Remember the excitement you felt receiving mail as a child? That's the inspiration behind San Francisco-based Little Passports, a new educational subscription service that aims to turn 5-to-10-year-olds into world travellers, one country at a time. Little Passports delivers monthly travel packages designed to provide a fun, hands-on way for kids to learn about other countries without leaving home. The first shipment in the USD 10.95 per month subscription prepares little voyagers for their global adventure with a mini suitcase, passport, world map and a letter and photo introducing their travel guides, Sam and Sofia.

Each following month, children receive a personalized letter and package from Sam and Sofia, which includes travel-related items like a passport stamp, suitcase sticker and collectible boarding pass to access online games and activities that teach geography, history, culture and vocabulary. As the months pass, little travellers notch up a jetsetter's stamp-filled passport, personalize their suitcase, and pack it with country-specific souvenirs.

In an era dominated by electronic communication, people are embracing concepts from a slower age, like the company that transforms emails into paper letters and one that resurrected the classic telegram. Little Passports combines that nostalgia for 'real' mail and combines it with the convenience of a subscription service. What else could this formula be applied to? (Related: Interactive piggy bank teaches kids about money.)

Website: www.littlepassports.com
Contact: info@littlepassports.com

Spotted by: Jason Ferguson

We've seen the social shopping trend manifested in various forms in recent years, including TeethYou, the Chinese site we covered back in 2007 that let shopping fans show off their favourite purchases. Adding to that concept a heady splash of so-called nowism is Blippy, a Twitter-like effort that lets users automatically publish their shopping transactions in real time for all the world to see.

Launched to the public just last week, California-based Blippy bills itself as “a fun and easy way to see and discuss the things people are buying.” Friends can select to follow each other, meaning that they'll see a constantly updated feed of those people's purchases. Followers can both comment on and “like” transactions as they move through the stream. Each user decides which purchase categories they'd like to share; they can choose to automatically share purchases at vendors like iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and Blockbuster, for example, or they can publish all those made through a particular credit card, debit card or bank account. They can also deliberately keep more private transactions to a “non-Blippy” account.

There are obviously privacy considerations associated with using Blippy, though the site says it performs “super-human feats” to protect its users' data. The potential benefits, however, are intriguing. In addition to paving the way for affiliate fees through the vendors that get mentioned in its stream, Blippy also stands to increase transparency by facilitating reviews and comparisons. To wit: “Imagine being able to tell if you’re getting ripped off with what you’re paying for a gym membership or on your Comcast bill when compared to what your friends are spending on the same things,” as TechCrunch points out. An API is also reportedly in the works, promising even more transparency in the future. In the meantime, one to watch! (Related: Cheap & simple credit card processing for everyone.)

Website: www.blippy.com
Contact: hello@blippy.com

Spotted by: Benoit Rigaut

The death of the newspaper may be oft-discussed and widely predicted, but every once in a while a bit of evidence comes along suggesting that those predictions might be premature. Last year we saw the arrival of The Printed Blog, which aggregated blog content into a newspaper package tailored for local readers. That effort didn't survive the year, but now a German counterpart has picked up the torch and revived the idea with a personalised web-to-print newspaper service aimed at young readers.

Launched in November for Berlin residents, Niiu has partnered with 17 daily papers—both national (such as the Berliner Morgenpost, Der Tagesspiegel and Bild) and international (including the New York Times and the Washington Times)—to give readers a choice of content. Customers begin by selecting which pages or sections of those papers they'd like to fill their own 24-page publication, as well as any content they'd like included from hundreds of online RSS feeds. Those who don't want to specify their content piece by piece can also choose from a variety of predefined profiles focused on emphases like fashion or business. The paper can be further customised with a name and a color for the front and back; users can even choose to add a greeting, slogan or uploaded photos. Then, following an entirely outsourced production process, the resulting creation is delivered to their door. Orders for a single issue need only be placed by 2 p.m. for next-morning delivery. Per-issue pricing is EUR 1.20 for students and EUR 1.80 for everyone else, with an introductory offer of three free issues.

Cofounder Wanja Oberhof explains: "It's an individualized paper which has a wide appeal because people, especially students who grew up with the Web, want to get their news from different sources." Despite the diversity of media they're familiar with, however, such readers still prefer print, he told The Editor's Weblog: "We asked this target group which is the most comfortable and which is the best distribution channel; is it an e-paper, is it only on mobile, is it printed or online? The feedback was that for now, paper is still the best distribution channel."

Niiu is currently available only in Berlin, but it plans to expand soon to other German cities. And with its highly targeted model—benefiting not just readers but advertisers as well—the concept might just work. Definitely one to watch! (Related: Web-to-print tool creates personalised magazines — Customised magazine from Lexus, Time & Amex — Magazine publishing for everyone and every niche — Personalised music mag.)

Website: www.niiu.de
Contact: www.niiu.de/kontakt

Spotted by: Lieke Voermans

Thanks largely to the anything-goes nature of the online world, audiences in mature consumer societies are not easily shocked. As a result, brands are harnessing ever higher levels of risqué to stand out from the crowd. The Icecreamists recently grabbed our attention by sexing up dessert with their x-rated gelato dubbed The Sex Pistol—touted to have the same charge as a dose of Viagra. For those of you who need added proof that maturalism is rife, look no further than Hot Wax, an adults-only colouring book created by Atlanta-based pin-up artist Tyson McAdoo.

Pushing the boundaries in a traditionally child-centric domain, Hot Wax is a 32-page colouring and activity book (USD 14) filled with raunchy graphic illustrations. The images may be just outlines but the themes are unambiguous. With nudity, tattoos and lingerie featuring prominently, clearly this is not a colouring book for kids.

If you’ve read our sister-site's latest trend briefing, you will know that 2010 is set to be rawer and more risqué than ever. What will be the next plain-vanilla product to be infused with a saucy new twist? Could a side of daringly super-charged seduction be the order of the day for your brand?

Website: www.tysonmcadoo.com/store_book/storeBook_02.html — www.facebook.com/pages/Tyson-Mcadoo/54928786199
Contact: store@tysonmcadoo.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann