Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 449
October 12, 2016
October 11, 2016
Street Artist Bordalo II Turns Trash Into Vibrant Sculptures
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
One man’s trash is always our treasure here at Ripley’s. From collections of belly button lint, to upcycled art pieces, we love things that would otherwise be thrown away. We’ve held contests celebrating upcycled art in the past. And if we were running another one now, it’s fair to say street artist Bordalo II would be in the running for the top spot.
Bordalo II
Born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1987, Bordalo II is making a name for himself all over the world. Like most artists, he looked to the trappings and messages of his generation and decided to say something about it.
“I belong to a generation that is extremely consumerist, materialist, and greedy. With the production of things at its highest, the production of “waste” and unused objects is also at its highest.”
Unlike most artists, he looked to trash to make his statement. Using what he refers to as “end-of-life materials,” Bordalo II strives to make a statement about sustainability and social awareness.
Big Trash Animals
Some of his most striking work is seen in the collection titled “Big Trash Animals.” They’re massive structures made entirely out of end-of-life materials and painted and staged to look like animals.
He’s marrying scenes of nature with trash in an effort to make a statement about sustainability.
“The idea is to depict nature itself, in this case animals, out of materials that are responsible for its destruction.”
When viewed in that way, there’s no possibility of denying the impact of the larger-than-life sculptures.
Other Work
In the spirit of Banksy, Bordalo II also makes installations and paintings of street art to bring attention to other societal problems. You can see a full collection of his work on his website, or his Facebook page.
Source: Street Artist Bordalo II Turns Trash Into Vibrant Sculptures
Dogs Hang 10 In Annual Dog Surfing Competition
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Every year, dogs and their owners get together for the Unleashed by Petco Surf City Surf Dog event .
Dog owners hailing from as far as Florida, Australia, and Brazil travel to California to participate
The centerpiece of the event features a multi-heat surfing competition with dogs as the contestants
Some dogs even surf tandem, not with their owners, but with other dogs (it’s called double dog dare surfing)
Is it easier to teach a dog to surf or a squirrel to water ski?
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
MINI BION
“BIONs” – short for Believe It or Not – is the word we use at Ripley’s to refer to anything that is unbelievable and worthy to become part of Ripley’s lore and collection.
October 10, 2016
Weekend at the Apocalypse: Wasteland Weekend
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Cons are nothing new. From MegaCon to Comic-Con and everywhere in between, people getting dressed up and congregating in one place to celebrate their unique passions is old hat. But where a renaissance fair might be expected, an entire weekend dedicated to the post-apocalyptic world might seem a bit odd.
The people behind Wasteland Weekend, don’t find it odd at all. Getting together once a year in the California desert, these cosplayers have found a way to celebrate the iconography of the movies in the Mad Max series and other end-times visions.
Wasteland Weekend
In its earliest form, Mad Max appreciation events took the form of RoadWar USA. Some cars raced along a California road next to a tanker truck. It was fun, but not exactly the kind of immersive experience patrons were looking for. If you wanted to take a weekend and live like you were in the world created in the films, you’d need cars, a desert, and some fireworks.
In 2010, 400 attendees gathered in the desert for what would be the first Wasteland Weekend.
But What Is Wasteland Weekend?
For starters, Wasteland Weekend is massive. Since its 2010 debut, it has blossomed from 400 attendees to well over a thousand. It’s four days of escapism where attendees can be whatever or whoever they want in the scene of the post-apocalyptic world.
People come from all over to show off their imaginative costumes and inventive car designs. For someone who restores cars for fun or for a living, outfitting a vehicle for the end of days is like a dream, or maybe a nightmare, come true; the only limits are your imagination.
Beyond the cosplay, the weekend is about people enjoying themselves safely in the world they enjoy best. Much like someone might put on robes, grab their wand, and head to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, at Wasteland Weekend, you put on your armor, grab your decked out car, and head into the Thunderdome.
Russian Clown Car Houses 17 Passengers
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A small compact Russian car pulled up into a lot and 17 adult men proceeded to climb out.
This group wouldn’t need dolls to get through the carpool lane
The car looks like it could maybe seat four people in relative comfort
When it looks like everyone’s gotten out, they open the trunk and more people unfold
17 grown men and even an assortment of instruments make this the most unbelievable video of the day
MINI BION
“BIONs” – short for Believe It or Not – is the word we use at Ripley’s to refer to anything that is unbelievable and worthy to become part of Ripley’s lore and collection.
October 9, 2016
October 8, 2016
October 7, 2016
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