The Materiology of Toys

There was a time when toys were little more than miniature versions of the real thing.  It takes very little searching online to uncover antique examples of tiny toy tools, wood fired miniature stoves, or steam engines.  I actually touched on this phenomenon in my old blog, but there is one byproduct of these form-follows-function toys that deserves further examination.  The fact that the toys were made to function like their full-size counterparts also meant that they had to be made from the same materials as the real deal.  It could have been cast iron, brass, wood, or steel.  Eventually, factors, like fear of litigation and climbing production costs, made toys like this dwindle into non-existence... to a degree.  

The fact is, today, there is perceived value in toys with a tactile experience that is only offered by manufacturing them in prototype-correct materials.  Nowadays, these sorts items are not really marketed as toys but instead as "adult collectibles."  Some companies like T-Reproductions and Retro 1-2-3 (now out of business) have built businesses around making all-metal toys that mimic the look of classic examples except they pump up the detail level and usually the cost, too.  It doesn't matter though: nostalgia-prone adult collectors snap up these high-end replicas at high-end prices.

There are also die-cast metal models which are a bit of a compromise area because the most detailed examples usually have many parts rendered in plastic.  These usually cost a bit less than the ultra-limited retro metal toys, but some examples (usually large construction cranes or mining shovels) can still cost hundreds of dollars.

In my collection, that tactile experience of a metal toy is important.  I must confess that I have bought toys in the past just because they had a pleasing feel to the hand.  It may be a vehicle, a robot, or a miniature tool or steam engine, but there is something exquisite about a toy that is cold and heavy.   

Fine and detail-oriented craftsmanship is also important.  My inner engineer has made this one of the top criteria for selecting a toy for my collection.  While I appreciate the pop-art immediacy of a limited urban-vinyl toy, I find the intricate engineering and material-conscious fabrication to be an equally important facet to The Toy of the Week.

This week I'm going f-ing crazy by not displaying one specific toy but, instead, a series of photos highlighting my top metallurgic toy picks.  Enjoy!

The Least Popular "Toy Story" Toy Ever Made

Its was 1995. While the world was reeling from lightning-fast 56k internet speed and the news of OJ Simpson's "innocence," millions of people were also reeling from a cinematic experience like no other.  Toy Story was the first entirely computer generated feature film ever made.  It was also the first feature length film made by Pixar.  Toy Story captivated the world.  As an art student, it certainly grabbed my attention.  This movie broke many boundaries.  One could easily write pages about the cultural significance of the movie, but this isn't a movie blog...it's a toy blog.

Toy Story changed the rules for merchandising as well.  When I saw the movie, I found my internal toy-collector voice saying: "How cool would it be to have a Buzz Lightyear just like the one in this movie?"  Well, it turned out that director John Lassiter had the same thought.  The story went that Mr. Lassiter first approached all the major toy manufacturers with the opportunity to create the Toy Story line.  One by one, they all rejected him.  Eventually, he approached a previously unknown company called Thinkway Toys who, luckily, hopped on board.  Due to the insistence (and persistence) of Mr. Lassiter, the original Buzz and Woodie toys were faithful loving replicas of what we all enjoyed on-screen.  Thinkway's gamble paid off.  By 2007, over 25 million Buzz Lightyear action figures had been sold, and Thinkway Toys was on the map in a big way.  Of course, there were many other toys in the line representing most of the recognizable characters from the film.  Unfortunately, they didn't receive the same screen-accurate treatment as Buzz and Woodie.  Nonetheless, you could still theoretically assemble the cast of the movie if you were willing to crowbar open that velcro-wallet of yours. 

Today's toy takes us right back to a classically creepy moment from this landmark film.  (It

was the moment that confirmed that 90% of the population is indeed afraid of dolls.)  Woodie found himself in the foreboding bedroom of Sid, a malevolent, if not slightly creative, child, toy-hacker.  Among Sid's bastardized toy-hybrids was a one-eyed doll head attached to an Erector-Set body that resembled a crab, or some sort of arachnid.  This character, known simply as "Babyface," had the greatest on-screen reveal when Woodie discovered him in the dim illumination of a small flashlight.  Baby Face crawled forward on his mechanical spider legs and then ascended skyward, like a sadistic-looking scissor lift towering above Woodie.  With his dimly under-lit face, he gave Woodie a horrifying one-eyed stare down.

Sid later makes a cameo in Toy Story 3 when he appears as a garbage collector.  This seemed like a disappointing epilogue for him.  In his own way, he was an unfortunate character.  Perhaps I felt a bit sympathy for him.  After all, he lived in disaster of a house, slept on a sheetless mattress in a bedroom, illuminated by one bare light bulb hanging from a cord.  He did have a work-bench in his bedroom.  That was pretty cool.  I figured he was more destined to become a Burning Man/Maker Faire artist than a trash collector.  There was a level of genius present in Sid's hacked toys.  He demonstrated a pretty creative vision for assembling found objects...even if those objects occasionally were stolen from his little sister.

