Custom Toy of the Week: Josh Mayhem

    Josh Mayhem never fails to amaze me with his Dunny/Gundam mash ups.  For one,  I'm impressed that he even came up with this.  And for two, I'm really impressed by how well he combines the toys to create something mind blowing and original.  I saw some of these in person at New York Comic Con and the pictures never capture how cool they really are.  If you want one for yourself,  Mr. Mayhem is taking commissions through his website http://joshmayhem.com/.

Sergio Mancini x Outsmart Originals T-Shirts

     The best days are when you neglect to put a shirt on and you convince your cats to let you hold them like babies.  There ain't nothing wrong with a shirtless man cuddling his little feline friends.  Nothing at all.  It's as manly as growing a beard or watching professional wrestling and if you don't think so then you're obviously a woman.

    I don't always wear shirts, but when I do I prefer them to be from Outsmart Originals.  Why you ask?  Because they are designed by toy artists and I have a bit of a toy obsession and I'm guessing you do to if you're reading this right now because this is a website about toys.  This one is designed by Sergio Mancini who makes cool toys and is a cool dude.  If you want to snag one you only have until December 3rd to get in on it.  So go right now and order one from http://www.outsmartoriginals.com/.

Be Your Own Action Figure

    Remember those acrylic cubes with the laser-etched 3D images inside of them that were really tacky and a staple of every tourist trap in the world?  Yeah, I wanted one pretty bad with my face in it.  Why?  Mainly because it's completely stupid.  So one day my wife and I stumble upon a booth that you could make your own and I almost had to change my pants.  So the guy working the booth is telling us the prices and I'm trying to convey to him that I don't care let's just get this thing fired up and then he crushes me with the news that it's broken.  I didn't strangle him, which was my first instinct, but instead allowed him to tell us to try back next week after the repair man had been out to fix it.  So we did, and the entire booth was gone.  Vanished.  That was two years ago and I still check back to see if it's there. It's not.  I am a bit devastated, but thankfully the folks at Juxtapoz have come to my emotional rescue.


    Of course this is only available in Japan right now, and costs about $300 American dollars to get the smallest of three sizes, but I desperately want one.  Those little figures you see up there are the result of a 3D photo booth.  Instead of getting a long strip of pictures you get a little figure of yourself.  It's set up in a gallery somewhere for a limited time but I can see this thing making it to the boardwalks and shopping malls once the price comes down.  I eagerly await that day and the plethora of dumb poses I can soon turn into action dolls.

    I could have been riding that majestic Pegasus and all of my Christmas shopping would have been finished.

Angry Woebots x Kidrobot 8 Inch Dunny

    Does everyone already know about this?  Most likely, but hey, I'm not CNN over here.  I've got things to do and my kitties won't pet themselves.  This big ol Dunny was created by Angry Woebots (I see what you did there with the name you clever son of a gun you).  I'm on the fence about this guy and can't decide yet whether or not I'll try and get one.  I probably will because I'd rather regret spending the money than regret not getting one when I decide in March that I can't live without it and they're impossible to find.  Kidrobot only made 1250 of these suckers and they come out December 6th for $75.  They probably could have made the price a bit lower on this one because it's not sculpted at all, but I guess you have to pay extra for the dead fish and bamboo spear.  See, I'm already trying to talk myself back out of getting one.  I'm going toy schizophrenic.  

Christmas Seedling from Taylored Curiosities

     We were in a diner last night and were bombarded by Christmas music as we ate.  Now don't get me wrong, I like Christmas as much as the next guy, but Christmas music is the worst.  I think my problem with it is that the people that sing it seem like they take themselves way to seriously.  If you really listen they all sound like a bunch of snobs that probably wouldn't give you a ride to work if your car battery died and would only be interested about what you have to say if it directly involved them.  The only Christmas music I can tolerate is the Chipmunks, because those guys seemed like they would be down to bail you out of jail after a dizzying night in Chinatown.  

    But Christmas time is here and one thing I'll never be sick of are Christmas-themed toys, like these Seedlings from Taylored Curiosities.  For £12.00 you can pick either a red or green one and you get a bag of actual Christmas tree seeds, so you can grow your own and start a small business next year.  Go and get one before they sell out at http://tayloredcuriosities.bigcartel.com/.

