Posts Tagged ‘bears’

Kitsch.  Such a great word.  From the Merriam-Webster dictionary: ” kitsch, the various bits and bobs of popular culture—fuzzy dice, plastic flamingos, cartoon-themed plastic lunchboxes, etc.—that enjoy widespread popularity but don’t hold much cultural esteem.”

And where is a great place to find fine examples of these bits and bobs?  A thrift store.  Maybe you’ll recognize one or two of them!

below: A snail on a bare baby fairy bum and bears playing accordions, oh the things that people will collect!  The bears are from Cherished Teddies which were very big in the 1990s.  There were a vast number of them for all occasions, all seasons, and all ages.

collection of figurines for sale in a thrift store

below: Can you read this little piggy’s expression?  I am afraid that is confuses me, …but the coffee cups are nice.  I made a small mistake and googled this image – to my horror, you can get a 12 piece pig/piglet set with the pigs in different “cute” poses, of which this is one, for about Cdn $80 on Ebay.   Google it as your peril!

small plastic pink pig wearing denim short overalls

below: This one almost came home with me!  The glass that is, not the frog.   Sorry Mr. Frog.

wine glass with words on it, i'd rather be a mermaid

below: More confusion – she’s kinda cute in a kitschy kind of way.  The little person at her feet though – is this a mother and child?  Or is this an angel watching over a child?  Mother Nature dressed in lavender and feathers?

figurine for sale in a thrift store

below: Wise advice, especially if it comes with glittery pink cowboy boots!

keep calm and buy shoes poster on the wall of a store

below: He’s not listening; he’s not taking good advice…. he needs to buy some shoes….

yellow rubber chicken with wide open screaming mouth, on a shelf beside a stack of papers where the top one has the word nervous written in large letters

below:  Another anthropomorphic  animal…. a long eared rabbit this time. She’s wearing a hat and a dress and very blue footwear.  She’s also wearing a surprised expression that makes you wonder what the goose said or did.

Anthropomorphic rabbit wearing straw hat and blue dress, figurine for sale in thrift store

below:  I’ve got one hand in my pocket and the other’s carrying something blue….

resin figure, girl wearing rust coloured overalls, one hand in her pocket

figurine for sale in throft shape, lady in long pink skirt is on a swing, man approaches but has hands up in the air

below: A smart purchase! A steal at $3.99

black t shirt with words, Nothing artificial about this intelligence

below: All that Mardi wanted was to be gras…..

red baseball cap for sale in a thrift store, with words that say make mardi gras again

below: Maybe it’s the hair?  ….  but I suspect that no one is going to mistake me for Wonder Woman!

wonder woman poster in a thrift store

below: Not really kitsch, but that’s a lot of weird looking bikini undies!

lots of bikini underwear for sale in a thrift store

square mirror on a wall in a thrift store

Have fun!  And maybe find a bargain or two while you’re at it!

Late August in Toronto means that the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)  is in town.  Today, since Labour Day weekend is upon us and summer is drawing to a close, I thought that I’d post this year’s crop of photos from the Ex.   Food, games, rides, and people watching fun!

evening photo, darkness, bright lights of the signs for curly fries, spiral spuds and fresh cut fries, food for sale at the ex

below: Elsa parades through the CNE grounds

a float in a parade shaped like Elsa from the movie Frozen, passes through the exhibition grounds.

below: Family games

a young boy throws a ball ina Skee Ball game while his sister and parents watch

young man concentrating as he shoots water into a target at a game at the CNE

woman running a game at the CNE, she is surrounded by prizes such as stuffed minions and other animals

woman running a game at the CNE, she is surrounded by prizes such as stuffed minions and other animals

below: An arm down, and just three feet, on number 21

from below, two people riding on the Skyride, an arm hangs over the side, and there appear to be only three feet

below: The excitement (and terror?) of CNE rides.

two young women on a ride at the ex

two young women on a ride at the ex

below: On the Skyride with the CN Tower in the distance

on the Skyride at the Ex, overlooking the CNE below, people walking around, booths selling food such as mini donuts and spiral spuds

below: Riding high above the minions.

two people ride on the Skyride above the midway at the ex, a large minion, stuffed toy prize, hangs below them

Whac-a-mole game prizes on the CNE midway, people

the eyes of a large blue stuffed bear peaking from behind a woman's arm

people walking past games atthe CNE, stuffies hanging from the roofs of game stalls

muslim woman in burka stands by a small tree with a stroller laiden down with parcels and bags, other people at the Ex are in the background

below: Elvis Stoyko carried the Canadian flag at the closing of the ice skating & aerial acrobatics show at the Ricoh Centre.

Elvis Stoyko carries a Canadian flag at the end of the ice skating show at the Ex, some of the crowds in the seats can be seen in front of him

below: Choose a ducky to see what prize you’ve won!

reaching for a yellow rubber ducky with black glasses and bright red lips, ducks are floating in water, a game of luck on the midway at the CNE

below: Beer bottle targets and the mess that results.

rows of empty beer bottles as targets at a midway game of throwing balls at bottles, broken glass below, stuffed animal prizes hanging above

a man with a pool cue playing a game at the CNE midway, with a woman with an armful of large stuffed prizes behind him

below: Rainbow coloured versions of the poop emoji were very popular this year.

a young girl in a hat that is a rainbow coloured poop emoji

below: Some people have more luck than others!

a woman carrying two stuffies and a skateboard, one is a large blue dinosaur and the other is a large pink creature

below: Gathering the spun cotton candy

a man collected cotton candy that is spinning in vats in front of him

two young men sit on stools beside a midway game at the ex while they eat

people around a food vendor at the CNE, fries,

below: Only a few can sleep through the crowds and noise of the Ex!

a baby is asleep in a stroller while the adult bets at a game of chance at the Ex. The baby has a large stuffed brown bear