ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

3D Batman LEGO Zoetrope

As I come to the conclusion of my first can of Hello Boss French Roast Coffee (containing “coffeine!”) from the local Asian grocery store, I break from plushies and softies to bring you some coverage of all things hard, shiny, flashy and kinetic.

I’m starting with an exhibit that could draw any fanboy with vision from the blackest corner of The Maker Faire’s Dark Room: Gary Aden’s 3D Lego Zoetrope. The gadget delighted Superhero fans who could watch Batman, The Riddler and Mr. Freeze engage in a neverending battle. Simultaneously, the zoetrope–a device from the Victorian era–got street cred with the Steampunks. And then you have all the LEGO fans (at least ones who are not prone to seizures). I couldn’t stop watching this.

Monkeylectric Bicycle Lighting

Another flashy feature from within the Dark Room was Monkeylectric’s bicycle lights. The Monkeylectric m132 is a consumer bike light system that creates graphical color patterns when your wheel spins between 10-30 MPH. It uses a synthesizer to generate a continuous stream of changes, which are customizable using its integrated waterproof buttons. These psychedelic circuits were available all weekend exclusively to Maker Faire attendees for $59.95. If your yellow Lance Armstrong bracelet is getting a little tired, sales to attention-seeking bicyclists everywhere else begin May 5th here.

Interestingly, Monkeylectric’s founder, Dan Goldwater, was also once a founder of our next stop in the Maker Made Stage: Instructables.com. Instructables had the clever idea to offer several versions of their business cards, each with a different project (like how to make a taxidermy mouse into a travel-size computer mouse). Their website is for people to “share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others.” Log on to learn how to make a solar powered light-graffiti projector or if you just want to know how to kiss.

If there’s an instructable on how to make found objects into kinetic art, Nemo Gould should be teaching it. The Oakland-based artist blends post-consumer waste with pop culture imagery to create surreal sculptures with moving parts. This guy is definitely one to watch (if you aren’t already). He’s getting tons of press (including a feature in the April issue of Stretching Canvas with Kathie Olivas & Brandt Peters on the cover). Check out Nemo’s portfolio at www.nemomatic.com.

Chipper

Toward the outer reaches of The Maker Stage, near to the more tie-dye than technology Trashique Boutique, I found one of my favorite creations: a steel, fur and electric magical urban creature known as Chipper. Chipper’s handler, Aharon Bourland, is a motion graphic designer, a culture critique and a critter-maker. Follow The Rabbit, a work-in-progress, here.

I’m going to segue from Chipper back to plush now, but I’ll leave a few robots for your clickthrough pleasure.

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