CUTE: Alessi’s OrienTales series by Stefano Giovannoni

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Don Banana is the ‘boss jar’ -- good for storing peanuts or peanut brittle, perhaps. Chin Banana is a toothpick holder with a mercurial smile; lift his hat and he offers matching color toothpicks. Banana Chick keeps your minute-and-a-half egg warm, and the card-holder Banana Babies will help diners find their place at the table. These little resin monkeys -- part of Alessi’s OrienTales series by Stefano Giovannoni in collaboration with Rumiko Takeda and Taiwan’s National Palace Museum -- are all but guaranteed to provide a much-needed smile. The jar is $50, the toothpick holder is $40, the egg cup is $30 and the place markers are $22 each at Alessi, 8801 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 276-7096; www.divafurniture.com.

-- Barbara Thornburg