The vibes around Pokémon Champions have been mostly bad for a number of reasons since it launched today, but really I should have caught onto how much of a disappointment the Switch battle simulator would be right when I booted up the game and it handed me the absolute most sauceless Pokémon trainer this side of the Paldea region.
Barbie Botox, also referred to as Traptox, has become a sensation on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where it has garnered millions of views over the last three years.
"If I can dream it, then I can do it; I've got my girls with me, there's nothing to it," Fifth Harmony sang in their official Barbie anthem, 'Anything Is Possible.' Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be true for attendees of Barbie Dream Fest, which is currently running in Fort Lauderdale, FL, from March 27-29. Fans are comparing the event to notorious convention disasters like the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience, DashCon, and Fyre Fest.
Inside, the garage is warm and bright. Fluorescent lights hum overhead. Sunlight slips through a single window and lands on the curve of a long gray-and-orange racetrack. The thirty-three feet of plastic run nearly the length of the space, perched on folding tables and reinforced with wooden rails and black mesh safety netting.
Journey426 is a Chinese toy photographer and custom figure artist with a focus on Dragon Ball Z, Berserk, and other anime/game collectibles, creating hyperrealistic setups and custom paint jobs that make plastic figures look like professional photography subjects.
In 1841, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. The Amistad, ruled 7-1 in favor of a group of illegally enslaved Africans who were captured off the U.S. coast after seizing control of a Spanish schooner, La Amistad. The justices ruled that the Africans should be set free.
The hottest toy of 1998 was sort of adorable, and sort of annoying. It couldn't do much - couldn't do anything, really - but it could look at you, it could say some nonsense phrases, and it seemed uncannily aware of the world around it. That's all Furby needed to pretty much take over the world.
Both LABUBU and Sanrio have passionate fanbases, and this partnership engages collectors and fans alike, blending timeless Sanrio appeal with the playful mischief that has made LABUBU a global icon.
It was fun, as Pokopia got nearer to release, watching people realize that the human-looking character you're playing in this Animal Crossing-meets-Viva Pinata game is in fact a Ditto in disguise. There's something peculiarly creepy about that, especially given the ambiguity about what might have happened to Kanto ahead of this game.
Mattel operates dozens of brands under its corporate umbrella, each with their own visual identity and brand voice. But, until now, Mattel has never had its own proprietary typeface for its overarching brand, instead opting to license multiple existing fonts on a global scale—an endeavor that was not only expensive, but also came at the cost of visual consistency across Mattel's many product lines.
It's a doll, Ineke Schmelter, 71, often says as she walks down the street with a pram and someone peers fondly under the hood, asking: How old is the baby? Then she pulls back the blanket and reveals the doll. She points out the craftsmanship the little veins, the creases in the skin and explains that it can take as many as 20 layers of paint to achieve such a lifelike finish.
The result, shaped by industrial designer Jerry Manock and powered by Wozniak's engineering genius, was the Apple II: a smooth, warm-beige enclosure that suggested domesticity rather than machinery. It belonged on a desk the way a telephone did. That calculated approachability helped sell millions of units across sixteen years of production.
Usually, my handbag is a medley of digital devices and life essentials my phone, iPad, chargers, keys, tampons. But lately, you're likely to also find a half-done newspaper crossword, a ton of stationery, the book I've restarted three times, and whatever scraps and trinkets I've picked up throughout the day to put in my scrapbook. Analog is back, and it feels like we need it more than ever.
On TikTok, many people are pulling beauty inspo from these cute (and slightly creepy) toys, which were originally released in 1972. Blythe dolls have big eyes, pouty lips, and perfect makeup, plus really fun outfits, hairstyles, and accessories. Because there are so many versions of the doll - think a Fenty-level range of skin tones - it's said that everyone has a Blythe that looks exactly like them.
Paul Lagier's DIY Desk Companion sits next to your laptop as a little creature that lives completely offline. It is not connected to Wi‑Fi, has no app, and never sends notifications. Instead, it runs its own tiny world on a circular screen, reacting to touch, light, and time with shifting eyes and moods. The whole thing exists as a playful break, closer to a desk toy than a productivity gadget.
The dashboard hula dancer has been swaying her way through American car culture since the 1960s. Perched on dashboards from coast to coast, these spring-mounted figurines became synonymous with road trips, Hawaiian kitsch, and carefree summer drives. Their hypnotic hip movements, triggered by every bump and turn, transformed them into beloved symbols of vintage Americana. LEGO builder SuperDuperD has now brought this nostalgic icon into the world of bricks with a stunning mechanical recreation.
Before flat screens colonized every wall and surface, televisions had personality. They came in wild shapes and bold colors, designed by people who believed consumer electronics could be sculpture. The JVC 3100R Video Capsule, produced throughout the 1970s, exemplified this philosophy. Its pyramid form and space-helmet aesthetic made it a favorite among collectors of "space-abilia," that peculiar category of objects inspired by Apollo missions and science fiction films.
