Mojibakeru

Redefining the pictogram, these Japanese characters transform to the animals they describe

Transforming Japanese letters into a playful creatures, Bandai‘s line of shape-shifting animals inform while entertaining. Called Mojibakeru (Moji is the Japanese word for “character” and bakeru means “to change”), the collection of six plastic toys represent 犬(dog), 虎(tiger), 魚(fish), 馬(horse), 鳥(bird) and 龍(dragon). Each character is available in black, white, yellow and blue, maximizing your language-bending skills. Each figure sells online for $9 from White …

Carnival and Lent Puzzle

Painter Cecily Brown applies her abstractions to a limited-edition jigsaw puzzle

British artist Cecily Brown—known for oil paintings full of ribald energy depicted through frenzied brush strokes—turns to a less traditional medium with her new puzzle edition. The recently-released 672-piece jigsaw of her 2008 large-scale “Carnival and Lent” painting makes the perfect lazy day activity. With just 230 made—30 of them signed by Brown—the mind-bender makes an ideal addition to any avid puzzle or art collector’s …

Peepwool

A cast of curious characters handcrafted from upcycled materials

The brainchild of Wisconsin-based artist Amy Arnold, Peepwool are individual stuffed dolls handmade from completely recycled materials. A mix of personality and found objects, no single Peepwool looks the same as the next. Arnold started creating Peepwool when she came across a box of remnants she had been keeping in her parents’ basement. As a new mother at the time, Arnold used the found materials …