hongkongblong
Disturbing Mascots

No bad breath in THIS town

I came across this a few places in the MTR - it seems that its not enough to merely eliminate bad breath causers; you must first humiliate them in traditional Chinese fashion: force them to crawl on thier knees, shackled with pillory-style handcuffs, and mounted with placards proclaiming their heinous crimes. I suppose the next billboard with show the miscreants brutally executed and mounted on poles as a grim warning to other potential offenders...

slow death for breath
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Snow of House

This is a small ice cream franchise here in HK - not very good honestly, but in their defense the portions truly are 'jumbo'. And the name 'snow of house' belies a zen-like understanding not only of snow-based dairy products but how we perceive and define such products, nay reality itself. They move beyond a simple 'snow house' or 'house of snow' to a snow composed of 'house', perhaps similar to the platonic ideal of 'statue' slumbering in each block of virgin marble - the house locked in each snowfall...

snow of house
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The All-Seeing Zero Accident Spirit

This little guy was given to my oldest daughter at a safety workshop. His two-fold mission is to exhort Hong Kongers to attain the laudable goal of 'zero traffic accidents' - and to act as a handy paper holder of course. What makes him truly odd, apart from his car/hat, is the matching set of 'wheels' on the back of his head. Initially I thought this was a bizarre attempt to complete the car motif; then it occured to me that this was in fact a second set of eyes, strategically placed to assist him in his mission. I also like his wrap-around toga/belt, constructed of a green swath of accident free highway; note that it also covers his spirit genitalia - modesty and traffic safety, stylishly combined.

zero guy

zero guy back
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Slobbering Tooth Mascot

No one does disturbing mascots quite like the Japanese, although Hong Kongers take a close second. I saw this on a bus side in Causeway Bay; I'm not sure what the tooth is doing exactly, though he seems enraptured to the point of salivating with his new toast(?) or lozenge girlfriend. I am guessing this is an ad for a tooth-ache remedy, but god who knows. I especially like the real life park bench they're sharing on their 'date'. Maybe he'll try the old yawning-arm stretching routine...

disturbing bus tooth
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