Toys for Change

A new day.

2011-04-27T20:42:00.000-04:00

After a lot of thought, I have decided to stop buying new toys. It is a decision that makes me simultaneously happy and sad.

I will miss the excitement of twisting the capsule toy knob and the thrill of the claw machine hunt. But, I am growing increasingly concerned about the damage these pursuits do to the planet. Particularly the plastic bits.

So, I will continue to collect toys by buying second-hand, but nothing new. I already have noticed that I appreciate my collection more because it is now very finite.

I am trying not to think about all the Futurama figures I want (thank goodness I already have a Bender!), the dunny's I will never open and the Japanese toys I don't even know about yet.

My plan is to keep the blog going with posts about toys in my collection I haven't talked about yet, and add new content as I discover new, old treasures at garage sales, antique stores, and Goodwills.

Wish me luck.

Marshall

2011-04-08T11:03:00.001-04:00

This marshmallow fellow is adorable. It is a shame that he is so unhappy! He is part of a series by Squibbles Ink and Rotofugi, designed by 64 Colors. So, if none of that meant anything to you, I will explain! The toy was designed by 64 Colors (designer) and then produced by Squibbles Ink (toy manufacturer) for sale at Rotofugi (a designer toy shop in Chicago).

These toys are sold in blind boxes. The one I have is called, "You Don't Love Me." I am very grateful to my friend Daniel for picking him up for me! I am looking forward to buying another and hope that I end up with "Sleeping" next.

I checked out Rotofugi's site and learned that they sometimes sell toasted Marshalls which is absolutely adorable.

I also must admit that I can't look at these marshmallows without thinking about a little toy from my childhood that I wish I still had. A Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man pencil sharpener.

I carried that thing around everywhere! And, I always agreed with Ray's decision to think of him. I mean, c'mon, how could you be afraid of a marshmallow man?

Numb Skullz: Part 2

2011-04-02T10:57:00.001-04:00

Many months ago, a blog reader in Florida sent me some info about these little guys and I have been seeking them out in Indy ever since. (If you missed that post, you can check it out here.)

I love them as much as I had hoped I would. Though, I was a little disappointed to see that they are a little rough around the edges. Not so cleanly pulled from their molds.

However, something I couldn't have seen in photos is how carefully balanced they are on those two tiny feet. Quite amazing for having such giant heads!

I will definitely be buying more of these (at the Meijer in Avon if you are looking locally)!

Pokemon: Azurill

2011-03-25T13:46:00.001-04:00

I am mesmerized by Pokemon. There are SO many of them and they are all SO cute! And they are pocket monsters, so there really isn't anything not to love about them.

In a typical shopping trip, we swing through the toys and I ogle a bunch of Pokemon but I almost never buy them. Why? Anyone who has seen my office collection of Hot Wheels knows why. (I may have a little problem with keeping quantity under control.)

Anyway, I fell in love with this guy and after putting him back, John bought him for me.

According to the package, he is 8' (or .2 m) tall and weighs 4.4 lbs (2 kg). If you would like to know more than you could ever imagine about this little guy, you can read all about his abilities, stats and evolution.

I am sure this is not the last Pokemon to find it's way home with me...

Domo Update: Set Complete!

2011-03-20T14:46:00.000-04:00

Finally! After many attempts, I have finally collected a complete set of these guys. The final hold out was the Domo I wanted most...dino Domo.

Many thanks to John for all the quarters he contributed to my goal!

Cupcakes!

2011-02-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

These tiny treasures were a surprise gift from my sister. They are little pots of sweet-smelling lip gloss in addition to being tiny cupcakes.

I have an obsession with cupcakes, especially those from The Flying Cupcake, and everyone who knows me knows that I go to great lengths to try the latest and greatest sweets.

So, many thanks to my sister for the adorable minis! In general, I am excited to see that there are so many tiny capsule-toy inspired products out there right now...erasers, toys, cosmetics. Everyone is jumping on board. I can't wait to see what's next!

Despicable Me: Minion!

2011-02-19T15:50:00.000-05:00

This plushie Minion is a recent claw victory for me, one that I am ecstatic about. I have tried winning one of these a handful of times in a variety of different claw machines.

Finally, after seeing Tron at the Trader's Point AMC theater, I jammed a dollar into the machine and expertly plucked this guy out of there. I spent the rest of the afternoon grinning like an idiot. (Or at least the car ride home.)

By the way, if you haven't seen Despicable Me, do it! It is a great story with some really fun characters.

Domo!

2011-02-05T23:07:00.001-05:00

Buy online at Gumballs.com

On a trip to Meijer (in Avon) a couple of Saturdays ago, my husband and I did a double take as we walked through the entry and saw these guys. It has been a long time since I have been so giddy about a new capsule toy.

They are well made and super fun, because Domo rocks! If you aren't familiar with the Japanese phenomenon, check him out. He is a Japanese TV mascot who has gained an international fan base. He loves outfits, especially at Halloween and can do anything he puts his mind to.

You can create your own Domo animations, express your love for him by wearing this hoodie or follow him on Twitter. I'm telling you...he's amazing!

I have a lot of these capsule toys, thanks to the generosity of my husband who procured a fist full of quarters during our grocery trip. But I have not yet gotten the one I want most...can you guess which one it is?

Why I am jealous of Bryan Hladek.

2011-01-31T08:32:00.002-05:00

You've already seen the photo, so you should know why! When I met Bryan last summer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he told me that the Hot Wheels designers sometimes use his name when creating graphic elements on the cars and I have been on the hunt for one ever since.

So, finally! I found one! And it is a funny car!! (If you weren't already aware, funny cars are my absolute favorite type of Hot Wheels, thus all the exclamation points.)

I am quite excited to add it to my growing collection. And, if his job ever opens up, someone at Hot Wheels, please call me!!