New Stuff from Creo Design

    The thing I like about Creo Design is that there really aren't any limitations as to what they create.  There's no mathematical formula for what they release and what they don't, they just consistently produce items that are not only great toys, but great art objects.  Take these Little Ox figures they produced in collaboration with Alto.  These were made to coincide with an exhibition of Alto's work in Scotland.  I love how they look like they are made of folded paper but are a composed of resin, which is thankfully much more permanent.  These will be released in small editions of 10 and will sell for $40 each.  

    If you're a bit more on the artistic side, you could always grab one of these DIY Chebaka toys and paint it till your blue in the face.  They are 4 inches tall and retail for $15 and will probably keep you busy and out of trouble for a little while.  Unleash your inner toy designer by going to http://creodesign.storenvy.com/.

Red Star Drones by DrilOne

    How cool is this little sucker?  This is the Red Star Drone by DrilOne.  These Soviet dudes stand 4 and 1/2 inches tall and will be going on sale December 7th at Stranger Factory in Albuquerque, New Mexico as part of their Circus Annual group exhibit.  If they don't sell out the remainder will be put online for the rest of us that are not lucky enough to be in attendance.  This is my favorite thing he's ever made, so I may have to make an effort to try and snag one.  Anyone love me in New Mexico?

Star Trek Flash Drives from Mimobot

    I could make the obvious joke about how you can now store your data in Data and wait while the Earth collapses under the weight of hearty nerd laughter, but I won't.  Instead I will skip said hilarious observation to tell you about theses Star Trek flash drives made by Mimobot.  There's Captain's Kirk and Picard, Spock, and the aforementioned Data.  If you put text files on the Spock Mimobot and there are misspellings do you think he corrects them for you?  He seems like the type to do that.

     Of course Mimobots always come preloaded with awesome content, like avatars and wallpapers and plans to build your own full-size Enterprise (that may or may not be true).  Go and get 'em. 

Yes Sir You May Have More Black Friday Sales!

Kuso Vinyl

myplasticheart

Kidrobot

More Black Friday Deals

Ok, there's a lot of other Black Friday deals that I missed in my last post so here's another rundown of ways you can save money.  First up, get some porcelain awesomeness from K.Olin Tribu.

Tenacious Toys

Munky King

Mindzai

Click For Art

Mishka

Taylored Curiosities

One Black Friday Post to Rule Them All

    There's a lot of releases for black Friday that don't involve standing in line at Best Buy for hours just to have some housewife punch you in the face for the last plasma tv.  You can stay at home, where it's warm and hopefully less violent, and shop from the comfort of your computer.  Here's the rundown.  Take notes.

    Frank Kozik will be unleashing his Smoke version of Kim Jong Il in resin.  These little jerks will run you $35 each and only 30 of them exist.  Be quick with your computer, cause these will go fast as he routinely breaks the Guinness World Record for fastest internet toy sales.  At least he would if they kept track of that sort of thing and stopped messing around with the length of people's fingernails.

    MAD is well versed in the resin game himself and will be releasing 13 of his handmade Modern Hero figures in all black.  They even come lovingly packaged in a wooden display case that has been etched with lasers!  I don't have any lasers at home because my wife doesn't trust me with such things and figures I will try to build a Death Star.  These will cost $300.

    I'm gonna go ahead and warm you.  If you buy this necklace you will grow a beard, learn black magic, and probably just get yourself into some general all-around shenanigans.  That being said, YOU REALLY NEED TO BUY THIS.  This Lurker necklace from Skinner is the perfect accessory to any mugshot/photo with the mall Santa.  They'll be on super sale for only $35 each.

    I'll admit it, I'm a video game nerd.  I have spent countless hours of my life living vicariously through pixelated characters doing things I never could in real life.  Well, some of it I could I suppose, but I don't think I'd have a great time dealing with the consequences.  That's where people like Nathan Drake come in.  He has been captured here in all his plastic glory by Erick Scarecrow.  Only 4 of these exist in this great big world and if you buy one you're entered to win a special all white version that was never made for sale.   

      He'll also have 15 pieces of the Marina figure you see below.  

