Now if only we had performance like this at my school.. I might actually have made the effort to learn to play a musical instrument. This performance featuring retro video game music from NES hits such as Zelda, Double Dragon and Mario was the winner of a High School percussion competition and you will realise why as soon as you hear the Mario theme tune drop half way. Retro video game music being recreated is a big hit at the moment and this is certainly one of the best so far.

Is this is a cross between animation and street art at its best? I think so. But how cool would it be if she could actually do that (maybe a new character for the awesome Heroes) [via Wooster Collective]

Ok so now since I’ve seen it all. I thought the Paper toys were wild when people started bringing those out but this is pretty interesting too! DGPH has come out with an inflatable version of their trademark mole character. Pretty cool. Sized at 12″ inches, its definitely a handful and full of air, its safe to assume its nice an light to throw about your room and put almost anywhere! Coming out in 4 screenprinted colorways, limited to only 100 each of those colors. They are also releasing….. white, or blank versions…. think about painting or printing on one of these! very very cool, but get yours quick as there will only be 50 of those released. Very cool indeed. To be released sometime in April.

Post by Sandman

… I wish I was there. (Still no news on when Spank Rock is playing next in the UK. Can anyone help me out?)

You may have noticed my love for cakes before (Check these out: Dalek cake, cartoon cakes, link cake, mario cake and video game cakes) so I was very excited to stumble across a new blog dedicated entirely to cakes based on video games. I am planning on creating mega retro gaming cake one day and this is the perfect place for inspiration. The few cakes on the site are mouth watering and I can not wait to see what other cakes GameCakes showcase.

I bet you have never seen Batman and Robin looking this cute. These 7″ rubber squeeze toys are from the late 70s and were designed to make these Superheroes into kiddie characters. It looks as though they never quite took off which is a shame as it would been great to have seen more superheroes in the style of these toys. More info over at the Bat Blog.

This Polish animation by Tomek Baginski is such a clever little animation that is has forced me to create a brand new category… the Urban Animation category. This new category will cover all kinds of modern day animation including Indie CGI animations, stop motion animation and any other cool animation videos. So enjoy the first entry titled “Fallen Art” as I guarantee it will leave you with a smile.

I’m loving these evil looking birds / penguins wall murals by The MFCP Crew. Its always good to see a bit of character in street art and this is a perfect example.
[link via MAiLmeART]

Phuek! has been in the vinyl scene for awhile now and I’m sure everyone who’s been around more than a short time has seen at least one of his customs. His amazingly detailed and well thought-out designs have had me in awe for awhile now, as they are not just customs, but almost new toys in and of themselves.. So it only makes sense that he finally is having his own production run done of a toy he’s designed! I’m sure you’ll all agree its looking great so far!

The toy is a mecha called p-77 and is being produced by Monolith Designs. It stands 6″ tall.

You can find out more about Phuek at his website.

Post by Sandman

In search of unique one-off pieces for your home? You know, those little things that become talking points and items you definitely know none of your mates have? It’s time to stop hunting around those retro clothing stores, vintage boutiques and car boot sales at the weekend and stay right where you are…..in front of your computer. The internet has officially become ‘the’ place to shop for original bespoke handmade items. For those of you who think I’m going to start talking about eBay, you obviously haven’t discovered Etsy (www.etsy.com) yet.

The US based website was set up by four designer friends just over a year ago and now represents 40,000 designer-makers worldwide who have 250,000 customers. It’s certainly a more stylish, user-friendly version of eBay and has an alternative, village-fete vibe to its proceedings. You can even commission one-offs via the Alchemy page. Just post specifications of what you’re after and wait for designers to respond to your brief. Better still, it’s been monumental in opening up access to a whole host of new worldwide design talent and has given lesser known designers the chance and facilities to sell their work and get it noticed.

Etsy isn’t the only website participating in this new phenomena though…check out these other great sites www.notonthehighstreet.com and www.misofunky.com.

Here are some of our favourite finds so far….

Retro rainbow lampshade by Hunkydory, www.etsy.com

Melted record bowl from www.misofunky.com

Hand painted image of Jimmy Hendrix by Clarkenbrown. www.notonthehighstreet.com

Emoticon magnets by Pillowhead. Hand embroidered, colourful and totally geeky. www.etsy.com

Mr and Mrs pillowcases by Twisted Tee from www.notonthehighstreet.com.

Post by Natalie