Daddy Types: November 2007 Archives

November 2007 Archives

November 30, 2007

Muji Now Ready For Your Xmas Shopping List

I was going to offer up a trip to the Muji corner at MoMA's Design Store for the toy-desperate among you [the store has some of those recycled yarn-woven animals and both New York- and Countryside-in-a-Bag, though no Suburbs in...
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Toni Frissell's Photographic Children's Books

One of my ongoing complaints with the Children's Book Industrial Complex is how few titles are illustrated with photographs instead of painting or drawing. Though there are some sweet exceptions, it feels like the whole modern photography world just...
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Bumper Bonnet: One Less Thing We Can Mock Australians About

When our domestic GM divisions blithely ignore our demands for family-sized El Caminos, and our international reputation and currency have been flushed [counterclockwise, btw, I just checked] down the toilet, Australia-mocking Americans could always take comfort knowing that at...
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We Hail Thee, Old Yale: The New Political Alphabet, Circa 1813

Alright, now that DT reader Rebekah has revealed the secret handshake for accessing the Beinecke Library's children's book collection online [search for "Shirley"], I may have to clear the calendar of any actually useful tasks and posts. Check out the...
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The New Museum, 235 Bowery @ Prince St - HELL, YES?

In their video walkthrough of The New Museum, Curbed captured these two construction workers installing something large and changing tablish on the wall of the handicapped stall in the basement men's room. [Also, they got a picture of a...
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Hell, Yes! The View Of, From The New The New Museum

The kid and I were stuck at the DMV yesterday, so I missed the press preview of The New Museum. [I was just there last week, though, because I had to pick up a new counter for our steel...
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Y Is Not For Yale, Because V Was Already For The 'Varsity, Duh.

Some of the analysis bugs, but Emily Bazelon and Erica Perl ultimately get high fives from me for their Slate slide show on the history of children's books. The reason: they introduced me to Caroline Ketcham Eaton's incomparable 1890...
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November 29, 2007

The Other 1937 Snow White

Ouch. You've gotta feel for the budding children's book artist who introduces her meticulously translated, true-to-Grimm, three-color labor of love retelling of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the year Walt Disney revolutionized cinema with his own...
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Is The Ikea Trofast From Changing Table Heaven?

Erika Pekkari's Trofast cradle/crib/kid-sized sofa is one of those examples of Ikean plain pine brilliance which, because it went out of production before we ever set foot in the kid's department, was not available to those of us who...
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Haircuts By Children

I can't believe I missed Canadian artist Darren O’Donnell's contribution to Performa07, the performance art biennial that just ended in NYC. Titled Haircuts by Children, it was sponsored by Art In General, which arranged for children ages 8-12 to...
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November 28, 2007

Tobifant: Luigi Colani's Knock-Together Activity Table

I am familiar with the work of Pablo Neruda. The work of Luigi Colani, not so much. I did think I'd ferreted out most all of the kid-related design from the online archives of the incomparable German design magazine,...
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As Not Seen In Details Magazine: Scientists Begin Studying How To Raise Good Kids

Does no one in the University of Nebraska - Lincoln cognitive psych department read Details magazine?? Professor Gustavo Carlos et al's newly published research on the impact of various parenting styles and behaviors is based on the assumption that parents...
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While You Were Watching Sesame Street, Luigi Colani Reinvented The Plastic Stacking Chair Several Times

I don't know what you were up to, but somehow I doubt your 1970's were as full of design revolutionizing as Luigi Colani's. If only the 1973 oil embargo hadn't thrown the polyethylene furniture business into the furnace, I'm...
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Details Knows Its Readers Very, Very, Very Well.

I can't believe I ever actually wrote for a Conde Nast magazine. And not just once, either, repeatedly. What an embarrassment. The title of one of the cover stories in this month's issue of Details magazine caught my attention, just...
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November 27, 2007

"And You've Got The Whole Idea Behind The Volkswagen Station Wagon."

