Tempus Rector

Daylight savings was four days ago. Half of my clocks fell back an hour while half remain defyingly displaying the past's future hour. There is a time warp between my living room's entertainment center and my kitchen's microwave. I have the power to end this rip in the space-time continuum which causes chronological confusion from my bedside to my desk. But I hesitate to provide the equilibrium of consistent time. I have found a chaotic comfort in my time jumps -- always questioning my grasp on my current position in the day. If the hour is debatable it ceases to be exact. It becomes inaccurate, fallible and no longer held in the esteem of unquestionable fact. Time, for me, truly does become relative, relative to my microwave, my alarm clock, my phone, my disposition, my procrastinating nature. I have become Tempus Rector within the walls of my home and, for the time being, time is on my side. But now it is late, or perhaps really late, and I must sleep to wake promptly at the hour of my choosing, be it desk clock or wall clock -- only time will tell.

Elmo's Eyes

Kids love their moms. And certainly one day, when singer Katy Perry has children, she will be adored.

She will be able to share her special "collector's edition" appearance on Sesame Street (not every mom gets to sing for Elmo) -- an episode that unfortunately or fortunately didn't get out of the scrutiny gate and onto PBS. She will be able to explain what it's like to have Elmo run circles around her. It'll be fun.

She'll also be able to share her appearance on SNL as a 16 year-old library volunteer. Her kids will think it's cute that Elmo's face is on mommy's chest. But why weren't Elmo's eyes pulled down and into proper placement to complete the dimensional satire? In fact, if it had to be done all over, Katy would have fared better playing opposite Cookie Monster. His googly eyes would have been even more appropriate across Katy's chest. Plus there's that subliminal connection to kids' favorite snack: milk and cookies.

They're Always After Me Lucky Charms

An icon of my childhood slipped past me and then slid into view to remind me that the world continues to spin without any pushing on my part. I am somewhat saddened by the unbridled progress of a once static touchstone of my youth. An anchor has been hoisted setting my childhood adrift and I am increasingly left with only fading photos and imperfect memories as the world proceeds to discard and, more disturbingly, transmogrify my heroes.

They're magically nourishing, conditioning and lip softeningly delicious!

While I embrace the inevitable and enjoy the new experience of sealing my lips in the paraffin of Pink Hearts, Orange Stars, Yellow Moons, Green Clovers, Blue Diamonds, and Purple Horse Shoes - I still languish, for a moment, in the milky melancholy of my celebrated cereal childhood and the lack of the steadfast sugar consistency of my youth's mile markers. But then no one likes stale cereal - shine on Lucky Charms. I look forward to the impending day when I will shed a single tear as I enjoy a bubble bath with marshmallow clovers.

Regurgitating Rico Hits the Shelves

It took awhile, but he finally made it: Regurgitating Rico from the hit show, the "Penguins of Madagascar" is now available at TRU (and eventually the other big boys too). So here's the back story: our client was anxious for a feature plush toy for the line (the 30 plus figures we designed weren't enough), so we started noodling over something that could be done that would be relatively inexpensive to deploy technically, make sense based on the character and be tons of fun to play with repeatedly. Well, since Rico vomits in the show all the time -- and one never knows what he might upchuck -- a stick of dynamite, a bicycle, a bowling ball, a portrait painted by Xavier Cugat -- the sky is the limit -- that made the most sense to pursue: a plush penguin that would vomit. It's a natural! We came up with a simple way to pass strange objects through Rico's beak and into his belly, where they would be stored until you reach in and pull them out. When you do, Rico makes a regurgitating sound. Well, you just have to see it and experience it and own one to fully appreciate the magical effect. So hurry on down to TRU and pick up a case of them for gifts and to place about your home. No cozy area in your house should be without a Regurgitating Rico! Our special thanks to Melinda Keane for helping us stitch up the beak and create an interior belly sack for the sample presentation Rico we made for Toy Fair. Aside from being a terrific friend, she's a very talented costumer and the wife of Family Circus cartoonist, Jeff Keane.