Candles are very seasonal right now – although this Atari 2600 controller candle holder is unlikely to appear on your mum’s mantelpiece.
Shaped like the base iconic games controller from Atari’s must-have console of the early 80s, it holds your candle – which uncannily looks like the stick.
I’m not sure what this is made of – but with a price of £50, I sense ceramic rather than plastic.
The Czech company Tatra had a long history in manufacturing vehicles. They were popular with the German invaders and then later with the elite of the Communist Party. The T603 in particular was particularly iconic with its distinctive 3 headlights. It was exported to other Communist countries – Fidel Castro had a white T603 specially-fitted with air conditioning.
Sadly we haven’t found an actual Tatra car for sale but just these Mechanical Tatra Toy Cars. Available in two models; a black version of the famous Tatra 603 or a white Tatra 87 which was an earlier design with a window-less rear.
They cost £7.50 each from Thorssten Van Elten.
It’s apparently 30 years since the arcade classic Space Invaders was thrust upon an unsuspecting youth. And to celebrate, Taito is launching a luggage collection.
Not exactly what you would expect, but there’s no denying it’s very eye-catching. Everything from holdalls and shoppers through to smaller items like wallets and pouches – available in a range of colours, with each item packed with aliens, spaceships and explosions.
Now the bad news. Taito is so far only releasing its retro luggage in Japan. But if we all create enough of a buzz, they might just let the rest of us have some.
Find out more at the Taito website (Japanese)
Via Hypebeast
As kids throughout the world wait expectantly for a Nintendo Wii, it seems a good time to look back at the toys we wanted as kids with TV Cream’s Toys: Presents You Pestered Your Parents For.
The book celebrates the toys and games that turned up under the tree in years gone by – from Big Trak to Buckaroo, Mastermind to Merlin, Sorry to Strawberry Shortcake and the likes of Subbuteo, Simon, Evel Knievel, Etch-A-Sketch, Rubiks Cube and many more too numerous to mention from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each is accompanied by details and anecdotes, as well as images and eBay values.
Part nostalgia, part reference book, it is available in hardback for £5.19.
We’ve covered the wonderful crockery, badges and bags of People Will Always Need Plates, but we haven’t mentioned this wonderful stocking filler – the architectural colouring book.
Everything from studio flats and bungalows to modernist penthouses and prefabs, split-level maisonettes, mansion block apartments, georgian townhouses and brutalist towers, 23 buildings in total for you to colour in at your leisure with felt tips, pencils or crayons.
Just the job when the TV gets boring over Christmas – and it’s just £5.
Find out more at the People Will Always Need Plates website
If the 1930s Audi Type C sports car featured here last week is beyond your budget (quite likely), here is a Vintage Pedal Car that costs a fraction of the price.
Available in red or the British racing green colour shown here, it is a replica of a classic 1928-29 style pedal car. It is made from heavy gauge steel with solid rubber tyres, adjustable pedals and chrome accessories. Whilst it lacks the detail and function of the Audi, it is still a charming toy that will satisfy most children.
It is available to buy from Vinegar Hill for £119.