Ocean In My Pocket

2011-01-23T21:30:00.005-05:00

This series is part of an even bigger series of In My Pocket toys that typically come in sets of 3. In Indy, you can find them in the same aisle as the Polly Pocket toys (of course).

I fell in love with them during a Saturday morning grocery run, and later found a bunch of them in my Christmas stocking. In the process of searching online to write this post, I realized there are about a hundred I don't have, including families of crabs and octopus. NEED!

My favorite of the batch I received is Smithers the crab. I love crabs and as soon as I get my new office in order, I am hoping to have an aquarium with a real-live crab. Until then, I am happy to have Smithers to get me through.

Ben 10 Figure: Four Arms

2011-01-10T21:25:00.005-05:00

I have had this figure for quite a while. He's just been sitting around, waiting for me to blog about him. He popped out of a capsule machine at a CiCi's Pizza on the east side of Indianapolis.

It was a 25 cent machine that was filled with random stuff. I love those! When I got this toy, I had no idea what he was and I got a tip from my husband that it was a Ben 10 character.

After a little web research, I thought he was Manny Armstrong, a plumber and half human, half tetramand. But, upon closer inspection, it turns out he is Four Arms, a full-on tetramand. I have always admired the Ben 10 stuff in the toy aisle at Target, but never knew much about it. A quick read of the synopsis leads me to believe it is complicated, and maybe a little bit like Battlestar Galactica. Though, even as I type that, I know that I am very likely to be corrected by actual fans of both shows. :)

Want to buy a mountain of Ben 10 capsule toys? You can do it at gumball.com. Congrats to them for landing an awesome domain name! Jealous!

More Vintage 80's Plastic Charms

2010-11-21T08:41:00.009-05:00

It's funny, my 2008 post about vintage 80's plastic charms still gets new comments. People are always out searching for them and trying to either re-capture a happy childhood memory or pass the eighties icons on to their own children. I am in the former camp.

This year at the covered bridge festival in Parke County, Indiana I found an antique dealer (I know...it hurts) who had a big pile of these bell charms. I had to pay $2 a piece for these! So, I had to be discriminating in my choices. Here's what I picked up:

Dinosaur charm with articulated legs

Unusual purple fish and yellow skeleton charm

Red and yellow iron charm

Red ray gun charm

Old-fashioned telephone charm

So, have you found any treasures lately?

3 Capsule Toys to Love

2010-10-31T14:26:00.009-04:00

Super Mario Enemy Collection

A little hard to get, as they are out of stock at my favorite online retailer: Play-Asia.com, but worth searching for!

Pokemon 2010

Pocket monsters are the best! These Bandai toys are perfect for collecting because they can be strung together to create a big monster party in your pocket.

Strange Collection

I have never seen these before my online research today, and I am not sure how much I would love them in person, but I look forward to finding out! BuyRiteVending.com will sell you 400 for $60!

UrbanZeez

2010-10-12T21:00:00.004-04:00

A close cousin of the BlockHeadz, UrbanZeez are the rough, tough street version. They are meaner and much more likely to be graffiti-inspired than the easy-going BlockHeadz.

I wrote a much earlier blog posts about the BlockHeadz, though I spelled the name wrong the first time. I gave them mixed reviews, but I am much happier with this UrbanZeez toy. Why? First, I love the blue color and the all-black paint job. I also love the design. AND, if that wasn't enough, I only paid 25 cents for this guy from a random capsule machine. It was filled with all sorts of things and I was lucky enough to get this little guy.

If you are interested in buying 250 of them, gumballs.com will hook you up for only $49.95. Maybe you will even end up with the allegedly rare glow-in-the-dark versions!

Numb Skullz

2010-09-18T17:27:00.004-04:00

This is an exciting event! My first fan-submitted post! Many thanks to Max in Miami for the wonderful find, Numb Skullz.

He came across my Bok Choy Boy post and made the visual connection between those toys and their more opaque cousins. I am a big fan of skull imagery in general, so I was naturally delighted to discover these. Obviously the same mold for these bodies, but the bolder colors and high-contrast paint jobs make these guys stand out.

I don't yet have any Numb Skullz, and it doesn't look like my chances of finding them online are very good. I did a bit of searching and couldn't come up with any sources. I am pretty sure these are made by A&A Global Industries, but there are none to be found on their website.

So, if you are in Indy and see these out and about, please share the location of your treasure!

Microsaurs

2010-08-29T09:37:00.005-04:00

It seems like "goofy" is the primary category of toys I am collecting these days. Microsaurs fit well into this category. They are baby dinosaurs with exaggerated proportions to up the cute factor.

I got this handful at my local Meijer store. You can still get them there (as of yesterday). My favorite is the orange one, which I assume is a pterodactyl. His slightly cross-eyed stare makes him all the more silly.

While these toys are popped cleanly from their molds, I am not sure the wall-eyed stares are purposeful, but rather just poor paint application. Not too bad, though. Here is your online source to buy in bulk, this time from gumballs.com.

California Raisins

2010-08-09T22:40:00.003-04:00

A real California Raisin? Not sure about that. I plucked this one from a claw machine in an IGA in Rockville, Indiana. It was one of the easiest toys I've ever won from a claw machine, though not one I am most excited about.

I know he is a raisin, but did he have to be SO lumpy?

I have had a soft spot for the California Raisins since I was a kid due to the series of toys Hardees produced in the eighties. Every week my parents would take us to buy a giant chocolate chip cookie and get the new toy. In the first series there were four. My favorite was the saxophone player. There were other series, but none as awesome as the originals.

I am sure that Marvin Gaye must have been a least a little irritated about the fact that I (and I assume others) now associate "I Heard It Through the Grape Vine," with singing raisins. Or maybe he just cashed the checks. I hope the latter.

Mini Malz - Collect All 96!

2010-06-29T21:35:00.006-04:00

Yep, you read it right. All 96. These adorable little guys are a set of 12 in 8 color combos, so the result is nearly $50 worth of capsule toys. I have managed to collect 7 with one duplicate, so I suppose I am off to a good start.