"Maybe you work it so you could walk to the back to change a diaper, or squash a rebellion." Yeah, maybe. Previous DT coverage of great VW ideas squashed flat like a shoebox...
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Speaking Of Ristomatti Ratia, Check Out This Kid's Bed

A household name from Finland to Estonia, Ristomatti Ratia is one of the most cut-n-pastable designers working today. Ratia is not resting on his laurels for having created the Palaset storage cube system. His studio is keeping busy with...
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Suh-weet Elephant Bank By Luigi Colani

In the 1970's, Luigi Colani took a break from designing the future to create a little elephant-shaped bank for Dresdner Bank to give out to the kids. One has found its way to Lancaster, PA, and from thence to...
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Hello Kitty Hell Is Other People's Hello Kitty

I'm not posting this photo of a Hello Kitty car seat because I think anyone should get it. [Besides, I can't find the product info, which has something to do with Guardian, according to that brochure.] No, I'm posting...
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DT Checklist: Modular Storage To Fill Kids Room Gap

While the room itself is bigger, the closet in the kids' room is much smaller than in the kid's old room. So we need to get some actual storage furniture to hold their clothes. I really like the idea...
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November 26, 2007

Ninna-Nanna Inna Canada: Sweet Bassinet From Monte Design

Classic: "We don’t believe that bassinets should look like poufy 1980’s wedding dresses." When they launched last year--in part, by advertising on Daddy Types, hey-o!--Monte Design Studio hit the baby industrial complex in a real weak spot: the hideous...
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Does USAir Forbid FAA-Approved CARES Safety Harnesses?

DT reader Darren and his gang are planning a trip to France and Switzerland soon, and he was considering putting his kid in a CARES Safety Harness--which is FAA-approved--rather than haul a freakin' car seat around the Alps on a...
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The Show, DVD's, And Licensed Merchandise Deals Must Go On

When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And when you're an Irwin, everything looks like an awareness-building merchandising opportunity, I guess. Eight-year-old Bindi Irwin, who grew up on camera the family's televised zoo/set, mourns her late father...
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This Is The Sign For 'Real Estate Envy'

As a perk of his wife's job, Bill Eville and his family live in pre-war, parklike splendor in the heart of Chelsea cathedral-like splendor near Columbia at the Union Theological Seminary. [I assume the picture at left was taken either...
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DT Checklist: Fixing Torn Bugaboo Foam?

H is for Holy Crap, we're gonna have another kid in a few weeks. My wife's now solidly in the Alien stage, where you can see her belly writhing from across the room. Superficially speaking, we're ready for the new...
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November 25, 2007

Sweet Creative Playthings Trove From Finland Via Texas

Just in time for the holidays, eBay seller twobluepups posted a great-looking trio of vintage Creative Playthings wooden toy lots. All the auctions end Dec. 3rd. The two Playtown sets are in good condition and complete with the box,...
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November 24, 2007

Azuuuuul! La Familia Lucha

Heart KB's family portrait, photographed by Ray Zimmerman is one of the most popular mom photos on flickr. Considering it was taken in August 2003, I expect they don't need a baby-sized El Demonio Azul mask anymore. But keep...
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Babyhood Camo And/Or Lace Bugaboo Canopies From Holland

It's one of the darnedest things about the Netherlands. On the one hand, the country's pumping out more edgy furniture and product designs than sea water. And yet when you tool around the country, like 80% of the houses...
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November 23, 2007

Vintage Creative Playthings Kaleidoscope: Meh.

Last month I bought an old wooden Creative Playthings kaleidoscope on eBay. The transaction went fine, but the toy itself is not that great. Now don't get me wrong: I'm with it enough to dig the potential beauty of...
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E Is For Expo 67 Puzzle & Coloring Books, Also For Eh

I got all excited last night when I saw a big jigsaw puzzle from the Expo 67 in Montreal, which was the overall raddest Expo ever. [Even if there were no Buckminster Fuller sphere, Habitat, or Dutch pavilion made...
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H Is For Holy Crap, By Marc Johns

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Post-it note drawing: H is for holycrap, originally uploaded by Marc Johns. After he made...
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Ouno Trenchcoat Detective Bags As Diaper Bags? Ooh, Yes!

If I had to narrow it down to one fashion disaster per city, New York's would be commuter sneakers, while DC's would be trenchcoats. I'd sure like to believe when they're off the clock, all those middle-aged government schlubs...
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Ikea Arrow Rug By Sophie Bouy

Awesome. The meatballs are this way. If you eat all your dinner, you can play in the ball pit for a few minutes. Ikea Floor Arrow rug by Sophie Bouy [sophiebouy.com via canadiandesignresource]...
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Supergraphic Wall Painting System Contains Everything An Expert Canadian Wallpainter Needs!

