New Releases from doubleparlour Happening Today!!!!!

    If you haven't found a reason to call out sick from work today may I present to you the best one I can think of.  Unless you're actually sick, in which case I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you can still be home and ready for the newest releases from doubleparlour.  And what better way to make yourself feel better than some new items to liven up your living space?  http://doubleparlour.myshopify.com/ is the place to be at noon pacific time today if you'd like to add any of these adorably spooky figures to your collection.  They're gonna go fast, so put off any responsibilities you may have had and park your butt in front of the computer.  I'll write you a note for your boss if you want.  

Peter Kato's Newest Apprentice To Debut Her "Satyr" Figure Tonight

    Peter Kato is making his ability as a teacher look really good, as his second apprentice Seulgie is set to release her very first resin figure tonight.  She came to him with zero experience in sculpting or mold making and in seven short months has produced this Satyr figure.  Each of these 4 and 1/2 inch resin figures are completely made by hand and will be available for $85 starting at 8pm tonight only from http://peterkatoshop.com/.  She also hand painted some Sleepytime Bunnies and Bedtime Danglers that will be priced at $12 and $15 respectively.  

You Want Dunnys? Check Out All of These Available for Preorder Right Now

    My head is literally ready to explode with all of the amazing Dunnys that Kidrobot is coming out with this year.  If this is what the future of this company looks like then we are in for many years of toys I desperately need.  You've got a healthy mixture of well known vinyl artists, some that are completely new to the vinyl world, and fan favorite designs that made the jump from 3 inch figures to 8 inch.  Let's get started so you can see where your money is going this year.  

    Sket-One self-produced a pretty killer version of this Sketratcha Dunny some time back and now it's getting a proper vinyl release as a 3 inch figure.  There's gonna be a chase version as well, which I'm not gonna spoil for you in case you haven't seen it.  $14.99 will get you one.  

    I can't say enough good things about doubleparlour.  Admittedly, I was a bit late to their appreciation party, but I'm trying to make up for lost time.  I'm in love with everything they do and this Dunny is no exception.  This 3 inch toy is on my must have list and at only $14.99, I won't feel guilty about it either.  

    Ever wondered what a certain famous mouse looked like when he went home, removed his kid friendly exterior, and exposed what was really lurking underneath?  Yeah, me neither, but I have no problem believing that behind that smile lies a creature that feasts on equal parts cash and children's souls.  A balanced diet is important after all.  Ron English and his sinister friend are making the jump from the Apocalypse blind box series to a full 8 inch production figure.  For $74.99 you can have him stare at you as you plan your next trip to the happiest place on earth.

    And people think that no one listens to their pleas?  Well, when your demands aren't ridiculous, this can be the result.  Scott Tolleson's Lotus Dragon was next to impossible to get as part of the Evolved Dunny series, so thankfully its 8 inch counterpart will be much simpler to obtain.  All you need is $99.99 and a bit of patience and you could have this delivered to your door in the Fall.  Go ahead and add this to my must have list.   

    This one has a special place in my heart, because I was able to not only hold the prototype in my hand, but take a picture of it that circulated pretty quickly around the internet.  I felt like a proud father.  Not only did Junko Mizuno's design make the jump from 3 inch to 8 inch, but they added some elements to it as well.  The thing is stunning in person and I've been waiting patiently to be able to get one since I first saw it in February.  

       This is what I like to see.  Someone working their butt of painting figure after figure, honing their craft, and then getting rewarded with their own production toy.  It's happened before but I feel it's going to happen a lot more now that the stable of artists Kidrobot is pulling from is pretty much endless.  Maybe I'll get my own Dunny?  I gotta make a phone call.

     Wuzone seems inspired by everyone's favorite pathologically lying puppet, but put enough of a spin on it to make it feel fresh.  I know what you're thinking, you're thinking: "How will I possibly afford all this?"  For one, don't worry, just stop paying those annoying student loans.  Secondly, this dude is priced at only $59.99.  It's like a throwback price!!!