Unlike some previous capsule toys, I have found Mini Malz readily available for sale in bulk online. So, I could get 250 of them for a mere $56!

What I like most about these toys is the range of freaked out expressions. Each one looks like he spent his rent money gambling, got fired today, thinks you're about to break up with him, etc. My favorite is the penguin who definitely did something wrong today. This weird paint trend is enough to keep me coming back for more! If you are in Indy, I have seen these at Meijer stores. Let me know if anyone out there finds a raccoon!

Poo for You

2010-06-20T21:32:00.003-04:00

This post is dedicated to my hubby, who appreciates a good laugh when poop is involved. I found this video while browsing online in search for my latest blog topic. I couldn't figure out who made the toy or what it was called, so I embarked on a poopy online journey and discovered a plethora of poop paraphernalia. For example:

Discover the Top 10 Poop-Related Kid Products of All Time
Read about Taiwan's Toilet Restaurant
Vomit after reading nearly anything on SmellyPoop.com

After a little more research, I think I can confidently say the video features Unchicchi toys by Yujin. I couldn't find them for sale online, but I did find this super-kawaii substitute. Enjoy.

Hot Wheels Twin Mill at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

2010-05-28T21:54:00.006-04:00

There is only one word needed to describe my recent experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week....AMAZING! The Hot Wheels team had a booth at this year's Community Day event gearing up for the Indianapolis 500. If you live under a rock and are not aware, the Indy 500 is an IndyCar race preceded by nearly a month of fanfare that includes a parade, a half-marathon and many days of practicing, qualifying and other events.

I was fortunate enough to spend my Wednesday afternoon with two expert Hot Wheels fans (who are also lucky enough to be employees), Chris Bouman and Bryan Hladek. They led me on a tour of dioramas filled with recent series and filled me in on the back story behind three 1:1 scale Hot Wheels. As I approached the tent, taking site of the 1:1 Twin Mill made my heart skip a beat. Check out my photos from the event tent.

This full size mechanical monster was the first life-size car to be built based on a Hot Wheels design. The original design was created in 1968 by Ira Gilford. It has 2 Hemis people. Two. 1400 horsepower. And it is fully operational. Are you drooling yet? If not, you should be. If your interest is piqued, you can check out the full story on hotwheelscollectors.com.

I also got to see some of the toys that are currently in circulation or coming soon. I am most excited about new releases from the Garage series. Particularly Larry's Garage, though I must give props to Phil as he brought us the 1970 Chevelle SS which I so desperately covet in its 1:1 form.

I also checked out the new IZOD IndyCar series, and scored a brand new Mike Conway diecast with special Dad's Root Beer racing deco designed by Hot Wheels.

That brings my total number of new hot wheels this week to 4. Still two days left in the week! :)

Victory Over the Claw: Superman Plush

2010-05-23T20:18:00.005-04:00

When it comes to claw machines, sometimes I play to win something great and sometimes I just play to win. This Superman plush toy is a result of the latter.

I think he cost me a buck, so I can't complain too much, but I wish he were more like the Luchador Homer I tried in vain to win in a grocery store claw machine.

That said, I had a great time grabbing Superman up and watching as he came nearer to the finish line, finally dropping into the prize bin. I scooped him up in my moment of victory and almost immediately thought, "Now what I am going to do with this?!?"

You can see that he is allegedly licensed, but that doesn't help his quality score. His pose in the photo is not clever photography on my part, but instead the weird way his limbs happen to be stitched. I am most amused by his awkwardly out of place six pack.

So, only one question remains...does he look more like Christopher Reeve or Dean Cain?

M.U.S.C.L.E. Men

2010-05-16T19:51:00.007-04:00

Maybe you don't know them by name, but if you were a kid in the eighties, you would probably recognize them by sight. I came across these in a grab bag of toys I bought at a yard sale for $1. I would have gladly paid the dollar for just these guys (and maybe even more than that!) but I was lucky and got a whole big bunch of eighties goodness. I'll be rolling out the highlights here over the next week or so.

First up are the M.U.S.C.L.E. Men. Capsule toys from the eighties that, with a little help from my husband, were identified as being descendants from the Japanese anime/ manga Ultimate Muscle (known in Japan as Kinnikuman). Wondering what M.U.S.C.L.E. stands for? Why, it is Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere, of course.

For more info about individual toys, check out a complete Muscle Men catalog created by another devoted fan.

And, if you need further memory jogging, enjoy this vintage advertisement featuring our forgotten friends.

Futurama Mini Figures by Kid Robot

2010-05-09T19:34:00.003-04:00

So, these Futurama toys aren't new, but this one is relatively new to me. I tore open my blind box to reveal Morbo, an angry alien with a TV news anchor gig. He was accompanied by a tiny tube of Dr. FlimFlam's Miracle Cream. (It, unfortunately, did not leave me with any super-human abilities.)

In addition to loving Futurama, I love these toys! Brought to you by Kid Robot, they are a blind box series that includes a variety of series favorites...Bender, Nibbler and Lrrr are some of my favorites. They are stylized and exaggerated but detailed where it counts. As is often the case, the human figures aren't as well done (in my own opinion) as the robots and other creatures. I wish Fry and Lela would have looked more like nendoroids, but that's just me.

Overall, a blind box is well worth the $8.95. If you are in Indianapolis, try finding one at Luna Music on College Ave.

Hooker Headers and Mooneyes

2010-03-28T10:40:00.005-04:00

I wrote a post last year about a Mooneyes Hot Wheel that made my day. In February, I went to the World of Wheels car show as a Valentine's date and bought these guys which made me squeal with delight when I discovered them.

