Although London’t Hyde Park is famous for hosting a variety of tree species, Vitraya ramunong (better known as the Tree of Souls) was definitely not one of them. Until now, anyway.

Unlike the alien tree, indigenous to Pandora, this Earthly version is considerably smaller (only 5 meters tall), features a plastic-like bark, and its glowing tendrils look a lot like fiber-optic cables. Plus, it’s planted in gravel and asphalt, and it’s root is made up of just one cable that seemed to power the trunk withe electricity.

As you might have (hopefully) realized, we’re not talking about a real Tree of Souls, but about a man made avatar, if you will. It appeared in Hyde Park, last Saturday, for the launch of Avatar on DVD, and as a way of celebrating the 40th Earth Day. Unfortunately, this weird version of Vitraya ramunong was removed from the park, the next day. If you didn’t get the chance to see it live, these photos should compensate:

Read More »

Love hotels are part of Japan’s tradition, and the Queen Elizabeth is regarded as the most popular of them all. It’s not because of the great service, but more because of its wacky design.

Shaped like the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, this weird-looking hotel is located in Kanagawa, not far from Tokyo. Apparently the rooms also have a naval theme, so guests feel more like they’re doing it on a real ship.

One of the funniest things about the recently reconditioned Queen Elizabeth Love Hotel is that it features statues of Jake and Rose, from James Cameron’s Titanic, doing the flying pose, on the ship’s bow. I fail to see the connection, but I guess a boat’s a boat, and…well whatever attracts more customers, right?

Photo source: TokyoTimes

Read More »

After reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, over 20 times, Maddie Chambers decided to take her passion for the LOTR saga to the next level, and created a dollhouse replica of Bilbo Baggins’ Bag End.

This mother of twins took on the hobbit house project when her boys were just 1 year old. At first, she thought she’d just build a hill with a round door, like the one of Bag End, but being a perfectionist, Maddie kept thinking of things to add. First she decided to make a removable roof, then she started drawing up the project, and adding more rooms, until she put it in her mind to build a replica of the Bag End featured in the LOTR movies.

Between taking care of her two children, and keeping the house from falling apart, Maddie Chambers managed to create her hobbit house replica, in just one year. If you think that’s a long time, you must know the whole thing is hand made, from the house itself, to the dollhouse furniture, and even the tiny food. And she only worked two hours a night, and during nap times. But Maddie says she’s always been a crafty person and this was a labor of love.

For more details about the building process, and even more photos of the Bag End dollhouse, head over to the blog Maddie set up for her impressive project. All I can say to this true geek is CHAPEAU!

Read More »

Presented at the beginning of 2009, Marussia has finally hit the streets of Russia, and we have the pics to prove it.

You’re probably wondering what a car has to do with an oddities blog, but i figured it’s not every day you see a super car that’s made in Russia. We first reported on the Marussia, in January of 2009, but if any of you had any doubts this futuristic looking beast would ever hit the streets, you were wrong. Livejournal user, quantum, took some awesome pics of the Russian super car, and it looks a lot better than I expected.

Marussia is the brain child of Russian GT driver, Nikolai Fomenko, and it’s the first GT model built in Mother Russia. Most of the parts, are however imported. Marussia features an ingenious light body that can be changed whenever you’re sick of the colors.

If you’re wondering if there’s more to this super car, than the aerodynamic look, you should know it’s got a 3.5 liter engine, and 300 bhp, under the hood. Marussia reaches 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds.

Read More »

Toysaurus is the creation of Japanese artist, Hiroshi Fuji, a man with a ton of patience. That’s the only way to explain how he built that thing, one toy at a time.

Apparently, Hiroshi Fuji spent years collecting old toys, before he began working on this ferocious masterpiece. Toysaurus is on display, in Tokyo’s Rappongi District.

via Tokyobling

Read More »

Just because someone can’t afford a Lamborghini, doesn’t mean they can’t have one. Young Chen Jinmiao built the coveted sports car, himself.

Chen had dreamed of driving his very own Lamborghini, ever since he was a child. And when he became a skilled mechanic, this ambitious man decided it was time for his dream to become a reality. He downloaded the necessary blueprints, began searching and manufacturing the parts , and after a year’s work, he finally had his own yellow Lamborghini.

Chen Jinmiao, of Chenzhou, Hunan province, spent a total of about $3,000 on his home-made Lamborghini, and though it might not look exactly like the real thing, it has the wing doors that open upwards, and a top speed of 60 miles per hour.

Photos via People’s Daily

Read More »

Creative artist, Peter Root, showcases his latest project, a city model created only out of stacked staples.

Named “Ephemicropolis“, Root’s staple model, depicts a fragile micro city that could collapse at the slightest wind blow or vibration. He used over 100,000 staples, for this project, and spent 40 hours stacking them. Some of the staple skyscrapers of Ephemicropolis are up to 12 cm tall, while some of the smaller buildings are represented by a single staple. The city covers a floor surface of 6m x 3m.

Ephemicropolis isn’t the first time Peter Root has chosen staples as his art medium, but it is his largest staple project, yet. Check out some of the artist’s other ingenious models, on his official website.

via DesignBoom

Read More »

Kitty, an adorable gray kitten, has become an internet sensation, after her globetrotting owners posted photos of her, from their travels.

In 2008, Willian and Laetitia, a young French couple, set out to discover the Americas, on foot. Two months into their daring journey, they stumbled across a cute kitten, and took it along for the ride. Kitty, usually spends her days napping in her owner’s backpacks, or on William’s shoulders. She even has her own umbrella, to keep her dry, in case of rain, and safe from the burning sun. While most house cats never leave their apartments, Kitty has traveled half way around the globe.

