How Many Sudoku Puzzles Are There?

August 3, 2026

It sounds like a simple counting problem, but when you ask a mathematician how many sudoku grids exist, you get three different numbers back, depending on what you’re counting. Do...

Can You Get Better at Sudoku?

August 3, 2026

If you’re like us at the Curio & Co. studios, you’re solving sudoku puzzles on a regular basis (the two of us are enjoying them each morning with coffee) and...

Fill Notes: Our Auto-Fill Candidates Feature, Explained

July 15, 2026

You may have seen this feature called auto-fill, auto-notes, or just “auto candidates” elsewhere. Ours is called Fill Notes, and it’s a bit of a lightning rod in the Sudoku...

Sudoku Rules & Difficulty Levels

June 19, 2026

Let’s start with the name. Sudoku is short for suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru, a Japanese phrase meaning roughly “the digits must remain single.” So it’s Japanese. Except the puzzle...

Comic-Con 2016

November 2, 2022

Our favorite time of year has arrived – it’s finally Comic-Con time! The Curio & Co. year basically revolves around these five days in San Diego: we’re either gearing up...

Illustration from Curio and Co of Frank and His Friend illustration as the take a break and stop for a family of snails to cross the path

Skipping Comic-Con

July 17, 2017

Taking a break from the big show Summer is upon us, and for most of us that means a trip to San Diego for Comic-Con. However, for the first...

Curio & Co. looks at how to make packaging work. Image of package design for Musterberg Deck of Tarot Cards, courtesy of Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

What makes packaging work

August 25, 2015

When thinking outside the box just isn’t enough Packaging designers, like burlesque performers, know that pulling off the wrapping as fast as possible isn’t always ideal. Good packaging can...

Image of an double autograph, signed by 1960s animated TV show character Spaceman Jax, and the production designer who created him, Philip La Carta. Image www.curioandco.com

Collecting Autographs

August 18, 2015

Celebrity spotting is like the IRS – get an autograph as a receipt or no one will believe you. Although fame seems terrific from the outside, most of us would...

Curio & Co. looks at low-cost alternatives to a big night out with friends: Game night at home. Image of tarot card game being played, using Musterberg deck of tarot cards, www.curiosnaco.com

Time for a game night

August 11, 2015

Grab some friends and deal up some fun. One of my favorite parts of the terrific Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenebaums is the scene where Chas Tenebaum pulls...

Image of 1960s comic book Spaceman Jax Through the Mantagon Minefield, courtesy Curio and co. Considering the role that imperfections, like off-registration in older silver age comics, give to the overall experience. Image courtesy www.curioandco.com

An ode to imperfections

August 4, 2015

In a digital world, “to err is human” is starting to mean a lot more. I know that my 3rd grade teacher would disagree, but I think sloppiness can...

Six illustrated cards from the Tarot of Musterberg

The History of Tarot

July 28, 2015

The Pennyland Handbook of Cartomancy that was given to the amusement park employees at the fortune teller tent instructed staff to “Explain that this deck has been passed down from...

Curio & Co. considers the lost art of mailing postcards. Image of various postcards we've received at the Curio & Co. office. www.curioandco.com

Bringing back postcards

July 21, 2015

Nothing says vacation like a “Wish you Were Here” postcard to friends or family. Margie has a wall of postcards behind her desk that is the envy of all...

Behind-the-scenes look at how the Musterberg deck of tarot cards are made, showing production proof and pantone color swatches. Image courtesy Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Old, older, oldest

July 14, 2015

When recreating an object that has had many different lives, you have to ask yourself: Which history do you want? It was fun watching the production come together for...

Curio & Co. looks at the big business of animation art. Mantagon model sheet for 1960s animated TV show Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures produced by PUD film. Image courtesy Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Collecting animated history

July 7, 2015

Cartoons may have been thought of as entertainment for little kids, but selling animation art is all grown up. Animation art today is big business, with original production art...

Comic-Con 2015: Where to find us

July 3, 2015

Going to Comic-Con this year? Stop by and say hello! Comic-Con International is the highlight of the pop culture year – it’s Christmas and the Super Bowl and the...

