Taxi McTaxiface

Here's a very happy looking taxi. With a smile that's on par with Yashika's from yesterday.  I bet he is driven well and obeys the rules of the road, unlike many real taxis.

I saw him in the window of the children's clothes shop, that usually do very good themed window displays, and couldn't resist taking a photo.

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

Isn't he cute? I spotted him in a shop window the other day.

He must be Scottish, as he is made from tartan.

I wonder what his name is. Scotty McScottyface perhaps?

Captain Quack

I came across this little fellow whilst rummaging through a basket in a charity shop.

I thought he would make a nice companion to my Notts TV ones, even though he is a lot smaller. But being a pirate, he's not going to get bullied by those media types.

Looking up 'bud', the company that made him, I found that they specialise in producing novelty rubber ducks of all kinds, and have done for a few years. But this is the first one that I've ever come across.

Secret Squirrel

Who could resist this cute little fellow that I spotted in the window of a local shop.

He's been well crafted, right down to his little knitted acorn.

With that little smile on his face, it looks like he is going to look forward to eating it.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Who can resist this cute toy lion, with his sly look and smile?

I saw him in a shop window display and the child in me went "ah", and of course I just had to take a photo.

It looks like Leo is in the circus, but he wouldn't look that happy if he was, as circuses are terrible places for animals, with the cruel treatment that they receive to make them perform.

Fortunately animal based circuses are on the way out in the UK, but sadly other countries still have them and don't respect the rights of animals and the fact that they are living beings.

The Clatter Of Bottles

Anyone over a certain age will remember the milkman. That early morning delivery of fresh milk, just in time for breakfast and the first cuppa of the day.

And of course milko was environmentally friendly, with their electric floats and recycling the glass bottles; the empties. Seeing this old toy milk float in a local junk shop brought back the memories of hearing the whirl of the motor, and the clanking of the milk bottles.

But sadly those days are done, as everyone seems to get their milk from the supermarket nowadays, in either plastic bottles or cardboard packs. Not so green. And also the farmers that supply the milk are not getting such a good deal as they used to. In fact I read somewhere that they actually lose money on each tanker full they supply.

So I wasn't surprised to see on the news a load of Somerset farmers protesting about this in an unusual way. Firstly they led a cow into a supermarket and then they bought every carton of milk in the store and went on to hand it out to people in the street once they had paid for it all. It was quite amusing to see them all load up their trollies. It's a serious matter of course, and there is a public campaign underway to get farmers a better deal, by just raising the price of a pint of milk by a couple of pennies.

Look What I've Dug Up

Here's a charity shop find that I got for 99p. A Matchbox Weatherill Hydraulic digger that was made by Lesney during the 1950s.

It's obviously seen better days, with some of the paint missing, but in quite good condition for a toy that's nearly 60 years old.

If it was mint and boxed, then it would be worth £40 or more, but in it's present condition, it may only be worth a fiver. Still it's a nice model to have in my collection, which incidentally isn't that big.

Brian

A bit of a fun photo today, as my Brian the Robot finally arrived.

I ordered him in March, when I bought some house insurance through Confused Dot Com, the online price checker.

It's a good toy as it has it can be posed, talks and moves through friction power.

We also have a couple of meerkats as well, that we got for other insurances through Compare The Market Dot Com.

Monkeying Around

I bought a large box of PG Tips tea bags today, that came with a free cuddly chimp toy that often features in their TV ads.

PG used to use real chimps in their TV adverts up until the late 80s. I think the most famous, or well known advert is the piano one, with the immortal line "You hum it son, and I'll play it".

The main aim of the free toy is that it promotes the Red Nose Day charity, which this year falls on the 13th of March.

"E's" Are Good

Spotted this little fellow in a gift shop window in Beeston. All dressed for Christmas in his scarf and hat.

He actually dances; well wiggles from side to side, like he's doing a belly dance. So cute to watch.