New Homie

After writing my previous Homies post, I did save up two whole quarters and then jammed them into the local vending machine hoping for Willie G. But my hopes were quickly dashed...(besides, he is from an older series that wouldn't likely be in a machine today). Instead I received this guy:

...I am sad to report I did not feel compelled to buy anymore. What is going on with his face? It seems like the production value of this one was a bit on the low side. My old school Homies don't have this kind of paint bleeding into weird places.

Thumbs down on Monkeyin' Around

I have talked about good capsule toys, maybe a little about fair capsule toys, but here is a big, stinky pile of thumbs down...

The "Monkeyin' Around" series should be fabulously fun. Full of tiny little monkeys acting silly. But instead they are messy, poorly executed hunks of plastic that call attention to their imperfections instead of capitalize on their potential fun. Look at the very peachy paint on the right monkey's feet and how it contrasts with the dead pasty look of all the other light colored parts. Then take a look at the horrible way the paint was applied in wrong places. Tsk, tsk.

Don't waste your quarters on these sad, sad little guys.

From Brooklyn

My friend (and intern) Emily, visited Brooklyn recently and returned with this gift for me. Check it out:

A somewhat surprising toy from a vending machine inside Kennedy Fried Chicken located at the corner of Church and Ocean Ave. (As reported by Emily)

Not only did she bring a capsule toy, but she also snapped this photo of the machine and its other delightfully violent options from the "Tuff Stuff" series.

Although I have not yet found the perfect occasion to wear my shiny new gun necklace, I am in awe of Emily's thoughtful gesture. She has set the bar high...now I expect more fan submissions! So get to it!

Giant capsules in Spain

My last post featured a kinder egg I bought while in Spain. Well that wasn't the only capsule toy I purchased there. For one Euro I was able to turn the knob on this machine:

So what do you get for one Euro? I got a little telephone that was fun, but not enticing enough for me to tear it open then and there. I packed the giant capsule into my suitcase (it was about the size of a softball). I didn't actually open it until I got home.

Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the toy had a little black wheel on the side used to advance a slide show of Viewmaster-like coolness. A parade of unrelated animals scrolls by as you peek through the hole on the back of the phone. Among the animals are a pair of giraffes, goldfish, squirrel, camel, and tiger.

All in all, worth one Euro.