    Offering yet more proof that vegetables are bad for you, I present you this Black Root Beat from Scott Tolleson.  Does this thing not look like it would wreck your digestive system for years to come?  Only 10 of these angry looking suckers were created and they will be $120.  Get one in his webstore.

Junko Mizuno x Kidrobot Black

    If one were to build an altar to all things plastic, this figure would not suck as the center piece.  Kidrobot Black and Junko Mizuno have gotten together to make this insane toy.  It's called Kuro Megami which loosely translates to "big hunk of expensive plastic."  Standing (or sitting I suppose) at 11 inches tall, only 200 of theses were produced and will run you $400 a pop.  Let me know if you get one so I can rob you.  Just kidding, I meant so I can offer to do lawn work.

Argonaut Resins Monster Magnets Series 2

    You know what makes me mad?  How much your fridge sucks.  Got ahead, go and look at it and be sad.  You're putting your kid's good report card up there with magnets from the Chinese food place down the street.  It's a sad way to show off their academic achievements.  Get some cool magnets from Argonaut Resins and put their weird stick figure portraits of you up there in style!

    This is series 2 of their popular Monster Magnets and they're ready to add some flare to your fridge.  For $40 you get a set of 6 that you can paint or leave just as they are.  If you have a bit of extra cash and no artistic ability, you can get this artist series painted by Adam Pratt for $99.  

    Get 'em now at http://argonautresins.bigcartel.com/

Frank Kozik x Mike Egan New Bones Figures Release Today

    Well, I was planning to go and get my haircut today, but then Frank Kozik decides he wants to drop all these amazing releases and now I'm scared to leave the house for fear I might miss them and tumble down a spiral of depression.  But my hair is getting to "homeless" stage so I may just have to forget about heading to my friend in Philadelphia and find a more local option who can ensure that I won't spend all day reading back issues of People magazine and chit chatting about nonsense.  You know life isn't all that bad when this is all you really get stressed out about.

    Kozik is unleashing more of his disturbing, hand painted versions of Mike Egan's Bones figures.  You could pick up the snazzy red Hanta Virus edition, or cool things down with the blue Hypothermia version.  Or buy one of each cause you don't have to choose, this is America after all.  We invented hoarding and snack cakes in 17 different flavors so we don't have to "make decisions" we can just "get them all and eat our way into diabetes and not throw away the wrappers so our houses are filled with 4 foot walls of garbage that may collapse and crush us one day."  So basically, if you don't get one of each you're a sissy communist.  

    These will be released at noon Pacific time today at www.frankkozik.net

Frank Kozik's Fire Eater Resin Heathrows to Benefit Coney Island Sideshow and Museum

    The misses and I have traveled to Coney Island on several occasions to experience a place that is truly the last of its kind.  The entire boardwalk/amusement park/American crazy place really has to be seen to be understood.  But once you're there it crawls under your skin and makes a permanent home within.  It's a lot of fun, it's weird, it's like something out of a horror movie where no real danger exists but you feel like it's going to end poorly for you anyway.  In other words, it may be the best place on Earth.

    Hurricane Sandy hit a few weeks ago and left my beloved Coney Island in shambles.  One of the best places to visit in Coney Island is the Sideshow and Museum and Frank Kozik has created these limited edition Heathrow figures to raise money and help them rebuild.  There are going to be 50 of these Fire Eater hedgehogs on sale for $30 each and all of the proceeds will go towards helping rebuild this landmark.  Get yours beginning at noon Pacific time today.

    Check out other ways you can help by going to http://www.coneyisland.com/.

Cosmic Godhead Cthulhu by Colin Christian

    There are very few artists today I find as awe-inspiring as Colin Christian.  Normally, he's known for making super tall space girls that I would kill to own, but for this release he's gone a bit darker.  But I would still kill to own one.  Just throwin that out there in case you wanna buy me one in exchange for some dirty work.

    This Lovecraft-inspired sculpture is called the Cosmic Godhead.  It is hand cast in resin, stand 17 inches tall, and is painted so that the color shifts depending on how you look at it.  Only 50 of these exist and you can own one for only $200.  Just send Colin an email at Colin@hotboxdesigns.com, Tweet him @colin_christian, or even message him on Facebook if you're interested in purchasing one.


