Weirdo Toys

Archive for the ‘Cute’ Category

Lil’ Gremlin Creatures by Marty Toy

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

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You might recognize this guy. I introduced him on the blog last year as an “Outer Terrestrial Creature,” but as you can see here, he was also released as a “Li’l Bendable Gremlin Creature.”

Looks like he’s still “ugly but loveable.”

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So what’s with the alternate name?

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I’m guessing that with a crappy toy name like “Outer Terrestrial Creatures,” sales were going poorly, and they renamed it. Now it appears they are less “space alien” and are now of the “odd creature” variety. Plus, what kid knows what the hell “outer terrestrial” even means?

Another theory I have is the new name was inspired by the “Gremlins” movie. Yeah, I know that may be too obvious. The original “Outer Terrestrial Creatures” toys were released in 1983, and Gremlins came out in ‘84. So, maybe they decided to update the name to relate to a cool, new, popular movie, put the toys on single cards and hope for the best.

It’s all just a random guess of course. You know I didn’t actually call Marty Toy and ask any of this (not even sure if they’re still around). I don’t care that much. Just wanted you to know about this variation.

• Buy Bendy Alien toys on eBay!

Check out these related entries:

Outer Terrestrial Creatures by Marty Toy

Outer Terrestrial Creatures: The Next Batch

Posted in Alien, Cute | 6 Comments »

K.O. Kewpie

Monday, August 18th, 2008

“Fwoat wike a buttafwy, sting wike a bee.”

Some very familiar words from this adorable, (yet scrappy) little boxing kewpie doll.

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I don’t know much about the little guy. He’s just as small plastic squeeze toy I found at a toy show… buried in a plastic bin full of crappy McDonald’s Happy Meal toys.

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I like the attitude of this guy. He’s cute, but he looks a tad hesitant, but he’s determined and ready to fight. Adding to his aged charm are his faded green boxing gloves and orange pull-ups diapers. There’s also plenty of dirt and grime on the guy. Probably from some back-alley street fights he’s been in recently.

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One thing that is weird, is the large, yellow puff of smoke he’s resting on. Could be a fart cloud… or just some weird organic mound of jaundiced flesh. Kind of strange. Seems like a more well-thought-out prop could’ve served him better. A small stool or something would’ve been more appropriate. That way, when he’s sent to the corner he can sit on his stool and yell, “CUT ME MICKEY!!”

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I’ve tried to decipher the markings on the bottom of him, but they’ve been virtually removed by the toy’s production process. A sloppy seam of melted plastic is covering most of the letter forms. Oh well. Looks like it might read “© Taiwan,” but that makes no sense. Anyone else out there like to take a stab at it?

Little Mac punching Glass Joe

One last thing. This boxing kewpie kid kind of reminds me of the old Nintendo game, Mike Tyson’s Punchout. He’s a lot like the main character, Little Mac – he’s small, scrappy and has green gloves (okay, it’s a bit of a stretch, but I thought I’d share my train of thought).

Anyone have any clue to where this guy came from or if there are others like him? Maybe other sports kewpies or something? Thanks for the help.

Posted in Cute, Human?, Used & Abused | 3 Comments »

My First Dirty Babies

Sunday, April 6th, 2008

Here are some more of the oddities I found at the Jockey Lot.

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They’re awfully cute and quirky, but they’re nappy as hell. I’m not sure what these little angels are, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t intended to look like homeless children.

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I haven’t been able to gather any info about them, because all I got from their markings is “Made in Korea.” The guy I bought them from claimed they are “rare dolls from the 70s” (if that’s the case, why’d they cost a buck each?).

It looks to me that these cuties are from a series of dolls that depict a collection of facial/emotional expressions (and quite possibly various ethnicities) that range from crying, to smiling, to giving the evil eye. They’re so cute sitting there in their colored dresses (or onesy or whatever they’re supposed to be).

You think these girls are anything like the Seven Dwarves? If so, it looks like I’ve gathered, Bratty, Huffy, Pouty, Whiny and Ditzy. Who’s left in the collection? Sulky? Sneaky?

