Chiq Boutique

WACKO

Who would play with a Ronald Reagan paper doll? Who’d want to  take off his  suit and put on his pajamas? I’m sure kids won’t  want to. He is not stylish enough or fun enough like the Bratz or Barbie. How about a paper doll of  Pope John Paul II? Any takers?

I can understand the popularity of Marvel action figures, but a Jesus action figure…..  Are there really kids who play with that?  Isn’t it sacrilegious to reduce your god into a toy?  Then there are the William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, and Harry Houdini action figures.  My son would not exactly leap for joy if I were to give him one of those.

It amuses me to imagine the kind of person who  would make these toys. He must be mad or something. And crazier still is the person who would play with them.   Can it  be possible that these toys are tools for educating kids about social studies or literature? (Visions of lesson plans and learning objectives dance in my head. Uggh!) I hope not. I’d rather think of them as products of people with a weird sense of humor.  Why else would they be found in a store called WACKO/ Soap Plant?

Located at 4633 Hollywood Blvd., the store is just a few steps away from the Vermont/Hollywood intersection.  Its colorful shop windows and murals make it quite hard to miss. That’s what got my attention a couple of years ago.  WACKO/Soap Plant sells novelty items and more.  Inside it you’ll also find an art gallery callled “La Luz De Jesus”. Every inch of its large store space is crammed with goods ranging from the cute (Hello Kitty), the cool (Marvel), the naughty ( refrigerator magnets that exhort “Bitch, Jane, Bitch”), to the obscene (plastic toy cops in blue uniform that masturbate when you wind them up).  If this store were a movie, it would have a PG rating. It’s not advisable to let children loose in this place without parental supervision.  Though it has innocent toys for children, it also has items that are meant only for adults.  WACKO is more geared towards  people who have not fully grown up, adults who still want to play. 

It also carries books about art, folk tales, photography, gay/lesbian issues, dating, and  sex.   I love its reproductions of collectible 1950’s wind-up tin toys.  My sister would surely go crazy over their Ugly Doll merchandise of every color, shapes, and sizes.  BASTA. I love this place.  It has stuff that you’ll never find in regular stores.  All of them are unique, colorful, funny, artsy, and  sometimes dirty — all guaranteed  put a smile on you face.  This is my happy place. After every visit,  I always go home  with a lighter spirit.