    Sweet mother of plastic what is this you have bestowed upon me?  J*RYU has just changed everything you thought a Dunny could be.  Not only is it not character driven, but the design, and sculpting, and the detail.  I think I just got the vapors.  And to top it all off it pretty much demands to be the centerpiece of your collection as it stands a whopping 20 inches high.  Forget buying a new shelf, you're gonna need an alter for this.  Now she ain't cheap at $449.99, but I can guarantee you it's worth every penny you have to steal.  

    Each one of these, and The 13 Dunny series from Brandt Peters that I've previously written about, are all available for preorder right now from your favorite designer toy stores.  No more sweating on release day, no more pounding the refresh key on your laptop, or frantically driving from store to store, or pacts with dark forces trying to secure the one's you need.  This is a glorious time to be a collector.  

Lacking A Green Thumb? Then You Need Taylored Curiosities' Curious Lithops

     When Sharon and I bought our house I distinctly remember the garden in front looking impressive.  This was a few years ago and my memory is not always the best, but it seems that the simple act of us moving in has caused the thing to deteriorate.  My neighbor's is really impressive, and being that they're right next to one another, makes ours look even worse.  The other day I tried to go out and pull some weeds up, but they started flowering which made me doubt whether I should pull them or whether they we even weeds at all.  They have obviously been paying attention to humans and realized that as long as you're pretty you can get away with anything.  So after being punked by a bunch of rogue plants I decided the only course of action was to go eat lunch and just deal with the nasty looks we get from the people we live near.  

   

    I'm sure I would fare much better with these Curious Lithops from Taylored Curiosities.  For one, they're always gonna look like this, so the maintenance after putting them in the flower bed would be zero.  And two, they'll look good year round as they have transcended the idea of death by being made of clay/resin/other stuff that I have no idea about.  You can pick the one's you want or you can take a gamble and buy them blind boxed.  Spruce up your living space at http://tayloredcuriosities.bigcartel.com/.

    

**UPDATE**Vinyl Pulse's 10 Year Anniversary Astronaut from Itokin Park

    **UPDATE**  There's also going to be a cammo version available.  Now, camo ain't easy to paint.  You can't just wish it on there, so as a result this guy will be $45 to reflect the hard work.  But look at those results; they're totally worth it.  All the other release info is the same.  

    I met Buzz Aldrin once.  He's the only astronaut I've ever shook hands with, and that's the only astronaut story I have.  He seemed nice, and I'm pretty sure I could have whooped him.  Is it weird that I thought about whether I could win a fight against an 80 year old man, or awesome that I am willing to take on a space traveler and moon adventurer?  When you put it like that it makes me seem kind of heroic.

    Vinyl Pulse is celebrating their 10th year of writing about designer toys, which is a pretty long time when you think about it.  Some cars don't even last that long, so you gotta celebrate a milestone that big with something special, like this exclusive Astronaut from Itokin Park.  He's decked out in colors from the website and will go on sale this Friday, June 19th, at 7am pacific time from www.vinylpulse.com.  Each 3 and 1/2 inch figure will be $35 and guaranteed cute as hell.

Kidrobot To Debut Mega Man Collection With Two SDCC Exclusives

     When I was a wee little lad I used to spend a week every summer hanging out with my grandparents.  I always wanted to dig through all the stuff in their attic and garage but they were kinda reluctant to let me treasure hunt, which made me think they had some really cool things that they were not interested in sharing, like guns or a family of science rats.  They did their best to keep me occupied and from playing Indiana Jones in their house, and one of the ways they did it was by taking me to rent video games.  Now I'm gonna have to explain this to the younger folks:  there used to be a time when you had to leave your house in order to borrow video games from businesses specifically set up for just this.  Weird, right?  Well, I remember renting Mega Man 2 and desperately trying to finish it in the two days I was allowed to keep it for, but no dice.  I had to sucker my mom into renting it again for me when I got home and I blew through all the money I had to pay the late fees.  Even though it cost me a small fortune I finally finished it, and surprisingly enough, have never worked that hard at anything else in life.  All of my dreams, my potential, gone the moment I slid that cartridge back across the counter.  Hahahahahahaha just kidding, I got even more awesome from there, some would even say disturbingly so.

