kate

I'm willing to bet that a lot of classic video game characters could have some serious regrets. I'm willing to bet that Sonic regrets not knowing that hedgehogs can actually swim.



See more: Classic Heroes’ Biggest Regrets

Sonic the Hedgehog's life ended the same way the quality of his games continued: with a sharp drop.



See more: Gotta go Fast, ’til the Very End

MegaHouse showed off the finished sculpts for the remaining Digimon Adventures DigiDestined at Megahobby Expo Autumn 2014. What started with Tai and Matt in 2014 and continued with Kari and T.K. looks to be possibly wrapping up in 2015. The expected double release of Mimi with Palmon and Izzy with Tentomon are already shown in full color and look just as good as the previous four figures. Also shown were Joe with Gomamon and Sora with Biyomon in an unpainted state so don't expect them until late next year at the most. Hopefully this time next year we'll see some of the 02 characters getting similar figures and maybe something for the new TV series.

Also shown was a new line of plushies for all eight Digimon partners. They appear to be quite large, dare I say even life size? They're also surprsiingly well detailed. I kinda want a Tentomon plush for all of its nice detail, but that Gabumon is pretty great as well. MegaHouse might be on to something if they can keep making Digimon plushies of this quality. 

As much as I love what MegaHouse has been doing with Digimon I do hope Bandai comes through and makes more actual toys at some point.

[via Akiba Hobby]

Read more...

If you love animation, you'll want to check out this list of animated features that will be released in 2015.

Spring 2015 from NoBrow Press. 48 pages, full color, slams, jams, rebounds and throwdowns. Get hype.

viivus:

Inktobers 18-21! I’m slowly going to make up for the days I missed

When you get past the cultural quirks, they’re not so different from us.

Also on Tapastic!

These were the good old days.

The French-fry-loving people of Japan, where 33 pounds of potatoes are consumed per capita annually and there's an awesomely oleaginous history of "fry parties," are probably closely watching the West Coast longshoremen's strike standing between them and their cargo ships of frozen potatoes. As the leading importer of American spuds, they're ready to wrap it up, please.

The labor contract dispute that's been going on since mid-summer in the U.S. has driven many places to tap into their strategic fry reserves, which are nearly depleted. The humble fry already saved McDonald's Japan once this summer, when it replaced "recycled meat" as the default menu option, so it's no surprise the chain yesterday was one of several rushing to reassure everyone that it has all the bases covered for its 3,000 stores. Let's just hope there's more than enough ketchup to go around.

[Japan Times]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: later tater, french fries, fry shortage, japan, mcdonald's, news

Earlier this morning, we wrote an article about a rumor that stated that LEGO is planning on releasing a brand new spooky theme. It was only a matter of hours until more details surfaced. Right now, rumor has it that this new theme will indeed be a Scooby-Doo theme.

At first, it might seem like an odd decision since Scooby-Doo isn’t really “hot” amongst today’s children, however, a user under the name Miniworld claims he had access to some LEGO retailer information that proves the opposite. According to him, a couple of retailers had a chance to take a look at these new Scooby-Doo sets over at a showroom in France and he was lucky enough to gain access to a few details.

First off, he was told that the sets were scheduled for a May/June 2015 release. From there, he was told that there would be four different sets. The first set was a Mystery Van with minifigs of Scooby, Shaggy and Fred. The next is a Haunted Castle set with Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, and Daphne minfigs. Finally, there’s two other sets, but no descriptions provided. He did, however, mention that there was a nasty swamp monster in one of the sets.

To recap, we know (or rather assume) that we will be getting 4 sets, a release in May/June 2015, and all the crew in minifigures.

Just a little disclaimer, keep in mind that these are just rumors as of right now. There has been NO official confirmation from behalf of LEGO.

Go ahead and share your thoughts on the comments below!

Via: HothBricks

The post LEGO Scooby-Doo 2015: What We Know appeared first on Groove Bricks.

