"Clementine" from Kathie Olivas x Tomenosuke Available Now

    Let me tell you something: you wish you had a rabbit hand puppet.  You wish you could take your puppet around, give people sweet little rabbit kisses on their face, and then see how long it takes you to get arrested for being a weirdo.  You're making your mother cry with all these shenanigans, you know.  But I ain't your momma, so keep living the dream, my friends.

    Clementine from Kathie Olivas x Tomenosuke could totes get away with giving random people kisses with her bunny pal, because she looks the complete part.  A little bit whimsical, a little bit spooky, and made completely out of sweet Japanese sofubi.   Being plastic and inanimate makes your behavior way more acceptable.

   This little lady is available right now for residents of North America by visiting www.strangerfactory.com.  People in other parts of the world have to get theirs from www.tomenosuke.com.  

Capcom x Kidrobot Mega Man Medium Figures Releasing Today

    I don't even want to think about all the hours I've spent in my life playing video games.  I'm sure there's some way to guesstimate just how much of my existence has been donated to the fine folks at Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, but that's probably best left a mystery.  Just playing for an hour or two makes me wallow in my own depression of all the other productive stuff I could have been doing, so having it presented to me measured in days or weeks might just do me in.  Although as a result I do have some wicked hand eye coordination and could straight kill a man with my thumbs, so there's that.

    Let's focus on the more positive things in life though, like these sick Mega Man figures from Kidrobot.  They'll be available starting today in stores and on www.kidrobot.com, just in case you're in the middle of a game and aren't able to leave the house for a while.  I've been there, bro.

    

I Present To You the Best Comment Ever Left By a Reader

   

    So yesterday in my post about 3A's new releases I jokingly made a reference to selling one of my kidneys to fund my toy addiction.  Little did I know that through that reference I would be plunged into the world of black market organ trade.  Behold, a comment left on that post:

Attention,
Welcome to irrua specialist special hospital,
Do you want to buy or sell your kidney?, Are you seeking for an opportunity to sell your kidney for money due to financial break down and you don’t know what to do, then contact us today and we shall offer you good amount of money for your Kidney we specialize for top class medical treatment like Heart Surgery, Cancer Care, Spinal fusion surgery , sleeve mastectomy surgery , and other major surgeries. contact us now via: (irruaspecialistspecialhospital@gmail.com) with the follow details below,

name:
country:
phone number:

Good luck to you.

Best Regard,
Dr Tommy. 

    Now I'm not one to judge (ok, I can't even keep a straight face while typing that) but I have two concerns right off the bat.  First off, I appreciate the fact that he's using such a nice, seemingly innocuous name like "Dr. Tommy".  It makes me feel less like my kidney will be removed in a stall next to the milking goats and more like this surgical transaction will take place somewhere that doesn't buy their anaesthesia from DJ the weed man.  But where he starts to lose me is in his sketchy grammar.  You want me to let you remove one of my major organs and you're not sure when you should and shouldn't capitalize your words?  Me thinks not, good sirs.

    A quick Google search led m to discover that they are located in Nigeria, which at first I was thinking would be a plus, cause there's always Nigerian royalty emailing to give me money so I could just show up in person and cut out the whole Western Union nonsense.  Then I did an image search:

     Look at that sign!  That thing screams "come on in and die, stupid American".  My immune system is delicate and could in no way handle the infectious diseases that place is gonna lob at me.  Let's imagine for a second the conversation that went down about cleaning this sign:

Worker 1:  "Hey, you want me to take some of this Windex here and clean the funk off of the sign."

Worker 2:  "That's our last bottle and I've still gotta wash the steak knives for the 3:30 lung transplant."

    This is pretty much the premise for American Horror Story season 12.    

Post SDCC Sale from 3A Happening Tomorrow

     I've never braved the halls of San Diego Comic Con.  I've never waited in lines days in advance to see my favorite celebrities in a panel, or fought through the masses to score a toy release.  But every year as it's going on I am glued to my computer waiting for trailers and photos to be uploaded and hoping against all hope that exclusives will make their way online for much more reasonable prices than you can find on eBay.  For fans of 3A, your ability to purchase the figures you wish you could have gotten will happen tomorrow.

