Perfect for Dad... or the Sucker of Your Choice

Father's Day, that most puzzling of gifting holidays, is approaching fast. While moms will usually be satisfied with cold cereal in bed and a bunch of daisies (not really, but we've learned it's best to go with the flow, and then demand the rest of the day to ourselves), dads end up with strangely useless and impersonal items.

So I found this Father's Day gift item in the New York Times Magazine. It was one pricey ad. It's for the ultimate Father's Day present, a sculpture by the "artist" Marsha Tosk, entitled "Fish Out of Water." This witty word play is a polyresin fish wearing a hat (a la Madmen) and carrying a little newspaper, presumably on its way to either the train to work or an extra long bathroom session. Artist Tosk describes her wordplay art as a reaction to the recession and a way to find humor in the world. At $1200 a piece, one can only assume that Tosk's clients aren't similarly oppressed by the recession, although they may still retain a basic sense of humor (hard to know with the comfortably wealthy). Naturally, Ms. Tosk's site wouldn't permit me an image grab, so you'll have to visit the Marsha Tosk site to get a good look at Mr. Workaday Fish. However, I managed to grab another of her pieces, "Pig In A Blanket", which is close enough (and would perhaps remind Dad of cocktail hours gone by).

I'm now going to advise your children to rip off this wordplay, and use it in their very own art for their very own Father's Day cards. Dad will like something homemade, and he'll also appreciate that you didn't spend $1200 bucks on a fish with an identity crisis.