My Hot Wheels (and Matchbox) collections have an ever-evolving set of criteria. At first I collected only muscle cars, then I added anything with moving parts. Recently I began collecting cars with creature-inspired details. And what category do these 2 fall into? Decals! Cool decals are the most recent addition to my collection criteria. If the list keep changing, I might have to write a handbook just to keep track of it all!

These are especially good Hot Wheels, not only because of their decal goodness, but also because of their die-cast status. There is too much plastic used in Hot Wheel manufacturing these days. If I can find one with a metal base, I am typically a pretty happy camper. And, seeing as how I specifically begged for a Hooker Header car in my last Mooneyes blog, I can't help but love these finds.

Seedlings

2010-02-07T09:48:00.005-05:00

This is the first appearance of candy on my my blog. I have written about a couple of gashapon that are accompanied by candy, but not the treat itself.

Today's post is focused on candy because I have become inexplicably obsessed with these lovely candy lumps called, "Seedlings." They are fruit-flavored gumballs that have an interesting, maybe even disturbing texture.

I picked up a grape and a lemon at my favorite local Mexican place (La Hacienda) and I can't stop rubbing my fingers over that bumpy lemon. Needless to say, no one will be chewing that piece of gum. But now that I have it, I have no idea what to do with it. I am tempted, however, to buy a big pile of them to keep on my desk at work. Just look at them! A feast for the eyes, hands, and mouth!

I also have considered using these to recreate the tiny fruit tree seen in a Futurama episode. If I actually do it, I will post a photo. I also think that Donald Lipski should consider building a sculpture out of these. Please, Mr. Lipski?

Bok Choy Boy

2010-01-03T12:54:00.005-05:00

Can you believe this toy is really called "Bok Choy Boy"? Please don't miss the subtitle: "From the Forbidden City."

Talk about not being PC! These little guys are cute, dense pieces of plastic with stylized features and symbols on their heads that represent elements like fire, sun, water, etc. and their colors coordinate with their elemental designation. An interesting and mildly offensive blend of asian stereotypes, and an unexpected capsule toy find.

Despite their questionable taste, I have quite a few of these, actually. I bought a couple and snapped this photo as a result of my disbelief that they exist under such a name. I have also found these guys in my Christmas stocking and get them at family gatherings from my parents who tend to pick up these and other capsule toys for me these days.

Having been to the Forbidden City, it is possible to purchase something such as this there, but I wonder how many people really know about the Forbidden City and how much of its popularity in the US is due to its cool name and distant location. If you find yourself lacking enough knowledge about it, please read up. It's something you should know about.

AND, knowing there had to be some amazing Bok Choy Boy stuff on the internet, a simple search yielded this YouTube treasure that is so uncomfortable to watch. Boy bands, bad music and ethnic stereotypes = I could only take 34 seconds before hitting pause and copying the embed code.

Poogie!

2009-12-27T11:15:00.005-05:00

I had never heard of Poogie before I met this little guy. I received this vinyl version in my Christmas stocking and then went looking for more info about him.

It turns out that Poogie is a recurring pet pig in the Capcom game Monster Hunter. I have never played Monster Hunter, but I knew about it because of some amazing Pinky Street figures that came out in January of 2008 featuring costumes from the game.

Anyway, this little piggie is the Naked Emperor version of this vinyl series. You can find them for sale online in a blind box format.

Thanks to my fabulous hubby for an adorable stocking stuffer!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-04T21:26:00.004-05:00

It has been so long since I posted something! Too long. Perhaps I can make a New Year's Resolution to blog more!

I thought something seasonal might be appropriate. I plucked this Santa alien from a wild card machine a while back. Not the greatest toy ever, but its nonsensical subject matter made me giggle, at least for a moment.

I wonder what's inside that present of his....

Cutie Monsters Creator Discovered!

2009-09-18T21:54:00.004-04:00

I am so surprised by this recent find. I sometimes go hunting the internet for new leads on the Amusement Factory, the company that produces, but does not seem to distribute online, some of my favorite capsule toys.

See Alien Invasion, Barnyard Buddies and Cutie Monsters posts.

And tonight I was on that same mission and discovered this post by Mel Nerrel announcing the creation of the fabulous and adorable Cutie Monsters.

Congratulations, Mel and thank you for sharing them with us!!

FREE TOYS!

2009-07-27T21:09:00.003-04:00

Okay, so maybe it isn't entirely free, but...if you buy something on YESASIA right now, you can twist a virtual knob to get a free Japanese capsule toy.

My favs are Uchi no 3 Shimai and ISHInoMORI. So, don't miss out! So buy yourself an amazing nendoroid and get a cutie pie free toy. Life doesn't get much better than that...at least not life you can buy on the internet!

Cracker Jack Prizes

2009-07-05T20:49:00.007-04:00

Remember when the prize inside a Cracker Jack box used to be amazing? I remember pulling that foil wrapped chewy brick out of the box and tearing in to find the prize...on occasion, the Cracker Jacks might have been fresh and not stuck together in one large mass, but usually the prize could easily be pried away from the gooey crunchy kernels.

I had little plastic trinkets, magic motion fun cards and other types of tiny treasures. Recently I opened a bag of Cracker Jacks, not even a box, and was momentarily delighted to find the prize. No longer is it a little paper envelope, but rather a perforated, little package, similar to past pay stubs or unemployment checks. Not cool. And here is what it was filled with....

Does anyone else want to start a petition to bring back cool Cracker Jack prizes?

Barnyard Buddies Collector Needs a Pig!

2009-06-06T19:05:00.002-04:00

I wrote a post months ago about the Barnyard Buddies, and it has been a popular one since so many people seem to agree these are great toys.

I am contacted from time to time by toy collectors who need help tracking down an elusive toy, and have recently had such a request about this series.

So, does anyone out there have a pig? If you do, I know a collector who needs one! If you have one and are willing to sell/ trade for it, please post a comment with your email address.

Dr. Slump

2009-05-31T19:14:00.007-04:00

The month of May nearly slipped by without a single post from me! How did you all survive?!?