Curio & Co. launch a new product, a unique limited-edition deck of tarot cards, which include a special siren card featuring a mermaid. Image courtesy Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

New Product release

June 29, 2015

What does the future hold for you? Turns out, we know! We’ve looked into The Great Beyond and we’ve seen a piece of entertainment memorabilia in your future. And...

Curio & Co. celebrates 2000 followers on Pinterest. Image from www.curioandco.com

Pinterest: taking your childhood collections online

January 11, 2015

Reinventing the simple scrapbook We’re pleased as punch to find that we’ve reached 2000 followers on Pinterest. Pinning collections and boards on Pinterest is a lot of fun, and when...

Curio & Co. looks back on 2014. Image courtesy of Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Happy New Year

December 31, 2014

C’mon 2015, we’re ready for you! Looking back on the year gives us a lot to be thankful for – 2014 was pretty good to us at Curio & Co....

Merry Christmas from Curio & Co.

December 24, 2014

There’s no reason to pout – Santa Claus is coming to town! The tree is trimmed. The stockings are up. We’ve even put out some milk and cookies (the ones...

Curio & Co. looks at the power of storytelling and the joy of having books read to you. Image from classic comic strip Frank and His Friend, courtesy of Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

It’s still story time

December 18, 2014

Who says that only kids get to have stories read to them? I used to think that audio books were only for blind people or truck drivers. Once you’d graduated...

Curio & Co. looks at the complicated timekeeping of science fiction futures, especially the Star Years of classic 1960s animated series Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures. Image courtesy of Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Galactic Time

December 12, 2014

Meeting with a species from another planet starts to get tricky when it’s time to synchronize your watches. The dates in Spaceman Jax’s world are complicated and unwieldy. Spaceman Jax...

Curio and Co. looks at how Spaceman Jax might be handled by a studio today. Comic panel from classic 1960s animated TV show Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures as he appeared in the pages of Ringer Comics. Image from Curio & Co. www.curioandco.com.

Spaceman Jax today

November 18, 2014

What would the Spaceman Jax character be like done by a studio today? If Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures were back on TV today, I’d love to see a...

Happy Halloween

October 30, 2014

We wanted to take five and wish you all happy trick or treating a very scary Halloween. – BOO!

Curio & Co. looks at the power of a TV marathon, image of Spaceman Jax animation cell from 1960s classic animated series Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures. www.curioandco.com

Don’t change that channel

September 24, 2014

Everything comes to a halt for a TV marathon When I was a kid TV marathons were an annual event. Every year some TV station would show a day’s worth...

Curio & Co. looks at the history of favorite summertime treat the corn dog. Image from Curio and Co. of an ad for the Cozy Dog Drive-In, the birthplace of the corn dog. www.curioandco.com

Summertime Treats: Corn Dogs

September 9, 2014

When you’re ready to grab life by the handle. I’m not really sure why so many treats we enjoy in the summer are so greasy – hamburgers on the grill,...

Curio & Co. looks at classic summer blockbuster Jaws which offers quite a few reasons not to worry about skipping the beach. www.curioandco.com

Summer Cinema: Jaws, 1975

September 1, 2014

Maybe skip the water altogether this weekend. There’s nothing worse than working while everyone else is away on vacation. Not only are you picking up the slack for your coworkers,...

Curio & Co. looks at nostalgia for summertime treats from childhood with cotton candy. Image of children very excited to be served cotton candy. Source, Heinz Family Fund/Carnegie Museum of Art. www.curioandco.com

Summertime Treats: Cotton Candy

August 25, 2014

Nostalgia at its stickiest. Cotton Candy is a delightful summertime treat, and one that seems to sum up a lot of summer experiences. From a distance, it’s big and bold...

Where, exactly, is Spaceman Jax?

August 21, 2014

Is Spaceman Jax like Star Wars – set in a galaxy far, far away? Over sixty years have passed since Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures first premiered on TV...

Curio & Co. looks at watermelon as a classic summertime treat. Vintage photograph of watermelon farmers. www.curioandco.com

Summertime Treats: Watermelon

August 18, 2014

The refreshing fruit that takes you right back to childhood. Summer means many things: warm days, bar-b-ques outside and watermelon! In fact, I’d argue that the refreshing fruit is practically...

