Are plain old LEGO bricks gonna be ruined for you forever now that you’ve seen this flexible, cuttable, reusable LEGO-compatible adhesive tape? ‘Nimuno Loops’ is a crowdfunded creation that comes in rolls so you can stick it onto all kinds of surfaces – including verticals and diagonals – and then use them as a base for your creations. As shown in the product’s promo video, that means you can build gravity-defying structures and cities that practically double back on themselves in the style of the movie Inception.

Devised by South Africa-based designers Anine Kirsten and Max Basler, Nimuno Loops starts at just $11 plus shipping for two rolls or $50 for ten rolls, and it’s available in red, blue, gray and green. Not only can you cut it to size, you can create custom shapes with it You can even stick it to your shoes, bikes, water bottles, strollers and anywhere else that might help you distract your kids for two seconds while you try to brush their hair or check your email.

People are clearly excited about this innovation, obliterating the original Indiegogo funding goal of $8,000 to raise $743,000 and counting with a full month left on the campaign. It’ll be interesting to see what LEGO artists do with this stuff. How could Nimuno Loops revolutionize your own LEGO creations?

Assemble a miniature model of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle with a new kit from LEGO, reproducing the car in minuscule detail from a surfboard-holding roof rack to a four-cylinder air-cooled engine and fuel tank. The VW Beetle Creator Expert Kit comes with 1,167 pieces including the car’s characteristic round headlights, curved fenders and a body painted vivid sky blue.

On the outside, you’ll find front and rear bumpers, license plates, flat windshields, exhaust pipes, side mirrors and virtually every other feature you’d see on a full-sized version of the car, down to a couple logos and the kind of bumper stickers you see on surfers’ cars in Malibu. Open the front lid to reveal the spare tire, or the rear to access the engine bay.

The beige interior forward-tilting seats, a dashboard and steering wheels, and if you tilt the rear seat forward, you’ll find a storage space hiding a fabric beach towel. The top of the car can also be removed to access the inside, and included accessories like a cooler and surfboard can be mounted to the roof rack.

The kit is available for $99.99 USD on July 14th for Lego VIPs, with everybody else getting access on August 1st. This release comes on the heels of a similarly detailed Porsche ‘911 GT3 RS’, a Technic kit of 1:8 scale with 2,704 pieces costing three times as much. That kit is still sold out, so LEGO fans who want the Beetle kit for their own collections will have to act fast.

(source: jennifer barnard)

Why have your child or a young relative grow up with the overly complicated, often violent, generic and mass produced toys on the marketing when you can keep it simple, fresh, and unique with finger puppets and toys you can make at home? With no moving parts, no choking hazard, and cheap and easy construction, finger puppets are a great gift and way to pass the time for all youngsters.

Abbey Christine’s Pop Culture Puppets

(source: abbeychristine)

Sure, the junior senator from Illinois is now the president of the US, and the woman who was once viciously attacking him every step of the way is now his secretary of state, but that doesn’t take away any of the charm from these finger puppets. Sure to bring a smile to any history class or political discourse, Christine’s pop culture finger puppets are both entertaining and a cool educational tool.

Lalootka’s Attic

(source: lalootka’s attic)

The latest creations from Lalootka’s Attic are quite predictably adorable. Photographed above are (right to left) hamster, pigglet (because of the Year of the Pig), dog, cat, and black sheep. Next time you’re trying to explain or otherwise reenact George Orwell’s Animal Farm you know how to take the pessimism down a notch.

Hannah’s Monster Mash

(source: hannah hoosier)

Who says monsters have to be scary and creepy? These monsters made by Hannah Hoosier for her numerous nephews and for her own 2 year old son are both cute and completely goofy. If you’re interested in creating similar works, she recommends Moxie’s tutorial.

3 Themes, Sets of 5

(source: eclectic-elements)

Eclectic Elements has a collection of 15 animal finger puppets bundled in sets of 5 and spread over three themes: zoo, farm, and rain forest. Each set is hand woven and comes with a 2x2x4 pouch while each animal is between 3 and 4 inches tall. Because all the animals (and the pouch) are handmade (in Peru), each creation may vary slightly from the next.