Crif Dogs appears to have bitten the dust after just a few months. If so, it's the second hot dog shop to do so there in under a year.

For some reason, hot dog places seem to have a hard time sticking at 120 MacDougal. After only a few months, the Crif Dogs outpost on MacDougal street is currently closed. Eater is still waiting to hear from the Crif team whether this closure is for good, but at the moment the restaurant is no longer listed on the Crif Dogs website. Before this outpost opened, the space was home to Dogmatic, another short-lived hot doggery. Does Greenwich Village have something against sausages?

For the sake of Bark Hot Dogs, here's hoping not. The Park Slope-based hot dog shop is moving in just around the corner at 155 Bleecker, with a fully equipped "condiment center." And for those who have pledged their allegiance to Crif Dogs, the Crif location on St. Mark's and the one in Williamsburg both seem to be doing just fine.

So, here are some things that have been desecrated with the addition of Doritos in the last year.

• Soda
• Salmon
• Nachos
• Cheetos

We can now add pizza, specifically, the Doritos Crunchy Crust Pizza, to that list. Pizza Hut Australia says it "spent months developing" the recipe, which doesn't seem to involve any special ingredients or techniques as much as it does crumbled chips more or less glued to the crust with shredded mozzarella and cheddar.

In real life it looks much more primordial, like the Hieronymus Bosch of pies.

Pizza Hut + Doritos = new Doritos Crunchy Crust. #PizzaHutCrunch pic.twitter.com/7aqo7IE1CO

— the AU review (@theAUreview) December 3, 2014

So far, the reviews are calling this one "average" and "a bit intense on the stomach." At least this promotion doesn't involve any free live hamsters.

[Pizza Hut Australia/Facebook, Pizza Marketplace]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: peak doritos, doritofied, doritos, doritos crunchy crust pizza, pizza, pizza hut australia, the chain gang

Come on, come on, feel the vibration.

The Mark-, Donnie-, and big brother worrywart chef Paul-owned burger chain made famous by A&E announced an ambitious expansion that will add 27 more location to its roster. Seven will be in New York City, and though it's not quite clear how far along leasing arrangements are, exactly, Williamsburg and Times Square would be our first guesses.

The move would elevate Wahlburgers's NYC presence to Shake Shack-esque levels, and the other 20 are landing in various parts of Florida. The franchisee in that state says Orlando will be first, followed by Miami and Tampa. The famous siblings, in the meantime, say they're gearing up to open 300 Wahlburgers nationwide.

It's an ambitious move for the three-year-old better-burger joint, which started with a single location in Hingham. There are now spots in Vegas, Philly, and even Toronto, but according to the brothers, the expansion has actually been very slow and calculated. Because of the show's popularity, they routinely field all kinds of offers from partners, but they say they won't even consider a potential franchisee with a net worth of less than $5 million.

[Globe]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: empire building, boston, new york, news, shake shack, wahlburgers

The Mu Ramen team's stockpile of white truffles.

Joshua and Heidy Smookler's Mu Ramen opened its doors last night with a menu of hot noodle soups and izakaya-style sides. Several early reports indicated the place was absolutely packed, with wait times between a half-hour and 45 minutes. Part of that, no doubt, has to do with one new dish called UniPo, which the restaurant says is an update of the U&I dish from its pop-up era. It's Santa Barbara sea urchin made into a porridge, topped with salmon roe, roasted seaweed, and shaved white Alba truffles. Here's a look at the finished dish, some killer okonomiyaki, and, of course, some of that ramen.

Here are those truffles.

#nofilter something good coming for next week #muramen

A photo posted by Harlan Estate (@harlanestate) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:01pm PST

And the finished dish.

Uni-po (uni porridge) a warm take on the classic U & I, will not disappoint #muramen @mu_ramen

A photo posted by @saextine on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:11pm PST

And some roe-topped okonomiyaki.

Beautiful #Okonomiyaki with Smoked Trout and Tobiko @mu_ramen 🐠🐟👶 #eeeeeats #muramen

A photo posted by Food Baby (@foodbabyny) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:33pm PST

And ramen.