Curio & Co. looks at sillier films for summer heat with classic 1960s film Beach Blanket Bingo. www.curioandco.com

Summer Cinema: Beach Blanket Bingo, 1965

August 14, 2014

When the temperature goes up, it’s time for something silly. Summer is many things, but one thing it’s not is serious. It’s just too hot. Too hot for neckties. Too...

Curio & Co. looks at the boundless energy of little kids with classic 1960s animated characters Spaceman Jax and his niece Dekkin. Image of Spaceman Jax comic from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Kids' secret energy sources

August 12, 2014

Spaceman Jax’s niece Dekkin seems to run on super power. Spaceman Jax’s niece Dekkin is a real firecracker of a little girl. She’s enthusiastic, prone to uncontrollable giggles and she...

Curio & Co. looks at how vintage soft drink company Bunchy used classic 1960s animated TV character Spaceman Jax as a product spokesman. Image of Spaceman Jax Bunchy ad, from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Spaceman Jax, Pitchman from the Stars

August 8, 2014

Even a galactic hero can’t say no to advertising money. In the late 1950s, Bunchy was still a regional soft drink popular in the southwest. It was western-themed (hence the...

Curio & Co. beats the heat with a look at classic films perfect for summer vacation. Image of the film poster for classic 1960s Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation with Jimmy Stewart from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Summer Cinema: Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, 1962

August 5, 2014

Sometimes you need a break from your holiday. Summer vacations don’t always work out the way they’re supposed to. But while you might not get the experience you’re looking for,...

Curio & Co. looks at how seemingly dumb characters, like classic 1960s animated TV character Spaceman Jax, can be so successful. Image from Curio and Co. of Spaceman Jax from the vintage comic Spaceman Jax Through the Mantagon Minefield

Spaceman Jax - Sheer, dumb luck

August 1, 2014

A hero with a heart of gold, but the intellect of a Ploridian Lunar Beast. Spaceman Jax isn’t the brightest star in the galaxy, not by a long shot. He...

Curio & Co. announces a sneak peek at the Spaceman Jax comic for visitors to San Diego Comic-Con 2014. Image of Spaceman Jax - Through the Mantagon Minefield comic, courtesy of Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Spaceman Jax Comics Coming Soon!

July 29, 2014

Comic-Con got a sneak peek of another jewel.Comic-Con is always a lot of fun: big stars, great swag and aisles and aisles full of amazing collectibles that turn you into...

Curio & Co. announces a panel discussion for San Diego Comic-Con 2014 with Calista Brill of First Second Books, Peter Maresca of Sunday Press Books and Dave Marshall of Dark Horse Comics, hosted by Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Comic-Con Panel Discussion on Tricky Books

July 21, 2014

Join Curio & Co, for a look at Horror Stories of Creating Comics.We are thrilled to be organizing a discussion panel at Comic-Con this year, and we hope you can...

Curio & Co. looks at classic films for summer days, and the surf classic Gidget from 1959. Image of movie poster from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Summer Cinema: Gidget, 1959

July 17, 2014

Hit the waves with Moondoggie and the Big Kahuna The person most responsible for bringing surfing to the mainstream public isn’t George Freeth, Duke Kahanamoku or even any of the...

Curio & Co. heads to the leading comics convention and entertainment trade show, San Diego Comic-Con International. Image from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Comic-Con 2014

July 14, 2014

We’re heading to the biggest entertainment convention around. For us at Curio & Co., the summer doesn’t officially start until Comic-Con. Sure, the weather might heat up and schools might...

Curio & Co. look at the robots of the future in classic 1960s animated TV show Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures. Image from Spaceman Jax comics, from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Spaceman Jax and Robots in the Future

July 11, 2014

As household robots go – Artie just can’t be beat. If there’s one consistent view of the future, it’s that robots will handle all of the dirty work. From the...

