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Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Electric carving knives are all very well (especially if you saw one cut price), but if you really want to make Christmas special, you need these...

Mish? Moosh? Mogo?
That's Mish, Moosh and Mogo. No, really.

Actually, I'm lying. That's not Mish, Moosh and Mogo at all. This is Mish, Moosh and Mogo...

Mish! Moosh! Mogo!
Sadly no one's worked out how to knit the one in the background.

Anyhoo, for anyone lucky enough to be able to choose what they watch on TV, and not be forced to have CBeebies on for twelve hours a day, Mish, Moosh and Mogo are three cuddly pandas who feature on a show called Same Smile, in which they travel around the UK in the arms of Nisha, discovering that beneath our different skin colours, accents and oppressive religious headgear, we're all essentially the same. It's basically 'Mind Your Language' for the 21st century. But with pandas.

Naturally, as a non-judgmental animal-lover, Amelie's a big fan, but tragically, the BBC haven't yet cottoned on to the merchandising side of political correctness, and as a result, Mish, Moosh and Mogo are not yet commercially available. Which is a problem when you have a daughter who spends much of her time saying "Ammy want Mish! Ammy want Moosh! Ammy want Mogo!".

It means that a cottage industry of home-made knitted pandas has sprung up on eBay, as people seek to make a fast buck out of parents like me and Lisa, who are desperate to provide their children with lifelike reproductions of multi-cultural mammals. I'm not saying the knitters of Britain are taking advantage, but these three are currently going for eighty quid...

Same Smile. Only more expensive.
Frankly I wish I could knit. I'm tempted to send Lisa straight to evening classes. We could be raking it in.

Anyhoo, if £79.99 is a bit beyond your budget, you can always get this for under a tenner...

The Mogo's bright. The Mogo's orange.
That's if your child is a gullible fool. It looks like Mogo's been on the Sunny Delight. Or it would do, if it looked anything like Mogo.

In the end, Lisa and I compromised, and went for the trio in the first picture above. They're not what you'd call identical lookalikes, but under test conditions, they proved lifelike enough. We basically showed Amelie the picture on eBay, and as soon as she shouted "Mish, Moosh and Mogo!", we put in an offer. Having rushed home from work at 6pm last night, I entered straight into a furious bidding war with another desperate parent, and when the auction closed at 6:11pm, we were the proud and relieved owners of three counterfeit pandas.

Twenty-one quid. Plus postage. 'Same Smile' is now more of a grimace.

5 comments:

Dave said...

I'm surprised your mother isn't a knitter.

Lisa said...

I'm glad you've ruled me out, Dave.

We won't be able to pull the wool over Amelie's eyes for much longer.

Phil's Mum said...

Well, I CAN knit but by the time I could complete those three, I think Amelie might be looking after her own children (and I dread to think what toys THEY will be wanting!).  The ones you've managed to get are a pretty good likeness.  I feel quite sorry for the other desperate parent, who will now have to pay £80 - or maybe thought that £21 was far too much for 3 hand-knitted toys!

Mish said...

Having a daughter who loves this programme, I was in the same predicament in finding these pandas. I have to say though, that I dont mind paying under £10 for a hand knitted version as could you imagine how much an offical set would cost??? I have just bought the mogo above in the chair and my daughter wont put him down. I like the fact its been hand knitted rather than being made in China. Shes only two and cant tell the difference and although it is very very orange she is over the moon. Im enjoying the fact that she would rather home made than designer as I fear by the time she is 10 I'll be having to buy the "in" brand!!! :)  

woody said...

i bought the fake pandas from ebay last year for christmas and they still get taken almost everywhere - £40 for the 3.  This year it's down to Woolly the spider who is currently hitting ebay at between £35 and £55 for one feebly fake copy.  The prices have gone up and up and I'm just glad i bought one now! Would i normally pay £40 for on teddy?  would i heck - but since it's a christmas present from her Granny and I'm happy with how Mish Moosh and Mogo have been loved i figure it's better than money spent on other old tosh...