A long time ago in my city, there was a fun and interesting shoe store that sold gorgeous boots but also amusing knick-knacks. But the main street on which the store sat underwent protracted construction and they lost too much business to stay afloat. They had an impressive sale, at which I picked up a really nice pair of Frye harness boots and an eight-pack of tiny plastic figurines.

These little people are dressed and posed like they’re terrified victims and extras in a ’50s B-movie horror flick. You can set them up so they’re scared of anything: teddy bears, a pen holder, larger action figures… or people you know. With some imagination, you can get your friends to pretend to stomp on them, crush them, eat them, or maybe even sit on them. I haven’t yet, but it should be possible. In theory.

On my Twitter account I’m just screwing around with photos of them. I set them up somewhere, line up a couple pictures, then tweet the ones I like with a quip, a micro-vignette for color or atmosphere. People seem to like it, or at least no one’s complained.