Special Halloween Price Discount for MechaZombies

For the month of September thru October 31st, 2011 - TOYSREVIL Celebrates Halloween and the price for a MechaZombie will be discounted from US$80 to US$60 per! Available at this price only during this time - grab yours now HERE!

Bronze Sqube Teaser by Ferg for Playge

Bronze Squbes from Playge. What? You need more info that the coolness you see here? Sized 4"x4"x4" and 2"x2"x2" (half the size of regular Squbes) there are possibly (but not confirmed) to retail at US$150 per. Yep, that's all I got, and of course the above-left TOYSREVIL-exclusive snap!

Space Uamou: ToyShrine Edition Mini Vinyl Uamous by Doc18 x Ayako Takagi

A special ToyShrine edition of Mini Vinyl Uamous were created to celebrate the v1.1 release of the ToyShrine iOS app - with 3 variants available: "18", "HEART" and "FACE". Priced at US$36.49 available via http://shop.doc18.com - they will be on-sale Saturday September 10th (Time TBA).


Made in Japan, hand decorated by Ayako Takagi and customized with clear space helmets by Raymond Kan aka doc18 - these are indeed quite darling, aren't they?

WHAT-IS: ToyShrine app features a selection of my toy photos and illustrated fortune cookies from 64Colors, Delme, Jonathan Edwards, Nerderella, Olive47, Peskimo, Squink!, TADO, Uamou & Veggiesomething, formatted just for your iPhone/iPod Touch screens. [Previously blogged]

Custom-Feature: Hannibal - Jumping Brain by Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica for Toy Art Gallery

"Our take on one of the best suspense/thriller movie of all time performed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, who plays "Hannibal" on the movies "Silence of the Lambs" and the sequel "Hannibal" :) one of the most memorable scene on the "Hannibal" movie was when Anthony Hopkins was cooking and eating Ray Liota's brain (man that was yucky lol)" ~shares Spencer Ong of Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica for their custom Jumping Brain - incorporated alongside their Celsius-figure - made for the Custom Jumping Brain Show @ TAG launching this September 16, 2011. Tasty, indeed!

Circus Posterus + Steve Brown Gallery at Dragon*Con 2011

EVENT-PRESS: Circus Posterus, the art collective led by Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters, will be exhibiting at Dragon*Con 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, from September 2nd through 5th. In attendance from the CP collective will be Brandt Peters, Kathie Olivas, Chris Ryniak, and Amanda Spayd. Also in attendance will be Steve Brown of the Steve Brown Gallery and Shinbone Creative. Circus Posterus will be at Booth BT07/BT08.

Releases will include:

- Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters - Clear Violet Jack & Lucky Sets, Plasma Elizabeth, Lucky Skulls, Honey Lucky Skull keychains
- Travis Louie - Postcard Set (Vol III)
- Chris Ryniak - Green Crumbeaters, Green Bubbleguts, custom Snybora and Muscamoot figures
- Amanda Louise Spayd - Medic plush figures
- Steve Brown Gallery - Artist Edition Yo-Yos #11 and #12 featuring art by Brandt Peters & Kathie Olivas (Edition of 40 per design)

PRESS-CONTINUED: In addition, both Circus Posterus and the individual artists in attendance will have books, prints, original drawings and sketches, and more...including hand-painted sake sets and rare production figures!

A Steampunk Perspective Submission: Steampunk O'Clock by Roberto "Jobbe" Saragnese

Customizer: Roberto"Jobbe"Saragnese
Facebook: <-Jobbe toys custom->
Name of Custom: Steampunk O'Clock
Original Toy: Munny DIY

New Shawnimals Plush: Fröst Ninja

Scheduled to be on sale on Wednesday September 7th at 1pm CDT is the latest Shawminals plush: Fröst Ninja! Priced at US$30 you will receive a 7" x 7" plush ninja (limited to 100 pieces), signed and numbered hang tag, a character sticker and button each, and a "Toasty-warm Gort headdress"! = Buy via shop.shawnimals.com

PRESS: If Sprout Ninja acts as a foresty, Mother Earth-type for the world of Ninjatown, Fröst Ninja is the guardian and founder of all things chilly. See those snow-capped peaks atop the Feroshi Mountains? How about the cold winds blowing down from the hills across Soy Bay? Yep, totally Fröst Ninja.