    According to Wikipedia there have been over 100 tiles in the Megaman franchise, and Kidrobot and Capcom are celebrating this little dude with some pretty cool toys.  Your first chance to get your hands on them will come at San Diego Comic Con where two exclusive figures will be released.  Break Man and Mega Man will be available in 7 inch versions at $49.99 each.  If you can't make it to the convention you won't miss out completely, because in September a blind box series, a keychain collection, and two other 7 inch figures of Mega Man and Proto Man will be made available wherever you prefer to buy your toys.

   

Permanent Guest from Coarse to Release June 18th

    There are times in life where jokes will not do.  Where you have to sit back, realize the story you are about to retell is already brilliant the way it is, and let it speak for itself.  Such is the tale behind this raccoon towing a fish in a bathtub.  Their story reads like one of Aesop's Fables as written by the Brothers Grimm.  I've always known Coarse created some of the most impressive pieces in vinyl that I had ever seen, but I was woefully ignorant to how much thought went into each one.  So I will humbly pause, direct you to click this link, and read the tale of these two unlikely companions for yourself.  Go ahead, I'll wait.

 

    Pretty neat, huh?  These two traveling companions will come in two equally different versions.  The black and gold "Endless Shadows" edition, and the more subdued "Promised Bliss"colorway.  Both will be available on June 18th (that's this Thursday) only through http://coarsehkg.com/.  Each set is limited to only 345 pieces and I would imagine those won't last very long.

Kyle Kirwan's Mudcat Willo for Tenacious Toys' Super Series Sunday

    Kyle Kirwan is taking resin casting where resin casting hasn't gone before.  He bought himself an RV and is gonna travel from Brooklyn to Designer Con, dropping new releases along the way like some kind of toy making Ken Kesey (though I haven't gotten word whether he's painted his magic toy bus like a crazy person or filled it with naked and stoned hippies).

   His first release will be this glow in the dark blue Mudcat Willo for Super Series Sunday from Tenacious Toys.  Hey, isn't there someone else know for making blue stuff in an RV?  Maybe I'm just imagining it.  Only 6 of these 11 inch tall figures will be available starting at 8pm eastern time tonight.  Pick one up for $100 only from www.tenacioustoys.com.  

"Blue Glow" Lolgolth Gnazgoroth Preorder from Skinner x Unbox Industries

    And you though those nasty bros from beyond the wall in Game of Thrones were brutal, what with their icy stare and army of the dead.  You think Jon Snow's not gonna send them back to whatever black hole you crawled out of?  Cause that's gonna happen.  See, raising people up from the ground that you just put there is all well and good, but the impressiveness of that is gonna wear thin once you start getting carved up with Valerian steel.  You gotta have a wow factor, like when the Wildlings got those Giants to hang out with them.  Well feast your eyes on this bad boy my White Walker friends, and have those pesky folks in Westoros cowering in their boots and unable to fight back.

    Lolgolth Gnazgoroth from Skinner and Unbox Industries has no problem inspiring fear in any one he, or it, comes across.  Now you can have one in your house that will glow in the darkest of nights, scaring the hell out of you even when you try to sleep.  Or lighting the way as you get older and can't quite hold your pee pee until morning.  I don't want to talk about it.

    This sucker is going on preorder today for $145, which is a paltry sum for the crazy detail that goes into one of these.  Seriously, I've seen one in person and was struck dumb by how intense manufacturing this behemoth must be.  Get yourself one and be amazed by its brilliance every day of your life by clicking here.

How my butt feels after eating at Golden Corral.  

Check Out The First Ever Solo Show from The Bots at Dream In Plastic

    I can imagine its hard for adorable things to be taken seriously when they're mad.  Being adorable means that you're adorable no matter what you do, so raising a stink about something becomes a pointless endeavor.  Not that I've ever had this problem, but I try to imagine if Hello Kitty was pissed off at me whether I'd be able to have a discussion with her about it or if I would just think it was cute.  Or if I would be self aware enough to realize having a conversation with a fictional character probably meant I needed to get my meds adjusted.  Who can say.

