Longtime fans of Seattle's Archie McPhee look forward to the annual catalog and this year marks the 40th anniversary edition. This purveyor of perverse items applies wacky themes to fun form-factors to make their kooky creations. "Squeezy/squishie" + "poultry" results in the "Deluxe Rubber Chicken" (and there's "Emotional Support Chicken" and "Champion Rubber Chicken" versions, too.) Other classic combinations are "Bacon Bandages," "Handerpants™" (fingerless gloves that look like mini underpants), and "Crazy Cat Lady® Action Figure."
This year's new form factor? Itty Bitties: rack card-bagged assortments of tiny toys. Choose from Itty Bitty Axolotls, Itty Bitty Trophies, Itty Bitty Bigfoots, and yes, even Itty Bitty Rubber Chickens. Plenty more online at:
You can visit the flagship Archie McPhee store in Seattle with even more wacky weirdness than in the catalog. Don't miss the World's Largest Rubber Chicken! (I remember their original 80s'era store filled with mostly odd lot, overrun, and surplus items—and a tiki-themed in-house coffee bar! I felt like I had achieved true success as an independent toy inventor when I found surplus parts from a game I designed offered for sale at Archie McPhee alongside the Smoking Monkeys and Punching Nun puppets.) Can't make it in person? Check out this on-line collection of historic Archie McPhee catalogs:
And here's Archie McPhee's own 40th anniversary video:
