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Sat 8 Mar 2008 |
 NECA announced this awesome exclusive today on their MySpace page:
 NECA’s2008 convention season kicks off with the 3rd annual New York Comic Con April 18 – 20th 2008! This year, NECA has a very special exclusive, and a very special guest. Peter Laird, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will be appearing at the NECA booth on Saturday, April19th, from 1PM-3PM, signing a New York Comic Con Exclusive Edition Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Box Set.
This set contains all four Ninja Turtle action figures, plus additional accessories and diorama bases.This exclusive, limited to just 500 pieces, will be the only version of the box set to contain all the additional accessories from the single-carded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Series 1 – in stores this May. The Exclusive Edition box set will cost $50 and is limited to one per guest. Purchase details will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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Sat 8 Mar 2008 |
 Jason and the gang over at BifBangPow have released the information on the upcoming 2nd wave of Flash Gordon action figures. The announcement of this 4 figure wave was made over on their official site:
 Hello everyone, Jason here again with some news many of you have been waiting for. After lots of discussions and much character debate,Wave 2 of our Flash Gordon: The Movie action figures are going into production. Alex Ross has feverishly toiled away on detailed design sheets for the next four (yes, four!) figures in the line. Wave 1 has been, by all accounts, a success, and folks are chomping at the bit to know about the next characters. We couldn’t keep you in suspense much longer, so I get to spill the news. Wave 2 will consist of: Prince Barin-rightful heir to the throne of Mongo, and played by the dashingly handsome Timothy Dalton (star of two of the best Bond films ever made,and ‘Hot Fuzz’); Dale Arden- played by the lovely Melody Anderson,Flash’s main squeeze will be in her wedding dress from right off the poster; Klytus- Ming’s Dr. Doom-ish right hand man, played with sleazy relish by Peter Wyngarde; and of course, Flash Gordon himself, this time in his iconic FLASH t-shirt.
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Thu 6 Mar 2008 |
 QUEENS, NEW YORK: EMCE Toys, the brand that brought classic ‘70s toy company MEGO back from the dead this year, announced that it is releasing four 8” poseable action figures based on characters from the seminal 1968 cult zombie classic NIGHT OF THE LVING DEAD. The heads are sculpted by fan favorite James Brady in the classic MEGO rotocast plastic style, and the figures are packaged in MEGO-style blister packaging with illustrations by original MEGO artist Harold Shull.
 “This is the first new line released since MEGO Corp. closed in the 1980s,” said Paul “Dr. Mego” Clarke, who co-created the EMCE Toys brand at SphereWerx Micromedia. “We brought back the classic STAR TREK and PLANET OF THE APES toys this year, and now we’ve created an entirely new line with the involvement of the original MEGO players.”
The first two figures to be released are Bill Hinzman as the “Graveyard Zombie” from the film’s opening scene, and Duane Jones as “Ben”, the rifle-toting hero.
Later this year, EMCE will release Judith O’Dea as “Barbra” and Kyra Schon as the “Karen Cooper Zombie”. All figures are approved by the actors or their respective estates and are timed to the 40th anniversary of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
In 1974, MEGO invented the licensed action figure with their distinctive eight-inch lines based on classic scifi and superhero characters, then expanding the lines to include electronic toys and playsets. An entire generation of fans had their very own “U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge” or a removable-cowl Batman at some point.
MEGO closed its doors in 1982, leading to a sky-rocketing in the value of these prized collectibles.
In 2006, genre marketer SphereWerx created the EMCE Toys brand with Paul “Dr. Mego” Clarke, a MEGO specialist who provides custom figures for Cartoon Network’s show “Robot Chicken”. EMCE released painstaking reproductions of STAR TREK and PLANET OF THE APES MEGOs through Diamond Select Toys in 2007.
The figures will retail for $17.99 and will be available through comic book, toy and pop culture shops, as well as online and at horror conventions throughout the US. They will also be featured at the booths of actors Hinzman, O’Dea and Schon at all NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 40th Anniversary appearances.
They are co-branded with FearWerx, SphereWerx’s proprietary horror merchandise brand.
Graveyard Zombie: full figure
Graveyard Zombie: head sculpt — view 1
Graveyard Zombie: head sculpt — view 2
Graveyard Zombie: head sculpt — view 3
Ben: full figure
Ben: head sculpt — view 1
Ben: head sculpt — view 2
Ben: head sculpt — view 3
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Tue 4 Mar 2008 |
 AFI was sad to hear of of the passing of D&D creator Gary Gygax. Like many of the rest of you, we spent many an Elementary and Junior High afternoon rolling 20 sided dice, painting little lead figures and listening to the descriptions given to us by our Dungeon Masters. D&D was a very influential franchise that even today reaches into and influences: board games, role playing games, video games, fiction, and toys. There were D&D action figures, playsets and even a Saturday morning cartoon. Below is his obituary from the AP wire. Rest in peace Gary.
Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax dies at 69; mapped out role-playing game in 1974
By Emily Fredrix
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE- Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died this morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.
He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.
Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game’s legion of devoted fans,many of whom would stop by the family’s home in Lake Geneva, about 55miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.
"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."
Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carryout their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that’s still growing in popularity.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.
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Mon 3 Mar 2008 |
North Hills, CA March 3, 2008 - Imperial Toy® LLC, a leading manufacturer of licensed and proprietary bubbles & novelties announced today that it is acquiring One Stop Toy® Co., Inc. One Stop Toy® is a leading manufacturer of licensed opening price point toys, located in neighboring Northridge, CA.
"The Acquisition of One Stop Toy® is yet another step in our quest to maximize Imperial’s product and licensing portfolio in all channels of distribution" said Pete Tiger, co-President of Imperial Toy®. “We are thrilled to have Evan Kaltman join the Imperial team. His entrepreneurial spirit, strong sales experience and product development background will benefit our entire organization" said Art Hirsch co-President of Imperial Toy®.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Imperial family. Their passion for the business,global resources, and professional team will be a pleasure to work with. The One Stop Toy® tradition will live on as an entity of Imperial Toy®. We will continue to service our customers and look forward to offering them access to our new combined and growing line of exciting toys & novelties. After meeting with Art & Peter for the first time, I could see that there would be great synergies between our two companies. I am very excited about the benefits this move will bring to our customers” said Evan Kaltman.
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Sun 2 Mar 2008 |
By John Charles
Recently, I had the good fortune to once again be invited to Mezco’s headquarters in Queens, New York. There, a stone’s throw from the famous Silvercup Studios and a short ride on the 7 train from the legendary Times Square, I was greeted by Mezco’s gregarious Administrator and Director Of Special Projects; Mike Drake, or as he prefers to be called, Drake. He led me into one of Mezco’s meeting rooms and gestured towards a table upon which sat to seemingly identical busts of Hellboy. These were not busts of the animated or comic Hellboy, but of the Ron Perlman directed by Guillermo del Toro brand of Hellboy. They were magnificent. As I reached out to touch one, Drake struck my hand with a riding crop. “Not yet” whispered Drake, “first look at them carefully, tell me if you can see the difference”. He turned on an additional light and directed me towards an empty chair. I sat staring at the two seemingly identical busts. The vibrancy and life of the sculptures is uncanny, Mezco’s artists and design team seemed to have worked some form of likeness alchemy, capturing not only the technical aspect of their subject, but the elusive essence of Hellboy.
 Time and time again I hear people talk of scanning as the wave of the future and the path to perfect likenesses and over and over again I see that technology fail to live up to the hype. The recent Willy Wonka figures (not by Mezco) were designed using scanning technology, and the likeness were somewhere between disinterested mannequin and ennui filled zombie. Mezco sculpts the old fashioned way, with clay and wax, using classically trained artists who rely on their tactile senses and a skill honed by what can only be years or perhaps decades of practice. After nearly twenty minutes I turned to Drake and made a feeble guess; “Are the stones on this one painted a bit more gray?” He chucked and simply replied, “Pick them up”. After nervously checking to ensure his riding crop wasn’t poised to strike, I reached for one Hellboy in each hand. The look that must have come over my face caused Drake to guffaw loudly. I was astonished. In one hand I had a Hellboy that must have weighed close to 15 pounds, in the other I had a Hellboy that was comparatively light as a feather. One Hellboy, it was explained to me, was the prototype, cast in solid resin. The other was a production sample, made of rotocast vinyl. With a simple demonstration it was proven to me that a rotocast statue could truly look as beautiful as a solid sculpture. “I want this product to speak for itself,” said Drake, “So I’m going to leave you in here alone for a bit, play with the bust and holler if you need me”.
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Fri 29 Feb 2008 |
LOS ANGELES, CA (February 29, 2008) – Showtime Networks Inc. has announced that it has awarded a licensing contract for their critically acclaimed original drama, Dexter, to manufacturer Bif Bang Pow!
 The series follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), an incredibly likeable forensics expert for the Miami Metro Police Department, who moonlights as a serial killer with a penchant for inflicting his own unusual brand of justice—he kills people who truly deserve it.
