Archive for the ‘Recap’ Category

Wandering, Windy, Weirdo Weekend

Monday, May 30th, 2011

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Wax Trax! Records

In mid-April, I made a little trip out to Chicago to meet up with some friends/colleagues of mine for the Wax Trax! Restrospectacle. For those out of the loop Wax Trax! Records is a long-gone, legendary industrial rock record label which originated in Chicago. A bunch of the original artists on the label came together for a limited 3-day show at the Metro, I was lucky enough to attend (Thanks Brent and Patrick).

(Here’s a “popular” Revolting Cocks cover from back in the day – “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.”)

Sure, the weekend involved great music, camaraderie and deep-dish pizza, but as we all know, that’s not why you’re reading this blog entry.

All you guys want is toys. I can hear you asking now – “What about the toys?” “Any cool toys?” “What the hell does this have to do with toys?”

Well, as luck would have it, (and thanks to some of my Twitter followers), I was tipped off to some pretty cool toy places to visit while in Chicago. The two stores which piqued my interest most were Quake Collectibles and Rotofugi. As you’ll soon see, they may both be in the toy world, but they truly seem worlds apart.

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Quake

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Quake

First stop was Quake Collectibles. My buddies and I actually arrived just before store opening. That was the perfect way for me to announce “I’m a toy dork who cannot wait for this store to open.” Hey, I’m not ashamed. As we waited outside, I was already getting antsy. I tried peaking through the front windows, but they were so crammed full of random crap, I couldn’t see in. Window toy clutter – this was gonna be my kind of place.

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Quake

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Quake

After several minutes (which seemed a lot longer on a cold, rainy Chicago day) we finally stepped in, and let me just say. I was floored. Sooo much crap everywhere. Every inch of that place is covered by a poster, a sticker, a toy or a lunchbox. If your mom threw it away when you were a kid, it probably ended up here.

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Quake

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Quake

I love places like this. There’s just so much stuff, you have to just stand in awe and inspect every millimeter. Some may find it overwhelming or annoying, because you may miss something, but I find it charming. It kind of reminds me of an episode of Hoarders… featuring the homes of some toy collectors.

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Quake

Oh yeah. So among all the clutter, I didn’t actually find much that I was looking for, but I did manage to pick up some “bargain bin” figures – a wrestler manager figure James bond Jr.’s “Oddjob.” that “Dinosaur Neil” guy from The Tick, “Bob the Goon” from the Batman movie toyline and the haunted Mailman from The Real Ghostbusters.

I actually left Quake saddened and confused. The store was so great and I was thrilled to be in there, yet I found so little. I think it’s all due to my tastes in toys. They’ve become too discriminatory or something. Well,  that feeling left quickly as we continued on to Rotofugi, (on foot) through a pretty chilly, windy day. I don’t know if we were being dumb for not calling a cab, or just cheap… but at least we got some exercise.

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Rotofugi

Next stop on the toy express was Rotofugi. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew this place was pretty much the complete opposite of Quake (well, aeshetically anyway).

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Rotofugi

For example, their walls were glass with a handful of HUGE figures on display. Statues basically.

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Rotofugi

And once you walk in, it’s pretty clear that this is so much more spacious, clean, crisp and bright retail environment.

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Rotofugi

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Rotofugi

Not only that, but it has a small art gallery attached displaying various paintings and custom toys. The market for these toys weren’t random comic geeks looking to find a vintage Jawa w/ plastic robe… This is the place where some artist will rip off a Jawa, paint it neon pink and ask $75 for it. Ha! Seriously though, this seems to be Chicago’s home for designer toys. They present toys as art. Which is cool… just don’t expect to find any bargain bins.

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Rotofugi

The store is spacious and organized and feels very much like a gallery. This presentation really does sell “toy as art” really well. but there are tons of little toys to check out from some of your favorite designer toy companies and artists. I didn’t get much here either, because all the figures I liked were $60+. I really loved so much of the creatures/characters on the shelves. (If only Weirdo Toys had a financial backer.) They are just so quirky and fun.

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Rotofugi

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Rotofugi

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Rotofugi

Aren’t they beautiful.

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Rotofugi Toys

I, of course, passed on the higher-end stuff and decided to pick up a few blind-boxed figures. I got a Dunny from the Azteca 2 series and some Blow-Up Dolls Series 3 figures. I even managed to get a Crappy Cat BUD. Pretty cool huh?

