We have a soft spot for characters, particularly when they're illuminated! Helsinki designer Aleksi Hautamaki recently birthed the simple but brilliant idea to refurbish and resell old signage. Typically the characters are demolished at the end of their lifespan...

But thanks to Hautamäki and Finnish retailer Armas Design (who together have created Character), old snazzy signage is getting a second chance at life, maybe in your kitchen or living room. Apparently the LED lights that are used to replace the worn out tube lighting inside the letters (and numbers!) last 30,000 hours. And according to the Character website most of the lights are also weatherproof.

The current, one-of-a-kind inventory ranges from 100 to 450 Euros ($145-$635) and a lot of the characters fall somewhere in between. We may have to restrain ourselves from getting that big, fat, green 9.

Thanks to Interior Design's blog for tipping us off to Character!