    The Bots are known for making cute little critters that seem to be in a bad mood and you can see a boat load of them when their first ever solo show opens at Dream In Plastic tomorrow.  Speaking of dreams, I had one last night that I was gonna be on the show Sons of Anarchy, but before we started filming we had to go through a boot camp to get ourselves prepared.  I didn't do as well as I would have hoped because I didn't realize their would be so many pull ups involved.  I woke up before I could face the humiliation of being cut. 

    If you're in the Beacon, New York area go and check out the opening reception of the show from 6-9pm and buy some toys. 

Red and Grey Vinyl Elder Demons from Deathcattoys

    You know what are the scariest type of demons?  Elder ones, cause they've had many years to hone their terrible ways.  Think about it, you get stuck waiting around for hours somewhere, bored out of your mind, and you know you come up with some crazy things to pass the time.  Now what if you're entire job was to be evil?  You'd be much better at it than some fresh, virginal demon that just graduated from whatever passes for college for them.  And elder demons have the best stories, though they will remind you at every turn about how much harder they had it than you at your age.

    Deathcattoys will be releasing these red an grey vinyl Elder Demons tonight at 10pm eastern time at http://deathcattoys.bigcartel.com/.  Only 20 sets will be available and they will be $35 plus shipping.   

"The First Hellboy" Statues from Mondo

        You know what I find fascinating?  Besides the fact that anyone can not want to punch Bono in the face.  Seriously, the guy is practically begging for it.  But besides that,I find it fascinating how popular things start out.  For instance, have you ever seen the original concepts for Star Wars?  The characters started out looking way different than the ones we all know and love.  Chewbacca looked like an overly hairy cookie elf and C3PO could have stared in a remake of Metropolis.  My head hurts just thinking about it.

    Imagine how blown my mind was when I saw these new statues from Mondo.  I never realized that this is what Hellboy looked like before he evolved into the cat loving demon we all know.  He's available in two versions, with the black and white one an exclusive to the Mondo website.  Both 12 inch statues are available for preorder right now by clicking here.

    

A Clockwork Carrot "Break In" Edition from Frank Kozik x Blackbook Toy

    When you're entering a life of crime you really have to put a lot of thought into a good disguise.  How many times do you see security footage on the news of people robbing banks that look like they were just hanging out at the mall?  They walk in wearing sunglasses and with their hoods up and they think they've got some invisibility cloak.  I get that you kind of stick out if you're wearing a Halloween mask in April, but a little bit of effort will go a long way towards not making you some big dude's girlfriend on cell block B.

    Lil Alex knows the benefit of not only shielding your identity but making a statement while doing it.  Tim Gunn would be proud at his ability to edit down his mask to the basics while maintaining a clear and concise fashion point of view.  The latest version of Kozik's naughty little bunny is available for preorder right now from the folks at Blackbook Toy.  And when you order from them you get a special limited edition button to snaz up that jean jacket of yours.

Chip S005 (Organizized) from Ferg

    The world can be a frustrating place.  Politicians make horrible decisions based on greed that negatively impact the lives of their constituents.  Everyone seems to be out for themselves regardless of the consequences it has for their fellow man.  Animals are being driven to extinction by corporate profit margins and the need for certain humans to flex their superiority.  Just thinking about it can drive a person to the brink, if not beyond the brink, of madness.  Some of us take to the Internet to rant and rave about it on anonymous websites with the like-minded faceless masses.  Others take matters into their own hands.

    Chip is disillusioned, armed to the teeth, and looking to change the world.  Support his one man social revolution this Monday, June 15th at noon central time when he goes on sale exclusively through http://store.projectsquadt.com.

Kidrobot Introduces the Plush "Phunny" featuring Characters from Gremlins

    Fun fact:  my wife has never seen Gremlins.  I don't hold it against her though, because I work with  multiple people that have never seen Star Wars, which I find to be highly unusual.  I'm pretty sure the United States government keeps records on people that haven't seen Star Wars and closely monitors their behavior for further anomalies, and upon finding them will sneak in and said people will disappear under cover of darkness.  Save yourselves and watch the films.

