Pictures from Toy Fair 2018

    Sharon and I made a quick trip to Toy Fair on Sunday before we went to the Museum of Modern Art.  We struck quickly, like ninjas or cobras or something and there was some pretty cool stuff on display that we've already started making room for.   Check out the pictures we took on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking.

Perv  

Toy Fair 2016 Photos Are Up

   
    Want to see all the newest stuff that's coming out from your favorite brands?  Head on over to www.facebook.com/TheToyViking to see our photos from this year's Toy Fair.  

Seen at Toy Fair: The Loyal Subjects

    It's pretty nuts to see where The Loyal Subjects started and where they are today.  Their toys are all over the place and even made their way into a Super Bowl commercial.  I love visiting their booth at Toy Fair because it's like a melding of my childhood interests with my obsession with collecting toys now.  Wave 3 of their stylized Transformers line was on display, and it seems that with every incarnation they get more complex.

    Turtles fans will also have plenty of new figures to buy as the second series will be released soon.  There were also a few exclusive sets on display with different color ways of the original Turtle figures.  I believe the grey will be Hastings exclusives, while the black and the glow will be available at this year's San Diego Comic Con.  By the time I made it to their booth I was malnourished and going through withdrawal from not being able to buy anything, so I may have misheard.  Don't kill me.

    You can see more of our Toy Fair pictures by visiting www.facebook.com/TheToyViking

Seen at Toy Fair: Funko

   

    If Funko's display at Toy Fair gets any bigger they're gonna have to rent out an entire floor just to show off everything they bring.  You can't miss them when you walk in, mostly because of the giant fiberglass versions of their toys that tower over everyone in attendance.  They still refuse to sell me the giant Batman, which I guess is ok because my homeowner's association would probably have a fit if I set it up on the front lawn.  They don't understand my beautification vision.

    Funko has a little spin-off project called Vinyl Sugar which is taking classic characters we're all familiar with and giving them a more stylized treatment.  It seems that anything that doesn't fall within the Pop! realm is getting branded this way.  These include the more humorous Vinyl Idolz line you see above and a more exaggerated pin-up style for their Vinyl Vixens, like this Harley Quinn:

        And lets not forget the violent cuteness that their Dorbz collection brings:

    Of course Pop! Vinyl and Hikari were well represented.  I'm a bit partial to the Pop! line because they're really affordable and are a fun take on characters we all know and love.  Here's a few on my wishlist:

    Star Wars was the big deal in Hikari, and most of the figures looked really cool translated to this medium.  This line has always been hit or miss with me because I don't think everything works in this format (Transformers come to mind) by the Star Wars villains looked really cool:

    There was a ton more there but I got cats to feed and poop to scoop, so go and check out the rest of my pictures at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking

 

    

Kidrobot at Toy Fair

    We all are well aware that Kidrobot is in a heavy transitional period, not only with their purchase by N.E.C.A. but with naming Frank Kozik as creative director.  Many people are still skeptical while many more are hoping for a return to what it was in the past.  I can tell you right now that things are not going to return to what they used to be and after the conversation I had at Toy Fair, you wouldn't want them too.  That's because they're focused on the future, which is paved with possibilities you wouldn't have even thought of and that will return a level of excitement to the world of designer toys that has been lacking.  I spent over an hour talking with Frank and new head of marketing Steve Elmes and here are some of the highlights from our discussion:

- The rules are out the window.  You will see production pieces using any and all of the Munnyworld characters.  This will not only include stand alone figures but complete blind boxed mini series.  If the design makes sense and is cool, it will happen.  The first series to encompass this new philosophy will be this set of Tricky Cats that will debut later this year:

    This is an in-house series with a few Kozik designs and the rest created by their design team. They're cute, they've got great mass appeal, and they will cater to not only the seasoned collector but someone who just likes their look and uses them as a gateway drug to fuel a new toy addiction.  It's a great way to build a new collector base while appealing to the already existing one.  There are going to be many more series that will be single artist driven that you will absolutely lose your mind for.  Trust me, as soon as I heard the names involved I started looking for a second job so I can afford them all.  

-  If you're a toy customizer the ability to have an actual Kidrobot piece has never been greater.  Seriously, they are scouring social media on a daily basis to look for new talent.  Keep posting your custom figures but more importantly keep refining your work because they want to make your stuff.  There is no longer a stable of artists that they will only pick from when deciding what to produce.  If what you make is awesome, you've got as good a shot as anyone of getting into a Dunny series.  

