It’s hard to believe, and in fact it kind of has this way of making you feel a little on the older side of life, but the most beloved toy of the ‘80s is turning 25. She has changed colours and hairstyles over the years, and may even have had a mini face-lift, but My Little Pony will always remain the same at heart. The My Little Pony Project: 25 Ponies for 25 years has gathered together a flock of pop culture notables from around the world. Together they’ve designed 25 one-of-a-kind My Little Ponies that are being auctioned off in support of Give Kids the World Village. If you feel like rekindling those childhood memories in support for this non-profit organisation, then maybe it’s time to trot along here. Otherwise you can always have a rummage through your memorabilia bags boxes and bring your old Ponies back out for show for their birthday.

Hmmm… is anybody else a wee bit disappointed by the Australian Top Gear? I found it slightly snooze-inducing but, then again, I’m not exactly the target audience. If anyone ever asked me to do a show like that, this is the car I’d want to test drive. I’ve been obsessed with bubble cars since I was little. I love how ridiculous and homemade they look. Some of them even had airplane cockpits instead of dashboards! Equally impractical and awesome.

Nora Does is an online creative boutique specialising in designer toys and collectables, plus a lovely range of prints and work by independent artists. The products come from all over the globe, from Japan to the UK. Personally I haven’t seen anything sweeter than these red riding hood stacking cups for a long time. And if you purchase a little something from Nora Does, the packaging for your order is environmentally friendly, from the recycled cardboard to the biodegradable bubble wrap. Goodie! Also, if you are an arty type and would like to sell your work through Nora Does they are more than happy to hear from you through their submissions page on their website.

I came across this board game in a little craft shop and just had to hunt it down online, if only to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating. Not quite sure yet whether it’s a work of genius or a craft obsession run amok, but it sure is stitch-alicious. Here’s the schpiel from their press release: “Stitch-opoly is a fun property trading game you can play to share your love of needlework with friends and family. The object of the game is to become an expert stitcher and build a needlework empire by buying and trading different needlework stitches. You build Needlework Studios and convert them to Shops while making sure you don’t pick the ‘Your Stitching is Not Centred’ game card or you’ll have to go directly to ‘Pull Out Thread’ without passing ‘Start Stitching’ and collecting $200. All the while, players try to make sure they don’t ‘Lose Their Needle’ – because if they do, they’ll lose a turn! Of course it is always fun to be selected ‘Stitcher of the Year’ by the Stitch-opoly Diva of Stitching, Emma Broidery.”

OK, so we’ve been having a bit of fun at America’s expense over the last – let’s be honest – eight years, coinciding with a certain Texan’s ascent to the White House. Sorry about that, fellas. But, look we really still respect you. Well, those of you who vote, anyway. Unlike the democratic fairytale that is the Commonwealth of Australia (ahem), Americans don’t actually HAVE to vote, so if you know a Yank, spend the next 24 hours pestering them to get in line at a voting booth and pull a lever or mark a ‘chad’ or whatever it is those crazy kids do. They vote on Tuesday, so given the time difference we have somewhere between 24 and 36 hours to get the message across. We even found a perfect website that’ll let you harass them through e-cards. U-S-A! U-S-A!

How could we have been the last to hear about this? Apparently there’s a new version of Inspector Gadget on the way, updating everyone’s favourite Afternoon Show cartoon from the ‘80s. No word on whether Penny, Brain or the ‘computer book’ will be making a comeback, but we hope so. Also, we hope it will be better than the films. Sorry, Matthew Broderick.

Quentin Blake has always been one of my favourite illustrators, probably because he drew the pictures for most of the Roald Dahl books I fell in love with as a kid. So I’m a bit excited that I stumbled across his webpage the other day. As well as having lots of pretty pictures to admire, it also has a slide show of his work from rough sketches to finished illos, and photos behind the scenes at his studio. Swoon.

With the Australian dollar currently the laughing stock of the foreign currency world, there are those among us who might be tempted to cut back on the whole overseas, internet shopping lark. But there are still bargains to be found. These dinky little badge sets are only a little over seven bucks on Canadian site Thimble. They have loads of differently themed button packs to choose from (vintage fashion, holidays, lace doilies), so there’s a little somethin’ for everybody. Dare we say ‘stocking stuffer’?

With all the shit that has been going on recently all over the world, it’s nice to see something as heartwarming, silly and gosh-darn ‘hands across the globe’ as these dancing videos from Where the Hell is Matt? Don’t question it – just go and watch and sniffle a bit and realise that, really, we’re all the same.

Show how much you care this Valentines Day with ChildFund Australia’s Donations with a Difference. For 36 bucks you can buy your beloved four ducklings for a farmer in Timor Leste, or for $38 you can provide school children in Sierra Leone with a wooden bench and desk set so they no longer have to sit on a cold, hard floor. There are all sorts of projects to donate to and remember, people: charity makes your arse firmer, your hair bouncier and your general aura one of unrestrained animalistic raunch.