Sings *Every day is like Monday, Every day's a manky fun day"

Yes indeedy, Tuesday is the new Monday - or at least it is for the purposes of this post. My normal blogging routine (such as it is) was very pleasantly interrupted by a trip o'er to old London town to see a niece, a nephew, a pair of sisters and a brother-in-law. The niece and nephew made it their business to wake me just after 6.00 each morn (by jumping on my head) so that we might play/get up to hijinks etc. Though I'd normally frown ferociously at such a practice I found it hard to mind. They're just so damn cute 'n' all.

Happily, this early rising did allow me more time to wander the streets in search of 1.34665 Euro establishments (known there, somewhat idiosyncratically, as "Pound Shops"). Like the proverbial bird I caught a delicious worm (along Hornsey's "Green Lanes"). Here it is:

Users of rubbish online translators will no doubt detect a "babel-fishy" whiff emanating from the phrase "Composite Happy". Fans of horror comics, however, will probably find their attentions draw to the top right, where a c-c-creepy "dripping blood" font has (perversely) been used on the word "LOVELY". Oh and then there's a dog barking "Good Morning" whilst spitting a worm at some tweety birdies.

These distractions, however, are but insignificant fluff. Mere set-ups for a main "blurb" that demands to be read, re-read, and re-re-read:

For those freaks out there who find yellow text on a pink background a bit hard on the eyes, here's a recap:

SURPRISED PIECE, STIMULATE,
LIKE TO PLAY, BE FULL Of
YOUR BRAIN CELL ALL THE
TIME AND ALL!

I never thought we'd live to see the equal of (Venice's) "The pirate were beaten the inside to can call" but here we are. Pause now and go back and read it again. Several times.

Another feature that marks "Composite Happy" as special in the Manky Toy annals is that I'd had it for several hours before I even realised what it was supposed to be. My younger sister and I both initially thought (after wiping the streaming tears from our eyes) that it was simply some "LOVELY" form of door ornament. It was only as I prepared to store it safely away in my suitcase that I noticed a slight jiggling of the green panda's grinning head and realised that it was, of course, a jigsaw. Devotees of cryptic crosswords would, no doubt, have cracked the code ("composite", "piece", "brain cell" etc) long before me, but hey - I'd had 6.00 A.M. starts and chiddlers bouncing on my sconce.

It's hard to know what to make of Composite Happy's main educational claim - i.e. that it can help children to be full of their brain cell all the time (and all). Is being full of one's brain cell all the time something to boast about? When one combines the implied conceitedness of "be full of" with the singular "brain cell" the results don't sound too complimentary (especially when adding the final "and all" for extra emphasis).

Person A: Look at that moron swaggering around like he's cock of the walk.

Person B: Yes! Rarely have I seen someone so full of his brain cell all the time…and all.

Lovely. Good Morning.