theboobosh®blog
A Children's Clothing CompanyHarry The Dirty Dog | Gene Zion
Originally published in 1956, Harry The Dirty Dog, written by Gene Zion and illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham, is an all time classic children’s book | It’s the story of a mischievous little dog named Harry, who hates taking baths | In order to avoid bathing, Harry buries the scrubber and runs away from home | While away from home a series of events cause Harry to get so dirty that he is totally un-identifiable | When Harry decides to return home after a long day of adventuring, Harry’s confused family cannot recognize the strange newcomer as their family pet | To finally be accepted back into the family, Harry must come to terms with the inevitable; he needs to take a bath | To pick up a copy of Harry the Dirty Dog and a fantastic matching kids and/or adult tee, please visit outofprintclothing.com
Child’s Own Studio | Kid Commissioned Customised Toys
Be it a bunny or a bear, there’s often at least one special toy that a child clings to for security, without which their world – and their parents’ – might swiftly fall apart | Ours is Ducky Doo Doo and Manky! | Creative mum Wendy Tsao sets out to strengthen that relationship with Child’s Own Studio, which she founded to make custom stuffed plushie toys based on kids’ drawings | “When my son started kindergarten, his school asked for a comfort toy to put in his emergency preparation kit. Instead of sending in one of his favorite stuffed toys or running to the store to buy something, I decided to sew one myself” she explains | “I was thinking of making his favorite animal, but then I saw his self-portrait | He drew it all the time, and it always – more or less – looked the same, with huge eye circles, stick arms and ten long wispy digits | So, I thought, ‘why not?’ | And when I was finished, my son immediately recognized it and was very appreciative” | While each design is different, most toys take Tsao one to two days to complete | In addition to the one-of-a-kind aesthetic, her creations stand out for their range of vibrant materials that help to bring a child’s drawing to life | As Tsao makes her way down the waiting list of monsters, farm animals, princesses and heroes, she has let her own imagination start to wander | “I started embellishing my softie projects on my blog with little stories – maybe it’s my interest in stop-motion movies creeping in,” she says | “This is a new direction that I might pursue further if I have enough time” | Due to volume Child’s Own is currently not taking additional commissions for the wait list, but Tsao recommends similar services in her “Softmaker Showcase” on her website.
Vík Prjónsdóttir | Baby Seal Suit
Vík Prjónsdóttir is a creative brand that specializes in creating quality knitted products from Icelandic sheep’s wool | This wool is unique as it’s not only made in one of the oldest knitting factories in Iceland, it also has a combination of fibers that makes it a light-weight, warm and water-repellent fabric | The idea behind the quirky shape of this warm suit comes from and old myth from the South of Iceland, where seals are believed to be condemned by man.
One ancient story from the south of Iceland is about a farmer who early one morning finds a sealpelt lying on the beach. In a cave nearby, he hears vioces and music. He takes the sealpelt home and hides it in a woodenchest. Few days later he returns to the beach and finds a crying, naked, young woman sitting on a rock. He brings her to his house where she stays, but he never tells her about the pelt. As time goes by they get married and have children. But the young woman is restless and often stares quietly out of the window at the ocean. One day when the farmer goes fishing, his wife accidentally finds the key of the chest, opens it and discovers the missing pelt. She takes leave of her children, puts the pelt on and before she dives into the ocean she says: “I am vary anxious, with seven children on land an seven in the sea.” She never comes back but the farmer misses her terribly. Later when he goes fishing there often is a seal near his boat and its eyes are filled with tears. It is said that the farmer becomes a very lucky fisherman. And when his children play at the beach there often is a seal swimming close to land. Sometimes it brings them beautiful stones and colorful fishes. But their mother never returned.
Available at vikprjonsdottir.com
Jonah and the Girl | Bertie Canvas Kicks
Jonah and the Girl is the baby sister of Australian shoe brand, The Horse | After years of catering to grown ups, the owners have decided to tip toe their way into well-crafted kids pumps | Bertie is the first model from Jonah and the Girl | Made from 100% cotton canvas, the Bertie has a sturdy rubber sole and can be worn with or without laces | These smart shoes are currently available in six different colours | Featuring two white eyelets and one silver eyelet, Bertie is finished with Jonah and the Girl’s signature whale insignia on the heel | Made from 100% cotton canvas and sturdy rubber sole, Bertie is machine washable – the perfect everyday companion for kids | Available online at jonahandthegirl.com
Popupshop | Swimwear for Girls
Finding the right bathing suit for your girls can be tricky | Usually, girls swimwear is too skimpy, too pink or simply ill-fitting | This summer you need to get your girls into the tiger print and horse print swimsuits from Popupshop | They’re going to love the fun prints and they’re a comfortable fit | Material: 80% polyester & 20% lycra dyed without the use of heavy metal dyes like chromium and copper | Available at popupshop.net.
