Pinoy Blog Mascots *** Check out the juicy updates as of 05/30/07 ***

This post is a collection of blogs that I admire because of the blogger’s:
1. Passion and love for designer toys,
2. Travel “gnome” inspired by the 2001 movie Amelie where she brings her father’s gnome in her travels.
3. Cosplay (costume-play) Characters

Please share with me if you came across interesting blogs with their own “mascots” (for the lack of a better term).

Title: Mistula’s Uno (www.mistula.com/uno/) by Joey

I’m amazed at this so called Ball Jointed Dolls (some call it Asian Ball Jointed Dolls) or BJDs for short. It costs at a minimum P30,000 a piece and Joey of Mistula is the first pinoy to have a BJD in the Philippines aptly called Uno. You have to buy it straight from the manufacturers from Korea or Japan. To date, Joey would have 4-6 BJDs already and you can see her dolls in her Mistula.Com Uno site. The dolls are 2 feet tall and looks creepy according to Nina and I would have to agree from the photos on the blog.

What are Ball-jointed dolls (BJDs) or Asian Ball-jointed Dolls (ABJDs)? They are realistically proportioned dolls, usually manufactured in east Asian countries (primarily South Korea and Japan). These dolls are fully articulated with ball joints at the appropriate locations on their bodies. These dolls are fully poseable and customizable, with removable wigs, eyes, hands, feet and heads. Many different variations are available. Clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories are also available. Much like collectable porcelain dolls, BJDs are often collected by adults. Like many vinyl baby dolls, they are often anatomically correct.

Ball-jointed dolls follow a traditional Asian view in their aesthetics. The designs are diverse and range from anime-inspired to the hyper-realistic. They are often considered to be collectors items. Many owners assign their dolls to a certain personalized character, and they are sometimes used as subjects of artistic works, such as photography.

Title: Be@r Brick Love (bearbricklove.blogspot.com) by Juan Ariel Comia

What is a be@rbrick? “Be@rbrick is a collectible toy designed and produced by MediCom Toy Incorporated. The name is derived from the fact that the figure is a cartoon-style representation of a bear, and that it is a variation of MediCom’s Kubrick design. The @ sign in the place of the letter a is a visual device that is a part of the Be@rbrick brand, and as such, a trademark of MediCom Toy.”

It is fascinating to see the different kinds of cute little bears which resembles a Lego bear. This young blog is dedicated to Ariel’s love for these little creatures and his own personal Be@rBrick collection. I like the way he creates stories out of each be@rbrick complimented by a well composed portrait. I actually wanted to buy one after reading Ariel’s blog, especially if there would be a Pinoy be@rbrick version.

Title: Teenage Kicks (isabetlog.multiply.com) by Isabelle Ramos

Here is an interesting concept which provides a fitting tribute to the “Tabo” as a symbol of pinoy culture. Being a part of NU 107, she has the privileged to interact with artists and she was able to convince them to have a creative pose with the “Tabo”. I like the Nina Sandejas blowing Tabo pose. I wonder what was her inspiration for this Tabo series. I wish I could meet her someday and probably have Aidan pose with the Tabo too.

It started out as a conversation on toilets and bathrooms between Kage Gozun (kagey.multiply.com) and Millie’s random-conversations-about-bathrooms. This was the blog post that gave life to the whole group: What do you do with a tabo?! This gave birth to the legion of tabo travelers.

Title: Where in the World is Spiderman? (spiderman.kwentongtambay.com) by Batjay

This spiderman “gnome” has been to more countries than I do. This is probably one of the longest running “gnome” pinoy blog which started 3 years ago (June 2004). Since this is a Batjay’s blog, you should expect to see funny poses of spiderman and sometimes, rated R kind of poses. I wanted to have a similar companion for all my travels in the Philippines but I’m still waiting for someone to give me a travel “gnome”.

Title: Pinky:St Sumire/Sayuri (www.flickr.com/photos/nina/) by Nina The Evil One

“June 21 marks the day I owned my first Pinky. Sayuri, a PK010 Sumire, shares a birthday with my cousin. I chose this Pinky because of the five other Pinkies available in the store, she is the most similar to me.” — Nina

I got introduced to the world of Pinky:St by Nina whom I met in one of our Pampanga Trips. These girls are really cute, check out the complete list of Pinky:Pix.

What is a Pinky:St?
“Pinky:St, also written Pinky Street, are plastic (Polyethylene Terephthalate) figures designed by BabySue and manufactured by the Japanese company Vance Project. Currently 14 regular Pinky Street dolls and an accessory set have been released (a second set has been given an August 2007 release date), as well as repaints. Repaints are differentiated from the original-color releases by sequential lettering (e.g., the first repaint for the first doll is referred to as 1A, the second repaint as 1B, etc.) The figures are compatible with 1:18 scale dollhouses, furniture, vehicles and accessories.

” A unique feature of the Pinky Street dolls is interchangeable parts. The heads, hair styles, clothing and accessories can be easily switched between figures according to taste. Beyond the base sets available for purchase, the figures also enjoy an active customization community. Pinky garage kits are also available. ” (wikipedia)

Title: Curry puff, lah ! (www.flickr.com/photos/currypuff/) by Khursten Santos

Her flickr site is dedicated to her Pinky collection and I must say the photography is really good. Check out the Greenbelt Park series and how I wish that I would also have a doll model for my photos…

Title: Merlin’s Adventure (www.flickr.com/photos/via/) by Happy Via

” Inspired by the movie Amelie and her father’s gnome, I’ve created this gallery of my favorite stuffed toy — Merlin, the spotted owl (aka Spotto). He loves to travel! He was given by a good friend of mine, Mavi! He, unfortunately, doesn’t have a picture with her.” – Happy Via.

Via is a pinoy based in the US and I met her when she was on vacation in the Philippines. I think Merlin’s adventure was only limited to the U.S. and I hope someday that she would bring Merlin to see the wonderful sights in the Philippines.

Title: Miss McDonalds (miss-mcdonald.livejournal.com) by Genie Ranada

Whatever happened to Miss McDonalds? I was fortunate to see her last exhibit in SFA (Store for All Seasons) but I never really got a chance to meet her personally. This was a blogosphere favorite in 2005 and I was wondering if the McDonalds franchise decided to pursue a case against her. Please share any insider scoop on what really happened with Miss McDonalds?

Title: Aidanacious (http://aidanacio.us) by Our Awesome Planet

As for me, Mila is right, I have Aidan as my travel companion. He actually has a photoblog of his own maintained through the love and dedication of his mom. If most people would have physical albums, Aidan has a photoblog ever since he was born. I do hope we will be able to maintain it as long as possible.