    Mind you the packaging and the toys themselves will offer slight variances from their SDCC counterparts, but this is much better than trying to sell your kidney on the black market to pay those ridiculous toy flipper prices.  Trust me, I've considered the organ trade many times before.

    The sale is going down tomorrow, July 17th, starting at 9am Hong Kong time and lasting for 24 hours only at http://www.bambalandstore.com.

"The Art of Toys" Exhibition at the Museum of Art and History Opens This Weekend

    I love museums.  There is very little I'd rather do then spend the day exploring a museum I've never been to.  The great thing about living in New Jersey is that I'm close to Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. so my wife and I have been able to check out places regularly that many people center entire vacations around.  The bad thing about living where we do is that we're gonna completely miss what promises to be an awesome exhibition in California opening at the end of this week.

   The Art of Toys focuses on those folks on the West coast who have been instrumental in shaping what we know as the world of designer toys.  Curated by Julie B. of Pretty in Plastic and Heidi Johnson of Hijinx PR, this is going to be like visiting the toy store of your dreams.  It's taking place at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, California and proceeds from the show will fund art programs throughout the city.  Plus there are pinball machines you can play and limited edition stuff you can buy.  More details can be had by clicking here.  

    Check out the list of artists that will be participating:  

Attaboy, Anthony Ausgang, Gary Baseman, Beast Brothers, BIGFOOT, Dave Bondi, Ryan (RYCA) Callanan, Brian Castleforte, Buff Monster, Luke Chueh, Bob Dob, FERG, Paul Frank, David Flores, Dan Goodsell, Gary Ham, Nathan Hamill, Dave Horvath (Uglydoll), Jay222, Eric Joyner, Kano, Frank Kozik, Kozyndan, Mike Leavitt, Joe Ledbetter, Simone Legno (TokiDoki), Aaron "Woes" Martin (Angry Woebots), Elizabeth McGrath, Tony Millionaire, Junko Mizuno, Kathie Olivas, Nathan Ota, Brandt Peters, Dave Pressler, Mark Ryden, Greg (CRAOLA) Simkins, Sket One, Skinner, Jeff Soto, Bwana Spoons, Scott Tolleson, Mark Dean Veca, Yoskay Yamamoto, and many more.

Seen at SDCC: Star Wars Episode VII Behind the Scenes Trailer

    December can't come fast enough.  

Not at Comic Con? Neither is Skinner and He Has New Stuff For You

    I know what you've been doing.  You've been looking at all your social media sites, living vicariously through everyone you know that's going broke in San Diego.  I've caught myself doing it too; being transfixed by all the toys you wish you could buy but instead were bought by jerks looking to flip em on eBay and make some money off of your hopes and dreams.  I get it, because as I sit 3,000 miles away from comic con, I'm wishing for nothing more than to stand in line for hours on end and for sweaty people to constantly brush up against me and transfer their inhuman funk to my person.  See what we're missing out on?

   Skinner isn't at comic con either and is instead having his own party on his website starting today at noon pacific.  He's gonna have t-shirts and prints and lord knows what else, but for me the highlight of the whole shindig is this massive Abominox figure.

    This will easily make you forget all about not being in California, meeting celebrities and whatnot. Plus, you can't go to comic con in your underwear (well, technically you can if you're dressed as some recognizable character) but Skinner doesn't care if you're stark naked when you buy this dude.  In fact, I think he prefers it.  

     This chilly looking giant bro is limited to only 20 pieces and will be $150 each when they go on sale at the previously mentioned time today.  And if you're wondering just how big they are, here is a life-sized Skinner barely able to hold two of them up.  

Freakin huge.

www.theartofskinner.com

My Top Ten Favorite SDCC Exclusive Thingys

    Yeah, sure, that's a tad bit dramatic, but seeing everyone's pictures from San Diego Comic Con makes me REEEEEEAAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYY wish I was there.  Thankfully New York Comic Con is coming up soon or else I would be losing it for real.  In the spirit of my depression let's take a look at my top 10 favorite exclusive things that are available to convention goers as we speak.  

