COLLECTIBLES: O'BABYBOT Toys, Educational Games and Children's Books

"O'babybots"... based on O'bots created by Onjena and produced by Carbon-Fibre Media and Gold Mane Entertainment, will soon become a line of collectible toys! Below is a sneak preview of our 2-inch prototype!  

A series of children's books and educational games are also in the works for the O'babybots. The first book, "Re-cyclin'" tells a story about Yobo and his first bicycle... a rusty classic given to him by his father as a reward for winning an art contest. Recyclin' was written by Onjena with Devin and Grey Williamson. Stay tuned for the release!

Many of the O'babybot character designs and personalities were based on the children of close family and friends... each having a unique perspective and multiple stories to share. Here are just a few of them:

Mogo is the youngest of four siblings, who loooves to dance and eat. Her sidekick is Crumple, the hippo who is always hungry. This makes them the best of friends.  

Next is Opso, a science geek who is obsessed with construction projects and all things related to the stars and planets. She is very competitive but quite absent-minded, so her trusty sidekick, Epo, the ladybug, comes to her rescue more often than Opso would care to admit... that is, if she could actually remember... 

Popo is an undercover mathematical and musical genius, and very few know his secret. His best friend is Rawr, a three-legged dinosaur who is his primary confidant, after his brother and sisters, of course. Popo's and Rawr's dedication to righting the wrongs of the world border on superhero-esque.

Many ask how Rawr came to have three legs... he was born that way!

Yobo is the eldest of his siblings, Mogo, Opso and Popo. He is also an artist who loves to paint, sculpt and create costumes for his family and friends.

His favorite holiday is Hallo'ween.

Nom Yum, like her best friend, Mogo, looooves to eat, but she has one problem... allergies! She spends a lot of time in the kitchen experimenting with natural treats that are safe for her and her baby sister, Jo, to eat. Nom Yum and Jo are both vegetarians. They adopted Free, a cow from a local farm and have been inseparable ever since. To learn about Nom Yum's food adventures, visit her blog, Nom Yum & Free.

Although Bolly is fluent in four languages, English, Hindi, Arabic and Sign, she rarely speaks as she is very shy. She loves to read, play board games and rescue stray animals.

Her best friend is Opso.

New friends are always moving into O'village...

Other family members and neighbors include Hero'bots and Geo'bots who help guide the O'babybots on their paths to enlightenment. It takes O'village to raise a child...or an O'babybot.

For those planning baby showers, either live or virtual, check out interactive YouTube games Baby Word Scramble 1.0 or Nursery Rhyme Rhetoric 1.0, hosted by the O'babybots. The next game to be released will be for both mommies and babies... 

View all O'bots in our showcase. Comments, questions? Contact us or follow us on twitter for updates!

Thanks for reading!

~ onjena

ANYTHING GOES: Kim Chi & Watermelon: The Rise of the Multi-National Patriot by Onjena

I once commented on a friend's behavior as being "typically American." To which she responded, "Weren't you born and raised here?"

While this was true, many times, because of my appearance, it had been assumed that I was born on foreign soil. I was immediately struck by how I had unknowingly incorporated this into my own identity as an "atypical American." 

Am I less "American" or patriotic because I root for more than one country in the Olympics?  (I have a list that begins with the United States, followed by countries where I have family and then rounded out with countries to which I have traveled and enjoyed the experience.) 

Korean American

Chinese American	Canadian American	Ghanian American

Whether mixed, "hapa," multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-national or not, celebrating all cultures and fighting for equality is not the same thing as legislating to ensure supremacy. 

Black

Blasian	Moreno	Irish

So, I'm saying it loud... I love kim chi and watermelon... 

I Heart Kim Chi	I Heart Watermelon

The Kim Chi Jar design is dedicated to my Omma and Sam Chun... and the watermelon design to Wanda Sykes... 

The remaining pieces are dedicated to my international friends who could not believe I was from America because I was brown... and especially to my “brown” Canadian friends who I couldn’t believe were from Canada…

We all have work to do. United we stand…

All designs are available on apparel and gifts. Stay tuned for new designs by following us on twitter.

Thanks for reading!

~ onjena

SPOTLIGHT: Korean-American Flag by onjena

It's a curious journey... from toy robots to my Korean-American flag design.

In truth, it all began with my parents who were the models for these two O'BOTS...

Aim High Bot	Ogi Gogi Bot

 Which lead to this O'BOT...

Kigi Bot

Then, needing a logo for my mom's catering company... Seoul food for the Soul... The Korean-American flag was born. 

Seriously, her sesame-seasoned fried chicken wings and potato salad are legendary...

All designs are available on apparel and gifts. 

Thanks for reading... kahm sam nida!

COLLECTIBLES: OBOTS | Geobots, Herobots & Obabybots! Oh My! Toy robots by onjena and Gold Mane Entertainment

Carbon-Fibre Media's onjena and Gold Mane Entertainment have partnered up on the development of a line of toy robots called O'BOTs. Rumor has it, O'BOTs are half robot... half...  

Currently, there are plans for at least three lines of O'BOTs... Geo'bots, Hero'bots & O'babybots. 

GEO'BOTS

Where in the world are robots not loved? Especially robots that adopt the style and swag of a culture, a region or a school...