    It doesn't matter if you've seen Gremlins or not to know that Gizmo and pals are quite adorable, even after some of them turn into naughty little reptile thingys.  Kidrobot has captured that in a new plush series they're calling Phunny, which are 8 inches tall and ridiculously affordable at only $16.99 each. Collect them all when they're released in August.

     Oh, and it's worth noting that this is the first time Kidrobot has utilized the many licenses that their parent company N.E.C.A is known for.  I wonder what could be next?

"Chewquila" from Forces of Dorkness for Tenacious Toys' Super Series Sunday

    I know I've already told the story of how mad I got while trying to get a new tire yesterday, but I was sooooooooo ma that it bears repeating for a second day in a row.  I won't retell the whole thing, but do you remember in Star Wars when Chewbacca was about to lose that weird game of chess and Han Solo was all like "bro, you should let the Wookie win, cause he'll rip your arm off and cave your skull in with it" (I'm paraphrasing)?  Well I was Wookie level angry yesterday.  I mean, where else can you set up an appointment to have something as simple as a tire replacement done and they tell you it might be done by tomorrow morning?  Could you imagine showing up to your barber and him telling you that he got really backed up and he may get to you by morning? Or booking a reservation at a restaurant for dinner and not being seated until breakfast.  It's ludicrous, and it's even more so when they don't understand why you feel that way.  I can hear George Castanza yelling about this in my head.  

    Ok, I think Forces of Dorkness has officially made it impossible for anyone to create a better custom Star Wars toy.  He took a Muttpop Tequila figure, fuzzied him all up, and made the mother of all Chewbacca figures.  Eight of these will be made available this Sunday (June 7th) at 8pm as part of Super Series Sunday from Tenacious Toys.  You will have a two week window to preorder one of them after which time they will be made and mailed off to live with their lucky new owners.  Little pink hair brush not included.  

       

    

    

Help Kickstart the Norfolk Merdogs Merpug Plush from Shlii

    Let me tell you about my day:  I needed to get a tire replaced, which is no big cause I got a warranty on those suckers when I bought my car, so I made an appointment two days ago to have the dealership replace it.  I show up for my 12:30 appointment and they ask if I can leave it.  It's just a tire, I thought, so I told the counter person I would wait.  He then tells me it would be better to leave it cause they're busy and it probably won't get finished until tomorrow.  For a tire?  With an appointment?  So I called shenanigans on that BS and left to find someone to just patch the damn thing.  At which point I was informed that it was too close to the sidewall so it needed to be replaced but alas, they don't have one in stock and can't get it before...you guessed it...tomorrow.  Yet again I am forced to call shenanigans all over the BS that is being presented me, and I move on to a third location.  Just like when Goldilocks broke into the three bear's house, the third time was the charm, as they had my tire in stock AND could put it on in a half hour.  You would think the story ended happily after that, which it would have if I didn't fight for an hour on the phone with the warranty company to cover the cost.  After teaching them some words they may not have heard before and skipping grocery shopping for fear that I may run over a soccer mom in the parking lot just for funsies, I needed something to calm my rather inflamed nerves. Thank God for Merpugs.

    This is the most adorable Fiji Mermaid I have ever seen.  Usually they look like some ratty old monkey sewn to the business end of a trout, but I would actually let this guy into my house.  He'd make me feel better/less murderous on days like these and he could do the same for you if you help make him a real toy.  Shlii has launched a campaign right now to produce these aquatic canines and you can back it by checking out this link.  They're really affordable and they're from Norfolk, Virginia which is the area I grew up in.  That alone should make you want one.  

