Paul Frank x Play Imaginative

    Fact:  monkeys are hilarious.  There is very little about a monkey that is not funny.  Throwing poop = funny.  Wearing clothes = funny.  Any form of monkey stuff = funny.  Of course I have plenty of monkey stories, but some aren't fit to print because the monkeys did such shameful things that they can't be told without a serious disclaimer.  They were still funny, but not until I was well out of range of whatever horrible thing it was they were doing.  

    One time the wife and I were spending the day wandering the Philadelphia Zoo when we made our way to the gorilla enclosure.  They have a very spacious outside as well as an indoor dwelling that is larger than any house I will ever own.  While inside we were watching this gorilla poking himself in the butt with a stick and laughing about how this couldn't possibly get any better when up walks an Amish family.  The gorilla all of a sudden drops his stick and walks up to the glass and examines them like they're the first people he's ever noticed.  It was really weird and it made me wonder if zoo animals get just as excited for seeing different types of people that they've never seen before.  Like, in the gorilla's mind was he thinking "Holy crap it's Amish people.  I've never actually seen them in person."    It would probably blow his monkey mind if conjoined twins paid him a visit.  

    So the moral of the story is we all love monkeys.  Paul Frank knows this and has created quite a good living based on it.  Play Imaginative also knows this and that's why they have teamed up to make monkey toys.  They will have vinyl ones that you see way up top there before I went an rambled on.  And they will have ones on their Trexi platform as you can see at the bottom.  My favorite is the Evel Knievel one on the right.  Just because.  

New Releases from Outsmart Originals

    Outsmart Originals releases new shirts faster than this humble one man show can keep up with them.  So what I've done is compiled all of the new shirts that I missed here together for you so that you can stop buying your shirts at the Goodwill and pretending like someone didn't die in them.  

    First up are two designs from Frank Mysterio.  You like wrasslin?  You like Aztec gods turned into street artists?  Then you better get on these.  

    Next we have this one from DGPH.  That little dude is called Ultra Mole and I think he's gonna kick the crap outta that cyclops.  If there's anything I've learned in life it's that you can't trust somebody with one eye and horns.  Always leads to disaster.  

    And finally we have this Tusken Raider/Raiders of the Lost Ark mash up from Scott Kinnebrew.  This idol is a lot better than that piece of crap Indiana Jones almost got killed for.  Cause not only does it appeal to collectors of artifacts, but it appeals to Star Wars fans, who would probably pay more than any museum would for it.  But then again, Star Wars hadn't been created yet in the time period that Indian Jones takes place, so I guess the guy was just working with what he had.  Still, he could have retired if he found one of these in the package and in mint condition.  

A Clockwork Carrot by Frank Kozik x Blackbook Toy

    Well this has certainly escalated quickly.  It was only a few weeks ago that we saw this guy sculpted in clay and then wax as they prepared to make the molds for him.  Now we see his first incarnation in vinyl.  This was posted on Facebook by Blackbook Toys who are working with Frank Kozik to bring this A Clockwork Orange obsessed rabbit to life.  This is only a test pull to see how it would look once manufactured, and I'm hoping that the final release will be in full color.  There's too much personality in this toy to leave him monotone.  I have a feeling we'll get a glimpse of the finished product very soon.  

Tilt Warning Custom's Kickstarter

    These guys may have the coolest job ever.  They make custom pinball machines!  If I had a ton of money I would totally have them make one with all the famous cats of the internet.  Keyboard Cat, Grumpy Cat, Lil Bub, all the big celebrity felines.  It would quite possibly be the dumbest thing in the world, but it would be hilarious.  And no, you can't play it.

    In all seriousness I love pinball.  One of the few things I like about living near the Jersey Shore is going to Wildwood and playing in the arcades.  That, and my collection of Senior Week booty shorts that I get every year.  I've said too much.

    But no really, in all seriousness, Tilt Warning Customs need your help to fund an awesome Kickstarter campaign they have going.  They have lined up artists Jeremy Fish, Frank Kozik, Coop, Sam Flores, and Alex Pardee to each create a custom pinball machine to be part of an art show.  It's crazy, functional art that will be mind blowing.  Your sponsorship of the project will reward you with everything from t-shirts from the artist of your choice all the way up to actual backglass featured in the machines that come framed and lit up.  You can support this very unique project by clicking here.  

Super Fun Time Review: Sea-Borgs from Monster Pants

    This is Ophelia.  Ophelia is laying in the bed that I paid a lot of money for and she claimed the moment we brought it home.  She won't let any of the other cats sleep on it and she wakes us up constantly throughout the night in an attempt to make us leave too.  It's a king size bed that according to her only has room for one 13 pound feline.  She has now taken this approach to our toys as well.  As soon as I opened a box I received from Monster Pants containing these Sea-Borg resin figures she claimed each one for herself and they have now become part of her hoarded objects.  I was able to catch a rare glimpse of them as she was creating a pretty involved story line that involved murder, love, and betrayal.  Basically, she was just reenacting what she sees on Sons of Anarchy.

    James Felix McKenney created the Sea-Borgs from scratch.  Usually he can be found making pretty insane movies, but the lure of having complete control over something you create was too much to pass up.  His buddy the Sucklord taught him some secrets and the rest is action figure history.

    What I like about these guys is that they are something I would have gone crazy for as a kid.  I would have harassed my mom for an eternity to buy me these things and then I would have gone outside and played with them in the first puddle I could find.  And it's not that I would be ashamed to be in my thirties and outside playing with toys.  It's that I don't want to share!  Get your own Sea-Borgs by going to http://www.monsterpants.net/.

Cyborg Labbit from Frank Kozik x Chuckboy x Kidrobot

      I was in a state of mild depression when the original version of this was released at last year's San Diego Comic Con and then every jerk bag in the world posted them on eBay for a gazillion dollars.  I figured this was just something I would never own and I had to come to terms with it.  But then I went to Toy Fair and saw this guy and the dark cloud of despair was lifted from my life.  That was also around the same time they upped my meds, so it's hard to tell which event had a more profound effect.

    Behold the Nemesis Edition of the popular Cyborg Labbit from Frank Kozik and Chuckboy.  This 7 inch bunny with a cyber smoking problem is coming out on March 14th from the folks at Kidrobot.  They made 1000 of them and they will cost $60.  

Custom Toy of the Week: Scott Kinnebrew x Tenacious Toys

    Are you sad cause football season is over and now your Sundays are filled with yard work and emptiness?  Fear not, cause now you have a new purpose on Sundays!  Tenacious Toys is continuing their Super Series Sunday toy releases with "Our Lady of Immaculate Rebellion by Scott Kinnebrew.  he made 15 of these Princess Leia/Virgin Mary mash-ups and each 5 inch figure come blind bagged for $30 each.  What color will you get?  I dunno, I'm not psychic and if I was I would charge you $5 a minute to tell you.  Supernatural powers don't come cheap ya know.  Get one this Sunday at 3pm Eastern time by going here.