So that’s that. Just a brief glimpse at the cheapy-quirky world of toys vs. the pricey-quirky world of toys. I know it’s a matter of someone doing low-run figures manually vs. mass-producing them and selling them at Toys R Us, but I also think it’s all in presentation and marketing. If I put an OBEY logo on Bob the Goon and called it “OBEY GOON,” it’d sell for $100 instead of $2. Maybe I should try that ;-)

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Posted in Designer Vinyl, Recap, Toy Stores, TV and Movies | 17 Comments »

A Random Blog Entry to Distract You From the Fact That I Haven’t Posted a New Toy Lately

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Hey weirdos.

I know I’ve been MIA on the blog lately, and unfortunately, I’m going to be gone for just little while longer. I’m even staying off Twitter for a couple of weeks. But before I escape the internet for a while, I’d like to leave you with some weirdo tidbits.

It’s another Twitter Roundup and Weirdo Searches. It’s been a while, so here we go.

First up is the Twitter roundup. I’ve become a lot more active since I started doing these “roundups.” If you aren’t following me on Twitter, then you’re missing out on some random toys and things that never make it to the blog. You’ll also get a glimpse of my boring, day-to-day existence. I think most folks stay for the toys.

(Plus, that little tab on the left side of screen can show you what you’ve been missing)

Here’s a small sampling of what you might have missed.

Spiderman Bootleg
Spidey says,”Raise the Roof!”

Battle Cat as a teen
Weirdo Toys Exclusive – Awkward, teen Battle-Cat photo!

Lrrr
One of many Kidrobot Futurama toys I received today.

Magic Monster Me
Found a new face for the Magic Monster. Looks a lot like me.

Underworld Witch
She’s here. She’s here! She’s here!! (and she’s loose)

Optikk
Another look at Optikk. This time he’s animated.

Monster Fly
Picked up one of the Socket Poppers I “needed” – Monster Fly

Toy Shelves
Most aren’t on display. This is may be the only organized area :-( @iPHONEbraggyBoY

Moss Family Portrait
They’ve unearthed an old family photo of Moss Man and his dad.

Melty Guy
Cool, melty Kaiju guy.

Wonder Baby
Yep. There’s a Wonder Woman toy in my collection… kind of.

And now on to the coveted “Weirdo Searches.”

For those who are out of the loop, I used to occasionally tweet some bizarre Google searches I’d find when reviewing my site analytics. That eventually grew to a 10-20 point list I’d publish here. It’s been nearly a year since my last list. A new one is long overdue.

Well, here’s a look at some funny bizarre things people have searched, since the beginning of the year, to get to my site:

17. “goofy jesus”
Is that a fun-loving Jesus or a new Disney spinoff?

16. “apple sells out to the devil”
Just reminded me of Apple Devil. That’s all.

15. “disturbed mascot toy sale”
I’d like to be at that toy sale.

14. “why am i such a random gross weirdo?”
I dunno. Been wondering the same myself.

13. “creepy ugly old woman pictures”
uhhh…..

12. “brick walls and wire intestines”
Sounds like the makings of a brick-and-mortar robot.

11. “archives of a naked future”
The future is now. It’s called porn on the internet.

10. “cutting off a monster head and growing back two”

9. “danny glover looks like a gorilla”
That seems so wrong… ’til I saw that still from the King Kong movie.

8. “squeeze a dinosaur and it vomits on you-toy”
I want this toy.

7. “japanese mayo ‘video game’”
Sounds weird. If it’s Japanese, I’m sure it is.

6. “just got asked if i’d like my gammon rare”
Gammons are inherently rare I think.

5. “does ben grimm have genitals”
I’m not sure, but I overheard Johnny Storm admit Ben’s got some “stones” on ‘im.

4. “gorilla toys that act real but they are not”
They’re definitely more fun if they’re not real. Less Genital and face mutilation.

3. “bootleg underwear”
The real thing is just too expensive.

2. “constipated turtle”
Kinda redefines “a turtle head poking out.”

1. “i need a birthday cake that looks like a body after an autopsy”
Ha! Now that’s just weird. I need to see that. Lemme Google it quickly…
… Ah. Found photos of Michael Jackson. Scary.