My elementary school had swoopy graphics like this once, I think. And according to the box, Canadian designer Ted Butler's complete Supergraphic set makes it super easy to create your very own Electric Company-ish graphics, "even if you've never...
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Ant Farm Helps Babyplus Technology Break On Through To The Other Side

One title that's been on my "must find" list for a long time is Inflatocookbook, a 1971 self-published manifesto and how-to manual for inflatable architecture by the San Francisco-based art collective known as Ant Farm. I just found a...
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November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving

The kid just explained that the Pilgrims' and Indians' first Thanksgiving dinner was "as long ago as the end of a tape measure." I hope everyone and his family has a happy holiday; DT will back later this evening, after...
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November 21, 2007

Muji Barcelona-In-A-Bag, Pavilion Included

Alright, that's rather brilliant. The new addition this year to Muji's ______-in-a-Bag series of wooden toys is Barcelona. And it includes a little wooden Mies Barcelona Pavilion, along with the Sagrada Familia and La Pedrera apartments by Gaudi. The...
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Muji Celebrates Xmas Across The Sea

note: these particular drawn designs not included. Unless Muji is run by grinches, some of these fiiiine Xmas collection items will turn up in the new SoHo store very soon. And if not, at least you'll have it to...
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Dimplomat Rubs Mercedes Vaneo In American Families' Faces

So I cut through the parking garage to get from the hardware store to the Container Store, and this unusually narrow, high, rear profile catches my eye. It seems out of place. Sure enough, it's a brand new Mercedes...
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IVF Researchers: Skipping Straight To IVF Saves Time, Uh, Money

On Slate, Sarah E. Richards discusses a new NIH-sponsored study by Dartmouth IVF researchers that shows by skipping hormone injections and going straight to IVF, couples got pregnant three months faster, with fewer treatment cycles, and with a lower average...
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Brooklyn-Made Organic T-Shirts By Winter Water Factory

I know, I know, throw a rock in Brooklyn these days, and you'll hit an organic t-shirt printer or a vinyl toy designer. Still, only a couple of them are on Supermarket, the flyover-free etsy alternative for the borough's...
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Vintage Pop-Up Book Teaches Important Lessons On Global Climate Change, Natural Selection

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } The little polar bear - rudolf lukes c1964, originally uploaded by Grain Edit. When the...
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Muji - 455 Broadway Below Grand - NO

A changing table is first on a long list of things the store doesn't have, 2-100 being the toys and gifts and remotely kid-related things from Muji @ MoMA. We knew going in that Muji would not be bringing their...
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November 20, 2007

The Arts & Science Of The $275 Onesie

Sonya Park opened her Tokyo-based brand Arts & Science in 2003 to stock, make, and sell the stuff she wanted, and what she wanted was old-school high quality inflected with some contemporary edge. Or something. It's a joushitsu na...
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Two Dreams, Both Alike In Dignity: Diaper Diesel, Lands Precedent

A Quebec company is developing a facility for converting 30,000 diapers/year into 11,000 tonnes of diesel fuel using a process called pyrolysis:David Bressler of the University of Alberta says pyrolysis is a "very hot area of research right now".Pyrolysis is...
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High Five To 10 Grain For Their Molded Ply Play Furniture

Eric Pfeiffer, of the Offi and Modernseed Pfeiffers, and one of the contemporary masters of molded ply, is once again trying to mold his way into our hearts with his new furniture venture, 10 Grain, which had a sneak...
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Cradleboard = Baby Backpack + Plagio Helmet + Supermax + Tatonka

From Henry Wood Elliott, Harper's Magazine, 1878:The writer in 1870 was taking a short-cut over the country near old Fort Casper, on the Platte, when he paused to kneel and drink at a clear little stream as he crossed....
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November 19, 2007

Shrek Is New Zealand's Most Famous Sheep? Dreamworks Is So Busted

When Shrek the merino sheep first fled the flock in the year 3 B.L.O.T.R. [ie., 1998], New Zealand was best known for, uh, kiwi fruit? Dancing rugby players? Having more sheep than people? Frankly, I can't tell you. But when...
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The Racings Snails Of Thingamababy County

On the subject of snails, I'm neither here nor there, unless they're roasted in garlic butter, then I'm all for them. AJ, on the other hand, is to snails what Mark Twain is to jumping frogs. We have no...
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Castor & Chouca: Le Bambou Crib Hyper-Chouette

When the in-laws were singing the praises of Takashima-ya's new baby boutique, they kept coming back to the crib. It has these wonderful Plexiglass portholes, said my father-in-law, are you sure you don't need it? Sure enough, it was...
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Hmm. Dadblogs Available For Subscription On The Amazon Kindle e-Reader