I think Babyface was the manifestation of the complexity of Sid's character.  There would have been a certain amount of care and attention to detail required to build the arachnid body.  As for the doll's head, let's face it, any well-adjusted adult knows that dolls are evil and scary.  It really took very little mutilation for Sid to make it look any creepier.  Babyface really was the centerpiece of Sid's body of work.  Perhaps that's why, in 1995, Babyface was the only toy available representing Sid's handiwork.  It was part of the smaller, and not as screen-accurate action figure line, but, nonetheless,  I had to have it.

Perhaps the general public didn't see the creative genius of Sid.  Perhaps those who did see it, found that this toy wasn't accurate enough to be appealing.  Indeed, it seemed most likely that a Babyface toy would have been best marketed for adult collectors.  However, this toy, admittedly, didn't have the intricacy of an adult collectible.  Whatever the reason, it didn't exactly fly off the shelves the way Buzz Lightyear did.  To this day, original carded examples are readily available on eBay.  However, it is still a fun and novel thing to have one of these sitting on your shelf.  Who doesn't enjoy creeping everyone out who walks in the room?  That's why the 6" Babyface, from Thinkway Toys, is The Toy of the Week.

As a point of interest, I think it is important to note that Thinkway Toys still carries the license for Toy Story merchandise.  In recent years they have released an entire line of retro-packaged, screen accurate Toy Story toys that seem to be marketed towards adult collectors.  This line is known as the "Signature Collection."  At this time, none of Sid's mutated toys are released as part of this line.

You say Gaderffii...I say Gaffi...

With the big news today that Disney will be adding Star-Wars lands to both of it's U.S. parks, it seems appropriate that, this week, we feature this hand-made prop replica.  But there is a story behind this weeks toy, so lets dig-in to it...

As the Halloween of 1998 approached, I was contemplating my costume options.  I had no major plans or special parties to attend, but sometimes inspiration can strike for no apparent reason.  Well, I suppose a few things could be credited for my costume inspiration that year.  Just one year prior, in 1997, George Lucas had released the Star Wars Special Edition films in theaters.  The CG-molested classics were supposedly the realization of his original vision, or something like that.  The fact that they foreshadowed the disastrous prequel trilogy didn't matter.  Or rather, I, along with most fans, didn't seem to care about some of the "issues" present in the re-workings.  I was desperate enough for anything Star Wars related at that time that I was willing to ride the wave of excitement without reservation.  

Around this time, we also got to enjoy the release of new Star Wars action figures.  The Power of the Force II figures, as they were known, represented the first significant toy release for the franchise in fifteen years.  The release of this toy line sparked a collecting frenzy.  Values spiked to absurd, and ultimately unsustainable, levels for "rare" variants with paint-scheme anomalies and the like.

What this boiled down to was that, by the Halloween of 1998, I was ready to take on the challenge of assembling a proper Star Wars costume.  I discovered there were many rules around Star Wars costumery.  If you wanted to be screen accurate, you had to do things a specific way.  There were all these rules around what Boba Fett's armor looked like and how details changed on Storm Troopers from one film to the next.  The fact was, I was not the sort that handled constraint like that very well, at least, not with my own projects.  So, it came to me like an epiphany one day: the Tusken Raider.

Tusken Raiders are mysterious.  They are the skittish, nomadic, and aloof scavengers of Tatooine.  You don't get a very good look at them in the first place, and each one that appears in the original movie is unique.  I figured this idea would give me the creative license I desired.  I was working as a fabricator at a model shop in a suburb of St. Paul, and I had access to a full workshop.  All the ingredients were there: the tools, the resources, the inspiration.  I mean, hell, in the creative biz, that was the hard part.  All that was left was to get to work.

I dug straight into the meat of the project by making a prop weapon: a blaster rifle.  Of course, I knew that Tusken Raiders were really known for their signature battle clubs called Gaderffii (gaffi sticks), but they did appear with rifles as well.  The rifles portrayed in the original film were quite spindly and sort of anemic looking.  Tusken lore described these rifles as "Cyclers," which would fire a slug encased in energy.  I decided to take full advantage of my creative freedom on this project; I fashioned a beaten and weathered weapon that more resembled the large blaster rifles that the Sand Troopers carried.  I'm a tall-ass dude, so I wanted a prop weapon with some real presence.

The rifle turned out pretty good.  It was over four feet long and made from steel with a wood stock.  The rest of the costume followed quickly.  The mask was made from a surplus Israeli gas mask.  The rest was fabric, leather, and metal parts.  The costume came together very well, and I was able to use it on a few occasions at various parties and clubs.  And that was it.  The costume was complete and the mission accomplished.  Off it went into a storage box in my parents' attic.

Years passed.  I moved to the Bay Area.  I worked at various model shops building props and sets.  The costume was always part of my portfolio.  I guess I felt it was good enough for that.  Eventually, I had my parents ship the costume out to California.  It actually almost got lost in the mail, but that's another story.  I never really did anything with it out here except to store it.