    Despite our best efforts, Sharon and I still have space left on our walls at home.  We've determined that we hang our pictures "salon style" which they used to do back in the day, and it is a much better term than "a visual representation of mental illness style", which we had been using prior.  These three prints from Kidrobot and artists Brandt Peters, Frank Kozik, and Scott Tolleson would indeed take a place or prominence amongst our collection.  Pick em up during each artist's signings at Kidrobot's booth #5645.  

     That beauty to the right is the comic con exclusive Berry Chocolate Lady Dunny from Junko Mizuno x Kidrobot.  What words could I use to express my desire to have one?  Just look at it.  

    Thakfully, Frank Kozik's ice cream dude Jerome is merely debuting at comic con and will make its way online at some point afterwards from Rotofugi x Squibbles Ink, otherwise I might have had to hire myself a toy mule to procure one.  If you're there, get one at booth # 5248.  If you're not, practice the difficult art of being patient.  Trust me, I need all the practice I can get.  

    Shub Zeroth Misfortune Bags courtesy of Metacrypt and Brian Ewing's booth # 4503 should be on everyone's must-have lists.  Not only do you get a sweet sofubi monster toy, you get a bag to carry it in.  That's a convention blessing.  

    Super7 is straight killing it this year with their Skeletor's Lair pop up shop located in their San Diego retail store.  You can't go wrong with nostalgia presented in a fresh way, like this Chia Pet Moss Man.  Genius!  

    A soft vinyl Skeletor collaboration with Gargamel?  Sign me up, son.  I can't wait to see painted and marbled versions of this, which are gonna blow my mind/bank account wide open.  

     You know its true love when you find an amazing toy at a bargain of a price and that's exactly what Headspace from Luke Chueh and Munky King is.  And the best part is that there will be some available on their website at a later date, so stay the hell away from eBay cause all hope is not lost.  

    JJ Abrams did such a good job with the new Star Trek movies that I'm confident Star Wars is gonna be awesome.  I'm so confident, I would totally by this Black Series Storm Trooper without thinking twice.  

    I'll be more than happy to welcome this 20 inch hologram Darth Vader into my life.  

    Anything from Weta Workshop.  Seriously, have you seen pictures of their booth?  It's an event by itself.  Everything they do make me weep tears of joy.  

Available Now: New Lamorrttt! One-Offs from Naomi Knaff

    Does it ever weird you out that we're still discovering new species of animals?  You would think by now that all the drones and Google whatever technology would have scoured every inch of the Earth and documented everything in brilliant high definition by now.  Even though cameras are always there if a celebrity has her naughty bits exposed, there are creatures that have made a career out of hiding and waiting to be stumbled upon.  And it's not always bacteria either; we're talking full blown mammals just chillin in a tree, eating fruit and not concerned about a damn thing.  The world is strange.

    So it's entirely plausible, nay, probable, that something like the critters that Naomi Knaff comes up with are just hanging out under a rock, waiting to take a selfie with you.  Her work is straight out of a technicolor Lovecraftian nightmare and I love it.  If you want to own some of it for yourself she has just loaded up her online store with some one-offs of her Lamorrttt! figure.  Check em out and all of her other wares over at http://www.naomiknaff.com. 

Metacrypt's Shub Zeroth Misfortune Bags for SDCC

    I could use a good bag.  I've always got papers laying around and I find myself looking for something to put them in.  It used to be my important documents wok, until one of my cats peed in it and made doing my taxes that year really awkward for my accountant lady. Now it just consists of a plastic Wal-Mart bag that once held my Cap'n Crunch, then I toss it down the steps of my basement and forget where I put everything.  You think being so self aware of my problem that I could put a stop to it, maybe even develop a system to put away those papers I didn't really know what to do with, like the deed to the house and my medical bills that I can't seem to throw out or pay either.  But I say nay,  my "pack things in bags and throw them down the basement steps" filing method is still very valid because I still have a lot of basement left.  Maybe the real problem is I don't really have a nice enough bag for my important papers that would elevate them to a more, dare I say, important status.