Custom-Feature: War Machine Dunny by Mone Art Design & Custom

War Machine Dunny from Mone Art Design&Custom is the BOSS, and you can check out his WIPs on his Facebook album. That is all there needs to be said about this swell-custom!

Vinyl Thoughts Art Show @ The Quixotic World, Dallas (Sept 15)

The "Vinyl Thoughts Art Show launches on Thursday September 15th @ The Quixotic World, 2824 Main, and features 25 x artists from Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and Oklahoma City "displaying and selling almost every vinyl blank you can imagine." -We've previously featured the TIE Fighter Labbit from Manly Art HERE for the show, so you can expect loads of coolness to be on show, methinks!

Curated by Shelby Miller - you can check out more details about the event on their Facebook Event Page and/or dedicated website at www.vinylthoughtsartshow.com.

Kaiju Negora Artwork and Hyber Hobby Mail Order Exclusive

Two items featuring Kaiju Negora that is a MUST HAVE for fish-catching-kitty fans are the above paintwork by Japanese artist Konatsu (for Toy Karma 3 at Rotofugi), and the below Max Toy Co x Konatsu special Hyper Hobby magazine Japan-release available via mail order only (September issue). It's okay to tear folks, I already did…

Project Squadt: NOZZEL S00? [NKD] GID + QPMNT PAC 4 from Ferg

NOZZEL S00? [NKD] GID from Project Squadt will see a 48hour open order period from Monday September 5th noon central @ http://store.projectsquadt.com. 50% of those orders will include QPMNT PAC 4 as a bonus (pictures of NOZZEL kitted-out with the goods shown below) and 15% will receive BLUE GID Nozzel and include QPMNT PAC 4 as a bonus. Glorious, I must say.


NKD NOZZEL: 6" GID vinyl -Includes 3 sets of eye lenses, 2.0 arms (not shown here), union suit with not so hidden tanto knife and as always a removable helmet. While the Qpmnt Pac 4 includes two ski masks (one for Nozzel and one for Jack) sMac 10, Playge gLogo shirt, 2.0 arms, and a Duffel Bag.

David Horvath's 36" Artist Qee - Bossy Bear

PRODUCT-PRESS: Presenting David Horvath's 36 Inch Bossy Bear Qee as the next design in the 36" Artist Qee Collection.

Bossy Bear has done just about everything and starting from his original 4" vinyl figure form to his 12" scale to evolving in the Monster Bossy Bear series, BB now becomes a giant in his own right!

Limited to only 36 pieces worldwide, this will be the Bossy Bear for any hard core collector. With an SRP of $2800.00 - will this iconic Bossy Bear demands a home...will it be yours?

Joining Emilo Garcia and Jason Freeny in the 36" Collection, prepare for more news as we add David Horvath to the huge lineup!

Happy Panda Toys Open Up Shop In Las Vegas

EVENT-PRESS: Happy Panda Toys is proud to announce that we are opening the first vinyl toy brick and mortar in Las Vegas!

Happy Panda Toys is a small operation with big aspirations. We started our website three years ago with three goals in mind. The first: to bring forth fresh new platforms for up and coming, as well as, established artists to put their stamp on. The second: to provide the highest quality customer service, and experience. The third: to use the profits generated towards opening the first Designer Toy brick and mortar shop in Las Vegas. We are thrilled to have finally found a home-- at the Arts Factory. This space will not only be a shop but a conduit for new artists to get their work and name out. We look forward to joining the growing Las Vegas art community. Stop by and say hello on Thursday September 1st.