The Spicy Miso #Ramen at @mu_ramen 🐷🌽🍳🍜👌 #eeeeeats #muramen

A photo posted by Mike Chau (@mikejchau) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:10pm PST

Related: Con Ed Deigns to Allow Mu Ramen to Open Next Week

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: news, joshua smookler, long island city, mu ramen, ramen, ramenyas

Right now it is 8.42pm on Monday night. I was supposed to be playing a video game.

Read more...

Bark Hot Dog's new green-chile cheeseburger.

No one can ever take the place of the recently shuttered Greenwich Village Gray’s Papaya. But you can find solace in the fact that the folks at Park Slope’s excellent ecofriendly hot-dog shop are bringing their lard-butter-basted frankfurters to Bleecker Street. The new branch is larger than the home base by about a third. That’s room enough for new items including a take on a green-chile cheeseburger and a brown-butter-pecan shake, plus a DIY “condiment center.” A dedicated line for drinks means getting your fill of the six Sixpoint brews and three Gotham Project wines on tap should be a breeze. And if you’re in the market for a holiday gift for the tubesteak aficionado in your life, take home a jar from the shop’s new line of relishes.

155 Bleecker St., at Thompson St.; 718-789-1939

*This article appears in the December 1, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.

Read more posts by Robin Raisfed and Rob Patronite

Filed Under: openings, bark hot dogs

Built for an architecture contest on Bricker.ru this entry by Thorin Forkbeard placed fourth overall in the voting. The angled design on the foundation, door and windows is really great. They contribute nicely to the look of disrepair in this neat little bakery.

Read more...

While I am waiting for trick-or-treaters to start arriving at my door, I found this super cute Halloween build done by Shawn Kelly and Craig Leeds for a MOC display at the Lego brand store. The costume clad minifigures waiting to enter the gates of the spooky house are awesome. Those trees though, are absolutely fantastic.

Read more...

The holidays are approaching fast and soon many will be dragging out boxes of shiny bits to decorate their tree with. I suggest building some of your own ornaments this year. These wonderful designs from Chris McVeigh can be purchased as kits in his store and contain everything you need to make some really amazing decorations.

Read more...

César Soares has shared yet another impressive build. I loved his old watermill , but this new build of Rapunzel's Tower is beautiful and fits nicely in that Guilds of Historica style. The good news is we get a similar and great looking roof, but this time it is attached to a massive tower.

Read more...

On November 7th, Lego announced that they would be producing a set based on Tom Poulsom's Bird project submission to Lego Ideas. Lego did an interview with the creator of Birds (21301) where we get a peek at the set and box art.

Read more...

A German brochure has been circulating today that gives us the first complete images of the Series 13 Collectible Minifigures. These will not hit stores until January of 2015, but I'm glad we now know exactly what to expect. Featured from left to right, top to bottom are:

Read more...

Bruce Timm is working with tech company Otoy to recreate the Batcave from "Batman: The Animated Series" as an immersive entertainment experience.

"Pixel Pioneers: A Brief History of Graphics" is a 5-part documentary by Stuart Brown about the evolution of graphics in videogames.

Triple yolks also happen occasionally.

The ritzy, recently opened Brighton Beach grocery store Gourmanoff made our list of New Wave grocery stores for its ample caviar selection, and perhaps predictably, its regular egg selection is also somewhat posh. In addition to offerings of tiny, mottled quail eggs and jumbo, bone-white duck eggs, there are several grades and sizes of chicken eggs by the dozen, including an organic and free-range variety strangely labeled "vegetarian." Perhaps driven by the booming business of full-fat things, now the place is also selling Pennsylvania eggs that each have two yolks.

For decades, breakfast has been beset by a mania for protein-rich egg whites in all forms: Scrambles, omelettes, and so on — an unprecedented shortage rankled the supply chains of the McMuffin makers earlier this year. Though yolk consumption has long been pegged to atherosclerotic issues, the bad news and grimmest medical findings are off and on again. The latest shift is a result of the boom in diets like Paleo that prize cholesterol outright. There's been a slight shift in the balance of egg culture.

