Harvey goes to Archie McPhee's!

Archie McPhee is a name that's renown around Seattle. Who is Archie McPhee? A renown local politician? Historical figure? Sports icon?

Giant, monstrous, all-seeing eye?

Archie McPhee's emporium of the random, weird and utterly awesome! Ultimate, if-you-have-to-ask-you-aren't-allowed-to-know hot spot of the Seattle landscape. Starting in L.A., in the 1970's as a mail order service; it moved to Seattle in the 1980's and never looked back. Adding the decoratively bizarre flair of North Seattle, Archie McPhee's is the perfect go-to spot for any purveyor of the unique and/or ironic. Seeing as how we run a bunny-blog, we decided it was time to drop by for a visit.

We found ourselves right at home. I myself had never been to Archie McPhee's (which is a bit of a crime for a dyed-in-the-wool Seattleite like myself) so it was nice to see such a warm and familiar welcome. (Or was that creepy and slightly uncomfortable welcome? With Archie McPhee's it's never quite clear).

Archie McPhee's deals a variety of costumes, party supplies, and general doodads that aren't typically found in your average Party City. Namely giant rubber rats, baby masks (read: horrifying baby masks) and startlingly accurate fortune telling machines. One could easily spend hours trying on every bizarre mask/hat combo available, which is...well...exactly what we did. I in particular bonded with a strangely cute rat mask that I used to calm Tobi down after the baby mask.

(not pictured, the terrifying baby mask that I used to chase Tobi around with; primarily because it was too evil to be captured with mere film).

Harvey was awestruck into Anime Kawaii Mode.
It wasn't a pretty.

Harvey was clearly impressed by the immense selection, everything from grass purses to nose-shaped pencil sharpeners; Glass eyes to picked monster remains. Harvey was just glad that he wasn't quite monstrous enough to wind up alongside The Wallingford Beast; the resident chupacabra (technically its delicate palate prefers cats, and very technically it's taxidermied, not pickled). With so much to look at and so many things to choose from it was hard to pick just one souvenir from the bunch. Eventually we settled on a fez and Harvey picked out a stylish inflatable beard for himself.

That kind of discernment shows class

Although Tobi started to deal with some serious buyer's remorse after realizing that Archie McPhee's also featured a giant bacon who's affection was sorely fought over by she and Harvey. Although, in my opinion, and in the words of Rizzo the Rat; "Mom always told me, never eat singing fruit". I think that goes for grinning bacon as well.

Harvey was also kinda regretting not getting the
 Thai Palace for himself.

Finally after a long day of browsing, my first ever photobooth experience, costuming and the wearing of hats we left Archie McPhee's with our weirdness quota for the day almost full. Archie McPhee's is definitely an adventure that every person who passes through the Emerald City should have. Only a block of two from Dick's Burgers and just a few more blocks to the University of Washington; this region of Wallingford is the penultiment urban Northwest experience. Harvey, now sporting a stylish (and totally natural looking) beard, totally agrees.


Though I still regret not buying that rat mask.