Anticipation Glows in the Dark

Anticipation Glows in the DARK, comes in 6 colors, and his head turns! I grabbed this pic from David Horvath's Flickr to show what the buzz is about. Their release at San Diego Comic Con 2009 is still weeks away and people are already planning, plotting, saving and scheming to get their hands on these delightful Vinyl Ice Bat Mini Action Figures. Myself included.

I'm amazed that something so bright and exciting can also be so calming and wonderful. Minty and magical. Hot and chilly. Hypnotic yet holistic. Paradox.

To secure a GID Ice Bat, there are several possible strategies.

1. Go to SDCC yourself and get your Ice Bat from the Uglydoll booth. This is by far the most reliable of all courses of action. So if you already have your SDCC ticket, great. If you don't, sorry. The tickets are now sold out for all four days.
2. Find a mule. For those of you new to world of toy questing, this is a term used to describe a person who agrees to attend the event and purchase by proxy your wish list of toys. Some people mule from the goodness of their heart. They love collecting, and they want to share the love. They pick up your item for you and you pay only the cost of the item plus shipping. For others, it's strictly business and you pay for their service. Many mules fall in a middle category. They are collectors who want to help you out. They charge a modest fee that helps them cover the cost of the tickets and the purchase of their treasures. In any case, make sure you settle on all fees before the event. Also be careful to select a person with a reputation for honesty.
   
3. Place a pre-order on ebay, where you will pay the ridiculously high price of over 100.00 for a set of 6. NOT recommended. See below.
   
4. Buy from retailer after SDCC. Recommended!
5. Go to Singapore and attend the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention August 13th through the 16th. The Uglydoll booth will have some there.
   
   

This is what David Horvath had to say about availability of GID Ice Bats and SDCC.

"We do not make SDCC exclusives.
That has always been our company policy.

More info soon!

I would not go to Ebay for these though.

We will have them at the Singapore show in August as well."

What I take from this statement is that there will be stock left from SDCC. My guess is that the stock will be available at least through Giant Robot, and perhaps even other retailers. If you don't live near a Giant Robot store you may want to familiarize yourself with their web store prior to the release of the Glow in the Dark Ice Bats just in case the dash for the Bats if fast and furious. You know Ice Bats. They may fly out of there in a hurry.

As I sign off I'm picturing my six little GID Ice Bats, wing tip to wing tip, lined up along the edge of my shelf, shining happily, day or night. Anticipation Does Glow in the Dark.

Check back for updates.
Anyone with more info or more toy buying savvy feel free to share in the comment section.

Almost Thawed Ice Cream Whippy

This is our Special Recipe for Ice Bats.

They love it.

ALMOST THAWED Pink Ice Cream Whippy

1. Ice cream. Enough for a serving for each Bat or person. Vanilla is my fav. It doesn't compete with the red flavors of Jello.

2. Red Jello. One box is enough for several servings. But if it's a big group, make more. Chill it up solid. You know Bats!

3. Your favorite whipped cream.

Take your Ice Cream and Jello. Get a blender or mixer out. Start to blend up the Ice Cream after you have let it soften a bit. When the Ice Cream is soft enough, fold, blend, and whip the Jello into the Ice Cream. Oh yum. The Ice Cream will turn a lovely shade of pink, like Pink Ice Bat! Don't whip it so much it turns to soup.
Top it with some Whippy Cream and enjoy.

The Ice Bats go wild for this one. So will you.

National Ice Bat Day

May 28th is National Ice Bat Day. We started the celebration on Ice Bat Eve, and will continue straight through the weekend. Once the Ice Bats get flying, they can sustain their natural high for days. They are an inspiration. Our special thanks to Sun-Min Kim and David Horvath.
And Happy Ice Bat Day.

The Vinyl Four

The Vinyl Four are ready for action. Wage and Ox teamed up with a pair of Uglydogs to form V4, a team of crime fighting Super Heros. Well, they don't so much fight crime. But rather they fill the space around with so much light and laughter that only good things happen. That's pretty super.

Wage and Ox are from the Uglydoll Action Figure Set, Series One. Get them here.
The Uglydogs were produced by Critterbox. They are out of production.
All four are creations of David Horvath.

Circus Punk Pounda Finds a Friend

Our Wedgehead, "Fuddles", wasn't prepared for the Hairy Bright Green Glory that is Pounda the Circus Punk. Nor were we. Pounda is in a class by himself. Awesome. They should make a movie, "Being David Horvath". What a trip it would be to explore and experience the mind that creates such crazy goodness as Wedgehead and Pounda.

