Gocco Commercial

Heatherjeany, a darling in the world of Gocco (you might remember I mentioned her before here and here) pointed our Gocco Yahoo group toward this crazy commercial. We love the roosters, and the fact that the "toy" is so easy, even puppies can make prints. Not just one puppy though, guys, it takes a pair!

Oops.."contact me" button, out of commission

Whoopsie. I've just realized that the "contact me" button on the Save Gocco site was out of comission for a while. I wondered why I was only getting twitter and facebook emails to that address. Sheesh! I apologize if anyone sent an email that went without response. It's working just fine now so contact away!

New Featured artist on Save Gocco: Dee Beale

I've featured Dee on this blog before, but I had to give special attention to this beautiful Poppies print again. It is the newest feature on the Save Gocco site. It might just be my favorite image yet in the Riso frame. Check it out!

Loaded Question: Is it Worth It?

I came across a loaded question as a comment to this post. I'm sorry, I usually answer questions right away but unfortunately, this one was way too heavy for a quick response. I've got some time this morning so here goes:

Question:

Hello!
I've just recently discovered Goccos, and obviously am lusting after one. I was thinking of purchasing a used one somewhere, or having a friend in Japan search one out, but now I'm worried... what is the future of supplies? Will I just get addicted only to find myself unable to obtain screens and bulbs before too long, and I regret spending money on ebay or on the cost of shipping from Japan? In short, given the cost of these machines at this point, is this a bad investment?
Thanks! -Anon.

Answer:

Dear Anon-

I think it depends on your definition of the word "investment." For one person, paying a couple-hundred dollars for art supplies is part of a business. They might stamp out 100 prints in their first go and sell each one for $50. Investment recouped. Even if it's simply for the sake of learning or a creative hobby, there is inherent value in that. How much is too much can only be answered by you. A few years ago, my husband spent several hundred dollars on bicycle repair parts and lessons. In the end it would have been much cheaper to simply "pay the pros" to fix his 10-year-old bike, but he found enjoyment in that learning process, rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty, literally. If you are someone who tends to buy gadgets that aren't ever used, then no, buying a Gocco is surely not a good investment for you, BUT it's people like that (in my opinion) who will keep Gocco alive for quite some time. I'm guessing that supplies will long be available on sites like Ebay and Craig's list because of those gadget-getters, people who decide to jump in on a whim, never to open that box for reasons of fear or time-constraints or maybe pure laziness. Who knows? I'm not sure how many households currently have shelved Gocco supplies but judging from the masses of Japanese families who used Gocco over the past 30 years, I'd venture to guess that supplies will be around for a while.

So, as you can tell, there is no real answer to your question I can hand to you. You have to decide for yourself. If you take the plunge, and regret your decision, there's always Ebay :)

Fondly,

-Katie

New Resources on Save Gocco Site

I sound like a Jr. High counselor: "NEW RESOURCES, kids. Stop by the student center..." Really, it's just that I updated the Save Gocco site with a few new resources. Mint design blog has a nice Gocco FAQ's page on her blog I thought I'd pass on. I also added the previously mentioned Gocco comparison article that Jamie Pulley authored after laboring over it for who-knows-how-long. His pocket pal Gocco charts are also a new listed resource. Unfortunately, I had to delete a few of the suppliers who were listed. They're cold out of supplies, boo. Please pay no attention to the extra spaces between the new links. Wordpress, you really get my goat sometimes, you know that? Grrrrrr. Also, if anyone has any info on classes being offered, I'd love to update that list as well. Thanks, and enjoy.