Happy Panda Toys

107 E. Charleston Blvd

Suite 105A

Las Vegas, NV 89104
Choose Happy!

GWAR'S Second Annual CRACK-A-THON & Art Show @ MF Gallery, Sept 2nd & 3rd 2011

EVENT-PRESS: For the Second Annual "Crack-A-Thon"  GWAR's frontman Oderus Urungus presents "Spoken Turd": an evening of comedy, gore, music and assorted madness at MF Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. He may or may not be joined by Special Guests such as last years co-host Balsac, homeless animal rights activist Chippy the Chip-o-pottamus, renegade cyborg Mecronos, psychotic succubi Nekrotika, and more. 

In addition to the Crack-a-Thon, MF Gallery will be hosting a GWAR Art Show, featuring prints, drawings, paintings and more original artwork by Dave Brockie and other GWAR artists. All of the art is available for viewing and purchasing online at: www.mfgallery.net.

The Crack-a-Thon will be held at the MF Gallery, in Brooklyn, New York, on September 2nd and 3rd. There will be two performances per night, at 8 and 11, and tickets are available at www.mfgallery.net/CRACK11/CRACK11.htm for $20 (seated) and $15 (standing). All four performances will also be streamed live on the inter-web at GWAR.net.

Toy Break Episode 181: Teabag Thor

Want to know why episode #181 of Toy Break is titled "Teabag Thor"? Click 'play' to watch the nearly 52-minute ep, which also includes JellyMussel and Mugo.

Pinning Down the 80s

The notion of "badges" turned up today. Today they are know as "pins"or "buttons", but back in the day, they were fashion statements known to adorn stone-wash denim jackets, sling bags and even hand-held (file) folders. Yes, I liked me sum badges!



A whole lot of badges I remember bore big bold text on them, via the advent of big text on plain white tees, ala WHAM! and one of the key culprits in the day: Frankie Goes To Hollywood, whose "RELAX" and "WAR" words became quite a fashion movement by itself.

Slogans aside, other images on badges most predominantly include images of music bands, with a whole lot of them being promo items tagged to music magazines. Generic imagery include the old favorites "Peace"-sign and "Smiling Face" (years later seeing it again on the promos for The Watchmen, both comicbook and the movie was somewhat more exciting than I ever gave credit for :p), both of which no doubt were a hold-over from previous decade.

And while my file-holder "showcased" more of magazine cuttings and stickers - blame "Smash Hits", "No.1" and as well Japanese music rags that featured "Checkers" and androgynous men in frills and multi-colored tunics - all romantic-synthwave et al! Tis harder to attach pins unto files, okay!

And you would need clusters of pins together, to make that look work. I never had collected a lot, and my jacket was never did rocked that look (until years later in the 90s, when I realized by then it was too late a fashion statement to be made).


These days, tis less fashionable and more "statement" to be made, as the collection of pins (which grew smaller, by the way) reflected the personality of the wearer - quite the obscure notion, and no doubt effective for certain demographics. Wearing a pin was like a similar notion to wearing a tee with big text (that does not spell the "brand" instead of a slogan), but less pervasive and instead something you had to get up close to be able to read, and maybe even appreciate what it read.


Shown above are a small selection of pins from overseas artists which I blogged about, and have gifted me. The promotional notion is cool, as are the advent of self-promotional imagery shown on the pins. These days, we embrace more illustrations and show our allegiance to the art / artworks / artists with wearing them. The name "badges" seem so apt now. But yes, we know them more as "pins" and "buttons" now (no doubt because of the small button-like size lol).


Whatever little collection I had has been chucked away foolishly, like most of my 80s, but I regained a slice of the "past" recently, when badges of my blog-icon were made for a show launch, in Bandung Indonesia! And now I am aching to have more badges made, but of course I know it is an indulgence in my past, as well a handy promotional tool that folks are used to now.

NOTE: This article was first published back in March 2011 on my Flashback80s-retro blog, and I have since added new pics of pins here!