For an easy way to find out how old someone is, just ask them how they spent Saturday mornings as a kid. If it involved heaping bowls of fluorescent colored cereal and watching cartoons about otherworldly creatures at 6AM… you’ve found yourself an 80’s child. Both Sean and I spent untold hours parked in front of our television screens, watching with equal amounts of awe and laughter as epic battles were waged between our heroes. Is it any wonder we gravitate towards 80’s t-shirts?

Sprite covered
Rainbow Brite shirt

Freaky Mumm Ra
Thundercats shirt

Candy covered
Care Bears shirt

The characters were usually cloaked in goofy outfits and had funny sounding names, but they all has a pretty serious mission; Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears kept vitality and love in the world, GI Joe was battling global “terrorists”, the ThunderCats prevented an ancient mummy from controlling the planet, and He-Man and She-Ra were defending the entire universe. We never watched the animated offerings from Lucas, but the Star Wars movies were so influential for us and that plot also involved protecting the galactic from evil. 80s kids were definitely presented with some mature themes and we loved it.

Ninja Turtle
costume shirt

Nobody puts Baby
in a Corner shirt

Darth Vader
costume shirt

Of course the 80’s were also influenced by the Me Generation mindset so we also ended up with fantastically silly or mundane plot lines. The Ninja Turtles were kind of a hybrid, as they fought off potentially multidimensional domination by evil, but they also used surfer slang and ate ice-cream topped pizza. (Which, by the way, is absolutely delicious. Thank you TMNT for prompting me to try that back in the late 80’s.) And then we’ve got a boatload of movies like Dirty Dancing where the drama stems from coming of age and a simple need to dance. Goonies, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future were also some “heavy” 80s movie offerings that tickled our imaginations as well as funny bones. It was an amazing time for media and for just being a kid.

All things considered, I’m really grateful that I got to spend my adolescence in the polarized yet magical decade of the 80’s. How about you, fellow 80’s children?

Ghostbusters
costume t-shirt

Delorean Back To The Future shirt

Goonies shirt

RELATED: 80s Clothing for Women, 80s Clothing for Men, our main 80s Clothes Store, and Vintage Metal Lunchboxes

Image (c) roboppy

A couple months ago a friend emailed to tell me about a berry that I “might be interested in”. She pointed me to the now infamous NY Times article about the “Miracle Fruit“, and I proceeded to flip out. For those of you who haven’t been introduced to this truly magical berry, it makes sour things taste sweet and food in general just tastes better. How exciting is that? It contains a substance called “miraculin” that binds with your taste buds for up to 2 hours of “everything tastes like heaven” fun. Wow, talk about a natural sweetener. Sign me up!

But there’s just one problem: availability. Wikipedia says Miracle Fruit was documented way back in 1725, yet it only gained popularity in America in 2008, thanks largely to the “flavor trippers” referenced in the NY Times article. Without a solid growing infrastructure in place, it’s been really difficult to obtain the berries or the packaged tablets. Most retailers run out of stock for months at a time! I tried to find some seeds so I could grow my own, but at the time nobody had any stock available.

This morning I opened up an email from my homies at Think Geek and almost fell out of my chair when I saw they are now selling Miracle Fruit tablets! The date on the email said it arrived yesterday, but by the time I arrived at their site they were already sold out and taking backorders. Noooo! But since Think Geek is located in the USA (unlike most retailers) and has amazing customer service, I’m just going to backorder a couple packs now. What can I say, I have an insatiable sweet tooth and the idea of sucking on a lemon and having it taste like candy is too novel to resist.

Every story I’ve heard about Miracle Fruit has been funny and amazing. If you’ve tried this miraculous berry, please share your story in the comments. I’ll report back when my shipment arrives

PS- I predict that this berry is going to be so instrumental in getting people to eat healthy. We’ll start by eating a miracle berry before a big leafy green salad – you know, so even the most picky tastebuds can “tolerate” real food. Then we’ll only need a half berry as our bodies become used to eating well. Then one day we’ll realize that we don’t even need to “flavor trip” anymore. Did this idea occur to anyone else?

It’s been a long day on teh Interwebz. I’ve been glued to my laptop most of the day doing nerdy behind-the-scenes work for Mable’s and our Halloween website. Kinda fun, but rather tedious work.

But you know what makes it all better? Perpetual Kid is having a Spring Cleaning Warehouse Sale. A bunch of their items are marked down 20% – 70% off. Now would be a good time to stock up on Dead body Towels for company and replace that busted travel hula hoop of yours. Sheesh, why am I still writing this, I could be securing a lifetime supply of Cocktail Monkey necklaces right now.

Even better is their newest item: novelty ice cubes in the shape of… wait for it… dentures. (If this is your first visit and you weren’t sure what to expect from a “Unique Gifts Blog”, you now know just what you’re in for.) It’s official: these chompy cool treats are going to be the official ice cube at Mable’s HQ this summer.

It was only a few days ago we were saying how cool it would be if Threadless reprinted the Staby McKnife design so we could get one. They must have read our minds, because we soon received their newsletter with another opportunity to purchase this friendly knife. W00t for reprints!

Also just announced is the 2007 Bestee Award Winners where you can view the designs of the year, best collaboration designs, groundbreaking design of the year, best use of one color, and more.

Although our friend Staby McKnife didn’t win any awards, another reprint did win Slogan of the Year. Get it while it’s hot.