Curio & Co. looks at the history of classic summertime treat, Popsicles. Image of a vintage ad for Popsicles. www.curioandco.com

Summertime Treats: Popsicles

July 7, 2014

Nostalgia might keep you warm, but our love for this icy treat still keeps us cool. It’s been pretty warm around the Curio & Co. headquarters these past couple...

Curio & Co. looks at how a classic 1960s animated TV show like Spaceman Jax tackled social and environmental issues that we still deal with today. Image from Spaceman Jax comic, Through the Mantagon Minefield, image by Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Spaceman Jax – Ahead of its time?

July 3, 2014

The classic 1960s characters from animation and comics dealt with some of the same issues we do today. It’s no surprise that a show set in the future might...

Curio & Co. looks at the menacing bad guys from classic 1960s animated TV show, Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures. Image of an angry Mantagon general from vintage comic book of Spaceman Jax. image from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

The Menacing Mantagons

June 25, 2014

What good is having a couple thousand Ultra-turbo-zap guns if no one knows about it? Does Spaceman Jax think he can reform the Mantagons? He certainly doesn’t seem to...

Curio & Co. looks at classic late night talk shows and their desks. Image of Johnny Carson from the Tonight Show, from Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Behind the Late Night Desk

June 18, 2014

You know a talk show means serious business if they put the host behind a desk. Talk shows use their sets to communicate subtle hints about their content. The soft...

Curio & Co. celebrates Father's Day with one of our favorite pop culture surrogate Dads: Spaceman Jax. Image of Spaceman Jax, his niece Dekkin and their domestic service robot Artie from the pages of the Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures comics

Parenting Tips from Spaceman Jax?

June 11, 2014

He may cause more trouble than a Ploridian Lunar Beast, but his heart is in the right place. As Father’s Day approaches, we’ve been thinking about how some of our...

Curio & Co. looks at vintage 1960s advertisements for sugar. Detail of a vintage Sunnington Morn packaging for Double Scoop cereal, image by Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Brought to You by Sugar

June 4, 2014

Advertising and packaging in the 1960s was enough to give you a tooth ache. It is truly amazing how much advertising messages have changed over the last fifty years....

Curio & Co. looks at the best theme songs from the James Bond 007 film franchise. Image of classic spy James Bond seen in gun barrel sequence. www.curioandco.com

007: The Spy Who Serenaded Me

May 29, 2014

James Bond knows hand-to-hand combat, defensive driving at high speeds, and how to pick a great song. The 007 films are a genre all of their own, and although each...

Curio & Co. looks at the role of robots in science fiction and wonders how quickly we'll be losing our jobs to can-openers? Drawing of a robot working in a mine on 1960s futuristic animated TV show Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures. Image from

Robots in Spaceman Jax

May 21, 2014

Are we training our own robot replacements? Good – they can have the jobs. It’s funny that Spaceman Jax still has a job, since it’s clear that a robot could...

Vengeance in the Star Trek Universe

May 13, 2014

As the Klingons say, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” J.J. Abrams’s new Star Trek franchise is cornering the market on revenge. From the first film of the reboot...

Curio & Co. looks at how classic bad guys from the animated TV show Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures would manage in today's selfie society. A Mantagon bad guy alien is ready to take over in this still from the classic 1960s animated TV show

The Mantagons vs. Modern Society

May 5, 2014

The Mantagons may be the strongest armed fleet in Spaceman Jax’s galaxy, but how would they fare against the selfie? The Mantagons were the best bad guys on the 1960s...

Curio & Co. looks at the power of packaging with classic childhood treat Animal Crackers in a Barnum's Animals Circus Wagon Box. Kitchen Cabinet, animal crackers, packaging as toy, vintage circus. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Animal Crackers, since 1902

April 29, 2014

Sometimes, you need to think inside the box. The way food is presented to you can really affect the way you think it tastes. Shows like Bizarre Foods certainly...

Curio & Co. looks at how popular film quotes and catchphrases enter the pop culture subconscious. Film still of classic black and white film Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, one of our favorite films at Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com.

Catchphrases catching fire

April 21, 2014

Beam me up, Scotty. Play it again, Sam…How can it not be in the film if we know the catchphrase so well? Pop culture is full of famous catchphrases, and...

