What's fun and educational, and possibly somewhat racist?

Well, it's this. The Passover Ten Plagues Finger Puppets.


I first came across these in a post last year by Steamy. I laughed so hard I cried, and decided then and there that this was quite possibly the most awesome thing ever ... and I had to have it.










So, I searched online and found a site that had them. I bought two - one for myself, and one for a friend of mine who is just as sick and twisted as I am. No one but her could really understand the truly amazingness of this item.

(They are fun AND educational - it says so
on the label)

So, I get them and I grab one randomly for my
friend's gift, and hang mine up from the mirror
on the dresser in our room. I feel the need to
look at it every time I come in or out of the room.
It's just so wrong, and funny, it never fails to make me laugh.







Now, in Steamy's original post, and in the set I gave to my friend, the Darkness plague was a little sad faced house, all black and pitiful. Cute. In fact, all of them are pretty darn cute. For signs of the apocalypse, these things are damn cheerful. Except one. And it seems a little off.

I noticed it a couple of months ago, and I've been just about giddy with it ever since. The fact that this is an actual Jewish educational toy, purchased from a Jewish educational site just makes it all the more delightful. See my Darkness isn't a house. It's ... well ... it's a little bit racist. Do you see it? Surely it's not just me.


See it here, right in the middle of the happy plague of locusts, and the death of the firstborn. Firstborn's not too happy either, but then, he's dead, so that probably explains it.
















Just to give you the total picture of awesomeness, here's some close-ups of the rest.

Note that Hail is apparently Bozo the Clown. Very, very interesting.

The Cattle Plague is looking a bit distressed, but in a comical and fun-loving sort of way.

And though Mr. Boils looks more than a little vexed at his dermatological condition, he still manages to pull of an air of whimsical charm.

I thought the Death of the Firstborn deserved an encore.

Don't Blood and Rain of Frogs look like happy little pals? And I think maybe Blood has a bit of indigestion, or possibly a case of IBS.

That lion (aka the fun-filled Rampage of the Wild and Deadly Animals) looks like he's just licking his chops in anticipation of some human snacks.

And the cheeky guy next to him ... that would be Lice. Who knew that Lice were so personable?

I've been thinking about the possibly "educational" uses for these finger puppets, and all it does is make me laugh. While I guess some high-minded religious types might be able to successfully incorporate these into a lesson that is entertaining and educational, all my scenarios land right smack in the middle of two categories: Blasphemy and Going Straight to Hell.