uncanny valley

wow, hello kitty was named japan's tourism ambassador to china and hong kong. i'm more of a tuxedo sam woman myself, but why not korea?

i have mixed feelings about this video. i thought the whole appeal of hello kitty was her diminutive nature. look at her! she looks like she's going to attack the japanese minister of transportation with her cuteness. btw, is she going to be traveling with her boyfriend, dear daniel? quel scandale! and why does she live in london?

anyway, this news led me to the sanrio website and, more specifically, to their hall of characters of yesteryear. my favorite are doki doki yummychums: Dokidoki Burger is always smiling and is everyone’s favorite! Don’t forget to check out his friends Dokidoki Fries, Dokidoki Shakes (Vanilla, Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate) and Dokidoki Chickenchums.

and also pandapple, who, as beta alex points out, is literally a panda with an apple for its head. creepy, scary!

Do you think if you go to prison you'll get your hair cut?

So, I'm a little slow on the uptake with this one. Or rather, slow to blog about it, but apparently, the Cartoon Network is pursuing some sort of joint venture with Al-Quaeda or something. Having grossly underestimated the histrionics that people and municipalities descend into when presented with strange, wire-laden boxes (especially ones affixed suspiciously to bridges and other such public spaces) the marketing geniuses who were arrested for what was ultimately an ill-fated attempt at trying to schill for Aqua Teen Hunger Force had some interesting thoughts on the matter (See the video below). No matter what your view on our War on the Abstract, Non-Descript Notion Known as "Terror," it should hearten you not in the least to know that Boston police marshalled the forces it did in response to a multi-city advertising campaign that Seattle authorities said was "obviously not suspicious."