Pink and Purple Peng Peng Bear

 

It's always a happy day when a new Peng Peng bear arrives. 

 Clearly, she agrees.

Peng Peng, one of my very favorite artists, makes unique and beautifully crafted small teds. Petunia, just 5 inches tall, features hand-dyed two-toned mohair, a tiny, stripey dress, and a fantastic face inspired by the classic British bear, Master Teddy.

 Pink and purple Petunia poses prettily...

Vintage Troll Planter

I stopped by a barn sale last weekend, and was about to leave after disappointedly poking about the rusty tools and old gardening things when I spotted this guy peeking out from behind a flowerpot. Yay: a vintage troll! I'm always on the hunt for those, and they're getting harder and harder to find.

Once I picked him up, it made sense that he was with the gardening things after all, as he is actually a planter. The ceramic troll, about 5 inches tall, is hollow, and was meant to hold a small plant, the foliage of which would eventually form his "hair." Brilliant, really...

1966 Troll Log House

There were many vinyl and plastic houses made for trolls during the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s. One of the rarest and most charming was this small log residence, just 6 inches long, made by Mattel in 1966. It features a clear front window, vacuum-formed interior, and loads of printed detail.

Front of the Troll House.

Back of the Troll House. 

The cozy interior has a molded stump table and chair and 

printed bed, nightstand, shelf, and candleholder.

A vintage troll still lived in the log house when I found it:








Printed trolls peek out the windows on either end of the log.

Shhh...this one is sleeping...

Bloo Bear

Meet Lenny, a 7 inch ted made by UK artist Susan Johnson of Bonsall Bears. Lenny caught my eye when I saw a picture of him in a British teddy bear guide. Susan makes Lennys in a variety of colors; check them out at the Bear Garden in Surrey.

I think he may be my new cutest-bear-ever.

Lenny is feeling bloo today...

1967 Mini-Martians Dolls, House, and Space Ship

The Mini-Martians have landed! I've finally snagged one of the hardest to find and most sought toys on my wish list: the Mini Martians, made in Japan in 1967 by Swedlin as an exclusive for Sears department store.

 1967 Sears catalog ad.

A perfect confluence of the mid-1960s mod, space-race, and small doll fads, the Mini-Martians were 4 1/2 inch tall vinyl figures with moveable arms and heads, dressed in day-glo "Carnaby Comet" fashions. Like so many dolls of this period, the Martians had a vinyl dollhouse with a vacuum-formed, brittle plastic interior. Their scarcest accessory was a blue flying saucer car.  Made for such a short time for a limited marketplace, and from fragile materials, the Martians are rare finds today.

 The Mini-Martians Star House, 15 1/2 inches wide.

Inside the Star House, the Mini-Martians had a sleeping loft, closet with space suits, a space viewer screen, a panoramic window with a lovely view of the galaxy, and a parking terrace for an (attached) jet car. 

The original catalog ad reads:

 

"Martian Star House. $3.99.

Far beyond earth's bustling pace Mini-Martians dwell at ease. Zooming around in 'outer space,' Mini-Martians live and play. Nestled among the stars and comets...a home so streamlined, all their own. Brightly colored outside and in. Space car parks on terrace platform. Two elevated bunks for sleeping. Video scanner to check on pals...Vinyl house closes for visits to 'other planets.' "

This toy came out a few years before I was around, but if I had been, that dreamy ad copy alone would have sold me. Who wouldn't want to live in a house of her own nestled among the stars and comets?

Inside the Star House.

Sleeping bunks.

Closet with space suits hanging on the wall.

Video scanner. 

 Star Car parked on the terrace.

The Martians themselves are adorable and funky, dressed in brightly colored felt and metallic foil clothing with teeny tiny space boots (often missing). Each Martian came with a name, described in the catalog copy, which introduced them thusly:

"Mini-Martians. $1.49 each.

Futuristic sprites a mere 4 1/2 inches tall. They'll take you to their world above where make-believe is so much fun...Remove boots for barefoot space walks. Dressed in supersonic styles. From Japan. Collect all 6 and have your own Mini-Martian community."

I'm a few short of a community, but was lucky to find 2 in minty condition (with their boots, even!), while the house came with a couple of more-played-with Martians.

 Professor Pook appears to be the villian of the bunch. 

He's got those sinister-looking pointy-down eyebrows...

Marti is the boy Martian, while Bonnie, below, 

in her odd space visor, is one of the girls.

And here is the seldom-seen "Jet Car," 

for jaunts around the universe.

 Blasting off...