Archive for the ‘Contests’ Category

And the sleazy winner is…

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Mr. Sleaze

Mick!!

You win an official Mr. Sleaze and FooFoo Dog (complete with torn-open packaging) along with the Apple Devil T-shirt! Congratulations!

(Oddly enough you were the first person to comment. I swear it was a random drawing.)

And to all of you who entered, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I wish I had toys for all of you, but I’m just a lowly weirdo toy lover. I have no sponsors or anything like that.

As always, thanks for the continued support of the Weirdo Toys blogs. I love hearing from fellow toy lovers.

Here are some of the prominent thoughts from your comments:

  • You want more updates with the possibility of guest bloggers. - It’s a good idea for sure. I need to start my search for suckers ;)
  • You like the idea of discussion boards (most of you anyway). – I’ll look into that. Last thing I wanna do is create a board and have no community using it.
  • You like the photos (and commentary) and would like to see them as downloadable desktop wallpapers. – That’s been a request for a long time. Now that I have a better camera, this may be a possibility.

That’s it for now. Have a great week (I think Mick will).

Second Annual Weirdo Toy Giveaway

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Mr. Sleaze - Police Academy Action Figure by Kenner

Well, whadaya know? Another whole year of weirdo toy blogging has gone by.

There is something I’ve noticed that is drastically different this year; I’ve written a lot less – especially as of late. I’d like to apologize. I know how fun it can be to find a screwed-up weirdo toy waiting in your RSS blog reader every week. Trust me, It’s just as much fun for me to post one. I’ve just been super-busy, because I’ve been planning a wedding (it’s only a few weeks away). And on top of that, I recently lost my job (yep), so blogging and toy hunting haven’t been on the priority list :(

I don’t know what I expect you to do with that information. I usually try not to get too personal here on the blog. I just wanted you to know, there have been distractions lately, and I’m not neglecting you all or the blog intentionally.

You know what? What the hell. Maybe I’ll get even more personal.

Me and Nadine

Here’s a pic of me and my bride-to-be, Nadine. She’s no weirdo toy lover, but she is cool enough to let some toys sit atop the wedding cake.

Wedding Smurfs

Cute huh?

Alright, back to the giveaway.

FooFoo Dog

Not much has changed on the blog at a glance. I’ve continued finding cool weirdos here and there, photographing them and writing about them as usual. One major evolution for Weirdo Toys this year has been its steps into the social media realm.

Weirdo Toys Twitter

First is the Twitter account. I have to admit the Weirdo Toys twitter account has really grown on me. It’s been great fun and such a great opportunity to connect with fellow fans, bloggers, toy lovers, designers, musicans, etc. I’ve made some great connections and have made some good “virtual” friends all while writing in 140 characters or less. It’s also allowed me an opportunity to share other toy finds that never really make it to the blog, so if you’re not following Weirdo Toys on Twitter, you’re missing out. It’s not the end-all be-all that some make it out to be, but it is a fun little social circle if you’re not on there just spamming everyone.

Weirdo Toys Facebook

Secondly, I also started a Facebook fan page for Weirdo Toys. Unfortunately, no one is really using it (including myself), so it’s just kind of a weirdo ghost town right now. I do send alerts to the fans when I update the blog, so that could be useful I guess.

Weirdo Searches

Let’s see. Another thing I did a few times was the Weirdo Google Searches which people seemed to enjoy. It was kind of pathetic for me, because for a while there, I was posting those lists more than toys. I still find them pretty entertaining. I just pulled back on them for a bit, because there wasn’t enough toy activity to have me blogging every couple of weeks about weird keyword searches. I do have a visions for those searches though. Maybe some day I can put them on t-shirts or something.

Apple Devil T-shirt

Oh yeah, that reminds me. This year also marked the first item for sale on the blog – the Apple Devil T-shirt that everyone claimed to love until I produced them… then no one was to be found. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Apple Devil Graphic

Maybe with the next shirt design, I’ll post some designs and let folks pre-order before I commit to producing them. I still love the shirt, and I’m really glad I had it made :D (Buy one now!)

And now, the part you’ve been waiting for – the giveaway.

