Ikea Joins Walmart In The Possible Homage To Vonnegut Design Gang
About a month ago, we wrote about Walmart's new logo, and its resemblance to one of Kurt Vonnegut's favorite drawings. It's happened again, although we might be, um, stretching it. While browsing Ikea the other day, we came across their Visen bathroom set, and, well, judge for yourself.
Pictured above is the triple hook, although there's a whole series. For instance, the toilet paper holder:
Are we reading too much into this? Regardless, we're buying the whole set, along with the signed Vonnegut print, and making the best bathroom ever.
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Comments:
I thought the Mal-Wart logo was a stretch, but I could go for these
Yes, you are reading too much into this.
In fact, my "8" key was apparently designed by Vonnegut! *******
So now everything with an asterisk on it is going to get posted?
This is almost as exciting as the grocery shrink ray.
Yes, you are reading WAY to much into it. For starters, the Vonnegut picture is of an 8 pointed asterisk. The Ikea image is a simple 5-pointed star (like the ones all 5-year old kids know how to draw). Please drop this series of articles before is seriously diminishes the credibility of Consumerist. By this line of thinking, the chinese symbol for tree ([z.about.com]) is also a rip off of Kurt Vonnegut
Jebus, between this and the Sunny D post, I wonder if there's something in the water at Gawker HQ.
I have some new articles for you: "Starfish steals Vonnegut Design", "Are Jewish people now worshiping Vonnegut?" and "The asterisk, or how Vonnegut based Slaughterhouse 5 on reality and used his time traveling abilities to form the masterpiece".
The original artwork is called "Backdoor".
It is not an asterisk, or a starfish.
It is a sphincter.
An asterisk isn't really all that original of a design.
Also, a ton of artists use a little * or x to signify a butthole. Nothing new about it - sorry!
I can't say I'd want to plaster a butthole all over my bathroom. Not any more than it is meant to be.
this too played out... can we move on to something new? the asterisk isnt all that interesting... it could be anything you want it to be -__-;;
No, no particular resemblance. Sorry. You pushed it a bit too far.
the identity of the asterisk inventor aside, the vonnegut print + ikea visen bathroom decorating idea is genius. now, what to do for a shower curtain? perhaps: [www.walmart.com]
also, bathroom reading: [www.amazon.com]
I still think the new W*M logo looks like an a-hole
Come on guys. It's an asterisk. Vonnegut did not invent it.
Things must be slow when this makes it on the site.
That settles it. I'm unsubscribing from consumerist for a while. You're officially on time out.
OR
zomg! theres a drawing of an asshole on my keyboard! oh noes!
looking at just the title of the article in the RSS feed made me feel a little queasy at first... I only saw "IKEA Joins Walmart in the possible homage to" and couldn't really get past the "IKEA Joins Walmart" part at the beginning. I thought it was a sign of the apocalypse.
I thought Barry Bonds invented the assterisk?
Phallic imagery (the Sunny D logo) and now anal imagery -- all in one day. The Consumerist has nuked the fridge.
I could have sat down next to this thing every day for a year and never thought of this assocciation with asshole... Why do you notice?
how can far-fetched things that look like stars, not drawn by vonnegut be considered worthy of anyone's attention?
why not do an in depth report on how apple's designs are all ripoff's of minimalist guru dieter rams instead? that'd get more clicks
*
I'm surrounded by assholes.
Just to restate what's been said already for emphasis...
Kurt Vonnegut did not invent the asterisk. This is not interesting material. Get over it.
The company I work for had no problem with my displaying a copy of "Back Door" as long as they thought it was an asterisk. When a LITERATE co-worker recognized it as KV's Asshole, I was required to take it down. I guess an asterisk ISN'T just an asterisk after all!
Toilet paper holder .... I get it.
"Are we reading too much into this?"
For the last time, YES!
I'd like to trade all the world's Walmarts for one Vonnegut.
Careful guys, if you censor your curses you're ripping off Vonnegut
Please stop with this sort of garbage. Vonnegut didn't write the wikipedia article on asterisk, either.
HAhahaha, best bathroom ever indeed. I'd smile every time I saw it.
(Also, way to flush out (oo! secondary pun!) all your commenters who have NO sense of humor...)
So it goes!
Kilgore Trout approves.
WTF?
Where's the cat, where's the cradle?
Sometimes an asterisk is just an asterisk.
Sometimes an asterisk is an asshole.
You just have to get your hands dirty to find out.
Y'v gt t b kddng m. Krt Vnngt nvntd th str? ths dn't vn rsmbl Wl-mrts lg. nd Wl-mrts nw lg lks lk sm sts "flsh ldng" cns n wb t m. Cnsmrst nds tm mtng s thy cn rrgnz nd gt bck t whr thy sd t b n trms f cnsmr rprtng ntgrty. Vld cnsmr sss nd xprncs gt n lght f dy, whl mndn hp-gk cnsprcy thrs gt pstd. Ds Cnsmrsts.cm jrnlstc ntgrty pttrn rn prlll wth sbprm hsng mrkt?
TOO MUCH!
Did you see the soap dispenser and tooth-brush caddy?
The toothbrush caddy is especially sweet with little * cut-outs to hold the device you use to scrub your mouth.
TOO MUCH!
hahaa... but it's Vonnegut! Gotta love it!
You were making too much of this the first time you mentioned it.
Is Gawker trying to do for certain pop cultural notions what the Simpsons tried to do for new words?
Sorry did I miss the memo saying the 'star' shape was trademarked now?
God! MORE Cat buttholes!
![[z.about.com]](http://z.about.com/d/chineseculture/1/0/b/d/5/zi00082.gif){kind=link}
Oddly, Kurt Vonnegut is not known as the inventor of the asterisk or even of the circle.