Hello, slightly random-looking, e-ink-based, wireless, e-book reading device from Amazon. Amazon wants to sell you a Kindle for $400, then sell you digital books and subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, and blogs [?!] to read on it. The content is delivered...
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Yotsubato Danbo Amazon Robot Toy Is Like Five Kinds Of Otaku

I tell you, you gotta watch out for the robots, they're turning up everywhere. This toy cardboard robot named Danbo was commissioned by Amazon Japan from Azuma Kiyohiko, the creator of the manga character Yotsuba-chan who lives with her...
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NYT: The Street Is No Place For Children

To the eye-rolling amusement of the parents who grew up on the stuff, NY Times TV critic Virginia Heffernan writes about the ironic warning label on the just-released Volume 2 of Sesame Street: Old School:These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are...
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In Greece They Do Potty Training The Old-Fashioned Way

They urn it. [Sorry, long weekend.] Tech exec Bill Bliss snapped this at the Agora museum in Athens. My question: is that image of mom & kid for real? Because it looks made up. Boingboing has a larger version. Of...
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November 18, 2007

Paperpod Singlehandedly Revives The British Cardboard Spaceship Industry

Just as they once ruled the seas, the British once led the world in the development of the cardboard playspace race. The date was 1969, and while the US was fiddling around with some moon landing or another, the...
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November 17, 2007

Takashima-ya, 693 Fifth Ave (Between 54 & 55) - YES

The men's room on the third floor, in the stall on the left....
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Un. Be. Lievable Modernist Playhouse For Your Rather Spacious Loft

It's like the Farnsworth House without the floods; the Schindler Kings Rd House without the pegboard; the Case Study House No. 21 without the corrugated metal; the Barcelona Pavilion without the chairs [though I guess they're sold separately now.]...
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November 16, 2007

And In Other Amazingly Chic Skate News...

Whenever I see a Peg Perego stroller on the street, I say to myself, "Gee, I haven't written anything about them lately and/or ever. I wonder if they'll ever snap out of that traditional pram-like legacy design funk they're...
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DT Headline Roundup: Do Unto Others Edition

Clearing the browser tabs before a weekend with the grandparents: Chick-Fil-A manages to bum out yet another family with their freebie toys. I didn't call a company spokesman, but I expect they'd point out that, for us sinners, no meal...
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SkateLab Furniture

Dear SkateLab Furniture publicists, Thanks for your email. But if this is another one of those "world's leading designer of copper-and-slate fountains sells his company to raise his daughter Ava, but can't get the design bug out of his...
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Holy Land, Batman! Check Out These Other Pastel Toys!

So I may have been a little too cynical last night in my post about how Pastel Toys are produced. Turns out there actually is a remarkable, harmonious, nurturing village in Israel where community members of all races, religions,...
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November 15, 2007

Pastel Toys: What's So Fun About Peace, Love & Understanding?

Not only will the classic-styled, wooden toys of Pastel Toys entertain your child with hours of open-ended, imaginative play--most of it about Diehard [L] or the Trojan War [R], probably--they'll bring peace and harmony to the cradle of Western...
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Roy Toy Log Cabin Blocks Are OG, Made In Maine

So I didn't know that Lincoln Logs were developed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, John in 1916-1917. I do know that they're currently made in China, though. Roy Toy log cabin building blocks didn't turn up until the 1930's,...
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Royal Deluxe II With No Cheese, Please, We're Keeping Kosher

How classic is this Saturday Night Live circumcision sketch? I get a little verklempt just thinking about it. Royal Deluxe II TV commercial [youtube]...
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Can You Arrange European Pickup For Your New M6 Kids' Convertible?

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Because then your kid could put the car through its paces at this test course...
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November 14, 2007

British And Knittish And Looking For An iPhone?

Right this way. Thanks for stopping by. It's four months on, and our 3-year-old daugther still loves her iPhone, by the way. The iPhone You Won't Have To Queue For [guardian.co.uk]...
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She's A Witch! Spurn Her!