So here is a short one, more of a cry for help than actual information. I bought this figure at a local Japanese market called Sakura Mart. I go there from time to time to stock up on tea, cookies and whatever plastic goodness I can get my hands on.

I had to do a lot of searching online to discover that this figure is from a series of Dr. Slump toys. Dr. Slump is, of course, a manga turned anime series with fabulous merchandise like the gashapon you see here.

I found some info on Wikipedia, but if you know me, you know I hate taking Wikipedia's word for it. I found some fan sites (which I guess is the same thing as a Wikipedia article) and a plot summary on Amazon.com.

All in all it seems like a fun, light-hearted series, but I must admit to buying this toy purely because I wanted the cutie-pie pink, animal-suited figure on the box. I didn't get that, obviously, but I enjoyed this Giant Robo meets Astro Boy character.

Any Dr. Slump fans out there who want to educate me?

What's so funny?

2009-04-19T19:21:00.004-04:00

I have been buying more Hot Wheels than capsule toys lately, mostly because I can more easily find new ones. And I love cars, so there's that.

I especially love funny cars. My Hot Wheels collecting niche is models with movable parts. Hoods that open, parts that come off (purposely or not), and funny cars. They are the best because the whole body lifts up revealing the chassis below. And even this pint size version conjures up the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. Mmmmm.

Drag racing is also amazing, and if you have never experienced it, I highly recommend it. If you are a local, the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) sponsors national Dragster Challenges and you can see one at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 25th.

And if you have never seen a funny car in action, here is a little treat from me to you:

John Force is my favorite drag racer. I had the pleasure of meeting him once, and he is the nicest guy, and seems to love his job. And why shouldn't he?!?

Funky Monkey

2009-04-11T19:45:00.007-04:00

This toy is one that I expertly plucked from a claw machine during an awesome lunch with John at a Chinese Buffet. We had a great time, and on the way out I gleefully jammed my money into the claw machine (as I am prone to do).

I find that I (almost) never want what's in there, I just can't suppress the urge to conquer the machine.

So, this time I won on my second try. I used to be much more skilled and could win multiple toys in one sitting...but now I am out of practice.

I can, however, still tell within one twist of the joystick if the machine is worth playing or not. You've got all kinds of claws...the metal ones are always better than plastic ones. The other two major factors are how loose the prongs of the claw are as well as how tightly the claw will close.

If you can get an acceptably tight claw with a pretty small gap between its closed pinchers...then you can win nearly anything if you persevere. There are also some claw machine subtleties like the circular twisting of some claws as they move down toward the toys. Some are set to be so sensitive that the moment they make contact with the goodies they shoot back up again. These machines aren't worth your time!

Sort of like this toy I won! It is so poorly made! Look at him...he is really quite pitiful. All lop-sided and has no neck, just head and body. His white stitches show through his fur and he has little holes all over him indicating the poor quality of his scratchy, furry fabric.

I did laugh at the "Kuddle Me Toys" tag, though...I told John that it seemed like a Krusty the Clown product...something that should be filled with cheap toxicity...interestingly it probably is!

If you want some more claw machine-playing tips...there are many YouTube videos out there. Here is one, from a guy who could no doubt kick my ass at toy-grabbin'.

Under the Sea: On Top of Your Pencil

2009-04-05T20:38:00.004-04:00

I was on a roll there for a while, posting every Sunday, but I let two slip by! So, here I am, back again, this time with a charming anecdote.

These toys were in my Christmas stocking and come with a funny story.

I had stopped in a Dollar Tree next to a now defunct Target on Indy's south side. I know this location was a possible capsule source so I stop in now and then to buy a few. This is the place where I got saddled with those awful monkeys.

Anyway, when I got inside I saw the machine with these squishy little guys. They have holes in the bottom, I assume for a pencil, maybe it is just a manufacturing necessity, but I am officially attributing it to function.

Excitedly I put a quarter in and turned the crank,...nothing. Another quarter,...nothing. In disgust, I left, cursing whomever left the machine in such disrepair.

Then, on Christmas morning, I relayed this story to my parents who had thought to buy these for me...turns out they were the ones who busted the machine. Seems like there is a larger life lesson in there somewhere.

I generally like these toys a lot, and have some others that seem to be from a more "forest-friend" kind of series...more on that later.

MOONEYES!

2009-03-15T16:16:00.006-04:00

I am especially excited about this toy. I found it during a recent Mighty Mugg hunt. (A successful one, resulting in 2 new Transformers MMs!)

John and I picked through the selection of Hot Wheels, a typical activity, and I was delighted and surprised to come across this MOON modified little guy...

This car is one with solid Hot Wheels pedigree...a modified version of the regular repeater, Sooo Fast. But that is not what makes it so good, it is the MOON modified goodness.

I love MOONEYES! When I was a kid, my dad used to rebuild old cars, resulting in lots of car shows, drive-ins, and weekend swap meets that I would go to and we would pick through piles of old parts, customized car stuff and decals. As a kid, decals were an easy way for me to participate, resulting in a souped-up sticker collection that I wish I still had. Anyway, MOONEYES always make me think of peeking under the hood of flame-covered hot rods and curvy, sexy muscle cars with Del Shannon and the Beach Boys going in the background. (If you've got a problem with the Beach Boys, I can live with it...if you knock Del Shannon, it's on like Donkey Kong.)

So, of course I bought this car to revel in my lost youth. I now am crossing my fingers and holding my breath that I will someday find a Hot Wheel covered in a Hookers Headers decal. -sigh-

Pink Panther from the Burger King

2009-03-08T17:05:00.005-04:00

On a particularly crappy day, John and I had lunch at a Burger King. To justify this action to myself, I ordered a kid's meal in the hopes that the child-sized portions would make up for my dietary indiscretion.

