In case you missed this, the folks over at Ohdeedoh (via the NYT) picked up on the recent announcement of Mattel’s “Mad Men” series of dolls (sans 9am cocktail).

Mattel Does Barbie Mad Men Collection (credit: NYT)

As a firm that named our recent collection for iconic mid-century designer Ray Eames, it seems beyond obvious to mention how much we enjoy Mad Men.  As good as the writing is (and it’s very good), we find ourselves often distracted by the subtle period details, whether the typewriter covers, Don’s office chairs or the Rothko in Bert Cooper’s office.  Between this limited-edition launch for Barbie and the Mad Men-inspired campaign for Banana Republic last summer there is a very good argument to be made that the Don Draperization effect has jumped the shark.  That said, it’s amazing to see how all of the furniture can seamlessly move between a Mad Men set and a contemporary home without seeming overly nostalgic or dated.  The understated simplicity of the design and honestly of the materials have an enduring quality that just works.

The dolls are being released in July to coincide with the new season.  Perhaps by then Mattel will rethink their decision to make Joan a size zero and add that loveable Burl Ives Bert Cooper doll after all!

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It seems fitting to kick off the beginning of the holiday season with a posting about Lego, without doubt our favorite “toy” from childhood.  Our first set was inherited from our cousins and over the span of a decade or so that one box grew into several overflowing bins thanks to some very generous parents and extremely indulgent grandparents.  While it may be hardly surprising that a series of interlocking blocks would be a particular favorite of budding designers (after all who didn’t like Lego), it was truly one of the most formative creative influences from our childhood.  Unlike many other toys that came with a specific context or meaning that you would either embrace or override, a box of Lego was always a blank slate that could be transformed into anything.  In our house, the images on the box cover –train, bulldozer, or even spaceship– were rarely created as it was far more fun to transform the pieces into whatever you wanted it to be.

That said, we always got a special thrill from the space series and enjoyed the nostalgic trip through twenty-plus years of space toys, thanks to the folks at i09.com.  The Mobile Tracking Station (1978) and Space Shuttle (1979) were two of our favorites.

As you know from some of our earlier posts,  space has been on our minds a fair amount this year.  We even added Blastoff to our MuuPanel designs for the Ray Collection.

Looking back, given the universal design emphasis underlying the Lego concept, its simplicity, Danish origins, and development in the 1950s and 60s, perhaps it should come as no surprise that we were drawn to mid-century architecture and design –Lego primed us to gravitate towards it long before we had any idea who Eames or Bertoia were.    As those overflowing bins have now passed through at least three other generations, it is incredible to think about how many hours of inspiration they’ve already encouraged.

Happy shopping!

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As children, we fell in love with Miroslav Sasek’s evocative “This is . . .” books about great cities around the world. Immersed in his beautifully illustrated pages, we felt like we really had been to Paris . . . and to Rome . . . and to Venice.  This is New York is one of the quintessential books of Muu’s collective childhood both in its distinctive visual style and unfettered love for the city.  When we were first thinking about MuuPanel artwork for the Sam Collection, this was on our design board.

So imagine how very excited we were to discover the recent reissue of This is the Way to the Moon (originally published as This is Cape Canaveral) at our local independent bookstore!  We snatched up a copy immediately and it made a great gift for our friend’s rocketship-obsessed two-year-old son.

We love reading Sasek’s books to our own kids and when we’re not giving them as gifts, we’ve found that the book jackets, when framed, become stylish wall art for a nursery, playroom or bedroom (if your little ones are like ours, those jackets were just going to be ripped up or eaten anyway, right?). Books and wall art all in one – This is Nice!

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Do you smile every time your toddler says “please” and “thank you?” Well, imagine how happy you’d be if she said those words in more than one language! We learned recently about Little Pim, an award-winning foreign language series for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Developed by Julia Pimsleur Levine – a mom, filmmaker and language teacher (and friend of Muu) – the company’s DVDs use animation and real kids to teach words and phrases for everyday activities.

Little Pim’s approach is based on research showing that infancy and early childhood is the best time to introduce a foreign language to a child. They currently offer DVDs in Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Hebrew and English; DVDs in additional languages are coming soon.

Check out Little Pim and add a new language to your household. Your kids will say “gracias,” “merci,” and “dōmo arigatō!”

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