What makes a TV personality?

April 15, 2014

There are plenty of people famous for rather dubious talents on television, with “nice guy” perhaps the most dubious. With the recent news that Stephen Colbert will be taking...

Curio & Co. looks at some of the great reviews for our books like Frank and His Friend and the Gadabout Time Machine User's Manual. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Glowing reviews for Frank and His Friend

February 12, 2014

Have you seen some of the nice things that people have been saying about us? Not to toot our own horns or anything, but we wanted to pass on...

Curio & Co. counts down to the new year with vintage newspaper comic Frank and His Friend. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Happy New Year 2014

December 27, 2013

Celebrating the present right now means reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the future. 2013 was a good year to us at Curio & Co. We got...

Curio & Co. sends holiday wishes thanks to a vintage Christmas card by Frank and His Friend artist and creator Clarence 'Otis' Dooley. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Merry Christmas

December 21, 2013

Sending out holiday cheer to all of you from Curio & Co. Our stockings are hung, the egg has been nogged, and we’re all set for a visit from Old...

Special Collector’s Edition

December 6, 2013

What do you buy the collector who has almost everything? We are very excited to release our latest book, Frank and His Friend – Special Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1. The...

Curio & Co. celebrate a good old-fashioned Halloween with classic comic Frank and His Friend. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Trick or Treat!

October 31, 2013

Frank and His Friend get us into the Halloween spirit. What’s not to love about Halloween? You start off with costumes and games and end up with a big bag...

Curio& Co. looks at what makes classics like Frank and His Friend worth re-reading again and again. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Frank and His Friend: Re-reading the classics

October 12, 2013

What is it that makes a book good enough to return to again and again? Getting a hold of the latest bestseller and losing yourself in a new world is...

Curio & Co. looks at ways that classic cartoonist 'Otis' Dooley gave back to his fans. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Giving young fans a hand

October 5, 2013

The creator of Frank and his Friend may not have liked the limelight, but he sure brightened the lives of others. Clarence ‘Otis’ Dooley was a very modest guy and...

Curio & Co. considers daily worries through looking at classic newspaper comic Frank and His Friend. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Much ado about nothing

September 27, 2013

Frank and His Friend offers a helpful gauge to know when to start worrying. One thing that always cracks me up about the Frank and His Friend comics is how...

Disneyland Records

September 20, 2013

Read along with your favorite hit records. I had a pretty extensive record collection as a kid. Blockbusters like Ernie’s Rubber Duckie, seasonal standards like Merry Snoopy’s Christmas. But the...

Curio & Co. looks at classic Disneyland ride Autopia Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Disneyland Autopia, 1955

September 13, 2013

The freedom of the open road…where the cars can’t leave the track. Kids can’t wait to get the keys to the adult world, to be able to call the shots...

Curio & Co. considers the lunchbox as existential school supply. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Lunchbox Identity Crisis

September 6, 2013

Picking out a new lunchbox was the best part of back-to-school shopping, and maybe the hardest. For a kid, a lunchbox is more than just a means of getting your...

Curio & Co. looks at classic Disney attraction from the 1964 World's fair. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

It’s a Small World

August 31, 2013

Stuck in your head since 1964. The 1964 World’s Fair in New York was pretty groundbreaking, if not partially because it was also a little rule-breaking. Technically, it wasn’t a...

Curio & Co. looks at nostalgia through the classic prizes inside Cracker Jack. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Marketing Nostalgia

August 22, 2013

Cracker Jack sweetens up America’s past In 1893, brothers F.W. and Louis Rueckheim mixed popcorn, peanuts and molasses together and introduced their concoction at Chicago’s First World Fair. A...

Curio & Co. looks at the Back to the Future trilogy. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Summer Sequels: The Threequel

August 16, 2013

When one (or two) films just aren’t enough As the old School House Rock song goes, three is a magic number. That’s certainly true for the cinema. In the...

Surf Rock

August 9, 2013

The kind of summer that only exists in a song I don’t surf, own a “Woody Wagon,” or know anyone named Moondoggie. But every year when the temperatures heat...

