This Week in Swag

Feeling adventurous this fall season? Well National Geographic has you covered with this zebra-printed Great Migrations reusable accessory. If you’re in need of a new handbag, tote bag, grocery bag, or Mary Poppins bag (you know, the ones you just throw a lot of junk in and call it a purse), this is your lucky day.

This bit of swag promotes the episode “Zebra on the Move” from the new series Great Migrations, premiering November 7th.

There’s also a beautiful book of photos that goes along with the series.

We also got a blue super air blaster from co-sign collective (a group of independent business owners and contractors within the entertainment industry) — but this has us scratching our heads. How do you use it?

Air Blaster anyone?

When you find out let us know!

– Georgette Pierre

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This Week in Swag

Swag is supposed to impress people.  Right, Soulja Boy?  That’s why I was a little surprised by the Independent Film Channel’s promotional offering for their new series The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.  These folders are sure to make you look unimpressive in the eyes of your co-workers:

Sarcastic filing accessories, at long last!  Now I can put off buying that stuffy attaché case I thought I needed.

Still, these are good for a laugh — who hasn’t ever thought, “Quick, look busy,” while at work?  (Except, of course, the ever-industrious yours truly…)  IFC’s marketing made more sense once I found out that this comedy was about a horribly-misguided office temp who fakes his way to an executive position.

The show debuts on October 1st, with David Cross starring alongside fellow Arrested Development alumnus Will Arnett, a pedigree that sets the bar pretty high for Todd Margaret.  That plus the self-effacing office supplies made me skeptical.  So it was a nice surprise when the teaser episodes IFC sent turned out to be pretty funny.  Just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by its swag.

-Stephen Reader

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This Week in Swag

No matter how long the winter… Swag is sure to follow.

Here in New York City, folks are wondering whether it’s winter or spring. Over the past couple weeks, we’ve basked in bright, warm sun one day only to shiver out of the subway into icy rain the next. Recently, the swag trickling into Studio 360 has fit perfectly with this fickle March weather.

The Philadelphia Zoo sent us this wintry, LEGO brick with a polar bear to tell us about their upcoming exhibit, “Creatures of Habit”:

The exhibit opens April 10th and will include life-size, endangered animals made out of LEGO bricks. And this LEGO brick opens up into a box!

While we’re waiting for the ground to thaw, Firstlook Studios sent us these hemp seeds for the upcoming film, “Leaves of Grass.” The movie stars Edward Norton as an Ivy League professor who gets mired in Oklahoma’s drug underworld while investigating the murder of his twin brother (also played by Norton).

While I don’t know if these seeds will take root in my windowbox, I’ll be interested to check out the film when it opens April 2nd.

– Erin Calabria

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Today in Swag

With Halloween fast approaching, the swag coming into the studio this week has taken a spooky turn. We appreciated these vampire teeth, which accompanied The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published…

… and brought out our ghoulish side!

We’ll have some ghoulish stories on the show this week – including instructions on how to make your skeleton scary, by Deep Thoughts’ Jack Handey.

– Erin Calabria

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This Week in Swag

Earlier this summer, we lamented the decreased flow of swag into our office in the wake of the recession. While many promotion companies continue to tighten their belts, some recent arrivals may forecast a recovery. Below are some of our own uncommon economic indicators:

From the folks at Sesame Street, we got a cookie monster tote bag promoting the show’s 40th season:

And, reminding us to “waste not, want not,” Frankie Negron’s new album, Independence Day, came with this bracelet:

… which also doubles as…

…a thumb drive!

But perhaps the piece de resistance came from kiddie rockers, The Jimmies, in support of their new album, Make Your Own Someday:

This item has already been put to good use.

– Erin Calabria

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A Day in Swag

Oh, recession. What was once a swag deluge is now a trickle. Gone are the fat and happy days of bands promoting albums with faux airplane barf bags.

Air travel gear, including a barf bag, to promote The Saturday Knights' album.

But there was a hopeful glimmer the swag economy was picking up when this gem arrived last week. A sturdy cotton tote featuring SNL vet Chris Kattan seductively posing in plaid pants. We may not end up watching his new IFC series “Bollywood Hero”, but we are happy the swag gods have delivered once again.

A pleasant surprise in the Studio 360 mailpile

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