The network, working with its licensing agency, 360ep, has signed with Bif Bang Pow! to manufacture and distribute bobble heads and other figures for Dexter. "I’m an ardent SHOWTIME enthusiast and a huge fan of Dexter since its beginning in Season 1. Dexter falls right in line with what Bif Bang Pow! is trying to achieve," said Jason Lenzi, CEO of Bif Bang Pow! "Dexter is a smart, hip series that always keeps you glued to the edge of your seat. It’s an exciting show and we plan to create equally exciting collectibles to compliment it." Bif Bang Pow! will produce a variety of Dexter collectibles, starting with bobble heads and action figures. The first items to come available should reach market this fall. Watch for future announcements regarding these winning new releases.
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Fri 29 Feb 2008 |
 Today is Leap Day, the extra day that we tack on to February every four years to keep the calendar in time with the seasons. We do this because the Earth does not orbit the sun in a nice round 365 days, but rather in 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds.
Ancient peoples based their calendars on many things, from the movements of the stars to the activities of plants and animals. The Greek poet Hesiod told farmers to begin the harvest when the constellation Pleiades was rising and to begin plowing when it was setting, and to sharpen their farming tools when snails began climbing up plants.
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Fri 29 Feb 2008 |
 This news is a little late as it came in while I was prepping for Toy Fair, but it’s so cool I have to mention it. AFI friend and board-member Antony C has opened up what may just be the definitive Wonder Woman archive- ExperiencetheWonder.com.
It’s thorough, easy to read, and a great resource for all things Wonder Woman.
Antony has included some helpful navigation tips for the site to start you off:
NAVIGATION :: I have placed every item in my collection within one of several menu categories that are tabs at the top of every page. Click any tab to view the "contact sheet" for that category.
CONTACT SHEETS:: Every item under a particular category will be displayed in a group of thumbnails, each showing the name of the item beneath. Click any thumbnail to visit each item’s own "detail" page. Contact sheets (and their sections) are arranged from oldest to newest, following a left-to-right, row-by-row format.
DETAIL PAGES:: The detail pages feature my own high-resolution photos including complete turnarounds, packaging and product specifications. Hover over any thumbnail to change the "preview" image to the left. Click on any thumb nail to open a pop-up window with the full-size image. For fun,try scrolling your mouse over the thumbnails from top to bottom and back! If you do, the preview image will "rotate" before your eyes!There is a text link above each preview image to get you back to the contact sheet for that category.
VALUES :: Auction values are provided for informational purposes only. Items in my private collection are not for sale.
UPDATES:: As I acquire new pieces, they will be included in the appropriate section. New releases will be added within a week of their release.
GLOSSARY :: To learn about frequently used terms throughout ExperienceTheWonder.com, CLICK HERE
LOGOS ::Different versions of the Wonder Woman logo are used on many products.To see the evolution of the Wonder Woman logo design from 1942 to present, CLICK HERE
So get over there and have a look at ExperienceTheWonder.com! And just in case you forget the URL we have added the site to our links over there on the right hand column.
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 |
 NY- Fans of the popular NBC series Heroes are eagerly awaiting the release of the Mezco Toyz action figures of their favorite characters from the award winning series. Collectors are pre-ordering the figures online in record numbers and the prototypes, on display at NBC’s Rockefeller Center headquarters, draw crowds of onlookers who pose next to their custom display case for a quick photo. The 1st set of Heroes action figures is set to be released in June 2008, but one lucky fan will get them early thanks to The-OWI.com, a Heroes fan site. By simply e-mailing pictures of themselves dressed as their favorite Hero, fans can enter the website’s Show Us Your Heroes contest. In April, judges from the website along with representatives of Mezco Toyz, and NBC will select a grand prize winner who will receive a complete set of unpainted "test shot" figures. Test shots are quickly becoming one of the hottest collectibles in the toy world due to their extreme scarcity, only a handful are produced and many are destroyed.
Several test shots of Mezco Toyz are on display in museums, including New York’s prestigious Museum Of The Moving Image. Additionally, NBC will be supplying several additional prizes, to be revealed at a later date, for several runner up winners.
The OWI, Mezco Toyz, and NBC hope that by requiring fans to participate and send a photo rather than simply send an e-mail or postcard, the prize will be awarded to a true Heroes fan.
To enter the contest visit: www.owiheroescontest.com
Heroes action figures by Mezco Toyz are available for pre-order online, and will be in Toys"R"Us and other fine retailers in June.
Click here to see the Heroes figures and our Mezco Toy Fair Coverage.
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