Tim Tsui and Alice Chan Coca-Cola 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Pin Sets

It seems like most of America has Olympic fever and it’s all anyone can talk about. While most people today are talking about the stunning come from behind victory by the United States in the 4x100 freestyle relay that kept Michael Phelps’ quest for 7 Olympic gold metals in a single Olympic Games alive, The Blot is excited about something entirely different. You see my favorite thing about the Olympic Games, summer or winter, is not always the athletic competitions. No, my favorite aspect of the Games is its unofficial spectator sport, pin trading.


While I usually try to stick to NBC related Olympic Pins like the two you see above, a new series of pins produced in extremely limited quantities by Coca-Cola has really caught my eye. To really capture the Olympic spirit Coke has commissioned two Chinese artists, Tim Tsui and Alice Chan, to each design a set of 12 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics pins. The real reason I am so excited about these particular sets is that it combines two of my hobbies, Olympic pin collecting and designer vinyl. Hong Kong artist Tim Tsui designer vinyl figures Da Warrior and Da Fighter are very stylish pieces, and I love the fact that Tim Tsui has incorporated his trademark gorilla logo into his Olympic pin series.


While I’ve only been able to find a picture of 4 of Tim Tsui’s Olympic pins, he has confirmed that his set includes 12 unique styles and is extremely limited. (link) More is known about Alice Chan’s 12 pin Princess set. (link) It depicts the Chinese Zodiac in Chan’s unique contemporary art style. You can see her entire 12 piece Coke Beijing Olympic pin set below.


I’ve got some pin traders in Beijing keeping an eye out for the Tim Tsui set or me, but I haven’t heard of any pin sightings yet. A few of Alice Chan’s Princess pins have already found their way on to eBay though. So I'm sure its only a matter of time until a few pieces of the Gorilla set find their way onto the ‘Bay as well.

G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs Update - Destro and Baroness

Hasbro recently launched an official Mighty Muggs website, and while it doesn’t have much content on it yet there was one news item I found really interesting. Already in development are Mighty Muggs versions of Destro and the Baroness! Hasbro even posted official pictures of the two new figures and they look great. I just wish they had given Destro a big red 3-D collar instead of a painted one.


The two characters aren’t shown on the back of the Wave 1 boxes, so I assume they will be a part of the upcoming G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs Wave 2. Expect to start seeing the line of G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs on store shelves during the spring of 2009.


Also, I thought some of you might be interested in knowing that Hasbro’s new Mighty Muggs website has some official Mighty Muggs wallpapers that you can download for free.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Tokyo

I’m excited for tonight’s episode of No Reservations if for no other reason than Tokyo is probably the number one city I want to visit one day. Tony's visited the capital of Japan a few times now, but when a city is as large and diverse as Tokyo there is always more to explore. Expect some awesome sushi and a surprise guest star in this week’s Tokyo-centric episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.


Here’s the promo video for this week's episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations:



Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations airs every Monday at 10/9C on the Travel Channel.