That’s it for today kiddos! Enjoy yourselves and stay weird. I’ll catch up with you again in Mid-April!


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Posted in Recap | 8 Comments »

Man Surrounded by Toys He Can’t Afford at Antique Toy Show

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

As you may or may not know, the Allentown Antique Toy Show was a couple weeks ago (November, 7 2009 to be exact). If you follow me on Twitter, you probably read all about my experiences there, but now it’s time for a quick recap of what actually went down that weekend.

Well, one thing I did differently this year, is I paid for the “early bird,” which allowed me access to the show a day early to shop with the toy dealers. It also allowed me to get in early the next morning for the public show. I’d like to say it was worth it, but I only bought three things.

These robots.

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Ding-A-Lings

They’re called Ding-a-Lings, but let’s save the details for another blog entry ;)

Okay. I didn’t buy much at the show, but another good benefit of going, was my discovery of various toys that I may be able to pick up cheaper on eBay or something. In fact, I’ve already picked up a Halloween skeleton push puppet I wanted for $3 which was going for $48 at the show. Ridiculous huh?

(Oh, and I also got to catch up with a Weirdo Toys reader and fellow toy enthusiast, Ben, so that was really cool.)

I took a bunch of photos of the show. Instead of posting them all here, I’ve actually uploaded them to my Flickr Account. You can check ‘em out in this slideshow.

As I did the last time I went to Allentown, I think I’ll just break it all down into “lessons learned.”

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Allentown Antique Toy Show Allentown Antique Toy Show

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Allentown Antique Toy Show

1. It is truly awe-inspiring to be surrounded by so much toy history.
I said it two years ago, and I’ll say it again – the toy show is awesome. There is just so much toy history everywhere. I wasn’t able to adequately take it all in. It’d be great to document every piece and hear its story… but that’s impossible. So, I’ve tried to do the quicky, day trip version. Ha! As you you’ll see in the slideshow, the toys ranged from old, handmade mammy dolls to more modern batman hairbrushes. The show was a weird mish-mash of stuff, but that’s what made it so interesting.

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Allentown Antique Toy Show Allentown Antique Toy Show

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Allentown Antique Toy Show

2. Antique toys cost way too much.
Of course it’s pricey. Who the hell goes to an antique show looking for cheap, garage-sale-priced toys (me)? That’s not my complaint. My complaint is the apparent markup of so much stuff. A quick Google or eBay search of the same items on location resulted in my finding the pieces for twice or 10 times less than the dealers were asking. That’s the main reason I didn’t buy much. I know a lot of it is antique, so it’s bound to be pricey, but I’m talking about pieces that I know the value of – stuff from 70s/80s that have a triple or quadruple mark up.  Maybe it’s because I’m a young, poor whipper-snapper, they don’t wanna haggle with me. They know they can get “Grampa Joe” to pay the hefty prices ‘cuz he has the money.

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Allentown Antique Toy Show Allentown Antique Toy Show

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Allentown Antique Toy Show

3. Antique toys aren’t collected by anyone under 40.
I’m 32 (going on 33). I’m not super-young, but in this place, I felt like Baby New Year. I’m not even trying to be cruel. It was really great seeing such passion and interest in the toy hobby at an older age. I hope to be just as passionate about weirdo toys when I’m in my 70s. And hopefully I’ll have a bigger budget as well.

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Allentown Antique Toy Show

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Allentown Antique Toy Show

4. Toy vendors don’t like their toys photographed.
I took several photos at the show, and toy vendors were pissed. I first tried to be cordial, and ask permission from every vendor whose table I shot. There was so much apprehension and awkwardness. The majority of them truly were bothered and upset with the mere thought of my photographing their collections. Eventually, instead of dealing with the grief of those interactions, I decided to just snap a shot and keep on moving.

I didn’t use a flash. I’m not posting these photos on eBay to act like I’m selling them. Sheesh. Let a man invade your privacy for just a millisecond :D

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Allentown Antique Toy Show

Well, that’s about it. See ya around Allentown. Can’t say it was a nice visit, but the toy show was kinda cool. Not sure when I’ll see you again. Maybe in five years time or something.

• Buy antique toys on eBay!

Posted in Antique, Recap, Toy Shows | 10 Comments »

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.

Posted in Contests, Giveaways, Recap | 29 Comments »