Super Shogun Review Time: Personal Happiness Labbit Series from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    Here's the deal folks:  This week is officially Labbit Appreciation Week.  It's official in so much as I called it official and not by government decree or anything, because the White House never responded to my petition.

    The other day I received a giant box from Kidrobot filled with all things Labbit and I'm gonna share them with you each day this week.  We'll laugh, we'll hopefully not cry, and we'll do a hell of a lot of talking about plastic and plush bunnies.  Basically it's what any other grown man you know is up to on a typical day.

    We're gonna kick off this week by checking out the brand new Personal Happiness mini series.  There's no better feeling than sitting in the floor with an entire case of figures and tearing into each one.  I wonder if there's a career path in opening up blind boxes, because I can't think of a job I'm better suited for.  I love mindless tasks, I love toys, and I like throwing trash all over the place.  I assume if I had this job that there would be another person responsible for cleaning up the boxes and foil innards.   Maybe I should bring that up during the interview process.

I'm gonna need my assistant to take care of this.  

    Sharon and I parked ourselves in front of the TV and one by one opened each and every box.  The first thing we noticed is how damn cute this series is.  Not that any previous Labbits haven't been cute per se, but these guys have given up smoking and seem more adorable for it.  The designs are fun: from a bowl of punch, to a magician, to a few mustached and polka dotted gifts.  They make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which I'm sure we could all use more of.  Not me, cause I'm already too evil to be helped in any way, but they still made me crack a smile. A dark, evil smile.

     The second thing we noticed is that on the little fold out checklist that comes with each figure there is absolutely no mention of ratios or silhouetted mystery designs.  Now I don't know if this is something that will continue, if it's going to to translate to other types of Kidrobot product, or it's just a test to see what people think, but I for one like it.  There's no feeling of dread that you won't get the figures you want; no discouragement that you're rotten luck will prevent you from enjoying the toys you love.  After all, collecting plastic rabbits should be fun and not involve complicated math usually reserved for cheating at blackjack.

    A full case of these contains 25 blind boxes, and out of those we were only 2 figures short of a full set (we're looking for the piñata one and the Labbit in the hat if you have them to trade).  It's by far the best results we've ever had opening a case of any type.

    I feel that I have presented a compelling case for you to immediately stop what you are doing and obtain some of these delightful little critters.  Buy them by the handfuls and fill your pockets with them to remind you that no matter how bad your day gets, you still have Labbits stuffed in your pants.  I think I just started a self-help revolution!  

     These little dudes are available now at www.kidrobot.com and wherever else designer toys are sold.
    

Help Monsterfoot Creations Bring Skull Boy to Life

    If there's one thing I'm about it's helping people make their dreams come true.  And deli ham, I am really all about deli ham.  Seriously, I'm thinking about just forgoing this post and going to get some lunch meat.  Ahhh nevermind, cause I'm also all about not leaving the house more than once per day and I've already hit my quota in that department.  Let's get back to business.

    A lot of people these days dream of being toy designers and Kickstarter is a great resource for it.  Crowd funding has made so many awesome projects happen by putting the money and means in the hands of creative folk, and now it's time to help Monsterfoot Creations bring his vision into plastic reality.

    Skull Boy is ready to make the trip to Japan, get molds made of all his pieces, and then be cast in luxurious sofubi and shipped to collectors around the world.  The only thing holding him back is a little bit of cash, which is where you come in.  By now everyone knows how Kickstater works, so check out this link, help this toy get made, and get some awesome rewards in the process.  Then pick yourself up  some cold cuts, cause why wouldn't you?

New and Improved Robo Top from Kevin Nam x myplasticheart Available Today!

    Most of the time when I get a new toy the greatest feeling is actually acquiring the item.  I'll sit with it for a while, admire its craftsmanship, rejoice in the fact that I now own it, then it's off to wherever I can find room for it.  After that it lives out the remainder of its days either behind glass or on one of my many shelves.  It's kinds sad when you think about it, but I am an American and we do like to imprison any and everything we can, whether it's people, or animals, or inanimate objects.  I think it's some mutated gene from all the beef hormones we ingest.

