Oooh look at al the bunnies they have!

Helives: are those like olives?

Why on earth would a Christian want to suck on a lollipop that is symbolic of their prophet/crazyman's instrument of execution?

OMG HORRIFIC BUNNY OF DOOM!

I want the jellybeans that say God on them. I want a huge ginormous bowl full of God Beans. Mmmmmm, mmmm good. Brings new meaning to transubstantiation, ya know?

Rubber angel duckys! (This site is fun... like a red-state Archie McPhee)

The Oriental Trading Co. is a trip. And kind of depressing. I don't know about anyone else, but I can turn page after page going "Holy crap, who buys all this stupid, worthless shit? And what poor bastard has to make it?" and getting all judgemental and then the very next page I'm thinking "ZOMG. 4 dozen count blinky LED superballs in clear flourescent rubber w/ bat-shaped glitter!! 9.99!!"

At which point I'm glad I don't have a credit card.

who buys all this stupid, worthless shit

Umm...moms throwing parties for five year olds. Aunts in charge of hosting the family Easter Egg Hunt/Pinata Smash. Mothers of pre-schoolers who need to bring in non-candy treats for Halloween, Christmas, Valentines and Easter parties.

That is to say, me. I love them and their crazy shit.

That is to say, me. I love them and their crazy shit.

I know. Sorry. I tried to indicate and profess my annoyance with myself for being judgemental, as well as enthuse that I too would buy some of the stuff they have in there.

A lot of it just rubs me the wrong way as things that are indicative of possibly malfunctioning consumerist society. I really, really do feel bad for the people who make that stuff. There's a lot of that bulk plastic goods stuff that's made in less than ideal conditions. Simple nickle toys you'd think would be entirely machine made may be hand painted and made in archaic manual mold tools.

There are (or were) stores that deal in this kind of stuff, too. Party supply stores, or larger stationary stores sometimes have an isle of grab bag goodies. I grew up near a decent sized independent stationary store. They had an isle of OTC-like stuff, mostly the smaller toy items. We quickly figured out it was much cheaper to get a whole handful of superballs or whatever there than it was to get just a few at supermarkets or vending machines.


There's apparently a huge, huge store in the NYC area dedicated entirely to weird plastic things. Not so much toys and trinkets, but more things like styrofoam shapes or plexiglass cubes and other shapes and extrusions and piping and sheets and all manner of odd bits and pieces. Apparently it's real popular with art students, sculpters, modellers and architects.

Oh, I used to go to that store - Canal Plastics! When I was an art student, yup, and I still probably have some of the weird little smooth shiny plexi shapes I got there. Definitely have some of the art I made with them, although it turns out that hot glue has no long term sticking abilities which has meant that my sculpture oeuvre was more brevis than longa.

We sell some OTC stuff here in the gift shop - glow balls and stuff like that - it really is a wholesale place for general junk. I know it's all evil, consumerist, slave manufactured - but god, I love it, and I always want to order piles of shiny glowing bouncing stuff. I usually manage to stop myself, although I think I really have to get those jellybeans & lollipops for Easter. Their most recent spate of religious stuff is just so amazingly tacky, I mean so much worse than usual, that I find it irresistably funny.

I wasn't offended at all loq. No need to apologize. It's crap--pure and simple.

My favorite tacky thing we ever got from them were these kits that made nativity scenes out of foam marshmallows and stood on a foam graham cracker and chocolate bar. The baby Jesus was a mini marshmallow. My sister and I had our kids make them and then distributed them to only our most religious and most atheist relatives.

And we still can't throw a marshmallow into a cup of hot chocolate without saying, "Where's your messiah now?"

jrossi, have I mentioned today that I love you? Because I do, oh so very much.