When artist Saul Steinberg visited Charles and Ray Eames in their Venice, CA office in 1950, he set out to do his trademark line drawings on lots of different surfaces,… Read the rest of the article: When artist Saul Steinberg drew upon the Eames chair—literally

Fresh from his "success" in the titular outcome of HBO's hit show, Matthew Macfadyen's latest–an import from the UK–is a dramedy series about failure. Based on an actual government minister… Read the rest of the article: Sad that HBO's Succession ended? Check out Matthew "Wambsgans" Macfadyen in Stonehouse

Maybe you are one of the people who can't resist taking a small souvenir rock from the Petrified Forest National Park in Northeast Arizona. It's so pretty and colorful; surely… Read the rest of the article: Book about the "bad luck" incurred taking souvenir rocks from National Parks

I love how this "salaryman" eraser look so worried. He starts out with a full hear of hair, but with every mistake you erase, he loses a little more of… Read the rest of the article: Salaryman pencil eraser loses some hair with every mistake

It's sad that a few years ago MAD magazine folded (and I don't mean Al Jaffee's insanely clever last page). There are no more new issues with fresh material as… Read the rest of the article: MAD's Mort Drucker back on newsstands

"He Walked By Night" is a 1948 film noir classic based on the real-life exploits of Los Angeles area burglar and killer Erwin "Machine Gun" Walker. Sure, there are plenty… Read the rest of the article: Classic 40s film noir "He Walked By Night" showcased talent that would go on to big things in the 60s

As I continue to read the trades for you I find in the latest issue of edplay, ("Dedicated to the Specialty Toy Industry") an article about yet another criticism of… Read the rest of the article: Educator: Dr. Seuss book "stresses" kids by making change their responsibility

Harry Shearer isn't the only one who "reads the trades for you." All the latest trends in the candle, greeting card and gift industries are in the May '23 issue… Read the rest of the article: Slogans on everything is the gift trend of summer

Lucky Chicagoland pop culture fans and tchotchke collectors can go see the latest show at the Museum of Science and Industry: Mold-A-Rama: Molded for the Future! The story of the… Read the rest of the article: Mold-A-Rama showcases the history of plastic figurines

Harry Bradley is dead at 84. When Mattel was developing their new 1/64th scale die cast toy cars in the 60's, they sought a professional car designer from Detroit to… Read the rest of the article: Hot Wheels car designer Harry Bradley dead at 84

American Bystander brings you Michael Gerber's excellent essay on sick humor. Gerber reflects on the recent death of "sick" cartoonist Sam Gross and the rise (and fall?) of the genre… Read the rest of the article: Is sick humor dead?

Seattle area gallery Roq La Rue is celebrating its 25th year of presenting Pop Surrealism and lowbrow art. Kirsten Anderson has tirelessly promoted the genre by creating the gallery, curating… Read the rest of the article: Meet lowbrow art maven Kirsten Anderson

Not among the short list of famous female drummers (which would include Shelia E, Karen Carpenter, Cindy Blackman Santana, Velvet Underground's Maureen Tucker, etc.) is the name of a female… Read the rest of the article: Meet the first famous female rock&roll drummer

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity and the Eames Ranch aren't open right now, but you can still enjoy the on-line collection of virtual exhibits.  Many people think of the… Read the rest of the article: A look at the other Eames

One of most popular die cast vehicles ever was the coronation coach of Queen Elizabeth II from 1953. It sold over a million units and gave UK toymaker Lesney (and… Read the rest of the article: Can King Charles' coronation coach compare to Matchbox's die-cast classic?

The amazingly prolific artist and long-time contributor to MAD magazine Al Jaffee is dead at 102. Al Jaffee, the ingenious Mad magazine illustrator who was as adept at creating wacky… Read the rest of the article: MAD artist Al Jaffee dies at 102

Avuncular inventor Tim Hunkin of Cabaret Mechanical Theater and Exploratorium fame shares his explanatory videos of mechanical stuff. His latest is "Secret Life of Components — Pneumatics," a witty and… Read the rest of the article: Unlock the mysteries of pneumatic components with inventor's whimsical & ingenious mechanical clock automaton

That incredible show at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is completely sold out…but there are more Vermeers to see beyond its walls, and there's a terrific documentary from 2017, which aired… Read the rest of the article: The Rijksmuseum's Vermeer show is sold out. Here's one you CAN see

Here's a new interview with 102-year-old toy inventor Eddy Goldfarb. He's easily my favorite toy designer (for inventing the Mattel Vac•U•Form), but maybe you have a different favorite classic toy?… Read the rest of the article: Who is your favorite toy inventor?

I seek out good bookstores wherever I travel, and really good ones that specialize in commix/art/illustration can be hard to find. Cool places like Meltdown in LA are gone, but… Read the rest of the article: A good bookstore in Torrance, California