Punk My Little Ponies + Museum of Ephemerata

So in honor of the Favorite Toy poll that we ran here at That Austin Girl last week - and then I promise I'll let it go - we had to talk about these special new edition My Little Ponies.

To celebrate My Little Pony's 25th year anniversary, Hasbro is having celebrities decorate their own My Little Ponies, auctioning them off, and donating the proceeds to sick children. Isn't that great? (Boo-ya, Legos people!!) Even more great, though, are some of the participating celebs...which are a little more random than you may think.

Now, asking celebs to do anything is always a gamble, so I should start out by saying how wonderful it is that they are even participating. That being said, John Stamos (i.e. Uncle Jessie), Kimora Lee Simmons, and Amy Grant (?) all have decorated My Little Ponies that are making me giggle. Kimora Lee's in particular, which could totally kick John Stamos' pony's ass. Check out the full gallery here.

Speaking of galleries, celebrities, and toys. Have any of you all been to the Museum of Ephemerata? It used to be in this fabulous little house on 34th St., but now it has moved to the east side (of course!) and has set up shop at 1808 Singleton Avenue. I haven't been there in years, but R. and I went once when we were first dating. The visit is a little fuzzy, but I do remember it was the place where I first discovered kombucha (they make their own, and host workshops), learned how to play a Jew's harp, and saw a vial filled with somebody's sleep. As in, the stuff from the corner of your eye. Which is a little disgusting, but also incredible (once you get past the disgusting).

If you haven't heard of it before, the Museum is basically a little collection of curios and oddities that date back to 1921, which are owned and proudly displayed by Jen Hirt and Scott Webel. The top attractions? A lock of hair from the head of Elvis (word), a two-headed ant, and - if memory serves - a stuffed jackalope. (Which looks like this and this. I know, the realism is stunning).

Anyway, all this talk about toys reminded me of the Museum of Ephemerata, which is getting kind of famous these days! The Chicago Sun-Times included them in an Austin travel story earlier this year (writer Lori Rackl also took note of the sleep), and I remember seeing the museum's two curators on the cover of the Chronicle this summer. So, Scott and Jen: Any plans for a "toys" exhibition in the future? (And might I suggest a rare Kimora Lee Simmons edition My Little Pony if so?)

Lastly: New poll everyone. Favorite (mainstream) superhero - Spidey, Aqua Man, or someone else entirely? Go vote at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow! + Tribute to LEGOS

Y'all! Check it:

That Austin Girl will be on the "JB and Sandy Show" on 94.7 tomorrow morning!

I'm sliding in at 7am, and I don't know for how long or what we shall be discussing, but I'm sure our esteemed hosts will think of something great. And if not, my morning mimosa will.

JB and I met through Rare Magazine, and keep tabs on each other's blogs. He writes a monthly column for front-of-the-book, while I kind of write....whateva. For example, this week I am interviewing a cupcake caterer, the Radio City Rockettes, and composing a "think piece," if you will, on local hangover cures. (All, um, for the Holiday Issue).

Switching subjects dramatically. After some polite trash-talking about Legos this past week, I've come to realize that many of you are in fact quite enamored of those colored plastic interconnecting blocks. Legos are preferred by 15 out of 31 people who voted in our Favorite Toys poll, as a matter of fact!

(Which, it bears mentioning, is way more love than the comparatively high-tech and interactive Teddy Ruxpin got. Sorry Teddy: We so do NOT want to hear a story!).

So being a My Little Ponies / Barbies gal myself, I thought I'd metaphorically extend the olive branch with these impressive, sometimes disturbing, examples of Lego genius. Observe:



Below - Brad and Angelina (with babies!!) Thanks to Sissel for the fun tip!:

Starry Night:

Edward Hopper (I think?):


Yay Austin!!


Ok everyone, brace yourselves - you thought Brad and Angelina in Lego form was pretty good? Check this out:It's Amy Winehouse! Are you loving it??

Here's another serious piece of Lego art, by I believe the same artist as the yellow, chest-ripping open sculpture above:

Dude.....deep......

No I'm just kidding, this is pretty freaking cool, Lego artist man (whose name, I believe, is Nathan Sawaya). Interesting story: This artist left his job as an attorney last year to become a full-time Lego sculptor. In fact, his exhibit "The Art of the Brick" is touring museums in the US right now. Dare to dream, kids!)

So Legos people: I have to admit. You guys can make some rad creations after all. Besides, like, forts and stuff.

Now, off to perform some investigative research on hangover cures.

Let's talk about toys.

Ok, seriously everyone - Legos?!

If you're new to That Austin Girl, we've been taking a poll this week on everyone's favorite childhood toy. And so far, LEGOS are in the lead. In fact, they've garnered almost 50% of the total vote.

Even more shocking? Teddy Ruxpin, the jumper-suit-wearing talking bear, has 0 votes!! If he heard that guys...his jaw would drop.

(Not that I blame anyone. Teddy frankly scared me a little bit as a child. Kids these days are pretty used to interactive toys, I think, but back then I wanted no part of a stuffed animal who just up and talked. One time my friend Hayden took the Teddy Ruxpin tapes out of that little player in his back, and put his dad's Steppenwolf tape in instead, and I swear to God it was like the exorcist.)

Anyway, not to be a judgmental Judy or anything, but I never saw the appeal in Legos as a kid! Hayden (same dude) invited me over one time, and was like, all pumped that he had just finished putting together the Lego Castle. He set it out on his bed, and we looked at it for a minute, and then as soon as I tried to move the Lego people around I broke the movable drawbridge. That kind of pissed Hayden off.

So I get how the end creation of a big Lego project can be neat (until a stupid girl comes along and breaks it), and I think you must have a lot of patience to complete one. I mean, check this out!




It's a New York, made out of Legos! That's pretty rad, I have to admit.

But anyway, as a kid, and even now as an adult, Legos are just like....yay....something got built. Product = cool, process = kinda boring. Whereas with My Little Ponies or especially Barbies (I really should have included Barbies in this poll) there was a back story, relationships, scandal.

My other friend besides Hayden, Jeannie Kenmotsu (never "Jeannie," always "Jeannie Kenmotsu," because it was so exciting to say!) played Barbies with me, and we used to put Ken and Barbie on top of each other and then walk out of the room. We'd then walk back in and "catch" them making out.

"Barbie!!!!"

"KEN!!!"

"You guys were kissing and we saw you."

Barbie and Ken were totally busted, and they always remained speechless. Sometimes Barbie would be in various states of undress, and then she really, and I mean really, got in trouble - Jeannie Kenmotsu could give a fierce tongue-lashing when she wanted to, and she had a zero-tolerance policy for Barbie taking off her clothes.

So, Legos people: Given the regular drama of a Barbie/Ken love tryst, or a fantasy world of colorful horses with glittery manes complete with miniature plastic hairbrush (i.e. My Little Ponies)....How can little snap-together building blocks possibly compete??