the small cow stools – it will not end well.

Want to moove (sorry, couldn’t help it) some of these into your home? Check out the collection on the Matomeno site here.

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Too cool for school

These amazing fine art prints from Angela Rossi in LA make me laugh. Out loud. (See kids, we used to say it like that before you lazied it into LOL.) With the animal tops perfectly matched to the old American yearbook bodies, you can just imagine these dudes roaming the halls of the local high school back in the day. Not wishing to stereotype, but I reckon Andrea the Giraffe (all animals named by the artist, I have just interpreted the characteristics) would be the studious library-at-lunchtime geek; Hunter the Hound is either smoking in the bathroom or saying dopey things at the back of the classroom; Ryan the Raccoon is the cool jock (with a beard); Timmy the Alpaca would be all about music/drama/dahnce; Heather the Persian Cat would be the uptight teacher’s pet and Rachelle the Cockatoo would just be annoying (with a cute blonde ponytail).

Check out more cool prints, plates and postcards at Angela’s etsy shop Beat Up Creations.