    But what's this?  A toy that will never collect dust because you're too busy spinning it in some advanced game of rock, paper, scissors?  Kevin Nam from inami toyland  has released these before, but since then he's gone on to make improvements in design.  These will be available today from myplasticheart in either red or blue and are limited to 10 pieces of each.  Buy em in pairs and make a friend the old fashioned way: by beating them at games of chance and never letting them forget it.  Maybe that's why I don't have any friends.  

Violet Trickster Skelve from Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas

    I would have no way of knowing if I had Tricksters living in my house.  Between the cats taking anything that isn't nailed down and me forgetting where I put everything, the poor Tricksters would never get any credit for their misdeeds.  They'd probably feel neglected and turn to substance abuse.  So any evil little elves that were planning to take up residence here just keep it moving and find a household where talents can really be appreciated.  I want you to be happy.

      These guys are cute and evil looking at the same time, which basically describes how I feel about small children.   Limited to only 10 pieces, this little purple dude even comes with his own antique block to sit on, as he is very particular of where he rests his bum.  The Trickster Skelve was of course created by the amazing husband and wife duo of Brandt Peters and Kathie Olivas.

Get yourself one by clicking here.  

Lifesize SludgeDemon DX from Mutant Vinyl Hardcore x Toy Art Gallery

 

 
        There's a liquor store near where I live that for some reason has lined their sidewalk with life size figures of the most random things.  There's Batman, Marilyn Monroe, an oddly colored Humphrey Bogart, a pirate lady, a cow that is also a bench, C3PO, one of The Blues Brothers, Elvis missing his guitar, and a scantily clad tattooed lady with a chalkboard sign.  It reminds me of those bad posters of the random dead celebrities hanging out at a bar, except rather than drinking and having a good time these statues are part of some really bizarre police lineup.  I'd love to see that episode of COPS.

     I love the idea of giant toys, but I have absolutely no desire to have fat Elvis standing behind my kitchen table.  What I would like is one of these fiberglass SludgeDemon DX's from Mutant Vinyl Hardcore and Toy Ary Gallery.  I have a half dozen places I can already picture him in, but I just gotta come up with the the cash. At $1,500 he's not an impulse buy and I have owned cars that didn't cost that much.  He's definitely on my lottery-winning dream list though.  And for an extra $500 you can get a Sam Heinous head, you know, for when you wanna mix it up a bit.  Gotta keep your decorating options open.  

More Star Wars Pop! Vinyl Coming Soon from Funko

    Scientists predict that there will never be a time from now until the end of the human race that there will not be new Star Wars stuff to buy.  And it will probably continue beyond that as a superior race of beings from somewhere in space discovers our once vibrant planet, covered in sand and ruins and near mint packaged action figures.  They will fall in love with them so much that they will start bootlegging them on their home world, to be sold in whatever passes for a Chinatown there.  It's exactly what the "Circle of Life" song in The Lion King was talking about.

    Funko is continuing it's quest to make every character from every thing you can think of into a Pop! Vinyl figure with the latest series from Star Wars.  They will be available in July and I'm gonna need the Darth Vader one, but I'm holding out on anymore until they make one of the guy who ran catering on set.  It'll happen.


    

Kidrobot to Produce Toys from the Hit Game Best Fiends

       I swore to myself that I wouldn't play any more downloadable games.  Sharon and I will be watching tv at night and half the time I have to ask her what's going on because I'm knee deep in one on our iPad.  I was just going to finish up the one I've been playing and move on to a life where I didn't have to have her recap what I was supposed to be paying attention to.  Then I get an email about Kidrobot making toys for some game called Best Fiends.  Being a man filled with intrigue and wanting to provide the best information for you my reader, I went ahead and checked it out.  Let's just say I'm expecting the camera crew from Intervention to come knocking on my door any moment now.  

     San Diego Comic Con in July will see the debut of some vinyl slug figures (bad evil slugs), with a bunch more plastic and plush versions of different characters to follow later in the year.  And once you download the game you'll have plenty to do while you wait in those long convention lines, making them far more bearable than ever before.