In honor of leap day I’d like to invite you all to start jumping to conclusions. Thanks to modern science we are all able to easily jump to conclusions by simply leaping forward in a particular direction. Simply amazing. Also included in the official Office Space Kit is a mini red stapler, Initech mug, TPS reports, starter “flair”, “Is this Good for the Company” sign, and a sticker for a copy machine that says “PC Load Letter.”

All this for only $12.99.

What does this mysterious “Jump to Conclusions” Mat look like? Find out.

Last year, the handmade revolution caught on like wildfire. Giving handmade gifts says so much more than any factory made item, and it supports independent artists, too. We scouted out some unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas that would make a loving and unexpected gift for your special someone.

It’s official: Etsy is the place to get handmade items year-round. They have a beautiful Valentine’s Day Showcase to make it easy for us shoppers to find those truly unique items.

Let’s begin with a couple anti Valentine’s Day gift ideas, because not everyone thinks hearts and candy on February 14th. The one of a kind creations from Snarky Cards make me genuinely LOL. Over the course of about a week, I’ve read every card to Sean, which prompts us to cackle with delight. (I almost wish I had more questionable relationships so that I would have a reason to use these cards. Almost.) They’ll send the perfect message to your ex, or anybody else you want to stick it to this V-Day.

This Anti Valentines Day bracelet from Ben can Dance Creations is similarly blunt and snarky. With such unmistakable missives as DIE, KTHX BYE, and U SUCK, your target will get the message loud and clear. A perfect piece of jewelry that says “I hate Valentine’s Day”, but is still super cute.

For those of you with more traditional- and functional- relationships in mind this holiday, here are our absolute favorite picks from the myriad of handmade cards on Etsy:


Handmade Valentine’s Day cards (from left to right) from Art by Nakisha, Twisted String, and picklehead.

Although Etsy is increasingly popular, there are still lots of handmade Valentine gifts on eBay, so be sure to check those out, too:

Art and products that feature recycled/reclaimed objects are a Mable’s favorite. In our disposable world, it’s refreshing to see people who find creative ways to reinvent castoff goods, and Trixie has made an art of it. At trixiedelicious you’ll find her delightfully twisted take on pretty vintage New Zealand tableware. Pairing dainty prints with bold, black text or images, Trixie creates a unique hybrid that could be equally at home displayed on a wall or at a dinner party. Imagine the reactions of your guests when they eat their way to the bottom of their “Dirty” plate! The tongue-in-cheek designs range from cute and coy to racy and smirk-inducing. Trixie’s “hairdo” illustrations (featured to the right) also regularly make appearances, with saucy retro hairstyles and featureless faces.

Since these “vandalized vintage” pieces are recycled and hand painted, each item is totally one of a kind. You can even customize any plate and add the word of your choice. So if finding words like “filthy”, “deadbeat” or “pest” at the bottom of your plate isn’t your cup of tea, then you can add something more personal or sweet. There are also pieces with themes like sexy (“wink”, “tease”, “pout” plate set), and love (“kiss” and “tell” plate set or the “lovesick” cup and saucer set), which would make fun gifts for a loved one with a cheeky sene of humor. Letter plates (at left) are universally cool for all occasions, and would liven up any wall or dinner table.

Related: Subversive Cross Stitch

Gloomy Bear, created by Mori Chack, and friends to Boy Pity has been featured on Mables.com for a while, and he’s still as cute as he is dangerous.

Recently Dark Horse released an adorable stationery set featuring Gloomy Bear and his best friend Pity on envelopes, letter paper and stickers. All designed by creator Mori Chack and printed in January of ‘07 these are great for yourself or as a gift for a friend.

Also worth checking out is the heat-sensitive mug featuring Gloomy Bear and Boy Pity. Specially designed for Dark Horse this mug shows Gloomy giving a swift and bloody kick to his innocent boy owner, Pity, until you add a hot beverage… then you see the loving life that Pity dreams of. How wishful!

$4.99 & $14.99

It’s spring time, and Easter is just around the corner, which translates to a lot more get-togethers with friends and family. Laughter is heeling and these Pick Your Nose party cups will make anyone giggle, not to mention create many timeless picture opportunities. So invite your family and friends, get your camera charged up, and drink until your heart stops … from all the laughter.

You get 24 12-oz paper cups in each pack, evenly divided between male and female noses, to experiment with new styles of facial hair and noses.

If you haven’t already gotten your party supplies for Easter make it easier on yourself and shop online to have them delivered so you can get on with your life.

$7.49

The more common funny doormats say things like “Hi, I’m Mat” or “Wow! Nice Underwear” but I found some other funny doormats I’d like to share.

What sparked this post is the sheer simple cleverness of the “You are Here” doormat. As soon as I saw this and got over my initial chuckle I wondered why I didn’t think of that. I was also proud to see that this particular doormat is made of 100% recycled truck tires.

Another clever doormat made from recycled rubber is the sewer manhole cover. It comes in Boston, NYC, or generic Metro styles.

Lastly are my personal favorites because they are quite nerdy. “There’s no place like 127.0.0.1” is one, and the other simply says “welcome” but stylishly encoded in binary (just a bunch of 1’s and 0’s).

Have you come across any funny doormats you’d like to share? We’d like to hear from you, so leave a comment below to let everyone know about it.

$17.99 – $39.99