    Problem solved!!!  The folks at Metacrypt are releasing a killer Misfortune Bag at San Diego Comic Con filled with all kinds of goodness.  And this ain't no brown paper lunch sack either suckas, it's a full on canvas bag featuring that graphic you see above there, which is perfect for all those birthday cards your mee maw and paw paw send you.  But gaze inside and things get even better, as each bag contains a  random big ol Shub Zeroth figure and two companion dudes and other goodness that's a surprise.  The bags are limited and at $150 are probably cheaper than a cab ride to the show.  Or not, I've never even been to California so who am I to riff on the particulars of public transit.

 
     Ok, I know not all of us are the most adventurous of folks and like to pick the exact figures we want.  Some people would say that's the sign of being a control freak, but hey, I'm not here to judge you to your face.  Artist Candie Bolton did five Blacklight Rainbow version of Shub, each being $130, or snag yourself one of the most amazing marbled versions for only $100.  Marbled Japanese vinyl is THE BEST.  Seriously, it's like something only rich people should be able to have, but there it is, available to us all.  It's a gift.  Random Drudes for $20 each will also be available,  ready and willing to worship your entire toy collection.

    Plus...oh yeah, there's a plus....there will be t-shirts and patches and lots of other stuff.  And I'm told there will be Brian Ewing, being that this is all at his booth and stuff, and he's half of the Metacrypt team (the other half being Rocket Society/Hateball, FYI).  It's all happening at booth # 4503.  

Frank Kozik x Rotofugi x Squibbles Ink Exclusive "Jerome" for SDCC

    I'm probably going to get hit for telling this story, but it makes me laugh every time I think of it, so a black eye might be worth it.  Don't say I've never bled for my art.

    We live a short drive from Wildwood, NJ , which is somewhat akin to purgatory by the sea.  See, people with kids a who are really afraid of germs go to Ocean City, while those of us that like to people watch and aren't concerned about catching a criminal record go to Wildwood.  Obviously the wife and I gravitate towards the latter, so every summer we get excited to almost get run over by the tram car and watch silly tourists have their food stolen by seagulls the size of golden retrievers.  Once while walking down the boardwalk my wife grabs me by the arm and has a concerned look plastered across her face.  I thought maybe she lost her wallet, or left her phone in the car, but I never could have expected what she told me:

"My mole fell off."

    After taking a moment to process what I just heard, she showed me a mark on her shoulder that had once housed the now absconded mole.  Evidently the strap of her purse had acted like a makeshift saw, cutting that sucker at the root and separating it from the rest of her body.  I knew I couldn't miss an opportunity this, as how many times will skin imperfections find themselves flying off my wife's epidermis?  I told her that I saw something drop from her shoulder but just thought it was a piece of lint from her tank top and it landed in a woman's ice cream as she passed by us.  

   The look on her face was a mix of horror and hilarity as I tried my best to convince her that some stranger was ingesting and oddly shaped and textured sprinkle even as we spoke.  I even pointed out the lady that was turning into an unwilling canibal courtesy of her frozen treat.  "I wonder if she's going to wake up tomorrow with a craving she can't explain to ingest every blemish she see." Sharon wasn't buying it and I ended up with a bruised arm for nothing but even now it still makes me laugh.  

    I don't think there are any moles hidden in Jerome's swirly little head, but he does like to smoke so you may find a stray ash or two.  Frank Kozik's ice cream bro will be making his debut at San Diego Comic Con courtesy of the folks that produced him, Rotofugi and Squibbles Ink.  But fear not those of you who crave nicotine-addicted dairy products, for there will be an online release to follow shortly after for those of us not at the convention.    

    

Enter Skeletor's Lair at Super7 San Diego During SDCC

    Is Super7 going for some Guniness World Record to have the most San Diego Comic Con Exclusives ever?  Not only have they loaded up their booth inside the convention, but they're utilizing their retail space in the city for a whole different event entirely.  Skeletor's Lair is taking over their store with the best Masters of the Universe exclusives you've ever laid eyes on.  But you can't just walk up to the door and be let in, that would be too easy.  You gotta score yourself one of these special tokens from either Super7's booth #4945 or Mattel's #3029 for admission.  Once inside you're gonna probably loose your mind and need medical attention after seeing what's available to purchase.  Here's part one of my rundown for you.  