    Check out a video Colin made that shows off the color changing effects of the paint and the amount of detail that is in the piece:

Winchester Hoot Dolls from Camille Rose Garcia

    I just read Camille Rose Garcia's illustrated Alice in Wonderland book and the art was an excellent addition to the classic tale, giving you much better visuals than those of the Disney movie that will most likely be stuck in my head forever.  So with her work so fresh in my mind it was cool to see that she has a new toy coming out.  It's almost like the universe is working in cahoots with her.  Either that or I've been blessed with the gift of being able to predict the future.  Lets just add that to my already impressive wizard resume.

    This Winchester Hoot Doll comes in three sizes with three varying prices.  There's the Classic, the Jumbo, and the Wee.  I love them and want them all.  And they smell like lavender and cedar and come with a little story book about themselves.  They should be available in her webstore very soon.  

Mummy Seijin from Super7

    This toy kinda freaks me out for some reason.  I'm used to collecting the little pocket Mummy Boy figures and him having a man body all of a sudden is a little unnerving.  It's like when people Photoshop a baby's head onto a grown person and it gives you nightmares for a week about it chasing you through an abandoned mall when all you wanted to do was get a Cinnabon and look at the stupid crap that Spencer's sells but instead you have this baby headed man chasing you and its probably not to give you a helpful pamphlet about refinancing your home or to sell you Girl Scout cookies or to tell you about run on sentences that will probably make people mad and not want to read your posts again because they'll think you're on drugs and no one wants to support the insane ramblings of a junkie because that is like being an enabler .

    If you're still with me after that mental lapse you can get this Mummy Boy/Drunk Seijin mashup to inspire your own nightmares.  He's $35 and for sale right now on the Super7 website.  I have to go lay down.

Rocky Pop! Vinyl from Funko

    My wife and I are huge hockey fans and are obviously bummed about this stupid NHL lockout nonsense, mainly because it is preventing us from going to any games.  We try to see the Philadelphia Flyers as much as we can and after every home game there is a guy outside playing the theme from Rocky on a trumpet.  Doesn't matter if they win or lose or how terrible the weather is, this guy is sitting outside playing it over and over again.  I don't even think he knows the whole song as it just seems like the famous part over and over again.  But he's dedicated and I'm sure there's some great life lesson we could all learn from it, but it escapes me.  

    Speaking of Rocky, here's some Pop! Vinyl figures from Funko that feature all the best characters from the films.   You can get these in February to add to your shelf of things that get you pumped up.  Next to your ceramic cats.  

He-Man Pop! Vinyl from Funko

    I showed these to my wife the other day and she threatened to kill me if I didn't buy her the She-Ra figure.  So in case my body turns up in a ditch you all will be able to solve the mystery of how it got there.  Yes, we do take our toys a bit seriously in this household.

    Scientists have determined that at the current rate, everything you've ever loved will have a Funko Pop! Vinyl toy by the year 2016.  I wonder what's taking them so long because I love these things.  I love that I can walk into a plethora of different stores and find an affordable toy that makes me smile.  If you're having a crappy day, spend $10 and get yourself a new toy because that always makes you feel better.  And in some cases prevents you from being murdered by a loved one.  

    These He-Man Pop! Vinyl toys do not suck.  Buy them all and regret nothing.

Pocket Wookie x Outsmart Originals Limited T-Shirt

    Now that Star Wars is owned by Disney I feel like it is time to make one of my dreams happen.  So people from the Magic Kingdom lend me your ears and lets make this happen.  I want to remake Sanford and Son, but with Jawas.  How great would it be.  And by remake I mean reshoot the show, but with little folks dressed up like everyones favorite intergalactic junk dealers.  But overdub it with the voices of the original cast,  cause that's what would make it hilarious.  This has been my dream since I thought it up in the shower a few minutes ago, so get to it Disney.

    Pocket Wookie and Outsmart Originals obviously support this idea and have come out with a new t-shirt that celebrates these little scavenging monks.  This awesome shirt is only available to order until November 20th so get one and wear it when you watch my new show.  

http://www.outsmartoriginals.com/