I didn't realize, at first, that this would provide me with some toy blog material. But, alas! I ended up with this:

Not the world's greatest toy, but an interesting one. It is the Pink Panther PDA! When you pop up the pink panther screen stickers fly out of the back. I was delighted by this sticker-dispensing action. Otherwise, I think it is pretty lame. I would have been happier with the Karate Chop Pink Panther, which I saw a little kid playing with.

I was amazed, though, that little kids know enough about PDA's to play with this appropriately. And the implication is that they might actually covet such a device. I can't imagine being 8 and longing for a PDA (or actually having one!). But I guess there must be some Alex P. Keatons out there who are soooooo happy about this toy.

Capsules in space...cyberspace, that is.

2009-03-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

Here are some great capsule toy links, and a promise that I will get out there and buy some new things to blog about!!

Plastic Bamboo: Sunday Snapshot: Gashapon - an awesome image of capsule machines in Japan. (Thanks to John for this link)

Capsuled Secrets - A fanlisting for capsule toy addicts. My membership is pending.

Pyschedelic Life - A blog post about a capsule toy capsule toy. (Doesn't make sense? Read the post!)

Here are some Super Mario Soundrops, which I absolutely want!

Ninjas!

2009-02-15T21:13:00.007-05:00

I've covered many types of toys in my writing for this blog. And while I have occasionally revealed bulk toy buys, I've never really talked about the need for quantity, for quantity's sake. Giant sums of the same toy. Usually bulk buying is something done in order to secure the elusive pig, monster, pokemon or whatever thing you can't seem to get with quarters and mindless cranking of that vending machine handle.

But sometimes it is the sweetness of quantity that make some toys great. These ninjas are such a toy.

This one was plucked from a machine at Fry's Electronics. Not during the visit of record, but a subsequent trip.

These little guys are perfect for a giant collection. Why? It is tough to describe completely.

They come in all those colors, have such subtle variations and are just made for grabbing in handfuls. Not to mention they are ninjas!! Shouldn't pass over that point. My boyfriend, John, has quite the stash of these little guys, or some quite similar ones. (Just one of many testaments to his great taste.)

These ninjas are a perennial favorite, too. They fade for a while, becoming almost impossible to find until one day they bounce back into a capsule machine. So it is fun to have the on-again, off-again obsession with them. You should try it.

Miss Piggy Nostalgia

2009-01-31T16:22:00.008-05:00

I have had this toy a couple of times in my life. I first acquired it at the age of 7, when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. I think it was likely 2nd grade. It was a McDonald's Happy Meal Toy. Not a particularly awesome or special one, but I loved it because it was a car (and girls rarely got those as toys in my family) and Miss Piggy comes out of the car. (People who know me well know I will break a toy trying to discover if it "comes apart.")

I hung on to this toy for a long while. I remember sneaking it to school in my book bag, despite it being against the teacher's and my parents' rules. I would keep it in my pocket and push her along the edge of those long porcelain water fountains old schools had. I have a great, albeit isolated, memory of that. But somewhere along the way I lost it...after I grew too old to care about her.

Anyway, over the summer, John and I visited the Covered Bridge Festival in...Mansfield, I think. And I found this at one of the few stalls that had cool trinkets and antiques. I maybe paid a few dollars for it, but I am quite happy to have this hold-over from my childhood.

Baby Piggy is part of a series of Happy Meal toys featuring the Muppet Babies, a good-ole 80s classic. Here is a taste of eighties goodness for ya'....

That song is so awesome...it reminds me of Del Shannon and Sha-na-na...yeah!

Aliens: A New Batch

2009-01-18T20:06:00.011-05:00

I wrote one of my first posts about a couple of awesome toys from a series called, Alien Invasion. In researching their origins online, it was impossible to figure out who manufactured them, partially due to the high number of alien capsule toys. I saw about a dozen types of alien toys in that search and I have finally acquired some from my field research.

These guys came from the trip to Fry's Electronics I mentioned a couple weeks ago. They certainly are a curiosity. Why would aliens want to bulk up? They have translucent green bodies, have mastered space travel and can zoom around the universe, though they choose to pump some iron? Is this subtle fitness propaganda for kids? Even if it is, I suppose there are worse things. It appears that this alien race from "Planet-X" is in to gymnastics, maybe karate and lots of other exercise. You can buy a bucketful of them on several sites such as A&A Global Industries.

These toys are in the $.25 category, and that makes them fun crank out of the machine. Especially at a place like Fry's where you can find toys that cost $1 or more in other machines. I am always excited by anything marginally good in the "bubblegum level" (the $.25 machines). These toys are better than many in that category. My favorite thing about them is the pained facial expression...do they hate exercise? Are they lifting 250 lbs? Are they horrified that we're watching them? Or maybe, in their alien community, that expression means, "We love a good workout!" Whatever...I dig it.

In searching for a place for you to buy these aliens online and in bulk, I found this toy that I really enjoyed and couldn't resist sharing.

Saving it for later...

2009-01-11T20:51:00.005-05:00

Today I made a stop at Sakura Mart to by some genmai-cha with my sister and I picked up this fabulous little guy.

I am a Sanrio fan typically, and I enjoy many of the characters beyond Hello Kitty. This one is My Melody. A cutie, with an adorable story and some free downloads on the Sanrio website.

I decided to save this treat for later and keep it in its fabulously Japanese wrapping. I just can't bring myself to tear open that perfect package. But when I do, I will find the perfect place for my new figure. (Maybe on my cell phone?) Coincidentally, this figure is made by Kabaya. Makers of the world's best cookie...My favorite is Saku Saku Panda, a panda face cookie coated with some strawberry flavored white chocolate. You can't get those anymore (that I know of) but you can get a delicious white and milk choclate version. I whole-heartedly recommend you buy some! And I give this My Melody a thumbs up too.

Jackpot! Capsule toys at Fry's Electronics

2009-01-04T20:18:00.007-05:00

John and I wrapped up our capsule-buying in 2008 by taking a trip up to Fry's Electronics with camera in tow. Thanks to John for this fabulous photo of the spread...