    You could buy all of these M.U.S.C.L.E. inspired figures and because they're so small, convince yourself that you need way more stuff.  And then you'll get back to your hotel room, open em all up and have a ton of toys to spread out on the bed and roll around on like Scrooge McDuck.  Not that that's exactly what I do after a long day of shopping at a convention and after I confiscate my wife's phone to ensure there is no photographic evidence of it.  

    You wanna get fancier with your He-Man collection?  Then you're gonna need these exclusive resin He-Man and Skeletor resin figures from Amanda Visell.  Both were hand cast and painted and are extremely limited/more awesome than anything you currently own.  

                                         

    Let me tell you something.  If you wanna know what's something people are going to be nuts for during and well after the conventions, it's these four figures you see here.  Super7 not only caused a frenzy with their Alien prototype set, but they created a whole new series of action figures that are available just about everywhere.  If you're a collector that is also interested in watching a toy's value grow, these are a no brainer.

    How has this never existed before?  Whoever made this happen is a genius and I want one pretty badly.  This official Moss Man Chia pet is limited to one per person, but I would need two of them because you can't not grow the thing.  But then it would kill me that I didn't have one mint in the box because yeah, I'm kinda weird like that.  Now I have a headache.  

    You know what makes these test shot figures great?  The shear size of them.  I'd fill my house with giant sized Skeleton figures no problem, which may be why I have to take medication to be a functioning part of society.  

"Cosmic Beast" Manotaur from Rampage Toys x Imps and Monsters

    Whatchu know about a Manotaur?  That dude's head is straight on fire!!!  How nuts is that?  Maybe not as nuts as your Uncle Carl, who truth be told no human being should ever be left alone with, but pretty nuts regardless.  Could you ever have a bad hair day is your hair was one big flame?  It would constantly change so before you could even think to get upset it would be different.  Problems like this are why I don't get anything done.

    Rampage Toys and Imps and Monsters are proud to present to you this insanely awesome Cosmic Beast Manotaur.  Only 10 of them were made and they are available right now by visiting http://www.impsandmonsters.com.

Exclusive Germ S005 [ROACH] from Ferg x Rotofugi for SDCC

    I used to sell home security systems in Philadelphia.  Unfortunately to do that, you have to actually go into people's homes, which can be more of an adventure than you ever bargained for.  Now don't get me wrong, I am a sucker for a good estate sale, but those people are dead and someone at least put a little bit of effort into making the house more presentable and less of a death trap.  I'm talking literal death, not that figural nonsense either.

    My salesman days involved entering a lot of homes but one I will never forget, mostly because I wake up at least once a month in terror from the nightmares it still induces.   My boss was with me for this appointment and when we walked in he just looked at me like this was gonna be a bad one.  We sit down on the couch and the entire time we're talking it sounds like the drywall is gonna get up and walk right out.   Then we started to see them on the floor, these brazen little critters that couldn't have been less afraid of two dumb human beings.  We were both ready to get out of there and thankfully the customer balked at the price so we took that opening, said our goodbyes, and itched for weeks afterwards.  

   I've been lucky enough to not encounter another roach infestation in my life, but I'd be willing to fill my house with these instead.  Ferg is dropping these exclusive Germ S005 [ROACH] dudes through the Rotofugi/Squibbles Ink booth at San Diego Comic Con.  There are only 100 of these available at $150 each.  Read up on www.rotofugi.com for the pertinent details so you don't miss out.  

Sextopigon "Dark Void" Edition from Skinner x Unbox Industries Releases Today!!!!

    Stare, stare into the appropriately titled "Dark Void" edition of the mighty Sextopigon.  His skin is the night sky, his blood the fading light of long dead suns.  Will he foretell your future?  Will he be the last thing you see before your death?  Will I continue to be so dramatic?  Who can say for sure, but you can get one of your own soul priests from Skinner and Unbox Industries when they go on sale today at http://store.unboxindustries.info.  The time of your demise is set at 22:00 BST.    

SDCC Exclusive Snybora from Chris Ryniak x Squibbles Ink x Rotofugi

    Doesn't this dude look like he wants to strike up a conversation with you?  Like at any moment he will start waxing poetic about how this season of True Detective is way better than the first one because the dialogue, while still seemingly written by someone on mushrooms, has the benefit of not having to be delivered by that stoner in the Lincoln commercials (he's not up on famous Hollywood actors).  Oh, and he absolutely has a British accent, as he was Oxford educated, but doesn't like to talk about it to avoid being labeled a snob.  

