Odd finds from around the globe!

I thought I would start a thread about odd and obscure things I have found over the years. It can be anything that you thought was weird, strange, and awesome. For example, last night I stopped by Obscura in new york and picked up this guy:



So post your weird shit!

 

from Japan . . . you pull a string and his mouth moves

Lion Dog (Shishi / Komainu) by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr

 

maybe?

 

yup, here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQmAZr4QxNw

 

This mask has seen better days, so it hangs in a closet in my home. Visitors find it disturbing but I believe that "scary" masks like this are protective in one's home if you make friends with them ... they keep the bad juju out. I'd like to think the same of my vinyl monster toys. The mask was carved by a ranchero named José in Guanajuato, Mexico using a light local wood. Most of his work is far more spectacular than this devil, some of it quite whimsical and cute, some of it very scary. Unfortunately the pieces are very delicate and break easily. At some point the horns on this one came off ... I didn't feel it was my place to touch up the paint, so it remains in this compromised state. The "dirty" look is intentional, in fact I think José intentionally rubs dirt on his masks when they're finished. Apparently this sort of rustic aging is typical of carved wooden masks from central Mexico.

 

MIRV?

 

Wasn't there a monkey like that one in toy story 3?

Dean, that mask is great. I love masks in general but there are certain places in Mexico where you can really find some amazing pieces. Yours is a very nice one. And Guanajuato has to be one of my favorite cities in my country.

 

Seeing those monkeys always takes me back to watching Close Encounters... as a kid! Maybe you're thinking Toy Story 3?!

 

i wasn't gonna post it, but now i'm gonna post it anyway!

 

Biology shelf:

 

that skull is freaking awesome...

 

Komodo Dragon hip bone. Found on the beach amongst sand and shells on Komodo Island.

 

my fiancee's father bought this for me in Barcelona, from the store El Ingenio. this store constructs the giant heads for parades and stuff. this is about 10 inches tall and made from paper mache on a wooden base.




this tibetan skull is solid metal, maybe 4 inches tall. inscriptions over the eyes. hopefully this isnt cursed. bought from a chinese and tibetan antique store in Richmond VA





i love this thread. i have more stuff to post but i dont want to flood the thread right now! lets see some more weird things.

 

First thing when I saw that skull, I immediately felt it was cursed...weird but super awesome!

 

i hate you for saying that... i thought the same exact thing when i bought it. also i cant tell if it is smoking a cigarette or biting a finger...

 

Im going to say cig...but god damn...a finger...whoa

 

I love this!!! What an awesome gift.

 

Well Michael. If you can't sleep thinking about that curse, send that skull my way!

 

Found this at a flea market for $8, pretty creepy. It sits over my bed.

 

Why you would want that above your bed is beyond me.

 

You been there? wow