AustLit

'I’m writing this editorial from bed. I don’t have a desk in my room so this is where I work, but I do have a lot of toys. From my ‘workspace’ I can see: my plushie of a bear dressed up as a pig (trans?) that I won from a claw machine; the furry body of Gizmo from Gremlins, given to me by a relative who attended an 80s themed tech conference for work (I don’t know what this means either) where everyone received a RRP $50 Gizmo upon arrival; and three identical Badtz-maru figurines, the penguin character from Sanrio, sleeping on his pet alligator Pochi. Three because I’m a sucker for blind boxes, a cutesy form of gambling where you buy a box with a mystery toy inside. Badtz-maru was the figurine I wanted least from this set. Upon finding that I’d bought him a third time, a friend told me to stop buying them and I did (thanks Adalya). I’ve since grown to love the little penguin/gator combo, but their presence haunts me a little—the sameness of them, the reminder of money poorly spent and a tendency towards obsession.' (Selina Moir-Wilson: Editorial introduction)