"Baby Huey" from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot to Debut at SDCC

    Being a sadistic dictator has never been more adorable!  Check out Frank Kozk's take on North Korea's supreme ruler with this itty bitty "Baby Huey" from Kidrobot.  Now we know what happened when Seth Rogen and James Franco made that movie about whacking this dude, so what do you think the retaliation will be when this plastic bed wetter makes his debut at San Diego Comic Con?  Do you think the North Koreans will invade Kidrobot's booth and buy them all up, preventing them from being obtained by the general public?  Will they release secret information about Frank, like how long he has been a subscriber to Cat Fancy magazine?  Are they gonna hack my website for posting this?  The world as we know it could change at the hands of a hilarious vinyl figure.  

   Now don't fret like this little guy if you aren't going to Comic Con, cause he will be available on a wider scale in stores and online starting August 6th.  At 8 inches tall and only $65, that's a lot of bang for your buck.  Hopefully not a literal bang from an angry North Korean army.  Viva la Revolucion!!!!!

    

Baby Huey Final 2 from KRVids on Vimeo.

Help Kickstart the First Ever Figure from Chokehazrd Toys

    I love the fact that anyone with an idea can now get their toys brought to life with a little help from Kickstarter and collectors.  And you aren't just supporting a killer looking figure here, cause your pledges are helping Chokehazrd Toys become a company.  How many times are you gonna get credit for doing something like that?  It's not like those house parties your friends are always throwing to sell you crap like jewelry embedded in candles, or really over priced food.  Those people are not business owners, they are a hateful plague that should be wiped from the earth or at least kept off of Facebook.

    Not only is this figure pretty awesome looking from the front to the back, and pretty big at 6 and a half inches tall, but he's super affordable as in you won't feel guilty about ordering one because you had to choose between filling your car with gas or adding Noxious to your collection.

    The great thing about this is he has been fully funded and is now guaranteed to go into production.  You won't have to wait around for a month wondering if it's gonna happen or not like you usually do with crowd funding campaigns, so now is the perfect time to get involved.  Check out this link and be a part of someone's toy dreams coming true.     

Tenacious Toys Exclusive Bun Bun from Brent Nolasco

    I bet this guy is related to the bunny from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Though he doesn't look as fluffy, or as innocent, but he does have the sharp pointy teeth and that's gotta be an isolated genetic anomaly.  We better hope so any way, cause the bunny uprising is the last thing we need right now.

    Brent Nolasco's resin Bun Bun figure got himself a blue makeover to be part of Super Series Sunday tomorrow from Tenacious Toys.  Only 7 will be available when they go on sale and at just $75 each they won't last long.  And this is a lot of toy for your money too; just look at how big it is in the hands of a grown man:

     Those aren't baby mitts people!  Be ready at 8pm eastern time tomorrow when this sucker goes up for sale only at www.tenacioustoys.com

Semi Korosiya "Hiatus" Release from Cop A Squat Toys

    It's been a hot minute since we've seen a new Semi Korosiya release from Cop A Squat Toys, but this Sunday we're getting two different ones to choose from.  Which is a awesome and stressful at the same time, because how could you pick between these two?  The answer is you can't, so you're just going to have to come to terms with it and buy one of each.  I'm like, the best life coach ever.

     Both of them go on sale tomorrow, Sunday May 31st at 1pm eastern time over at http://www.copasquattoys.com.

    

Skelevex Spectrum: Series One Episode One On Sale Today!

    It seems like everyone has one of those mystery box subscription thingys now where some random assortment of junk gets mailed to your house every month and you hope you at least like one thing out of the entire lot to have made it worthwhile.  I hate those things.  I hate spending my money on something generic that people in an office put together because "you're into nerdy stuff so you'd obviously want this Captain America door hanger and Star Trek air freshner".  Well guess what smarty pants, I don't.  So go ahead and throw it away for me and I'll keep my money to myself.  Not that I have strong feelings about these sorts of things.

    If you're going to do a subscription service you gotta do that sucker right, like with these Skelevex releases.  Buying into their subscription service (which you only have until June 26th to do by the way) will get you a brand new geometric skull every month plus a free bonus one only available to those that subscribe.  If you have a problem with commitment, you can also buy them individually, starting with the Grape edition you see here.  This guy will be available starting today at 1pm BST at http://skelevex.bigcartel.com/.