    Chris Ryniak's Snybora is going all exclusive for San Diego Comic Con in this sweet green paint scheme.  This pretty little lizard man bro will be available at Rotofugi and Squibbles Ink's booth #5248 for $35 each.  Buy me one and I'll let you decide where he's gonna live in my house.  You have no idea what a big step that is for me and my OCD.

Exclusive "Glow In The Dark" Lavabear from Nathan Hamill x 3DRetro for SDCC

    I've often wondered what it is my cats are up to at night while my wife and I are attempting to sleep.  I say "attempting" because we are usually woken up every hour by one of them needing attention, or so catastrophic noise from another part of the house.  They are so loud that if someone broke in they would probably get half of our stuff out the door before I realized it wasn't just another kitten stampede.  I'm gonna be heated if I wake up and I can't watch Wendy Williams talk smack on people while I eat my cereal!

    One of the things I've wondered is how they react to the shear amount of toys in the house at night, especially the glow in the dark ones.  It's gotta be kinda freaky to be walking along, doing your cat thing, while all these little plastic figures are glowing all around you.  Maybe they think they're witches and are performing elaborate, albeit, noisy rituals to stop them from casting spells.  Or maybe they just don't give a crap one way or the other and are just having fun being as destructive in the dark as they can be.  It's probably that last one.

   Nathan Hamill and 3DRetro are bringing an exclusive Lavabear to San Diego Comic Con that will glow in the dark and may or may not interest your cat.  The cool thing about this is that it doesn't have that sickly white coloring that most toys do that glow in the dark, so it looks just as nice in the daytime as it does while you're stumbling around with a baseball bat at 3am to protect your television from what may or may not be a prowler.  Only 75 were made and Nathan will be around to sign them on Saturday, July 11th from 2:30pm-4pm at the 3DRetro booth.  

Amanda Louise Spayd's "Belfry" Debut Release This Friday

    Did you know the Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest zoo in America?  You can stick that factoid under your hat and use it the next time you're on Jeopardy.  Just don't forget me when you win that cash.  I'll take my cut before taxes, thank you very much.

   The point I was attempting to make about the zoo is that my wife's favorite part is the right by the front gate with the fruit bats.  These things are huge, like Chihuahuas with wings, and they're beyond fascinating to watch.   I like watching them eat, and listening to kids that come by when one of the bats has flipped right side up to relieve himself.  Actually, anytime an animal at the zoo is using the restroom or trying to have relations with his cage mate and there are kids nearby you'll hear the most hilarious stuff.  One time we were there and the giant tortoises were feeling rather amorous and this little girl, who couldn't have been more than 6, yells out to them 'slow it down turtles".  Her father was trying so hard not to laugh in front of her horrified mother, so I'd like to feel my laughter made up for it.

    Ok, enough zoo talk cause now I wanna go.  Let's get back to what is pictured above there, which just happens to be Amanda Louise Spayd's latest resin creation "Belfry".  This little resin bat is so cute I could spit!  He's making his debut tomorrow (Friday the 2nd) at 2pm eastern time only at http://mandilouise.blogspot.com/.

Metallica's Kirk Hammet Bringing Exclusive Toys to SDCC

   

     Kirk Hammet is living the life you wish you had. He's the lead guitarist in the biggest metal band in the world, he surrounds himself with every iconic horror movie prop he can get his hands on, and...and...what other proof do you need?  Oh, he has his own horror convention and his own toy company, which will feature some exclusive releases at San Diego Comic Con.  Not only will you get a sweet figure out of the deal, but buying one of them will give you the opportunity to meet the man himself.  If you're real nice he may help you figure out why you just can't quite nail the opening to "Master of Puppets."  But probably not, though.  

    Take a look at this graphic for more info on the people he's sharing a booth with including Nuclear Blast Records, Stern Pinball, and JSR Merchandising.  I want those Metallica and WWE pinball machines.  And that GWAR shirt.  And the toys.  I just want everything!

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