The Hobbit-themed "Air Middle-earth" safety video from our national carrier was no surprise, Wellington Airport's giant airport-friendly Gollum sculpture wasn't either, nor the overkill TV coverage. Even the Hobbit coins made commemorative sense. But the official Middle-earth passport stamp? Wow! Did the Customs Service have nothing better to do? It's getting a little cringey, no? FilmDrunk's Vince Mancini said we "might as well change the Prime Minister's name to Bilbo Baggins, to commemorate New Zealand's status as the world's most far-flung Lord of the Rings gift shop", and described the real New Zealand as "indistinguishable from parody" and saying "New Zealand is exactly how it was portrayed on Flight of the Conchords." What do you think? Too much Hobbit hype or a promotional opportunity to be seized?
A gender-neutral Christmas to you, and to you
Sweden's Top-Toy has gone for a more gender-neutral Christmas catalogue this year - including images of a girl shooting a Nerf gun and a boy playing with a baby doll. "We want our catalogues to reflect the way that boys and girls play in real life, and not present a stereotype image of them," retail marketing director Thomas Meng said. "If both girls and boys in Sweden like to play with a toy kitchen, then we want to reflect this pattern." But the changes could just be tokenism. As the Huffington Post noticed, a page advertising costumes shows a boy in a Batman outfit and girls in dresses (including several dressed as princesses), and another page with musical instrument toys shows a girl playing on a pink keyboard and a boy playing on a red and black one.
Apples with a side of vomit residue
"My son once vomited in a supermarket trolley," states this mother. "Naturally I mopped him and the trolley up as best I could with wet wipes, then informed supermarket staff. I was really shocked when they shrugged and did nothing, and when challenged, said: 'People do gross stuff in supermarket trolleys all the time. Assume they're filthy and always bag everything.' I've never shopped in quite the same way since!"