While this glittering row does contain a variety of toys between $.25 and $1.00, many of the machines are also filled with sweets...gumballs, m&m's, and the like. It is quite out of the way for us, but it was a fun day. A long, rainy drive filled with music with this row of capsule machines at the end of the journey.

We sampled a few machines (at least one in each price range). I will cover all of these acquisitions in installments, starting with this one.

For $1.00, I bought John this Pokemon. Turtwig is one of 6 figures in the "Buildable Figure Collection: Series 3." So-called, I think, because it came in 2 pieces that you must jam together in order to gaze upon its complete glory. Not exactly a garage kit, but I suppose you do get a cheap assembly thrill. These toys are made by TYC (the TOMY YUJIN Corporation). Check it out at www.gachausa.com. Series 4 is available (though not at Fry's) and Series 5 is yet to be released.

If you are a cheater, you can purchase the complete set on a variety of online toy stores. Here is one at www.tisinc99.com. Of course, you can find them on ebay, too. While I do not believe it is as much fun this way, I have ocassionally resorted to this method when collecting specific toys. Typically it is Japanese gashapon toys that drive me to this type of behavior.

VINTAGE! 80s Plastic Charms

2008-12-28T21:46:00.004-05:00

I must first admit that I cannot remember if these were capsule toys or not. It seems like they should have been, perfect in size, quality and function. But I cannot with confidence say that they were. I am sure they were toys for change though! So they count here!

I had forgotten about the plastic charms from my eighties childhood until watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the two hundredth time and noticing the pile of charms by Sloane Peterson's answering machine.

John bought me a big bunch of these for Christmas, finding them on ebay and girlprops.com. He is a sweetheart for doing some serious research.

I spent some time looking around for any actual information about these charms but found little. John managed to uncover some aliases...such as "bell charms." "80s plastic charms", "vintage 80s charms", or another combination of the words "plastic", "vintage", "charms" or "eighties" seems to do the trick. And you end up with many a blog post either wishing for the return of these childhood favorites or lamenting the loss of a particular charm.

My post is definitely intended to solicit a "wow, I remember those" response. And to rub it in that I now have a massive quantity in my possession.

Nendoroids

2008-12-16T21:38:00.007-05:00

This post isn't about a toy I bought, but instead a whole slew of toys that I desperately want. Nendoroids! These tiny cuties are Japanese toys with exaggerated proportions that make them short, round and incredibly adorable. I especially like all of the yelling and pointing that these little girls can be seen doing. (There are boys too, but I (almost) always like the girl toys better. Below is an example of a nendoroid that you can find on the website www.1999.co.jp/eng.

I am a big fan of this site. I have purchased toys here in the past, and it is quite nice that they do the currency conversion as you browse and offer a plethora of options...not such a user-friendly site, but definitely a functional one.

One of the cool things about these toys is one of the things I most love about Japanese toys (and all good toys, really). They are really well made! Fun to play with because they come with interchangeable heads, hands, and other parts that express a range of emotions and gestures.

I am in love with the super deformed (SD) style anyway and so nendoroids were made for me! (If you don't know what SD is, check it out on the Anime News Network!!)

Here is a ridiculous (but kind of fun) video that someone made about their recent nendoroid acquisitions. It is exactly what I would end up with if I tried to make a one-minute stop-motion animation video.

Cutie, cutie monsters!

2008-12-08T20:30:00.006-05:00

Well, I am just a blogging deadbeat. In my defense, I have been transitioning jobs and dealing with holiday stuff, so give me a break, will ya?!?

Now down to the serious business of my toy bloggin'. Thanks to a generous reader, I am now the proud owner of a new set of Cutie Monsters! If you will recall, I blogged about these toys being on my wish list of bulk buys back in October. I coveted them and declared they were among the best capsule toys out there. And I was right! Check them out.

Aren't they delightful? They are remarkably well molded and painted. Looking at individual pieces of the same color and style variant reveals some minor differences in paint details, but nothing like the horrible little monkeys I recently blogged about.

These toys are cute, clever and well made. If you come across them in a vending machine you should empty your pockets.

New Homie

2008-11-23T19:14:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-23T19:06:00.006-05:00

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

2008-11-17T19:30:00.006-05:00

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

2008-11-09T10:49:00.007-05:00

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.

Kinder Surprise

2008-10-29T20:26:00.008-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! No excuses, I just didn't make the time. So it means I have a backlog of ideas...I am going to start with a recent acquisition.

While traveling to Spain on a work project, I purchased a Kinder Surprise egg for John. You might recognize it from the YouTube video I shared in a previous post. These little treasures are hollow chocolate eggs with capsules inside. The toys vary widely, sometimes specific to Kinder eggs, sometimes licensed characters such as Kung Fu Panda.

From what I gather they were traditionally filled with pieces that require assembly to create the toy. Of course, kids liked to eat these parts, so today there seem to be more eggs filled with little toys. Though several countries have banned the toys. The U.S. has, of course, banned them. You can read all about it on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website. While I am not a fan of kids choking, I am also not a fan of toy banning.

Getting back to the toy...John was lucky enough to crack open his Kinder Surprise and find a fuzzy, delightful dinosaur. It is one in a dino series.

I will definitely be scouring the globe for these treasures. And I promise I will not inhale any small toys.

Buying in Bulk

2008-10-11T15:16:00.001-04:00

So what do you do when you have tried to get the perfect toy only to end up with a handful of goats and an empty coin purse? How about buying a bucket full and picking out your favs? I think it might constitute cheating in the world of capsule toys, but thanks to the internet, it is possible.

Here are some of my favorite bulk buy picks...(thanks to John for sending me some vendor links!)

Cutie Monsters - Why haven't I found these in a machine yet?!? I want 'em!

