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What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we read a 1967 Playboy interview with Orson Welles about his experiences as a  fortune-teller. We discovered 100 things to do when you’re stuck inside. We previewed Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal written by the late puppeteer’s daughter, Lisa. We saw the world’s largest coven of… Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we readied to play a Vice-Presidential debate drinking game. We talked about why Seinfeld still matters. We prepared for Kraken Awareness Day. We got interstellar with Michael Benson’s amazing photos of the cosmos. We admired an incredible Lego Batcave. We discussed the… Read More

Design

10 Bizarre Interiors Inspired by Pop Culture

By Claire Cottrell on

Vanna Bonta, the space traveling author, award-winning poet, and notable inventor of the lovesuit to promote sex in space and other similarly weightless environments, keenly observed that “popularity is not an indication of quality.” Case in point: Pikachu-inspired cars and engagement photos ala The Phantom Menace. We’re now adding over the top interiors to our growing list of unfortunate achievements by pop culture aficionados the world over. From an exact recreation of the Starship Enterprise’s famous flight deck in a London flat to a baby’s nursery inspired by The Dharma Initiative from Lost, click through to check out some of the most bizarre interiors that take obsession to another level entirely. … Read More

Photography

In the Dollhouse: The Less Than Perfect Life of Barbie and Ken

By Emily Temple on

Have you ever wished you could live in Barbie’s dollhouse, perfect Ken at your side? Well, it might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Vancouver-based photographer Dina Goldstein is known for work that challenges the conventional conceptions of the feminine ideal, like her dramatic Fallen Princesses series, which dramatizes the modern day plight of those Disney princesses we all know and love. Thanks to Lost at E Minor, we recently discovered another one of her projects, In the Dollhouse, which imagines the less than perfect lives of B & K, who may have a few too many interests in common. Cheeky and clever at first, the photo story takes a dark turn as Barbie starts to crack from the strain of living in a loveless marriage — even in her hot pink dream house. … Read More

Pop Culture

Wanted: Barbie Dolls Made Over as the Women from ‘Mad Men’

By Emily Temple on

When Mattel came out with their Mad Men collectible Barbies back in 2010, we were impressed with their historical accuracy, but a little less than satisfied with their accessories. Lucky for us, New York-based photographer Michael Williams of My Life in Plastic has modified a series of Barbie dolls (and one Skipper for Sally, of course) decked out with all the toys you’d expect — and some we couldn’t believe. Case in point: Betty Draper comes with whipped cream and a scale, and Joan has her own “illegitimate bastard carriage.” Harsh but fair, you guys. Click through to check out this great collection of modded Mad Men barbies, and let us know who else you’d like to see in the comments. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we were amused that it took a team of MIT scientists to get ketchup out of a bottle. We read what the Walkmen had to say about their latest, Heaven. We saw new Banksy. We got up to speed on Facebook’s phone graveyard. We… Read More

Art

Strange and Surreal Paintings Starring Little Girls’ Toys

By Judy Berman on

It’s like Hieronymous Bosch with Barbies, or a horror movie starring beloved little girls’ toys. Those are the kinds of comparisons that come to mind when perusing the paintings of Ewelina Koszykowski, a Poland-born, New York City-based artist whose Immaculate Deception series places dolls and My Little Pony toys (and sometimes hybrids of both) in strange and disconcerting contexts. In one, dozens of undressed Barbies dance menacingly in the dark, at the feet of an apparently sleeping human. Another finds a nude woman with bird features and a cloud of keys for a head praying against a background of torn pony wallpaper, crumpled fast food containers and doll heads littering the floor. Click through to take a look at Immaculate Deception, which we discovered via This Isn’t Happiness, and visit Koszykowski’s website for more of her work. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds In Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we browsed a list of canceled TV shows for the 2011-2012 season — and there are many. We survived a tweet-by-tweet update of the National Zoo’s artificial insemination of panda Mei Xiang. We listened to a dark remix of the song of the summer (you know which … Read More

Photography

The Weirdest Thing You’ll See Today: Photos of Barbie and Ken in Real Life

By Caroline Stanley on

The fact that Hayden Wood spent six years working as a creative retoucher and graphic artist for Ogilvy in New Zealand is evident in his series Living Dolls, which takes a real life man and woman and manipulates them both into waxy-looking plastic people. Gazing into those creepy, dead eyes makes that childhood dream of having your dolls magically spring to life suddenly seem a lot less appealing, right? Click through to check out a selection of photos from the project, and be sure to let us know in the comments if this Vancouver-based photographer’s work makes you do a double take too. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds In Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we confirmed that cats are more popular than Jesus. We feared the bacon sundae. We browsed a celebrity Barbie gallery in honor of her birthday. (She’s 52!) We listened to John Cleese talk about making our lives more creative. We found out why the price of… Read More