I’m thinking Kitty and Oscar, the globetrotting dog, should get together, someday, and exchange travel experiences. They have both seen a lot more of the world, than any of us, but some how I don’t think they’d hit it off.

Right now, Kitty and her traveling owners are somewhere in Columbia, planning their next destination, and you can track their progress and learn more about Kitty, on their official site, Turn of the world.

Read More »

No mother likes it when her toddler starts crying, but at the Naki Sumo baby crying contest wailing is actually encouraged.

Held every year, at the Sensoji Temple, in Tokyo, the baby crying festival is a 400-year-old tradition, believed to keep rug-rats in good health. Amateur sumo wrestlers hold the babies high in the air, and try to scare them into crying, while a sumo referee judges the match. The toddler who cries longest and loudest is considered the winner.

Japanese parents bring the babies to the contest, of their own free will, and truly believe the sumo induced crying keeps their children in good health, and wards off evil spirits. This year, 80 babies, all under one year old, participated in Naki Sumo. As you might have guessed, the whiniest contender won.

Read More »

Li Dasheng, one of China’s greatest performers, attempted to pull a 1.5 ton car,using only his lower eyelids.

Known as the “Prince of Stunts” , 22-year-old Li Dasheng is famous for being able to perform over 30 kinds of Qigong, an ancient Chinese meditation art, as well as several other stunts. On April 16, he shocked the audience, outside the Boying Art Museum, in Xuzhou, China, when he pulled a vehicle, with his eyelids.

The Chinese performer put 2 curved hooks, onto his lower eyelids, and attached them to the frame of the 1.5-ton-heavy car. He managed to pull the vehicle nearly three meters.

Some of Li Dasheng’s previous include having a drilling machine drill into his temple and ripping apart a metal basin, with his bare hands.

Photos by QUIRKY CHINA via Telegraph.co.uk

Read More »

Angela Rossi, uses old “orphaned and unloved antique plates” to bring homage to the popular characters of the Star-Wars saga.

The daughter of an antiques collector, Los Angeles-based Angela was stuck with a bunch of old dishes that her mother had to give up, when she moved. They were all hand painted, and beautiful, but didn’t exactly match her modern lifestyle, so she considered selling them on eBay. But then she decided to make them cool again, by adding her own personal touch.

Using a special heat technique, the young artist seals images of popular characters, on to the dishes, and sells them on her Etsy shop, for $35 each. Judging by the number of Star-Wars inspired items, Angela must be a big fan, but you can see a variety of famous characters, in her collection, including Frankenstein’s monster, Gizmo the Gremlin, or Dr. Spock.

Read More »

Eating anything you want and getting paid for it seems like a fantasy, but for Sassy Thomas, a supersized internet model, it’s just everyday life.

30-year-old Sassy Thomas has had trouble with her weight, ever since she can remember. her parents put her on a diet, wen she was only 10-years old, but after countless diets and nutritionist consults, the poor girl still weighed a lot more than most kids her age. School, and pretty much life in general, were a nightmare for the young Brit, from Tottenham, North London. In everyone’s eyes, she was the fat kid, and that’s never easy.

At 18, Sassy left school, and got a job as a security guard. She would spend her shift reading glamor magazines and thinking celebrity life-style was out of her reach. But one day, after a simple Google search, she discovered the wonderful world of Big Beautiful Women (BBW). She signed up on a forum, with a picture, and within minutes, received 20 emails from men who wanted to see more of her. It was the start of the life she always dreamed of. Read More »

Timothy Miller, known as AutobotWonko, on DeviantArt, creates stained glass artworks, inspired by popular franchises, like Transformers.

So far he has created the Autobot and Decepticon stained glass emblems, as well as portraits of Autobots BumbleBee and Optimus Prime. If anyone finally decides to start a Transformers church (I know I’d join) at leas we know what they’re going to use for windows.Maybe Timothy can make another stained glass painting of Optimus plunging a spear into Megatron, or something like that.

Read More »

If this thing was for real, you’d need a lot more than a can of Raid, to hold on to your blood.

Back in 2007, Biologists from the Tyumen Regional Museum, who were examining the Noyabrsk area, for creating an eco-tourism route, for kids, stumbled across what they considered the most bizarre find, in their careers, in Lata village. A giant mosquito, as tall as an average person, was staring them in the face.

Luckily for them, this particular blood-sucker was just a sculpture, made from scrap metal. Local artist, Valery Chaliy built this strange monument, using old car and truck parts. It’s not exactly a monument, since we’re talking about a pest that no one would really miss, but the artist admits he was inspired by the millions of mosquitoes inhabiting the neighboring swamps.

Photos via svintuss

Read More »

I know you’ve heard of a woolly mammoth, but did you know there’s actually such a thing as a woolly pig? Well, there is, and it’s called Mangalitsa.

Seen from a distance, these pigs look like sheep, and it’s only when you spot their snouts and hear their growl, that you realize they’re actually pigs. Commonly referred to as “sheep-pigs” these strange breed is called Mangalitsa, and it’s on the brink of extinction. That’s right, even though their wool makes them very resistant, both in summer and winter time, it doesn’t do a damn thing against man’s appetite.

Mangalitsa pigs originated from Austria and Hungary, and they come in three color varieties: blond, brunette and redhead. Apart from their bizarre appearance, these pigs have another trait that made them even more popular: their meat, apparently, tastes delicious and is considered a delicacy.

Read More »