Hundreds of children, especially boys for some reason, are abused, poisoned, abandoned, and even killed in Angola each year because their families think they're witches. But officials attribute the surge in persecutions of children to war — 27 years in...
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A Rabbi And Martha Stewart Walk Into A Bar Mitzvah

Oy gevalt, if ever there was a magazine crying out for a mensch's touch, it's Jewish Living. Just check out this subheading:It's not enough that you just brought home a beautiful baby boy--now you have to throw a party? These...
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DTQ: Find The Car Seat Crazy In This Picture

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Driving already, originally uploaded by plasticrevolver [and in no way related to the story below]....
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Bocós: The Blocks From Brazil

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Bocós, originally uploaded by Gizo. These sweet, screenprinted blocks put fresh characters and graphics into...
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Little Marc Jacobs Store Part Of Giant West Village Takeover

Little Marc, the most important children's clothing line in Manhattan parenting history, will finally get its own store, offering the full range of cashmere casual fashion for kids 0-12 years old. When it opens by the end of the month,...
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November 13, 2007

Someone's Been Sitting In MY Eames Chair

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } fractured fables, originally uploaded by mimulus7. It's amazing what's changed design-wise since 2000, when illustrator/designer...
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Here, Have A Biscuit. Oreka Kids Plywood Play Furniture

Nothing's as fun for a kid's imagination as a cardboard box. Only problem is, no one's getting rich and/or famous just selling a cardboard box. [Unless you're The Container Store on a Sunday afternoon; holy crap, people, eight kinds...
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DT Retail Scoutabout: Cities & Trikes & Marinas Edition

I'll probably add a couple of items to this retail scoutabout, since two of them aren't really retail: Befuddled Citydweller Baby Gift Alert Marilyn Singer and Carll Cneut's countdown to naptime book, City Lullaby, got a pretty glowing writeup in...
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OLPC G1G1 2WKS, 3-2-1, GO!

The One Laptop Per Child--aka The Laptop Formerly Known As The $100 Laptop before it costed out at around $200--started their Give One, Get One campaign yesterday. For two weeks, when you order two of OLPC's XO Laptops for...
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Uh-Ooba: Those Sweet Molded Ply Cribs Are The Last Ones. Ever.

Sad news, unless you're in the market right now for a sweet, soon-to-be-much-rarer, molded ply crib. It turns out that Ooba's recent sale will be Ooba's last sale. The company announced they'll stop taking orders on Nov. 30th. Or...
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Korn's Jonathan Davis Has Three Kids Now.

Somehow I lost track of Korn, not that I followed them or anything, just what Kurt Loder told me. But offhandedly riffing on Mr. Rogers lyrics in that scary toilet post reminded me of Jonathan Davis's own issues with Rogers...
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Old Codger Paper: New-Fangled Toilets Freak Out Young Whippersnappers

So according to someone at the New York Times who probably just started toilet training her kid, these new [sic] automatic flush toilets everywhere are traumatizing young children. Like so many articles about Kids These Days, the real issue is,...
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so tired. so so tired.

holy smokes, I'm tired. I'd ask when it all stops, and I can take a break, but we've got the other kid coming in like eight weeks now. plus the book, the house, the holidays, and on and on and...
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November 12, 2007

Sweet Canadian Minivans You Can Get, Just Not Fit Into

Fagus is Italian for beech, let's get that out of the way right now. These are two of a whole series by Fagus of sweet-looking toy vehicles made of solid beech and rubber. They're at Natural Pod, a British...
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GM's 7-Seat MPV Strategy Wackier Than Flying Cows

GM, which leads the world market for flying cow-catching minivans is finally set to start making smaller, nimbler, [and thus, one assumes, cow-dodging] MPV's in the US. The company's Hamtramck, Michigan plant will begin producing--Opel Zefiras. For export to...
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My First Real World Of Color Boardbook

This is so sweet. One of my biggest gripes about the whole DK My First Whatever Book series is the ridiculous absence of logos. I know exactly why it's the way it is, but it still bugs; it just...
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November 11, 2007

Otouto No Oppai/ My Little Brother's Boobs

I hate to judge a book by its cover, but even though I can't find any information on the just released Otouto no Oppai, I think I have an idea of what it's about. [The artist/author is Miyanishi Tatsuya,...
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Hopscotch & Bugs: From The Awesome Carpet Files Of Ms. Karin Mannerstal

The kid's been learning to hop on one foot at pre-pre-school this year. So this sweet Hopscotch carpet by Karin Mannerstall, uh, really jumped out at me on swissmiss. It's part of the Play series Mannerstall did for the...
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November 9, 2007

Honor Thy Godfather--Or Else: The Cosa Nostra Fifth Commandment

A police raid on the house of the new head of the Sicilian Mafia netted a list of the ten commandments of Cosa Nostra--oh, and the head of the Sicilian Mafia, who looks more like [F. Murray] Abraham than Moses....
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Sesame Street Covers Up Its Lone Exposed Breast

Well, I guess one single 1970's mention of breastfeeding on Sesame Street is one too many for today's merch-pushing execs, at least when it turns back up on YouTube. After receiving over 50,000 views in the last few weeks,...
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Start Pointing! International Adoption Study Shows Kids Learn Nouns First

A team of researchers including Harvard psychologists Jesse Snedeker and Joy Geren published the results of their study of international adoptees, whose English-acquisition technique, they figured, might yield some interesting insights on how kids learn a language. It seems they...
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Kid-Sized Shaker & The E-Chair High Chair, From Hiromatsu Furniture Co.

