Tiruru

I wrote about Pocl a while back and I figured it was time I mentioned his buddy, Tiruru. Designed by Kaijin, this little winged rabbit creature is the other inhabitant of the Mysterious Island Jambara.

Cy-Kill

I love Gobots, they will forever be one of my favorite toy lines. Transformers are great, sure, but nothing will ever have the same awkward charm and clunky design as these guys. Whenever I go to toy shows or comic shops, I pass right by the G1 Autobots & Decepticons and go digging in the bins looking for random Gobots and other Machine Robo knockoffs.

Pocl!

Without a doubt one of my favorite vinyl toys, Pocl is part of the Mysterious Island Jambara series from toy designer Kaijin. It's actually a pretty small line, the only other inhabitant is the rabbit-like creature known as Tiruru. Both toys have great sculpts and gorgeous colors, but my devotion lies with this chubby little critter.

Milton on the go!

One of my favorite toys from Super7 is Milton, the adorable yet ghoulish little ice cream monster designed by Brian Flynn. Lately he's been accompanying me as I wander the city, and I've been documenting his adventures. You can check out the full set on my Flickr page, which will be updated every now and then as I find new places to take pictures of the little guy.

The Rochester Toy Show

A few months ago Alicia and I ventured out to Rochester to check out a vintage toy show at the Village Gate. It was surreal to see countless tables filled with random action figures and collectibles from the 80's and 90's...if I had been able to attend an event like this when I was still in college I would have gone completely bankrupt buying a ridiculous amount of G1 Transformers and McFarlane toys. Since I've had to reign in my compulsive toy collecting in recent years, I managed to just enjoy the opportunity to see so many of these rare and unusual pop culture relics in person.

This event was actually closer to a flea market than a traditional toy show, which meant that the prices were really great but the presentation was a little...rough. Most vendors had toys that were packaged in ziplock bags with prices written in sharpie, then piled into cardboard boxes in front their setup. A selection of eye catching pieces would adorn the surface of their tables, but to see the majority of their goods you'd have to get down and start rummaging through the unorganized clutter. I could very happily do that for hours, at every single table...the only reason I didn't was because I was limiting myself to just a few purchases, and I knew that if I started digging I'd probably find a bunch of stuff that would be hard to say no to.

I did find a few gems that day, all of which were great deals that also fit nicely with my current shelf setup. As soon as we walked through the doors, I saw this guy at the very first table.

Dunnys - The Gateway Toy

These little guys were actually my first introduction to the world of "vinyl toys." I first noticed them in a few of the art magazines I used to read, but they never truly caught my attention until I got a look at them in person. Several years ago, a local toy boutique opened up on a nearby street and I finally had a chance to learn a bit more about his whole "art toy" scene that everyone was so excited about. Stepping through the doors, I was instantly exposed to a whole new world of collecting. It was all so foreign at the time, I was completely unfamiliar with just about everything around me. A glass display case in the center of the shop housed a wide array of larger vinyl pieces from designers like Pete Fowler, Buff Monster, Junko Mizuno, and Frank Kozik. The surrounding walls had shelves filled with various blind box series, everything from Qees to Ci-Boys and of course, Dunnys.

Lorbo!

I've been a fan of Jim Woodring for years, ever since I picked up an issue of "Frank" at the local comic shop. I must have been around 13 at the time, I remember getting an issue of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and the latest issue of The Maxx, possibly Cerebus as well. The owner of the shop remarked to me that I had good taste, which for a 13 year old nerd was incredibly gratifying to hear. Anyway, over the years I continued to pick up more work from Woodring, including several graphic novels (which I read countless times), a t-shirt (that I wore until the print was cracked and faded), and even a used CD that had one of his original illustrations on the cover. The actual music was pretty mediocre, but for a couple of bucks I was happy to have another odd little collectible.

Woodring has actually designed quite a few toys, based on both his established characters, like Frank & Pupshaw, as well as a whole assortment of unique creatures made exclusively as vinyl collectibles. They are all awesome, but my favorite has to be Lorbo.