Lego Falling Water

Like most, I don't read anything on a package and just assume that something will have certain physical properties. Case in point, I thought this Falling Water Lego set would be a bit bigger. Turns out it was a little over a foot wide. Thus the trees are just a couple of green singles on top of a brown circle. It still took several hours to complete. The detail on everything else is pretty amazing for the scale. The house in the middle of the forest and that may be difficult to capture in Lego land.

Chicken Tiara

Chicken tiara sounds like an item a Chinese restaurant.

Claw Arcade Game

I was devastated to learn, with the advent of the internet, that claw crane games are basically rigged. That still hasn't stopped me from playing every chance I get. I was even hustled by one of these games in a boardwalk arcade: it had these these little plastic balls filled with various denominations of money of which I quickly captured four and found myself in the black by ~$10. I was caught hook, line and sinker, and proceeded to lose a couple of dollars before realizing the ruse. There were a couple of other of these units, so maybe I was just the target of some Terminator like "rise of the machines." I've also run into the ones where you spend $5 and you play until you win. That is great for the kiddies; kinda of a let down for a hard-core clawer such as myself. Maybe my feelings will change if I could add of up all the money spent dropping the claw.

Claw Game Prize

I really wasn't really trying to win this when I pressed the red button. Unable to pass a claw game without putting in my 50 cents, I was the sad winner of this Porky the Pig doll, I think dressed up as a space ranger, for the Duck Dodgers series. That would place this toy somewhere circa 1980? The construction is actually somewhat better than other prizes I have seen, that look like they are made with stuff even the most cost effective Chinese factory would consider cheap.

Lego Friends

I wish I was surprised by the malicious attacks on LEGO for launching their LEGO Girls collection. However, I have simply resigned myself to realizing that people will complain about everything, ruining it for the rest of us eventually. My daughter likes LEGO friends. Likes the concept. Likes putting them together. Likes talking to me about them. Let me have that. Yes, she played with non-denominational blocks as a younger child (including princess themed MEGA blocks, but I don't remember anyone going ape-shit on them). I do enjoy my friends stories of their boys constantly taking apart elaborate set-ups that finally one them super-glued a set together with modest success. I saw a many pointing to the ad from the 80's of the girl holding up some LEGOs with the tag-line reading, "what it is is beautiful." You know what is actually beautiful? The kid, not the toy, and whatever she wants, I will do my discretionary best to get it for her.

Lionel O-gauge Train Engine

I don't know much about Lionel trains except I once sent one flying off the ping-pong table where we had laid track and it took 20 years for my brother to fix it. However, from what I have seen on this place called the internet, this Sante Fe engine might be rare and not very valuable. 

Questionable Barbie Pose

I swear I didn't place this doll like this. I swear I put some clothes on it, fed it a warm meal and gave it a place to stay for the night. After I took a picture, of course. With the number of Barbies in my house, this is bound to happen eventually. I just feel bad for the two or three male Barbies I have since...well, they are eunuchs. 

Barbie House Made from Cardboard

Only took an hour to make from one big old box. Used packing tape to secure it all together and some clear plastic packaging over some of the windows (though I guess I could have used tape there). When I couldn't figure out how to install stairs appropriately, I added the elevator, or lift as they would call it in Europe. The kids colored it and destroyed it, as they saw fit.

Little People Depiction of Noah's Ark

"What's a cubit?" - Bill Cosby