Momoll | Children’s High Back Story Time Chair
Leading Swiss toy makers, Momoll, have developed a modern afternoon reading chair for children | The high back seat is manufactured from the highest-quality birch plywood and can be upholstered in a wide range of different vibrant coloured leathers | Even children need some time to themselves now and then, to be able to relive their favorite stories again and again – flipping through well-worn pages or tuned into their iPod | And parents want quality furniture for their kids that also look up to date | The High Back Chair is an acoustically and visually protected nest for story time and make-believe | Easy-to-wash exchangeable upholstery | Age-appropriate arm and back rests with carrying handles that let 3-to-10-year-olds shift the chair to just the right position | Despite the height of 98 cm, the story time nook is very tip-resistant, and yet: when tipped or turned, it becomes a hut, tunnel, airplane, car seat and much more – a rich source of inspiration for a child’s fantasy play | Like all Momoll items, this story time chair can be put together and taken apart again and is manufactured from high-quality plywood, lacquered and upholstered in vibrant colours | With a multitude of available colors and materials, it makes a perfect addition to the world of any child | Other upholstery colors than royal blue and scarlet/bright red are available upon request | Materials: Multilayer birch plywood, treated with a water based glaze; genuine leather | This product is in full accordance with European standard on safety requirements for toys EN 71 (1-3) | Age recommendation: 3 years and more | Size packed: 110 x 60 x 20 cm | Size assembled: 98 x 52 x 34 cm | Weight: 17 kg/37.6 lb | Upholstery cover: Genuine Leather | Available at www.momoll.com
Petit Bateau x Tsumori Chisato | Summer 2012
Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato has collaborated with French clothing label Petit Bateau to create a capsule collection of nautical-inspired, summer pieces | Tsumori Chisato’s famous Petit Bateau top – ‘Marinère’ – along with romper suits, t-shirts, tank tops, vests and dresses, have all been modified to include soft blue, aqua and pink waves and the word ‘Love’ | The collection will be available from June 5th 2012 in stores and online at petit-bateau.com.
The Onion’s Great Escape | Sara Fanelli
The story of one vegetable’s survival in an interactive children’s book | As a cross between illustration, philosophy and paper engineering, Sara Fanelli’s most recent children’s book ‘The Onion’s Great Escape’ challenges the limitations of reading as an interactive experience | Following the quest of an onion as it attempts to escape its apparent fate of death by frying, the book’s perforated core is removed page-by-page until, at the end, the onion is literally freed from the book | The innovative fusion of tactile activity and illustration is taken a step further by a call-and-response method of asking children difficult questions with room for a written answer | Throughout the die-cut, 68-page work, questions range from the categorical ‘What is your name?’ to the metaphysical ‘What is the longest minute you can remember?’ | Rather than dumbing down the experience, each page challenges young minds to come up with a creative response | Fanelli’s illustrations show an impressive range, and she is able to freeze moments of delight and despair as the onion flies through obstacles on its journey to save himself | Each page of ‘The Onion’s Great Escape’ offers a new look and experience, and the diversity of styles is enhanced by the perforated core, which can be mixed and matched with different pages in the book | As the onion gradually breaks free from the pages, it emerges to stand alone as a 3D entity—the remainder of the book’s content staying intact | Sara Fanelli was born in Florence | She came to London to study art, and has been working there as a designer and illustrator since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1995 | She divides her time between self-generated projects and commercial illustration commissions from a wide range of international clients, including the New Yorker, Penguin Books, Faber & Faber, Tate Modern, The Victoria & Albert Museum, Ron Arad, Issey Miyake, the New York Times and the Royal Mail | She has written and illustrated a number of children’s books, and her work has been exhibited in venues around the world | She has twice been the overall winner of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s illustration award and been awarded two D&AD pencils | ’The Onion’s Great Escape’ is available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk.
User Design | Design Books
Boutique graphic design outfit User Design recently released a series of self-published works united by British wit and a simple, hand-drawn aesthetic | The titles include ‘The Journey of the Larks’, ‘Punctuation…?’ and “Life”, and they all show an emerging playful side of the predominantly commercial publisher | Illustrated, designed and created by Thomas Bohm, the trio matches supremely minimal design with an endearing sense of play | User Design’s collection of books can be purchased through Amazon and Central Books starting at £8 or $12.80 | Simple, but then that’s the way boobosh likes things…
Take-G | Wooden Toys | Takegi Nakagawa | Japan
Take-G toys are made using an ancient Japanese craft known as Yosegi-Mokuzougam or marquetry | Basically the artist inlays different textured and coloured pieces of wood and other natural materials to create his figures | Takegi uses the highest quality woods such as maple, walnut, cherry and white ash in order to create these stunning toys that are not only unique and beautiful, but extremely long lasting | On the downside, the cool futuristic robots and child-like figures shown above are sold only at craft exhibitions, however Takegi Nakagawa does make a great set of construction blocks that are available to the public | Take a look at www.take-g.com to find out more.