Curio & Co. looks at Despicable Me 2 in its Summer Sequels series. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Summer Sequels: Despicable Me 2

August 2, 2013

Once you start, you just can’t stop. In the summer heat, no one really wants to do any work, the clock gets watched more closely, and the calendar count-down...

Curio & Co. looks at summer sequels, with Smurfs 2. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Summer Sequels: Smurfs 2

July 26, 2013

When warmer temperatures return, so do some very familiar faces. If it’s summer, then it’s time for a sequel. Why are sequels so inviting? Maybe the higher temperatures draw...

Curio & Co. considers Star Wars and Darth Vader's parenting skills as a deadbeat dad. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Darth Vader: Deadbeat Dad

July 19, 2013

At the end of the day, Star Wars is just another custody battle with the kids caught in the middle. Darth Vader is many things; powerful, merciless, fond of capes....

Curio & Co. heads to the world's best comics convention: Comic-Con International, in San Diego. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Comic-Con 2013

July 12, 2013

Hey there San Diego – we’ll see you soon! Have you packed your bags for San Diego yet? I suppose packing to go Comic-Con is the easiest thing to...

Frank and His Friend for Collectors

July 5, 2013

There is a brand new limited edition collection of Frank and His Friend – and Curio & Co. has got them for you. If you’re like us, there are...

The Return of Mickey Mouse

June 28, 2013

Mickey gets his groove back in a series of new shorts that premiere today. Mickey Mouse returns to screens today in a brand new series of shorts that...

Curio & Co. looks at the role of imaginary friends in classic comic Frank and His Friend. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

A very real imaginary friend

June 21, 2013

The beloved doll from Frank and His Friend proves to be the best friend a kid could have. The classic newspaper comic Frank and His Friend, created by artist Clarence...

Curio & Co. looks at how deadlines and small budgets created the most iconic technology of Star Trek, the transporter. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

One terrific idea, beaming right up

June 14, 2013

Sometimes, small budgets and short deadlines can be the best thing to happen to a project. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. One of my favorite stories is...

Curio & Co. looks at the career of classic newspaper comic creator Clarence 'Otis' Dooley before he made it big. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Before they were famous: Clarence ‘Otis’ Dooley

June 7, 2013

What do Cudworth-Hooper and Frank and His Friend have in common? Hog oilers. It can be hard for a comic artist to get started without a name that newspapers...

Curio & Co. looks at classic Dennis the Menace comics from the 1950s. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Dennis the Menace in the 1950s

May 31, 2013

Some classics get a little too mellow with time. Dennis the Menace started out so good. If you’ve never read the early strips from the 1950s, you’re really missing...

Curio & Co. looks at classic newspaper comic Frank and His Friend. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Tagging along with Frank and His Friend

May 17, 2013

You might be a couple of minutes late to the party, but you haven’t missed any of the action. One of my favorite things about Frank and His Friend...

Curio & Co. considers the legacy of one of the most successful film franchises of all time: Star Wars. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Hedging your bets

May 10, 2013

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, buddies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg made a friendly bet. Star Wars is a billion-dollar franchise. When Disney bought...

Curio & Co. looks at how classic comics like Frank and His Friend can help you manage stress. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Slowing down with Frank and His Friend

May 3, 2013

Let comics help you unwind. When things get a little crazy and stress starts to overwhelm you, it can certainly seem like the last thing you have time for is...

Blacksad

April 27, 2013

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, especially if you’re a cat. Quiet as a mouse, sly as a fox, busy as a beaver – animals carry a lot of meaning...

Curio & Co. looks at the theme of family in the classic 1960s animated TV show. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

The Spaceman Jax Family

April 17, 2013

Despite blasting into adventures among the stars, maybe Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures was really just another show about family. It’s no surprise that family is so important...

Curio & Co. looks at the Bash Brannigan comic strip from classic 1960s film How to Murder Your Wife. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Bash Brannigan, 1965

April 10, 2013

Some films create such a realistic – and hilarious – world that you wish their supporting brands were real. One of our favorite fake comic strips was created for the...

