ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Design Gadgets: From Cat Lady Game to Beard Beer

architecture-design · 2026-05-05

A roundup of eccentric design objects includes the Crazy Cat Lady board game, a Frankenstein light switch, Rogue Brewery's beard beer, a giant pickle pillow, Zoo Jeans torn by Japanese zoo animals, a seven-person tricycle for $20,000, Tobias Franzel's Ping Pong Door, Richard Clarkson's Smart Cloud lamp that simulates thunderstorms, Ingo Maurer's Porca Miseria! chandelier made of exploding tableware, and Simon Higby and Clara Prior's Playmobil-style hair helmet. The article, curated by Valentina Tanni, appeared in Artribune Magazine #34.

Key facts

  • Crazy Cat Lady board game available at perpetualkid.com
  • Frankenstein Paddle Light Switch sold on Etsy
  • Rogue Brewery in San Francisco made beer with yeast from founder John Maier's beard
  • Jumbo Jibbles sells giant pickle pillow on Etsy with over 300 customers
  • Zoo Jeans are denim pants torn by lions, tigers, and bears at a Japanese zoo
  • Seven-person tricycle sold by Hammacher Schlemmer for $20,000
  • Tobias Franzel designed Ping Pong Door, a door that converts to a ping pong table
  • Richard Clarkson's Smart Cloud lamp reproduces lightning and thunder, also plays music via Bluetooth
  • Ingo Maurer's Porca Miseria! chandelier depicts an explosion of dishes and cups
  • Simon Higby and Clara Prior designed a helmet that looks like Playmobil hair

Entities

Artists

  • Valentina Tanni
  • Tobias Franzel
  • Richard Clarkson
  • Ingo Maurer
  • Simon Higby
  • Clara Prior
  • John Maier

Institutions

  • Artribune
  • Perpetual Kid
  • Etsy
  • Rogue Brewery
  • Hammacher Schlemmer
  • Moef

Locations

  • San Francisco
  • United States
  • Japan
  • Scandinavia

Sources