Saturday, February 03, 2007

Tutankhamun souvenirs - chic to kitsch

Souvenirs from the Tutankhamun exhibition: "Bob Constantine, general manager of the Sci-Store, has devoted one-third of the gift shop's floor space to Tut-related items, essentially the entire top level of the store.
In a glass display case beside the front door sits a glittery mesh Mardi Gras mask designed to look like a pharaoh's gold-and-blue nemes headdress ($26.95). Next to that is an umbrella stand blooming with a fluffy bouquet of stuffed toy camel heads on a stick (think hobby horses gone Tut), priced at $19.95 each.
The center table is stocked with Egyptian notecards, paperweights, and a collection of blue ceramic coffee mugs decorated with hieroglyphics that spell out Drink to your health.
Walter Henderson, the buyer for the store, said he wanted to provide shoppers with a variety of mementos, ranging from sophisticated jewelry (a sterling-silver pharaoh-head pin inlaid with green and gold Baltic amber, $170) to whimsical novelty tchotchkes (ceramic Tut and Nefertiti nightlights, $13.95 each)."
See the above page for the full story.

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