Fisher Price Little People Nativity

I don't remember how long ago I made this Nativity Scene, but it's Fisher Price Little People in a Nativity Scene. Since making this, Fisher Price has made their own version with the new Little People, and it's durn cute. Still, I like this version. Enjoy!

Backdrop: a stable with an inn on the right, and the surprisingly lush hills of Judea on the left.

A blurry picture of Baby Jesus. In a manger. Which manger caused one of the few arguments between me and my wife. Because we'll fight over Sacred Farm Implements, but won't fight over things like bills and funeral arrangements.

Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus. You need to include the "Baby" part.

Two shepherds in from the Hills, and the biggest sheep you ever done seen.

Three Wise Men, including Mr. Hooper. And who's to say he wasn't? He was able to ease Bert and Ernie's pain on Christmas Eve with some paper clips and a rubber duck; he could bring the frankincense!

Three angels. But not Charlie's Angels. Although that's not a bad idea for an update...

The whole scene good to go. Can you hear the choirs singing? In your head? Out of your head?

Other visitors come to adore the babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Including Marge Simpson, Gilligan, a Sleestak, the Scarecrow (Wizard of Oz, not Batman Villain), the White Rabbit, Darth Maul, Bender, R2-D2, Batman and Bullwinkle. Everyone needs redemption. Even Sleestaks.

Merry Christmas!

Muppet Snowman

In my opinion, the best Muppet merchandise to ever come out is the long-running series of action figures from Palisades Toys. They managed to make every major character from The Muppet Show in the span of a few years, and were able to make many minor ones as well. As always with an obsession, it wasn't enough for me, so I had to make others. Usually I'd take an existing action figure and make changes to it by cutting parts off, resculpting pieces out of Sculpey polymer clay, and then repainting the figure. A few times the new character's shape didn't fit an existing figure, so I'd try to make an entire figure from "scratch," out of Sculpey.

Is it cold enough out there for ya?

That's the case with this figure, a Muppet Snowman. He had a major part in the Muppet Family Christmas, where Fozzie Bear built him as the perfect comedy partner. He was funny, he made Fozzie funnier, and eventually ended up stealing some of Fozzie's thunder. Or snow. Or something. You can also see him for a split second in A Muppet Christmas Carol, when he dances a little jig during a verse of a song...up until his head falls off. Cute? Disturbing? Both?

I'd make a joke here about "snowballs," but that's too easy.

Really, he's a fairly simple figure, but I think he turned out well. Palisades would have done a better job with texture and durability, but for a little snowman made out of clay, I like him.

Snowman and Fozzie Bear, entertaining the troops. If the troops are penguins.

Merry Christmas!

LEGO: Gotham Allies

When LEGO first announced they'd be coming out with Batman playsets, minifigures, and video games, I figured it was too good to be true. They made some great sets, many of Batman's worst villains, and some of his allies like Butler Alfred Pennyworth, Nightwing (the "old Robin") and the new Robin.

But it wasn't enough. The toy line only lasted two years, which wasn't enough time to make all of the characters that were demonizing and defending Gotham City, so I had to take matters into my own hands. The first ally I made was one of my favorites, Commissioner James Gordon. Commissioner Gordon has been Batman's closest friend since forever, manning the Bat-signal from atop police headquarters. How could LEGO not make him. My first attempt just had Jim in a bow tie and suspenders; he ended up looking like an old Jimmy Olsen more than Gotham's police chief. I also made his daughter, Barbara Gordon. She used to be Batgirl--after a run-in with the Joker left her paralyzed, she kept fighting crime as the computer genius Oracle. I need to make a better wheelchair for her, and that shirt she's wearing, which was supposed to be a kind of sexy look, is more muffintop than I expected. She'll get an upgrade someday.

Commissioner Gordon (v 1.0) and Oracle

So I updated Commissioner Gordon, giving him a long tie instead of a bowtie. I still like his moustache and glasses, so I left those alone. Ideally, he'd be wearing a trenchcoat, but since LEGO hasn't ever made one of those, and I don't want to restrict his movement too much, I'll keep him in shirtsleeves for now. Alongside him is the new Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. She's got a black cowl and facemask that entirely covers her face, so that part was easy; I gave her a more slinky utility belt and an updated Bat-logo, more like what she wears in the comics--a sort of hand-stitched looking costume.

Updated Commissioner Gordon with Batgirl

The final Bat-ally for now is Huntress, a more ruthless version of Batgirl who happens to be a school teacher during the day. Getting to take out her frustrations on punk kids by beating them after-hours sounds pretty good sometimes--no wonder she's so brutal. Her purple and black costume was pretty easy to make--simply a Severus Snape body from Harry Potter, with Dumbledore's purple cape. I added a large crucifix to her costume (a big part of the character at the time) and painted a mask on her li'l face. She turned out well, and I like her as an addition to the "set." There will be other additions to this set as I go on--new characters like Red Robin, Damian Wayne, and Misfit would all be easy enough to make. But this will do for now.

