The Man of the Leipzig Fair

This fellow is Leipziger Messemännchen or The Man of the Leipzig Fair - - designed as a mascot for the fair by Gerhard Behrendt. Via.

*Buy mascot bobbleheads at eBay.

Kool-Aid Man mentally prepares for ritual suicide

The Kool-Aid Man mentally prepares for ritual suicide by Jon Rafman.

Also, the Kool-Aid Man in Second Life:

Cap'n Crunch gets a mature makeover

Cap'n Crunch/Captain Morgan mashup by Timothy Lim.

*Buy Cap'n Crunch toys at eBay.

Cereal mascots and enjoy their last breakfast

The Last Supper with cereal mascots - - sculpture by Brian Stuckey. He posted lots and lots of making of photos here.

*Buy Tony the Tiger toys at eBay.

Japanese Salami Company mascot

One of the mascots in Juan Molinet's fake vintage Japanese ad mascot set. Via.

*Buy Idle Idol: The Japanese Mascot at Amazon.

Fuzz and Fur: Japan's Costumed Characters

Fuzz and Fur: Japan's Costumed Characters:

While adoration for mythical creatures and popular anime characters is nothing new in Japan, this pastime has spurred a new marketing took utilized by local government institutions: yuru-kyara. Roughly translated as "amateur characters" these costumes are based on local attractions and points of interest that help define any given area. The municipalities take advantage of their citizens' willingness to create these characters in a strange amalgam of hometown pride and cost-saving measures on the part of the city councils. These civic mascots brought to life in floppy, fury, fuzzy and homemade costumes. Citizens convene conventions of their very own, demonstrating how yuru-kyara devotees represent another enigmatic, yet utterly captivating, aspect of contemporary Japanese visual culture.

$11 at Amazon. Via.

Animated Thanksgiving spot for NBC (and some extreme gore)

Charming animated Thanksgiving spot by Nathan Love for NBC.

For a substantial contrast, here's the ludicrously gory Blood Trail:



And if you need something cheerful after those monsters, enjoy this ad for a Chinese MMO called Fantasy Westward Journey:



Via.