‘Rainbows are dumb’

Perhaps in response to the perkiness inherent in retro revival properties like Strawberry Shortcake and the Care Bears, comes a slew of not-so-nice girls in the vein of sourpuss Emily Strange. Oopsy Daisy, from the Strangester’s L.A.-based Cosmic Debris, is an anime-like cutie pie with an attitude to match, and has already been seen emblazoning the chest of Britney Spears. In Oopsy’s world, populated by punk rock pest Sidney and money-loving narcissist Princess Pretty, ‘Reality is for the boring, and stupidity is displayed with intelligence.’ Oopsy’s image can be found on custom hoodies, keychains, socks and bags, along with slogans like ‘Rainbows are dumb.’ Other gloomy girls that surfaced at the Licensing Show in NYC last month include Scary Miss Mary, Bad Alice and L.A.-based Mighty Fine’s Ruby Gloom, who may look like one of the Powerpuff Girls, but she lives alone in a Victorian mansion, with only crows and a rag doll to keep her company.

From the Kremlin to the stadium

Whoever would have thought that the next sporting toy trend would be derived from the vestiges of Russian culture? From Woodinville, Wash.-based Bensussen Deutsch and Associates – the people who brought us the ubiquitous Bobblehead – come The Babooshkahs, modeled after Russian nesting dolls. These dolls-within-dolls (usually three to five in each, in likenesses of sports stars) have started to surface at baseball and basketball games in the U.S., and are given out to fans as premiums on game day. Each Babooshkah comes with a certificate of authenticity. Just imagine the possibilities: Instead of having separate Vince Carter, Jerome Williams and Antonio Davis dolls that take up way too much space on your desk, you could house them all in one compact-size doll!