Huntress and Commissioner Gordon in front of Batman, Robin, and Nightwing

Fisher Price Cartoon: Family Dinner

Cartoons about Fisher Price Little People and why that mad-faced boy is so mad.

Rubber Duckie in Germany 1993-94

Getting launched out of a cannon near Heidelberg

For all of 1993 and 1994 I was living in Germany. It was an amazing time to be there, and I learned a lot about the German language, people and culture. I also learned a lot about my Rubber Duckie, and that he enjoys being put into pictures. He's always got a nice smile, doesn't blink when the flash goes off, and fits nicely into hands of statues, the mouths of cannons, and just otherwise makes the already scenic more scenic. I went back to Germany in 2008 and took Rubber Duckie with me again; there will be a "Rubber Duckie in Germany 2008" post someday.

With a lovely lady in the gardens of the palace in Karlsruhe

On the banks of the Rhine River...just before he fell in, and I had to go in after him. Stupid duck.

Perched on a curious statue in Marienplatz, beneath Heidelberg Castle.

Looking out from Burg Frankenstein, just outside of Darmstadt.

M*A*S*H Fisher Price Little People

One of the ways I know I've been successful in capturing the feel of a television series or movie when I'm making Fisher Price Little People is that, as I'm nearing the completion of the characters, I'll get the theme music for that show in my head. Today, as I've been rephotographing the Little People set from M*A*S*H, I've got that song in my head. "Suicide is Painless" might be the most depressing lyrics for a sitcom, but M*A*S*H wasn't your typical sitcom. It was one that I didn't "get" as a child, but my parents loved--by the time it went off the air, I was just starting to understand both the humorous and tragic moments in that great series. It was a great show. And it's in syndication all over the place, so at least at certain times of day, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a rerun.

Margaret, Hawkeye, BJ, Winchester

Because M*A*S*H ran for so long and had so many different characters, I decided to pick a time period and stick to it. So I aimed for shortly after Major Winchester arrived. Margaret was less ditzy, Radar was still around, Klinger was still wearing dresses now and then, and BJ had his moustache.

These were great characters, and I think I've done them justice with this set. My favorite details are often the simplest ones--for the M*A*S*H sets it's the dog tags you can see on Hawkeye, BJ and Radar. There's nothing printed on them--they're just rounded silver rectangles--but for me, they're what makes the figures work. That and the stubble on Klinger's face and legs.

Klinger, Col. Potter, Radar, Father Mulcahy

I can see myself revisiting M*A*S*H and making a set representing an earlier season--with Trapper, Col. Blake, and Frank Burns. All are excellent characters, and Col. Blake's Indiana sweater and fishing hat are just begging to be rendered in Quinnarama's Little People form. And then we'll probably need Klinger in a different outfit. Maybe Gone With the Wind. And Margaret in pigtails. And then a little signpost. And a set of them in surgery gear. And a little "Swamp" playset, complete with a little still...man. I have problems.

The whole 4077th. For now.

Rubber Duckie at the Beach

For my 17th birthday, my little brother gave me a Rubber Duckie. He knew how much I love Sesame Street, and he since that moment, Rubber Duckie has gone with me on every trip I've been on. As a result, he's been to many places in North America and Europe that some of my own actual family members haven't been to, and I ended up with a habit of taking pictures of him in those places. This was before Flat Stanley or the Traveling Garden Gnome or some of the others. I have to assume they got the idea from me. Because I'm a superstar.

Rubber Duckie has been to a lot of places, but one thing that's pretty consistent with him is that he doesn't actually like the water. It probably goes back to an incident on the Rhine River when I almost lost the little guy--ever since, he hasn't really trusted water. Or me. He has nearly caused a few incidents, like when he was seen as a security threat in NYC, or when he made a security guard wet their pants in Washington DC, and I've gotten "the look" from several thousand people as I'm putting him into position near various landmarks. "The look" is basically, "what is that guy doing--oh. Oh. He has Special Needs. Don't stare, Beth--don't stare!"

These pictures are of Rubber Duckie on the beach at Del Mar, near San Diego. It's one of our favorite beach places to go as a family. We're about 800 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, but if we were closer, we'd totally be beach people. In between the water, the sun, and the sand...we can't stay away. Even Rubber Duckie splashed around a little bit. But not too much.

Reflections of a Duck

Each time we go to the beach, we build at least one super-sized sandcastle...this was Rubber Duckie's.

A duck's home is his castle. Or in this case, his castle is his home. More soon!