OK, surfing through the Hiromatsu Furniture Co. catalogue turns up some rather nice-looking pieces. Check out this sweet carved pine & wrought iron settee, for example. And also: There's something appealingly irrational, though, about getting Shaker furniture made in Japan....
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Iroiro Hiromatsu Pine Blocks

Iroiro is Japanese for various, and you write it using the kanji for color, twice. And though it's not grammatically correct, it makes a nice sound up against the Hiro in Hiromatsu Furniture Company of Ogawa, in Fukuoka. Who,...
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What The Heck? Salt Lake Nights And The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby Jeon Hong

A Utah policeman pulled over a speeding car, found a guy driving his wife to the hospital, snapped on the rubber gloves, and delivered the kid himself. Fine. But this makes no sense at all: Young Jeon and his wife,...
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November 8, 2007

Damn, But Makie Is An Awesome Baby Store

K. Cooper's blog, hoping for happy accidents, is a goldmine of amazing Japanese modern woodworking and artisanal everything. Most of it's just eye candy, though, since these tiny little companies and stores often don't ship outside Japan. But K.C.K....
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Charlie LeDuff: At-Home Dad, Inappropriate Yoga Guy

As a New York Times reporter, Charlie LeDuff was a little bit Dharma Bum [drifter], a little Hunter S. Thompson [gonzo], a little Joseph Mitchell [character hound], and a little Joyce Wadler [crazy]. Now that's he's got a kid, and...
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Unsuccessful Scientists: "Toddlers Thrive On Pollution"

I swear, I read it on the internet. Dr. Dilbert somethingorother, I missed his last name. [via chimay]...
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We're Moving Today And Tomorrow

Actually, we've been in a slo-mo move and renovation and painting job the last few days, it's just picking up pace. Posting might be a little light. I'm tempted to ask for advice about switching to cloth diapers with the...
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Sweet & Minty: Creative Playthings Giant Magnifier

Now that's nice, a Giant Magnifier from Creative Playthings, new in the box. I got one of these for the kid before she was really able to play with it; after about 2.5-3yo, she fell in love with sticking...
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November 7, 2007

Custom Tripp Trapp Mashups: Have It Your Way At Magic Beans

Whoa. Now we what happens when you live with a big inventory of Stokke Tripp Trapp high chairs for an extended period of time: you start getting a little creative and a little wacky. Magic Beans has introduced a...
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They Hate Us For Our BebeSounds Inflatable Birth Announcements

Whatever top secret military contractor developed the inflatable, lit-from-within, figurative nylon balloon technology that makes these 6' x 5' BebeSounds Inflatable Birth Announcements possible deserves every tax dollar they were awarded in their no-bid, sweetheart contract. Do they have...
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Found! That Sick $790 Mod, Spinning Dollhouse

Q: Is the obsession with mini-sized modernism that leads someone to pay $790 for a sweet-yet-anonymous, architect-made, Plexi-on-a-lazy-susan, modernist dollhouse on eBay the same kind that leads someone to create a blog devoted exclusively to modernist dollhouses? A: Yep....
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I Can't Think Of A Headline To Surpass Reuters' Own

200 feet, 600 pounds, no injuries except the cow, of course. And the minivan. I think someone deserves a model & make mention. Here we go, from the Detroit News: a 2006 Buick Terraza. They even have a photo: Cow...
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B- C- D-List NYC Schools Cause Grief For Realtors, Parents

With stories of overcrowded preschool open houses that rival anything I've ever heard on the Upper East Side, I've always figured the schools issue in up-and-coming Brooklyn was a ticking time bomb. And with the release of the school report...
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Permis De Construire, Nominally Sofa-Shaped Blocks By Matali Crasset

Now that Matali Crasset has been identified as the ingenius behind the foam-block-sofa made from cheapass-immigrant-plaid-shopping bags concept, her new Permis de Construire [Construction Permit] sofa for Domeau & Peres fits even more comfortably within her oeuvre. [Though I'm...
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Three's A Torendo: Sweet Wooden House Blocks In Japan

