What To Buy A Pop Culture Junkie
LatestLet’s make Christmas all about vampires and ’50s ad agencies! We’ve got gifts for Mad Men enthusiasts, True Blood fangbangers and anyone goo goo for Lady Gaga. Caution: You’re gonna want most of this stuff for yourself.
Obviously someone on your list is dreaming of Don Draper or jonesing for some Joan. Dyna Moe, the illustrator behind the Mad Men Yourself app, has created an official Mad Men book. Inside: Cocktail recipes, secretary etiquette, and dancing tips from Pete and Trudy! Mad Men: The Illustrated World, $15, from Fred Flare.
A lady who loves dolls and Mad Men will really love her very own Betty Draper doll. Pose her in the kitchen, smoking, growling “Go to your room.” (Don Draper is also available, he’s just no Jon Hamm.) Betty Draper doll, $84.99, Entertainment Earth.
If a doll is too immature, how about a pop art print of Joan Holloway? $20, by voodooville, via Etsy.
Similar but different is this Joan Harris/Human Resources giclee print. (Be sure to check out the Don Draper, Peggy Olson and Roger Sterling posters as well!) $115 each, christinaperry87, via Etsy.
A bloodthirsty True Blood enthusiast will appreciate a Fangtasia hoodie, a Bon Temps Football tee, or any of the fun True Blood merch available at the HBO store. And no vampire-themed cocktail party is complete without having some real Tru Blood on hand. Apparently it’s blood-orange flavored and “pours like a regular soda but appears stormy and mysterious” in a glass. In other words: Mix with vodka. Or perhaps use as display. Bottoms up! Tru Blood 4-pack, $16, HBO Store.
Another choice for someone who’s a sucker for vampire stuff: A Vampire bite necklace! Two little red Swarovski crystals on a delicate chain. Subtle, yet totally undead. Vampire bite necklace, $15, adrienneaudrey via Etsy.
Love, love, love this necklace inspired by the song from True Blood‘s opening credits. I Wanna Do Bad Things With You necklace, $12, CorsoStudio via Etsy.
Okay, okay. All anyone cares about is Eric Northman. So here’s a necklace celebrating the burning hotness of ASkars. Eric True Blood pendant, $6.50, Designsbyappletree via Etsy.
Zombie lovers, Sookie Stackhouse fans and Twihards will find this “drippy” bookmark bloody amusing. It’s red silicone that looks like melting wax or oozing blood. You could even use it to hold your place in Macbeth! “Liquid” bookmark, $12, Think Geek.
Your friend who can’t get enough Toddlers & Tiaras will be mesmerized and possibly horrified by Susan Anderson’s book, a “close-up and intimate look at America’s child beauty pageants.” (Peek at some of the appealing/appalling images here) Bonus: The forward is penned by Simon Doonan! High Glitz: The Extravagant World Of Child Beauty Pageants, $27, Barnes & Noble.
Muggles into Harry Potter can show quiet support for Quidditch with a Golden Snitch necklace, $16; GlazedBlackCherry via Etsy. (Check out the Noble Collection for stuff like Xenophilius Lovegood’s necklace, a Horcrux locket, or a Gryffindor tie.)
The Gaga fan in your life may have all of the Lady’s music… but does he have it on vinyl? You don’t even need a record player — this collector’s item picture disc can be put in a record frame, hung on a wall and admired!
Lady Gaga “Telephone” vinyl, $9, Amazon. (See also: “Alejandro”, “Bad Romance” and “The Fame Monster”, each with a different image on front and back.)
You can find more Lady Gaga paraphernalia at the official store — T-shirts, wigs, rings, candles, music and these fashion-forward sunglasses.
Lady Gaga Helvetica Monster sunglasses, $25, LadyGaga.com.
In search of a creepy little stocking stuffer for a creepy little kid? (Or an adult who’s a creepy kid at heart?) Cards featuring characters from The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy fit the bill. Tim Burton playing cards, $5, MoMa Store.
Shh, I might get this for my brother! He’d love to put a Michael Jackson action figure — complete with actual fabric clothing and superslick shoes — on his desk at work. 10 inch Michael Jackson Billie Jean Collector Figure, $45, Amazon.
Of course, these are just suggestions. If the person you’re shopping for is a fan — of any celebrity, movie, TV show or artist — plug the name into Etsy, Entertainment Earth or Amazon, and see what treasures await. I found this Johnny Depp pendant, ($6.50) by ccpendants, and I’m planning on getting it for myself!
Here are some more ideas, to get you going:
• A detail-oriented Veronica Mars -inspired bag
• The Dr. Who cookie jar
• A Breakfast At Tiffany’s-style sleep mask
• The Absolutely Fabulous DVD set complete with glam quilted cover
• Jay-Z’s “book of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture,” Decoded
• A funny 30 Rock/Tracy Jordan T-shirt
• Awesomely cheesy Serenity lithographs
• Cool It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia skateboard deck
• The Glee Christmas album
• The Boombox Project, a book detailing the history of boomboxes
• A gorge Grace Jones T-shirt
• The Official Krystle Carrington from Dynasty Barbie doll
• The Snooki talking bobblehead
• The “Roll Call” WuTang Clan T-shirt (or maybe just an awesome Ghostface T-shirt)
• A zombie tote bag for a Walking Dead or George Romero fan
• Kooky C3PO backpack
• Art inspired by the Lisa Simpson stamp
• The classic Saul Bass poster for Hitchcock’s Vertigo
• Lovely new Penguin hardcover edition of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (Find more absolutely gorgeous books designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith here; the art deco F. Scott Fitzgerald collection is simply stunning. )
And last, but certainly not least…
• Cthulu sex toys
Happy hunting!
Earlier:
The Nostalgia Gift Guide
What To Buy Your Coworkers
What To Buy Your Favorite Drunk
Gifts For People You Hate