My Trip to New York Part Three of Three: I love dunnies!

Finally, on to my souvenirs! I really only purchased one item and it was something I have been eyeing for months and quite a splurge. I bought the Patricia Field blue hoodie I wrote about on my previous post titled New York, Here I Come! It is also pictured below. It is quite over the top but I absolutely love it. (Whether Brian loves it as well, or even likes it, is still up for debate.) If I could get away with wearing it at work, I would be doing so right now! In case you are curious, Patricia Field was the costume designer for Sex in the City and The Devil Wears Prada; check out her website and merchandise here. Also, getting to her store was an adventure in itself but well worth it. Sure, I love the hoodie, but the flamboyant gay man behind the register with a perfectly coifed bob haircut and full grown out beard was the icing on the cake!



I also purchased two other little souvenirs but since they were less than ten dollars, they don’t really count. However, they rule and even at only the $6, they totally overshadow my hoodie in the coolness factor! I bought Kid Robot Dunnies. Okay, okay now how to explain. So basically Kid Robot is a creator of limited edition art toys. “Many Kidrobot products feature unique collaborations with famous artists from backgrounds of graffiti, fine art, industrial design, graphic design, illustration and music.” (For more information on the Kid Robot brand, read all about it here.) One of their limited edition art toys is a series of 3 inch bunnies designed by famous artists that are sold in separate boxes that are sealed; basically, you never know which one you are buying until you open it! Kind of like collector baseball cards (except way cooler!) and praying you get that mint condition Ken Griffey, Jr. card. For more information and pictures of the Dunnies, click here.

I can’t explain to you why I think these little bunnies are the coolest ‘toys’ ever, but I am instantly hooked just as Stevie is too. We scoured eBay for hours to determine which of the 17 dunnies we would want for our own collection enough to bid on and debated running back to the store to purchase even more. The thrill of opening that little yellow box and finding the dunny you dreamed for sounds great… but finding a repeat dunny would be tragic. Thus, eBay became the more viable option.

However, instead of being lame and sticking those collector items up on a shelf to collect dust, we decided to tote those dunnies around New York City and take pictures of them doing everything we do! I know this sounds crazy and maybe something that would have only been acceptable to do in Middle School, but I say think again. Gina Garan did the exact same concept with Blythe dolls and has made a fortune.

Amazon.com explains the Blythe book premise: “Produced for only one year in the '70s, Blythe is a moony waif of a doll coveted by a growing group of devoted fans. Photographer Gina Garan fell to Blythe's charms and unusual looks years ago and has shot her in settings around the world, from Greece to Soho to Hooters. Hilarious, mesmerizing, and just a little spooky, This Is Blythe is the result of Garan's offbeat passion and a photography book like no other. Here's mod Blythe pacing through an art gallery; a pensive Blythe in a tiny blue fur parka, the sun flaring orange behind her; Blythe emerging from a block of ice. Is that Blythe telling her Christmas wishes to Santa Claus? Like stills for a film that hasn't happened (yet?), these undeniably beautiful photographs create an entire world from each flawless frame. A no-explanation-necessary gift for that special someone, This Is Blythe will enchant fans of witty photography and pop culture with a taste for the unexpected.”

Can’t Stevie and I do this with Dunnies?! Why not?! Don’t all million dollar successes start out with a seemingly simple concept? We could create our dunnies their own blogspot, their own myspace page, their own web forum. We could post pictures of their (and our!) adventures and give them their own identities. It could be the newest pop culture guilty pleasure. Or let’s be honest: more likely it will just end up being a blog Stevie and I post our own pictures on for our enjoyment alone. We will be huge dorks but love every minute of it while our friends roll their eyes as we snap pictures of the dunnies out in the real world. But hey, at least they aren’t just collecting dust right?!

So here was our attempt in New York City to let the dunnies roam free and snap away. They ate pizza with us at John’s Pizzeria, listened to music at the Apple Store, ate our Halloween candy, drank my beer, and even made a few prank calls. Are we nerdy? Sure. Do I care? Nope. Are you scrolling to see the pictures filled with curiosity? You betcha!