In the summer of 2013, my wife and I were about to attend our third Comic-Con in San Diego.  I had seen the craziness that is SDCC.  Perhaps it took three years of attendance for me to build the courage to wear it, but I decided that it was time to re-visit the Tusken Raider costume.  I got it out of storage and gave it a good inspection.

Let's face it.  I made this costume pretty early in my fabrication career.  If I had to do it over, I would've definitely handled some things differently.  Even still, the costume held up pretty well overall.  I decided to use it without modification.  However, for Comic-Con, and airline travel, the metal and wood blaster rifle posed a pretty obvious problem.  Luckily, prop making was my thing, so I looked at this as an opportunity.  It had been fifteen years since I created the original costume.  This was my chance to apply all the acquired refinement in my skills to a new prop that would give the costume a fresh edge.  I knew what I had to do.  I had to build...a gaffi stick.

The new gaffi stick prop had to meet certain criteria to be SDCC friendly.  I wanted it lightweight since it was exhausting walking around that huge-ass convention hall.  No sharp edges.  An accidental nerd stabbing was an all-too-real possibility given how crowded SDCC was and how the costume made me pretty much blind as a bat.  So yeah, like I said, no sharp edges.  The last parameter was the most challenging.  I needed it to break down into pieces to fit in my carry-on suitcase, AND it had to be easily reassembled.

I did a good couple hours of online research before settling on a design.  The fact was, there was very little information about the original movie props, which were made from wooden Fijian war clubs.  In the end, I sketched out my own design that had length and proportions that I liked.

The prop was fabricated largely from PVC plastic.  The large, Hershey-kiss shaped club-end was sculpted from urethane foam spun in a lathe.  The foam shape was made more durable with an epoxy hard-coat.  The shape was then refined with a sculpting epoxy.  I heat-bent PVC tube to create the curved end of the club staff.  Sculpting epoxy was also used to refine this curve.  The metal "axe" and "spear" was built up from PVC sheet stock.  Various slotted parts and tubes that sleeved inside one and other allowed the entire prop to break down into very compact components.  The assembly process took seconds, and no fasteners or tools were required.

When assembled, it looked impressive.  It measured almost four and a half feet long.  I used various faux finishing and weathering methods with enamel and acrylic paints to create the look of wood and metal.

The reception at 2013 SDCC was pretty overwhelming.  It was quite an experience walking the exhibit hall in a costume like that.  I couldn't walk two inches without being stopped for a photograph, and I couldn't walk four inches without some douche-bag doing their rendition of a Tusken Raider scream/grunt.  I also made it into a list of the "Best Costumes of Comic Con."  In a recent discovery, I learned that the official Star Wars twitter page tweeted a picture of my costume.  The cherry on top was that they simultaneously made a Big Lebowski reference in the same post.  

I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking: "what, for the love of all that is holy, does a prop gaffi stick have to do with The Toy of the Week?"  Well, I'm throwing it right back at you.  What does a prop gaffi stick NOT have to do with The Toy of the Week?  Let's be honest; prop replicas are an entire sub-genre of toys.  From replicas of Star Trek communicators to airsoft gun models of the Aliens Pulse Rifle, (both of which we will discuss in the future BTW) prop replicas are as much part of the toy ethos as action figures.  A big part of what I do here at The Toy of the Week is push the boundaries of what defines a toy.  I also like to occasionally share one-off shit that you can't simply walk into Toys"R"Us and buy (although I like that stuff too). So, THAT is why, this week, I am sharing this fine creation with you.  The 1:1 scale, gaffi stick prop replica is The Toy of the Week.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go because my Bantha is double parked...

Be warned: Chika is cute, but wields a big syringe... Feature Toy August 2015

Japanese artist Junko Mizuno creates illustrations of a unique world.  It is known that she dislikes labeling the genre of her work, but some description is necessary to drill into the genius of her vision.

Junko combines kawaii (cute) imagery and eroticism, with a playfully morbid edge. These elements are delivered in a surprisingly cohesive way.  The resulting melange of these ingredients is used to deliver psychedelic images of strength and fertility that are simultaneously powerful and indisputably feminine.  This is why, for me, Junko's work is decidedly feminist.

Her characters also have an undertone of child-like innocence.  This is a common vein in Japanese pop culture, as can be seen in things like Lolita fashion and anime.

The world she creates is detailed and intricately conceived.  Its allure has helped it become a lifestyle brand inspiring clothing, books, calendars, postcards, and, of course, limited edition vinyl toys.

I purchased today's toy years ago at the Kidrobot retail store in San Francisco as a gift for my wife who collects Junko merchandise.  She has various books and vinyl figures in her collection and even some limited edition printed panels that Junko signed for her at SDCC. 

When I saw this figure, I was taken with it, and I knew my wife would enjoy it.  Even the name, Miznotic Fantasy Chika, is captivating.  This one is the "Peach Night" version.  There were two other color variations available: Mint Night and Grape Night. 

Delve into the world of Junko Mizuno and succumb to the Miznotic Fantasy Chika, Peach Night, Vampire Nurse figure as the feature toy for August, now, in our gallery.