Shinichiro Nakahara is the Minoru Mori of gorgeous-grain, house-shaped wood blocks. With their single painted roof side, Gochi's toy-sized House Blocks are the genre's [relatively] flashy Roppongi Hills. Meanwhile, Landscape Products' artisanal paper and printing company, Papier Labo has gotten...
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Some Puzzle Furniture From Tokyo Designers Week

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } puzzle pillows, originally uploaded by INV/ALT. Hmm, maybe I won't try so hard to find...
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The Buena Vista Rocking Chair Club

I'm sure I'll catch hell from the Cubanistas at Miami Art Basel for mentioning this, but Miguel Garces Luis Ramirez is Cuba's foremost artist working in the medium of rocking chairs. An exhibition of his oeuvre opened last month...
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November 6, 2007

I'm Telling You, Humans, The Robots Are Coming For Our Kids

And when they enslave us, it'll be through cutesy friendliness, not Decepticon-like terror. That'll come later."We expected that after a few hours, the magic was going to fade," Movellan says. "That's what has been found with earlier robots." But, in...
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I'm Gonna Forgive You, You Don't Need To Run

It was looking grim for a while there, but Metrodad totally redeemed himself when he took his daughter to a freakin' Laurie Berkner concert. And that's despite, not because of, scoring front row seats at Carnegie Hall. Shakin' Down The...
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Wtd: The Minimalist-est Guy-Friendly Sling

So for The Other Kid, I'm really considering trying a sling. We have our Bjorn as a safety, but if there's a clean-enough, unfussy-enough, functionally excellent sling out there to try, I'd love to hear about it. [I don't...
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Odkins: For Example, A Plush Flava-Flav Giraffe

I saw the real Flavor Flav bustin' around somewhere recently, wearing that damn clock, and just waiting to collect his check. Man deserves to make a living, don't get me wrong, but it just seemed a little sad that...
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If France Is Real, It's Baby Naming Trends Are Unusually Precise

Just the other day, the NY Times reviewed an insanely awesome-sounding book by Graham Robb, The Discovery of France, that basically shows how historically, France is not the enchanting-yet-annoying cultural monolith we all love [and American politicians love to hate];...
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If You Were Still Wondering Why To Take Your Son To The Museum

Because your dad might have picked up your mom there after listening to the sixth track on Eric Weber's 1975 album, Picking Up Girls Made Easy!: "Van Gogh? Who's that? You see, I don't know much about the Impressionists; I'm...
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November 5, 2007

This Is Your Brain On Aqua Dots. Any Questions?

So far, the most chilling words to come out of the kid's mouth are "No, I learned it on [insert TV show name here]," as in:"And Daddy, dogs are hunters by nature." "REALLY. Did you talk about that at school?"...
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"Like Zoids Or Transformers Or Maybe Even Bigger"

That Mr. T mention got me itching to see Nizlopi's JCB Song video again, which still makes me cry, 2.5 years later. It also reminds me that Michael Bay is not worthy to scrub the road grime off of...
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Borat's Stuffed Thong, Or Knitted Icons: The Most Complete List

Alright, I notice there is no comprehensive list of all 25 celebrity doll patterns in Carol Meldrum's book, Knitted Icons: 25 Celebrity Doll Patterns. So I've compiled what I can from the various write-ups, which only make me wonder...
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Teak 182: Danish Spindle-back Rocker By Frank Reenskaug

One day you've never heard of Frank Reenskaug; the next, his teak rocking chairs from 1958 are everywhere. But even then, you can't find out much more than that a handful of chairs are for sale [or sold.] Good...
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More Plush Guts: Plush Guts From I Heart Guts

If one more set of adorable plush organs hits the market, your kid'll be able to open up his own plush CSI or plush haggis factory. The latest come from I Heart Guts, the brainchild of LA artist/designer Wendy...
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November 4, 2007

Daddy Types Advertisers Are All Fresh Vintage

Thanks to the advertisers this week at Daddy Types, who entertain, inform, and entice, while keeping it fresh: Lux programmable thermostats such as the EnergyStar-certified CAG1500 CleanCycle: hot, but not too hot. And energy efficient to boot. Service Employees International...
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Danish Rattan Rocking Horse At Jennifer Delonge, Craigs Delist

From Design*Sponge we learn that Jennifer Delonge, the paragon of Westside infant chic, is now offering a carefully edited selection of "fresh" vintage furniture, or as we say in the biz, "a few great pieces." Among them: a very...
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It's Baaaack! Formerly Addictive & Deadly Veggie Booty Now Just Addictive & Messy

Hide your white pants and wash the slipcovers, because Veggie Booty is back. I was just at the hippie grocery store, and there was a stack of cases of the formerly recalled snack known as Baby Crack. Sure enough,...
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DTQ: Chinatown Shopping Bag Furniture?