-  A lot of people were talking about their stance on bootlegging vs. customizing from a few weeks ago and those discussions have led to something really interesting.  There will be a submission period in the near future where people who want to make resin multiples or a series of Dunnys that is just too complex to factory produce will be able to propose their ideas and possibly be granted a license to go ahead and make it themselves.  Not only does that make your toy super legit, but they will even help you promote it.  Again, now is the time to refine your technique and get your work on social media to start building hype.  More info will be available soon on this program.

-  Almost any license N.E.C.A. has is open to Kidrobot.  Now for those of you that aren't into licensed toys, what if it was your favorite artist putting their spin on it?  What if Tara McPherson made an Alien toy, or if Skinner tackled Friday the 13th?  Not that those particular ones are coming out (I'm not trying to start a riot here) but they could happen in this new philosophy of anything goes.  From what I understand the ball is already rolling on a few.  

-Mega Man is happening and here is the proof:

-So is this amazing 8 inch Dunny from Junko Mizuno that I cradled like the baby Jesus:

- Kidrobot is not only making it's return to San Diego Comic Con but will also be at Designer Con

-Expect to see more toys with social and political commentary

- Expanding on the last note, not everything will be as dark as it has been.  Cute is coming back to help balance things out a bit and make us less angry.  I need something to calm me down.

- Frank Kozik is pretty tall and might dunk on you.

    I saw waaaaaaaaay more than I was allowed to take pictures of, but I swore a blood oath that I wouldn't go starting rumors and leaking information.  What I can tell you is you won't be disappointed, especially when things kick into high gear in 2016.  

Toy Fair 2014: Funko

    I don't know how Funko manages to release so many products.  Not only do they put out a ton of toys, but they have the license to everything ever created.  There is nary a character you could imagine from any form of entertainment that they have not or will not in the future produce a figure of.  Which I'm fine with, because if there's one thing I love it's buying more toys.  Some would call it an addiction. I would call it more fun than paying for stupid things like electricity or vegetables.  

    And they're branching out into different styles of toys to create, like these Japanese sofubi Batman and Ninja Turtles.  These were drawing a lot of attention, as you can tell by the gentleman below, taking a picture at the same moment as I was.  Seriously, who wears a hat like that that isn't toiling away in a London basement on clandestine science experiments?  The answer we were looking for is "virgins."  

    These were by far one of the biggest hits of the entire show for me.  Continuing their relationship with Super7, Funko previewed all of the figures in their soon-to-be-insanely-popular ReAction figure line.  These figures are designed like the old school Kenner Star Wars dudes and feature every character you wish you had in toy form as a kid.  It would take me a day to list all the ones they're making, but at only $9.99 each, you can just go ahead and budget to buy them all.  

    Of course they're also making a bazillion new Pop! Vinyl figures.  What you see pictured are just a handful of the prototypes they had on display.  If I posted every photo I took you would scroll until you  had a seizure, so consider it a gesture of kindness on my part that I gave you but a sampling.  If you'd like to see more of what I saw at Toy Fair 2014, check out www.facebook.com/thetoyviking.

Toy Fair 2014!!!!!!!!!!!

     I'm probably going to stop taking pictures now that I have this one.  How do I follow up a photo with Grumpy Cat?  Everything now will just be a step backwards, and I'm not willing to go that route.  So here you have it, the last picture of me ever featuring a famous internet cat and me making a sour face.  Print it out and put it on your walls like it came from an issue of Tiger Beat.  

    So as you can see, Sharon and I made our way to Toy Fair in New York yesterday and I took a lot of pictures of cool stuff that you're gonna spend all your money on this year.  We got back kinda late last night and I have to be at work soon, but I promise I'll do my best to upload all of our pictures tonight on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheToyViking.  And all this week I'll highlight a different booth every day and showcase all the stuff I wanted to steal.  Not that I would do that, but when you're surrounded by toys you can't buy yet you start to think bad thoughts.  It's like going to comic con but forgetting your wallet.  

   There are a few pictures now on our Instagram, mostly of the new line of DC Comics Labbits from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot.  

   Toy Fair is a weird time.  It's mainly set up for people from companies to come in, preview upcoming product, and place wholesale orders.  So it's half carnival, with girls wearing blinky mustaches to attract attention to their booths (that happened, and we have something really cool involving said mustache and a cross bow coming soon), and half high-powered business meetings, with people in suits spending more money than most of us make in a year.  Oh, and there was one sleepy kitty cat who people lined up in droves to take pictures with.