Sticky Maggots - Ewwwwwww! I can think of a hundred places to hide these at the office.

Bouncy Balls! You can get 1000 for $69!

So, when you have all the toys you wanted, what can you do with the remaining quantity? Certainly it depends on your motivation, doesn't it? Having 200 extra sticky maggots is quite different than having an extra pile of Cutie Monsters. But if you have 1000 bouncy balls you can start working on something like this...

Recent trip to NYC kidrobot

2008-10-06T18:33:00.001-04:00

First I must say that I love the Prince Street kidrobot. Being downtown always rocks, and this slick updated store is really a treat. During a recent business trip I stopped in to buy me and John some designer vinyl goodness and picked up a few things I thought I would share. Yes, all of these toys cost more than $.50, but hey, they are cool, and are all blind boxes, so suck it up and enjoy them.

First up is the Debilz series. Produced by kidrobot, designed by Mist, the series comes in a graffiti covered blind box that makes you feel good about the possibilities. I was very hopeful, but my enthusiasm was muted by the appearance of JeanClaude, the grinning venus fly trap. Not the worst toy ever, but definitely not the coolest in the series. I would certainly buy another one of these toys, but instead of JeanClaude I would hope for one of these guys:

I bought two zipits, both were adorably awesome. One for me and one for John. Also produced by kidrobot, these are designed by Kat Leuzinger. They are teeny and stylish and can be used to jazz up any zipper pull or another seemingly functional item. They were inexpensive, and that's a good thing since there are a million different variants (okay, maybe more like 35, but still that's a lot)!

The last thing I bought was a Cannibal Funfair! Mini Figure. These are designed by TADO and come in a variety of colorful animals with even more colorful stories. John was lucky enough to open up a bearhouse figure.

A visual delight, this little guy is very fun with his pencils, though his back story is a bit troubling, described in the printed material as, "BearHouse is a turmoil-ridden artist. He has 8 children all of whom are with different mothers." Overall, a big thumbs up for this series.

This just in...

2008-09-30T19:36:00.000-04:00

A weird capsule toy in a weirder package with an even weirder commercial...John sent me this link and I watched in jaw-dropped awe. You should too.

HOMIES!

2008-09-26T19:24:00.003-04:00

My first capsule toy obsession was Homies. Certainly more well known than the anonymous toys I have featured here, Homies made it out of vending machines and into stores as cars, t-shirts, bobble heads and other toys. Created by Dave Gonzales, they represent the larger-than-life characters he observed in the Mexican American barrio of Quien Sabe in Los Angeles.

I became interested in these little guys while immersed in an exhibition project called, Chicano. The show gave me a chance to learn about Mexican American culture...everything from food to La Virgen. When I discovered Homies I thought they were smart, funny and complicated. And I was right! Homies have captivated collectors and enraged police, community groups and others that claim they encourage violence and stereotypes. You can read this article that gives you an overview of the intellectual battle.

I can see how the backlash happened, but it seems more likely to me that the toys create a stylized community portrait designed by a man with a sense of humor and a love of his culture.

My favorite Homies can be seen here out in front...

...they are (from left to right in the front row) O.G. - Set 5, AWB - Set 6, Big Dopey - Set 6, Paletero - Set 6, and Clownprince - Set 5

I always wanted Willie G from Series 4, but he eluded me. I stopped obsessively buying them when the big product boom happened and they were no longer a quiet hobby I had to myself...maybe unfair to Dave Gonzales, but I liked the novelty. Having written this post, though, maybe I'll dump out the piggy bank, pull out some quarters and go looking for a Homies vending machine!

Blockheads

2008-09-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

So capsule toy collecting can't be all good all the time. Sometimes you twist the knob with hopeful enthusiasm and what comes out is a bubble filled with disappointment.

Blockheads have the capacity to be both. There are currently 3 of these toys in my household, and only one of them is truly awesome. Another series with 8 styles with color variants, so having your heart set on anything in the display is a bad idea. But how could anyone help but want solo silo (pictured on the lower left)?

Here you see the ones we have actually gotten...

...they are (left to right) jojo gusto, macho taco, and loco coco. Can you guess which one is the truly awesome one?

Alien Invasion

2008-09-21T14:18:00.000-04:00

Colorful aliens fill this vending machine...

...the series, Alien Invasion, is fun and well designed. These toys have a variety of unnamed styles and each style has color variants, so collecting them all could be quite a chore!

These two are a great pair. The one on the left seems a little more sinister with his black and red coloring than the blue and yellow variant in the vending machine display. The guy on the right is sporting a friendlier purple and orange pattern and an under bite that gives him a comedic tone.

Barnyard Buddies

2008-09-13T13:58:00.009-04:00

Barnyard Buddies is a series of farm animal capsule toys. A friend recently asked, "what makes these 'good' toys?" Well, they are well molded, the paint is in the proper places and there are no weird slabs of plastic hanging off where there shouldn't be. And, of course, they are tiny and cute.

So far my boyfriend and I have managed to collect a fair amount of these little guys. Those pictured were purchased in the entry vestibule at the 38th Street Meijer Store.

The sheep and cow are especially nice, with great details in the mold. Great capsule toys!

Toys, toys, toys

2008-09-07T22:39:00.011-04:00

This brand new blog will document the toys collected from capsule and claw machines. Typically purchased for $.50, with a couple of twists of a knob or some skillful plucking from the machine, one of my favorites things to do is discover a fun new toy. They appear in grocery store vestibules, restaurant lobbies, and in a hundred other places. Occasionally I might also throw in a toy from the Japanese market or a designer vinyl toy that fits into the capsule category.

What qualifies me to assert opinions about capsule toys and claw machines? The countless quarters I have expended in the interest of the hobby...

Me, after winning a giant lobster from a giant claw machine

So, if you live in Indianapolis and have tips on a good locale for buying capsule toys, do tell. If you are interested in this distinctive hobby, then watch for updates!