Alright, design gurus, I'm stumped. I swear I remember someone stuffing foam blocks into these dollar store plaid nylon shopping bags and making a sofa and chairs. It was a few years ago, maybe even Y2K, and I think...
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November 3, 2007

DT Headline Roundup: T-Mag, C-Class, L-Word, ABC Edition

Alright, so all the headlines are from the New York Times. I'm like that guy on NY1 who reads the paper for you in the morning, only I pull out the dad-related stories: Inside The Box: I admit, I fell--hard--for...
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Sorry About The Ximphids: Paul Ford's 100 Ways To Say, 'I Love You'

I really hope working for Harper's doesn't somehow disqualify Paul Ford for the MacArthur Fellowship, because he is our official Genius Of Love. Of his 100 ways to say, "I love you," the dad-specific ones are Nos. 36-40, 64 ["Say...
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Still, Pissed At The National Gallery

I've got a ton of things to do and write, but I can't, because I've got this really depressing incident I saw the National Gallery of Art yesterday lodged in my brain. I'm not a big believer of writing-as-catharsis,...
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Strollers In The News: Rancho Bernardo Edition

From Dan's thoughtful City of Sound post about the implications of suburban planning on the California fires, there's this wire service photo of a young couple and their BOB Ironman. The city as destructive system: wildfires, Dresden and the...
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It's My City In A Box, Baby!

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } , originally uploaded by asa*. Alright, the punch-out cardboard toy in a box student project...
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Dear Floris Hovers, I Was Totally Kidding About The Lead Paint And Staples

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } L1090519.JPG, originally uploaded by mcmo's. Alright, the painted metal toys at Dutch Design Week just...
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November 2, 2007

DT DDW Watch: Whoa, That Bassinet Thing Is A Gazelle Bakfiets

This photo from Core77 appears to show a bike company's booth at Dutch Design Week, and I wondered in print if that bassinet-looking thing was a bike sidecar. Turns out it's a bike frontcar. As you can see from...
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Core77 Covers Dutch Design Week: DT Covers Core77

So the big designblogs are rolling out their photocoverage of Dutch Design Week, which ended like a hundred years ago [or a week ago; why does this week feel like it's gone on a hundred years?]. Core77 just posted...
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Suh-Weet Price On Suh-Weet Maple Hollow Blocks By Community Playthings

Alright, I've kept quiet long enough, and Andy and his readers over at Stork Bites Man have had their chance. And though I know I'll regret not buying them myself--I kind of think they'd be kind of insanely awesome...
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Rolling Stone Owner Gathers Dos Mas

Hey, Rolling Stone owner Jann Wenner and his art-dealing househusband Matt Nye are expecting twins in January! [BusinessWeek reporter John Fine is too polite to mention the involvement of a womb.] Nye & Wenner's first kid should be around 15...
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Woo Hoo! Ooba Crib Just Went On Sale

The modern, molded awesomeness that is the Ooba crib just got a little cheaper. The crib, which was like an insane $2300 when it launched, and then dropped to $1650 as production volume increased, just got showed up on...
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November 1, 2007

I've Been Through DWR On A Tori Folding Rocking Horse With No Name

The Tori folding rocking horse is by Plan Toys, which means it's made from sustainably harvested plantation rubberwood, and it's kind of modern. I'm still trying to figure out how it doesn't collapse mid-ride when the kid gives it...
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OK, Seriously. Do Any Kids Watch Yo Gabba Gabba On Their Own?

The only Muno & Plex face painting I did at the kid's preschool pumpkin party was on myself. Lumpyhead's mom makes his DJ Lance Rock costume. And above, DT reader Jonathan and his East Village dadfriend were both rocking...
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It Bag Names Vs. Baby Names

the Chloe Beata At this very minute, in a cultural arena you never paid attention to, a name you like--perhaps it's even a family name on your shortlist--may be getting kicked around and weighted down with who-knows-what kinds of...
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Town Crazyman Gives Kids Signed Halloween Candy

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } scariest halloween yet, originally uploaded by daddytypes. So this morning, we're teaching the kid the...
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Holy Crap, Takashi Murakami Furniture!

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } 1000dollarcushion, originally uploaded by accd_STU. When we spent the summer in Tokyo a couple of...
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