Lititz-based Sauder's, which sells the so-called "Double Yolkers," is an enormous operation. Every egg is candled in a processing facility to begin with; inspectors look for cracks, blood spots, and miniscule fissures from which albumin leaks. Getting two yolks in one egg is not unusual. "Chickens that are first put into a chicken house are more likely to lay double-yolkers," a quality-control rep told us, adding that they tend to be slightly larger eggs. Other hens around 22 to 23 weeks old produce a slightly higher number, too; in all, it's roughly one in 1,000 eggs.

These are set aside when discovered, then candled by hand, the rep said. The eggs are put up to a bright light and spun. Cartons of Double Yolkers have been sold locally in Pennsylvania Dutchland for years, but they're only now being sold in grocery stores farther away. Demand has recently spiked, so they eggs are being shipped out to specialty stores and generic chains beyond state lines. "I guess we just had a market," he said.

Related: The New Guard of Grocers: 44 Specialty Food Shops That You Need to Know

Read more posts by Hugh Merwin

Filed Under: noticed, double yolkers, eggs, sauder's eggs

Sun Noodle's Ramen Lab finally has gas and hopes to open in a few weeks.

The Con Ed fairy has finally been making its visits to this season's long-awaited ramen-yas. The fairy recently graced Mu Ramen in Long Island City, and just about an hour ago, turned on the gas at Sun Noodle's ramen classroom/restaurant Ramen Lab. A rep for the team estimates that it will take them another two or three weeks to get all of their permits in order and to work out the kinks, but expect a soft opening sometime around Christmas. The rep said his lips are sealed on menu specifics, but there will be a rotating special, plus miso, shoyo, and other types of ramen. Stay tuned for more details.

Hopefully, Con Ed will stay on the ball. Zundo-Ya, a popular ramen chain in Japan, is preparing for its New York debut  sometime next year, around the corner from Ippudo.

From DuBose's crowd-funding page.

Last week, Natalie Dubose, a small-business owner, said she worried her Natalie's Cakes and More, which is two blocks from the police station, might become a target after the grand jury ruling. "Just don't burn my shop down; don't destroy it," she told CNN. Someone put a chair through the shop's front windows on Monday night, however, damaging the interior of the shop and leaving her wondering how she'll still get Thanksgiving orders out in time.

Dubose's shop only opened in June, two months before Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown. It was vandalized over the summer. Any business is particularly vulnerable in its first few months, but after Monday, Dubose realized she was in an untenable position. A friend suggested that she set up a GoFundMe page to fix the damages. It's been live for 17 hours but has raised $80,000 — another campaign started by a fan has raised another $10,000. The community is pitching in, too: Dubose said an elderly woman made her cry by offering part of her Social Security check. Celebrities like Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Brandi Glanville are now even tweeting support.

[GoFundMe, CNN]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: ferguson, natalie's cakes and more

There's seating and Brooklyn blackout doughnuts, too.

Doughnut Plant's first Brooklyn outpost will start serving star-shaped donuts next Wednesday. Owner Mark Isreal tells Eater that he and his team worked to restore the space in the 1800's era building. Isreal teamed up with his dad, who is an artist, to recreate tiles from the building's facade in terra cotta, including one that looks like a doughnut, for the shop's counter. There's also seating, for those who want to enjoy their doughnuts inside.

Expect the doughnut flavors to be the same as at the Manhattan originals. That means Christmas-themed star-shaped doughnuts with a marzipan glaze, mini-jelly filled Hanukkah donuts, and the standards flavors like Brooklyn blackout, tres leches, and peanut butter and jelly. Isreal's promised that there will be new things down the line (perhaps at his forthcoming giant production plant in LIC), but no word yet on what they will be.

Yoshiaki Sukeno's supernatural action manga to debut next summer

Original film premiered in 1979