Mr Hipster Bot	I Boot Green
Bed Stuy Bot	Bed Stuy Belle
Lord Kimbobot	Jim Bot Jr

HERO'BOTS

Our Hero'bot line of toy robots celebrate everyday heros. Our military, cops, firefighters, doctors, nurses, teachers, bouncers...

Aim High Bot	Care Bot
Bouncer Bot	Bot Strong

O'BABYBOTS

Four brothers and sisters make up the primary O'babybots who interact with other family members and friends as they learn and grow together. Several childrens' stories are in the works starring Yobo, Popo, Opso and Mogo and their sidekicks, Deeogee, Rawr, Epo and Crumple.

Yobo & Deeogee	Popo & Rawr
Opso & Epo	Mogo & Crumple

The O'babybots make their first YouTube debut in a "virtual baby shower" game... Baby Word Scramble. The soundtrack was from the Henny Float album of Asen James of Focomoto. The game can also be downloaded from our Facebook page. 

Here's a sneak peek of an early prototype of the O'BOT.  

O'BOT designs are available on apparel and gifts for the home and office. DIYs will be available too so you can customize your O'BOT to fit your botitude. 

You can see all our O'BOT designs on our showcase.

A very special thank you to Grey, Eric Nocella, Steve, Kilroy III, Chuck Collins, Nelson X, Ogi Gogi, T.J., Kimbobot and Nom Yum... for... well... you know...

Stay tuned...

SPOTLIGHT: The Rise & Fall of Castle Grayskull Igloo: Kilroy III Was Here in Bed-Stuy

As promised... a follow up tribute to all who showed love for our Castle Grayskull igloo... It's been almost a year since Snowmageddon 2011...

Who knows what 2012 will bring?

Incredibly, Grayskull lasted a total of 24 days... To see how the story ends, watch the complete tribute on YouTube below:

Or, view at your own pace on our Facebook album. 

Music? Yes. Music. The Grayskull tribute on YouTube was set to Asen James' "No Maybes." The Henny Float album is on a whole... nuva... lebel...

I heard a snow storm is heading our way any day now... 

SPOTLIGHT: CANVASS 44: This is what change looks like | Obama Art Project

For the benefit of the following charities and organizations:

Organizing for America & Partners in Health

Learn more on how you can get involved with CANVASS 44.

CONNECT WITH CANVASS 44

SPOTLIGHT: Snowmageddon Spawns Castle Grayskull by Kilroy III & Friends | Brooklyn Igloo

Kilroy III | The Architect and Sculptor of Castle GrayskullMetal, wax and resin are not the only mediums in which this sculptor works... Kilroy III, with the assistance of his family and friends, sculpted Castle Grayskull, He-Man's fortress from Mattel's comic Masters of the Universe, out of three-plus-feet of snow from Brooklyn's latest snowmageddon.

This is not his first Castle Grayskull... His first was constructed with childhood friends from his hometown in Ohio circa the early 1990's. 

Fairborn Daily Herald: Castle Grayskull circa 1994

When asked why he decided to try it again, Kilroy mentioned the amount and texture of snow as primary factors. His friends believe his sculpting skills have improved since then...

The interior includes two chairs carved into each wing of the castle.  Three to four adults could easily fit inside.

Early pics of the castle show Kilroy III hauling snow over the castle (from the front to the back) and standing on a ladder to sculpt the turrets.  

The other dedicated team members would periodically run into the house to warm their hands and feet before continuing the arduous work of shoveling, packing, coring and sculpting snow and ice.  Selina Ki was inspired by the architecture of the church across the street, Our Lady of Victory, and incorporated some of the details in her stone work on the castle. 

Selina Ki & Ethyr Khen

Fizz and Kigi guarded the castle with a watchful eye.

Fizz & KigiAn additional factor for success were the tools used by Kilroy III and friends. A Korean soup bowl and spoon... great for smoothing snow and etching details... and eating spicy Shin ramyun... 

Neighbors kindly offered their tools and words of encouragement throughout the two days of construction of Castle Grayskull.  Many volunteered to assist in building an extension during the next snowmageddon, assuming the castle survives...

Kilroy III was grateful for the exercise and the opportunity to have some fun with family, friends and neighbors. He encourages all who took pictures of the castle to share them with him and his crew on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.

A Tour of Castle Grayskull: Day 3: Still Very Seriously On Point

KILROY III'S UPCOMING ART PROJECTS

Renegade Bust | Guardian of VinylKilroy III's next art projects involve a 16 foot transformer, knuckle dusters and President Obama... but not necessarily together.. More pics in our showcase... More on how to get involved with CANVASS 44 in support of President Obama....Stay tuned... 

 

ABOUT KILROY III

Kilroy III earned his degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania. He makes his professional debut at Carbon-Fibre Media with his work on the Apollo, Val-Mar and Renegade Obama busts and sculptures.

Carbon-Fibre Media Busts: Apollo | Renegade | Val-Mar

Kilroy III has other art projects under development that can be viewed on his blog, Kilroy's Attic | www.kilroysattic.com.

Kilroy's Attic: Turtle Locket | Beetle | Dragon Locket | Knuckle Duster Lighter Sleeve

Kilroy's Attic | Facebook | Twitter | Flickr

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