Curio & Co. considers classic 60s animation Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

In praise of the bad guys

April 3, 2013

Every story needs a strong villain, but in the case of Spaceman Jax and the Galactic Adventures, it’s the villains’ weakness that makes them so hilarious. Each episode of Spaceman...

Curio & Co. considers classic Humphrey Bogart film, Beat the Devil. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

The theft of time

March 27, 2013

Peter Lorre on the concept of time. Despite what the critics said back in 1953, Beat the Devil is a terrific film. And why shouldn’t it be? You’ve got...

Curio & Co. considers the old time nostalgia of striped straws. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

The Last Straw

March 19, 2013

It may not break the camel’s back, but a straw can really take you back. A lot of people will argue that beverages taste better out of a glass container...

Curio & Co. looks at classic Alan Moore and David Lloyd comic, V for Vendetta. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

V for Vendetta, 1982

March 12, 2013

The comic creates a world that is more than the sum of its parts. V for Vendetta is an extremely popular comic book for good reason. The powerful story...

Curio & Co. looks at vintage advertisements. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Vintage illustrations

March 4, 2013

A picture sells a thousand words when it’s a vintage advertisement. It’s hard to imagine collecting any of the advertisements we are bombarded with today. From ads on toilet...

Maya the Bee

February 23, 2013

She may be a little strange, but we love her. Sometimes the things we loved as kids just seem bizarre now. Eating boogers, spinning around so fast you fall down,...

Curio & Co. looks at classic French comic Asterix. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Asterix creator Albert Uderzo

February 15, 2013

The Roman Empire has been no match for this village of Gauls, and neither are our hearts. When asked about the enduring success of The Adventures of Asterix comic...

Curio & Co. looks at classic Mickey Mouse comics and the men behind the mouse. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Behind the Wheel of Mickey Mouse

February 8, 2013

For the 40th anniversary of the Angoulême International Comics Festival, organizers went back way more than 40 years to trace the history of Mickey Mouse in comics around the...

Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots

February 2, 2013

Once robots do all of our cooking and cleaning, the next logical step is to have them do all our fighting too. In all of our visions of the future,...

Curio & Co. looks at why soft drinks like Pepsi taste so great in glass bottles. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

A bottle of memories

January 27, 2013

Why do soft drinks taste so great in glass bottles? When I was a little kid, I was told to be very, very careful with my soft drinks. Use...

Curio & Co. looks at vintage bubble bath time with Mr. Bubble. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Mr. Bubble, 1961

January 18, 2013

“Gets you so clean, your mother won’t recognize you!” For most of as adults, a morning shower is just a small part of our wake up routine (I myself...

Curio & Co. looks at vintage Mickey Mouse Club Memorabilia. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Mickey Mouse Club, 1955

January 11, 2013

Come along and sing a song And join the jamboree! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E Humans are pack animals; we like to join things. From the bowling league to...

Curio & co. looks at classic Fisher-Price toy Chatter Telephone. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Nostalgia calling

December 31, 2012

What will we pass on to the next generation? As 2012 comes to a close, we’ve been thinking a lot about what we’ll bring into the New Year, and...

Curio& Co. shares a vintage animation Christmas card. Curio and co. www.curioandco.com

Season's Greetings from Curio & Co.

December 22, 2012

It's that time of the year... When snowflakes get us dreaming (and snowballs get us scheming), and it's time to get down on the floor again and play...

Curio & Co. looks at the science fiction ship from Michael Jackson's Disneyland film Captain EO. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Captain EO, 1986

December 21, 2012

“The planets are linin' up, we're bringin' brighter days, They're all in line, waitin' for you” Back in 1986, Michael Jackson was the biggest star in the galaxy....

Campbell’s Soup

December 12, 2012

Thinking outside the can There’s nothing like a bowl of hot soup on a cold day, and now that winter is upon us, we’ve got plenty of those...

Curio & Co. looks at the fate of classic comic book character Corto Maltese. Curio and Co. www.curioandco.com

Corto Maltese, 1967

December 4, 2012

Taking your fate (literally) in your own hands. Corto Maltese is a comic book sailor and adventurer created by Hugo Pratt in 1967, and premiered in the serial...