You have seen their claymation commercials, right?  They prominently feature clay character Smart, the face of hotels.com. We've found a copy of one if you haven't seen it.

Well now you have the chance to design the clay figurine that will star in their Spring 2011 commercial. All you have to do is design your clay figure online, submit it to the competition and maybe you will be one of the eight weekly winners that receives $200 in hotels.com vouchers and has a shot at seeing their very own clay figurine become a star. Here's a short video with the details.

What are you waiting for? Create your clay avatar at http://www.clayyourself.com and share it with your friends. We did:

We couldn't find a photo of the school figurine, so you'll just have to look at a photo of a Licca-chan and imagine it in a Japanese high school uniform. (photo credit)

There's no shortage of japanese figurines dressed up in school uniforms already. Anime figures have been similarly attired for years (see photo below or this link). And you could already order a customized bobblehead doll dressed in an asian school outfit too.

In the United States, high school students buy and wear their class ring as a symbol of their school association, spirit, and pride. The tradition started in 1835 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In the 1950s and 1960s, approximately 50-80 percent of students at a high school would buy their class ring. Now, the tradition has faded a bit. It is estimated that only 10 to 40 percent of high schoolers buy their commemorative class ring.

Is it possible that the tradition of purchasing a class ring will be replaced in the United States with buying a school figurine? I wouldn't count on it. But a school figurine or doll does seem like a more practical purchase for display later in life than a class ring. What do you think?

I'm not sure which is a larger story.  The fact that a Steve Jobs figurine listed on eBay closed at a price above $1000 recently.  Or the idea that Apple lawyers are using their vast legal might to prevent the production and sale of these figurines.  We'll have more details in a few days but we couldn't help posting a teaser and a photo now.

Photo by MDH in Houston on Flickr.

Christie's auction house will sell the King Kong action figure which climbed the Empire State Building at the end of the classic 1933 film.  The 22 inch tall King Kong figurine is made of a metal skeleton but has lost the covering of rabbit's fur and other materials which it possessed during the movie.

Christie's expects the movie figurine to fetch around $240,000.  If you think that someone would be crazy for paying that much, you may want to consider what some other collectibles have sold for.  Time Magazine has put out a list of its Top 10 Crazy Celebrity Collectibles, and we think that this King Kong figurine is far and away a better purchase.  Our vote for the most ridiculous: two slices of french toast left unfinished by Justin Timberlake after a breakfast interview in New York in 2000.  Check it out.

We regularly follow the news related to figurines and collectibles, and have noticed a disturbing trend of stolen figurines lately. At the beginning of the month in a San Francisco mall, a woman was found to have hidden a swiped porcelain figurine under a stolen black hoodie.  Then we noticed a report out of Britain mid-month that someone had stolen first a Royal Worchester figurine and later a Coalport figurine from a charity shop.

While we certainly don't think we have a string of international figurine thieves out there, and we got a good laugh at the thought that porcelain figurines may now be as in demand among thieves as some cars after the recession, we also thought it would hammer home an important message.

If your collection has value, make sure it is covered by your insurance policy.  You wouldn't want something to happen to your figurines.

Photo by Mike Baird on Flickr.

Jailbreak Toys is following up on the success of its Barack Obama action figure with one this year memorializing First Lady Michelle Obama. Starting next month, you'll be able to welcome both adult members of the first family into your home, figuratively speaking.

But the Michelle Obama figurine isn't the only presidential merchandise to be making waves recently. Apparently, someone has taken the classic chia pet to a whole new level. In a store near you, you may soon be able to find a Chia Obama. That's right! You too can watch the hair grow on Obama's head.

Now we both have seen it all:

I'm reminded this as I read two articles this week. The first was about an Assistant Professor at Indiana State University who collects dolls and figurines that represent minority cultures in a positive light. You can read the article on the Indiana State University website here. The second was about an artist creating robot figures called Adoptabots out of discarded items and selling them on Etsy. You can find photos of some of the creations here.

Whether you collect figurines about diversity, history, fashion, love, christmas, or the environment, your figurine collection says something about you. If you haven't taken a moment to think about the broader purpose behind your collection, take some time to do so soon. Then, the next time that you have to choose between two figurines, you'll be able to evaluate how each one fits into your collection. And in the end, you will have more than a bunch of boxes of stuff. You will have a collection that tells a story about you!

Photo of Hummel Figurine by Le Petit Poulailler on Flickr.

This weekend marked more than the rain delayed conclusion to the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the first weekend of the 2009-2010 football season.
In Buffalo, NY, hundreds of Hummel collectors celebrated the restart of manufacturing of Hummel figurines by new owner Manufaktur Rodental at the M.I. Hummel Club's North American Convention. Fans attending also celebrated the anniversary of the 100th birthday of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, the artist originally behind the popular children's figurines.

I was at a yard sale a few weeks back and wondered whether the item I was interested in was a good deal or not. I grabbed my pda phone, launched the mobile web browser, landed on eBay's mobile website, and after a few well chosen keywords knew exactly what it would cost me to buy the item online rather than in person. Later, I used my personal handheld camera and mobile computer (that's my phone also!) to take a picture of an item to see whether a friend was interested in buying it when I couldn't adequately describe it to them. Only a decade ago, these two events wouldn't have been possible.

Today, I discovered that Worthpoint, an online appraisal service and aggregator of transaction prices from online and offline auction sites, is offering a new mobile application to aid its subscribers in determining the value of an antique when they are on the go. Check it out here.

As our phones get more powerful, I expect that there will be many more ways to use them in the acquisition of vintage items - ways that I could not even now imagine. I'm also sure that it will change the world of antiques and collectibles in a way that I have not even thought possible. Until then, you will just have to enjoy the conveniences made possible by modern technology!