Apple Devil chasing Mr. Sleaze

As I did last year, I’m giving away the toy I posted yesterday, which is the Charles Bronson wannabe, Mr. Sleaze, and his dog, FooFoo. You get the toys, the package card and the separated bubble. Not only that, but I’m throwing in an Apple Devil T-shirt!

So, if you answer these 3 questions in the comments form, you’ll have a chance to be the proud owner of a new weirdo toy and t-shirt depicting one.

  1. How’d you discover the Weirdo Toys blog?
  2. What are your favorite (or least favorite) parts of the blog and why?
  3. What would you like to see on the blog (like downloads, discussion boards, etc.)?

Next week, I’ll pull one of the commenter’s names at random and announce a winner. Be sure to include a valid e-mail address, because if I can’t get in touch with you, you’re S.O.L.

Thanks for your time, your readership and your continued support. (I don’t like reading my own blog entries, so I’m glad you’re here ;) )

See you soon.

And the winner is…

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Hoove Action Figure

Shawn!!

Congrats, Shawn. You are the lucky winner of this delightfully horrid Hoove figure. I’ll send it your way soon.

Thanks for dropping by the blog and saying “hi.” And thanks to the rest of my readers for taking the time to visit the blog… and even more thanks to you all who decided to share your thoughts. I really do appreciate it. I wish I could give toys to everybody… but this stuff is too hard to come by… and I’m just too greedy ;)

Have a great weekend. I’ll hopefully have another great weirdo to share with you soon.

Justin

P.S.

Sorry it’s taken me this long to announce a winner. I’ve actually been on vacation, and the place where I stayed had no good internet access, so I really did “escape.”

P.P.S.

If for some reason Shawn doesn’t want the toy, I’ll just redraw a name.

First Annual Weirdo Toy Giveaway

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Hoove Action Figure

Well, whadaya know? Today is the one year anniversary of Weirdo Toys (or first Birthday or whatever).

I started Weirdo Toys, because there were no good sites were I could easily find weird toy collections or information. Before starting the blog, I knew I didn’t want it to become another corpse in the ever-growing blog graveyard (you know the blogs that have a life span of one or two months). To avoid this, I set a rule for myself: one blog entry per week. I’ve more or less stuck to that schedule, so I’m pleased.

Some funny things started happening when I started the blog. The first thing was the initial panic that I wouldn’t find enough fun stuff to post weekly. I did have weird toys lying around, but I soon discovered that I didn’t have enough to sustain this site. This lead to my second dilemma. I became obsessed with searching for and buying toys. I used to be pretty casual about buying toys, but having a blog that’s supposed to be updated weekly definitely increased my trips to flea markets, toy shows, eBay, etc. Now I’m always on the lookout. My wallet’s crying, but over the year, I’ve found tons of cool junk and have actually expanded my dorky toy knowledge (which is nothing to be proud of). It’s not my fault. I did it for you all.

Hoove Action Figure

One of the best things that’s happened over the year is my hearing from and corresponding with you all – my fellow toy lovers. It is always a joy to receive questions, comments, photos and other stuff from you guys. It reminds me that I’m not just writing this stuff for my own entertainment. Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

I’m curious to know who else is out there and what do you actually think of my weekly toy rants. I’ve never directly asked you all what you think of the blog, its content, etc., so now’s your chance to speak up. Is there anything you like or don’t like about the site? You know stuff like hearing the origins of a toy or the reader mail… you know, crap like that. Let it all out. I’d love to hear it – good or bad.

Hoove Action Figure

To encourage your feedback, I’ve decided to do an Annual Weirdo Toy giveaway. That’s right. Of all the folks who leave a comment on this entry (just to say “hi” or to leave some constructive criticism), your names will be pulled at random (be sure to leave an e-mail address when leaving your comments), and one lucky winner will be the new proud owner of the toy I featured yesterday (that He-Man figure, Hoove). Next week sometime, I will announce the winner, and I will send along everything you see on yesterday’s post (basically an open toy package, a figure and its accessories).

Hoove Action Figure

Just know that this toy is from my collection, and I’m actually sacrificing it. It pains me greatly to lose such a goofy/cool figure, but if I sacrificed anything less, it wouldn’t illustrate my gratitude for your loyal readership.

Thanks again guys. I hope to hear from you soon.
Justin