Circus Punk Pounda is one of those things whose essence cannot be captured in a photo. He must be experienced in person. A visual and tactile event of epic proportions. The hair is lush. The light dances off the edges and suggests a halo. He's taller and buffer than you would guess. A full 14" high including his hair. He's the same on front and back. The shape is tubular with a solid base heavy enough to allow him to free-stand. He's attached to this base with little nails or tacks, giving him the look of a by-gone era of handcrafting skills.

In fact, Circus Punks or Knock-Down Dolls have their origin in the 1930's. They were used for Carnival games where they were knocked down with balls to win a prize. Those early dolls were handmade and handpainted, and are highly collectible today. Pounda is stuffed with modern fibers, but the early dolls were stuffed with straw.

Pounda was designed, signed, and numbered by David Horvath, and is handmade by Circus Punks. Click here to go directly to their PUNKS page. And hold on to your hat. It's a wild ride.

My Pounda is number 32 of an edition of 150.

Want your own Pounda? He's no longer in production. However, he is sometimes available on that huge auction site.

You CAN pick up your own Wedgehead at Uglydoll Store.

Warning: Uglydolls can be addicting. ENJOY :)

Preparing to Greet The Kasoogi's

Knowing Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi will arrive any day now, we have throttled up our preparations. Of course there will be a full celebration in their honor, complete with out-of-this-world tasty treats. But how to entertain this pair?
Click here to see this great webcam The Kasoogi's will love. Pete's Pond is a streaming webcam located in Botswana, Africa. Day or night, a bit of patience will yield some amazing animal sightings. And even when there is nothing to see, there is always something to HEAR. So be sure to turn on your audio.
This webcam is hosted by National Geographic, so the quality it quite good. If you happen to land there at a slow time, be sure to visit the Pond again at a different time of day. You will be glad you did. Few of us will ever make it to Africa, so this may be the next best thing.
If you really love Pete's Pond and want to support the webcam, there is a Donate Button at the bottom of their page. Enjoy.

Note: You will need a plug-in for Firefox to view streaming webcam.
Word of Caution: You could potentially see the food chain in action. I haven't seen anything like that yet, but everyone's gotta eat.

Glow in the Dark Ice Bat Action Figures

I would not have thought today could get any better. Then I looked at Uglyblog and saw these glowing orbs of color and Batitude. David Horvath let the Bat out of the Bag, and it is gorgeous x6. Six Glow in the Dark Ice Bat Action Figures in 6 different colors are to be released at San Diego Comic Con.

You get all six in the collection when you purchase a case. No chase. No mess. No worries. Just pure Ice Bat. I just can't take my eyes off this photo I copied from Uglyblog. Merzermizing and warm, yet chilly. How does David do it?

Let the plotting and planning begin. Just how do we Uglydoll fans who live too far from San Diego get our hands on the handsome GID Mini Ice Bats? It takes some effort, I can tell you. And some cash. And some luck. It doesn't hurt to have a Winged Abima to assist you. My Winged Abima has some secret magic qualities that can bolster the odds in my favor. And I plan to tap into that full force. I'll need it to land a box of these lovies. But I will. As David says, STAY POSITIVE. And I'm positive I'll find a way. It's love!

Ghost and the Machine or Radio Wage

Ghost and the Machine, or Radio Wage.

Uglydoll Wage was assigned the task of emergency preparedness, a job he takes very seriously. First he stocked up on cookies, yummies, and container fruit juice. Babo is very relieved.

Wage then began to assemble the second tier of necessities. The little white Eton Emergency Radio is his newest arrival, and his personal pride. He chose well. This radio runs on several power sources: an AC adaptor, AA batteries, a rechargeable battery, and Wages favorite, the Hand Crank! The radio can run on the hand crank alone, or crank it to charge the battery. You can see Ice Bat and Plunko lined up for a turn on the Hand Crank.

The fun doesn't stop there. Wage's radio also has a built-in flash light on the side, can receive AM, FM, Weather Emergency channels, charge a cell phone, AND........it has a SIREN! Of course he's delighted.

Want your own Emergency Preparedness Manager? Get WAGE here.

Want your own Little White Super Radio? Get it here. Currently 20.00 off retail. That Wage is a shrewd shopper.

When asked what HE liked so much about the radio, Ugly Ghost didn't reply. I think it's a spiritual connection.

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi Hit the Road

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi have packed their bags and hit the road. We are in a flurry preparing for their arrival. These two adventurous Uglydolls will have some stories to tell, and our Uglies are always excited to hear a good tale. Mr. and Mrs. are bound to have plenty. Rumor has it they've seen a UFO. Maybe they've even been invited aboard??? We can hope.