These may be considered what some doll collectors call “dirty babies” (which are essentially old, beat-up, dirty, nappy baby dolls). If anyone knows anything about these dolls, please help me out. I’m trying to run a blog here

Posted in Cute, Human?, Used & Abused | 7 Comments »

WWLJD – What Would Lil’ Jesus Do?

Friday, March 21st, 2008

Jesus is back!

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Only he’s 2 feet shorter?! What the heck?

I picked up this little Jesus from the Dollar Tree a long time ago. He was one of a series of biblical figures (maybe I’ll feature the other ones some other day). All of them were squatty for some reason (that’s pretty much why I bought ‘em… cuz they were just so goofy looking).

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He’s returned with a mullet now too? C’mon!

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Each figure also came with a small plastic sheet with an illustration on it (kind of a cheapy version of a diorama).

I wish I still had the sheets, because Jesus’ “scene” depicted a few infamous scenarios. First, there was his tomb with a huge boulder rolled away. But what made it great was the fact that right outside the tomb there was a saw horse with a hand saw and wood… you know.. depicting the fact that he was a carpenter (good to know he had such a committed work ethic… getting right to work after rising from the dead). And lastly, there was a little basket full of loaves of bread and bundles of fish (in case he’s hungry after all that wood cutting). If I miraculously find Jesus’ little diorama sheet, I’ll post it here.

Anyway, I hope you all have a safe and happy Easter weekend. Enjoy your friends and family, and thanks for dropping by to read the blog before your obligatory church visit

Happy Easter!

INFO UPDATE :

Holy moley! I was going through some boxes recently and I stumbled upon that little plastic sheet scenery I had mentioned earlier. I thought I’d lost it.

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I see my memory of the scene was a bit inaccurate. Turns out I had mistaken the “loaves and fishes” story with the “water to wine” story… which actually makes the scene even funnier. It’s complete with pond, chalice and wine bottle. Now it looks like Jesus rose from the tomb, did a bit of woodworking and finished up by pouring himself a drink.

One thing I didn’t recall from the scene was the dark, looming shadow of the cross. Kinda creepy.

Lastly, there’s some legal info on the scenery sheet that can give us a bit of insight to where this toy is from. The legal copy reads: “Licensed by BuyProduct, Inc. Merrick, NY 11566 Made in China.” I wasn’t able to find anything new.

Posted in Cute, Holiday, Human?, Religious | 9 Comments »

Kewpie Mario Bros.

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

Question: What happens when a classic doll-turned-mascot of a Japanese mayonnaise company is combined with an equally iconic Japanese video game mascot? You get a weird, effeminate, childish mustachioed plumber.

Kewpie Mayonnaise --> Kewpie Doll + Mario = Kewpie Mario

I’m sure you recognize the iconic Kewpie Doll. You may not know it, but this character is actually a mascot of the ever-popular Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise. Freaky huh? And if you’ve encountered any Nintendo game (you know, the Wii of course) in the last 20+ years, you’ll recognize Mario as the mascot of the brand and a celebrity in a bunch of its games (Oh yeah… and there’s his second-rate brother Luigi who’s always left out of the spotlight).

Kewpie Mario Bros. – Stack Attack!
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I first discovered these guys over at the Kotaku video game blog where they featured Kewpie Nintendo characters. I’m not sure if these keychains are licensed by Nintendo or anything. They were sold in an unmarked bag and the figures themselves have no markings either. (You think Nintendo would allow their most iconic plumber brothers to wear hats without their initials?)

Mario Kewpie
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Luigi Kewpie
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What’s funny about these little guys is the fact that they look like little kewpie kids in disguise. The painted-on hair and moustaches topped off with a little piece of fabric glued onto their noses helping create the illusion of a fat plumber.

One last thing. These guys are TINY! I was expecting them to be 4″ tall or something. Nope. They’re just under 1.5″.

These fellas are in desperate need of a Super Mushroom (dipped in mayo of course).

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