Two of the stores I've checked have them in stock, ShopRockCandy and Uglydoll Super Store. They both offer free shipping along with some others tempting perks for your patronage.

ShopRockCandy offers free shipping using coupon code UGLY at checkout. If you purchase over 50.00, and easy feat when talking Uglydolls, you get a FREE Little Uglydoll. If you have a preference of which Little Ugly, and who doesn't, just specify the one you want in the Comments section of the order. If they have that Ugly in stock, it's YOURS. Whoo hoo hoo!

Uglydoll Super Store gives you free shipping on any Uglydoll item, a FREE Little Uglydoll for a purchase over 50.00, PLUS they give you Ugly Bucks for every Ugly dollar spent. You can save up your Ugly Bucks for free merchandise.

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi come in four sizes and price ranges, Clip-on Keychain, Little Ugly, Classic Size, and 2 Foot Ugly. There's something there for every taste and budget.

I've order from both stores. They've been dependable, fast and friendly.

This is what David Horvath has shared about Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi:

"Mrs. Kasoogi is the boss in the family. She makes sure things run without snags and she keeps Mr. Kasoogi out of the cookie jar. That way there's more for her! Mrs. Kasoogi demands respect and attention. Attention to details! Small details such as where to find burried treasure, paranormal evidence, the secret of life, the secret to your best recipes, and the secret to finding enough time in the day to get things done. Things like naps."

"Mr. Kasoogi is a treasure hunter. He's had a lot of practice hunting for smaller items like candy, donuts, and even fruit. Now he's ready to take on the big challenges...But he needs a partner. Someone he can trust. Or maybe someone like you. Are you up for it? Will you be there when Mrs. Kasoogi turns the kitchen lights on and you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar? Yes? Good! You take the blame! Mr. Kasoogi doesn't mess with Mrs. Kasoogi."

Crocadoca and Turtle Vinyl's are HERE.

Well, not here on my blog. There are HERE, at Yoyamart.

Crocadoca is the newest release in the David Horvath line-up of vinyl greatness. This guy stands a full 5 inches tall, and sports a stylist blue fedora.


He joins Turtle who is also available at Yoyamart. Also availabe at Vinyl Fallout. These two jolly fellows are part of the Bossy Bear crew, who come to life in David Horvath's books.
You don't NEED the books to thoroughly enjoy these vinyl toys. However, who wouldn't love a Bossy Bear book? I love mine.

One of the many fun things about the new vinyl's from Uglydoll is their price. Turtle, Crocadoca, and Bossy Bear come in at around 14.00-16.00 each. The new Uglydoll Action Figures Series 1 are even more affordable at about 8.00 each. For those of us who have paid WAY more than this for Uglydoll vinyl, this sends the needle on the Satisfaction Meter up near the top.

These guys are so cool. The colors are vivid, the vinyl is top notch. I love the shape and feel. Enough cannot be said about those white teeth. They guarantee to encouraging smiles and laughter.


And if you know Bossy Bear, you know why I cannot post this blog entry without including his picture. So here you go Bossy Bear. Post it. Do it NOW! Ok.








At this time of this blog entry, Yoyamart is out of stock on Bossy Bear, however, he can still be had from Newbury Comics. And what a sweet price of around 10 bucks. Grab em while you can. Uglydoll vinyl merchandise has a knack for selling out. And you won't want to be without this trio of vinyl bliss.

Hey, That's an Ugly Sweater!

Waiting in line for coffee today I noticed the woman in front of me had a lovely feather on her back. I told her so, plucked it off and handed it to her. "Hum," she said, giving it a close inspection. "I wonder what I was sitting on earlier." After a moment of contemplation she said, " I think it was a duck."
Pause. "I don't mean I was sitting on a duck. I mean I have lots of cheap throws filled with duck feathers."
"Oh", I nodded in reply.

She followed me to the cream bar a short while later.
"I had a sweater just like that", she observed, pointing at my brown fleece pull-over. "My son called it my Muppet sweater. Trouble was he was 100% right. I had to get rid of that Muppet sweater."

"Well," I asked, "did you donate yours to Value Village? Maybe this one was yours!"

"Nah, mine was purple. A verdant purple."

VERDANT purple?????


She clearly did not realize mine was not a Muppet sweater. Mine's an UGLY sweater! Maybe even a Deer Ugly sweater.

And there ain't nuttin wrong with Ugly.