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Underground Toys materializes TV sci-fi swag for the holidays

The radio controlled Davros toy is out to conquer Christmas.Do Daleks wear jingle bells? Probably not. But the creator of Doctor Who's deadliest enemies is in stateside toy stores to celebrate the holiday season with the human species he's tried to kill off more than once.

His arrival is very timely when you consider it's November and time for pundits like me to start sending some gift ideas your way.

Since I'm more than comfortable shilling for the geek contingent, the good folks at Underground Toys sent the evil scientist (right) over for a visit. Though he's a bit of a grump -- the 12" high, radio controlled Davros should keep any Who fan entertained. The only question I have is whether he'll end up in the fans of kids or their sci-fi fan parents.

Continue reading Underground Toys materializes TV sci-fi swag for the holidays

Yo Gabba Gabba! returns to amuse, confuse, terrify kids

Yo Gabba Gabba! and its colorful cast are returning to entertain (and maybe scare) little kids.Disclaimer: Children should not take Acid. In fact, no one should sample LSD, but children should really stay away.

That said, speaking theoretically, if kids did drop a soaked sugar cube or six, they would see visions potentially less bizarre than what they take in during an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba(!). The Nick, Jr. and Noggin show is back this week with new episodes for fascinated children and really high adults.

A lot of kids love it. It's colorful, kinetic, and everybody involved keeps a smile on their face -- even the bizarre anthropomorphized, toys-turned-life size characters -- Muno (red cyclops), Foofa (pinkish bow thing), Brobee (the green monster with no elbows) ), Toodee (the blue cat) and Plex (the yellow, 50s-ish robot).

Continue reading Yo Gabba Gabba! returns to amuse, confuse, terrify kids

McFarlane to create toys for Simpsons movie

simpsonsTo quote Yogurt: "MOICHendising!"'

That's "merchandising" -- it's difficult to affect that Yiddish accent in print. Anyway, the little green guy is right. You can't have a movie without product tie-ins, and it's no different for the upcoming Simpsons Movie. There will be a line of toys based on the movie out this Spring, and they're being created by McFarlane Toys, the company responsible for some of the coolest movie and TV-based toys in the last few years. Seriously, check out some of their other work.

This isn't the first time McFarlane has designed Simpsons toys. The pic on the right is for a new "Treehouse of Horror" set slated for a release later this year, along with this set featuring Homer and Lard Lad. Collectors, get ready to purchase one set you'll never take out of the package, and another set you can play with. Kids ten and under: take the toys outside and bury them in the ground and dig them up the next day. That's how I always played with my action figures. Sure, it means they're worthless now, but I'm one of those silly people who thinks toys should be played with.

Thanks to my pal Wild Bill for the tip.

South Park toys at your fingertips

south parkI know how it is. You read my posts on TV Squad and you think to yourself, 'man, I really wish there was some way I could thank Adam for all his hard work. God knows it's difficult to sit on one's butt and bang away on a keyboard.'

It is tough, but I manage. Anyway, if you want to show your appreciation, and my request for the R2-D2 DVD projector was too expensive for you, then why not buy me this awesome South Park figure set? Kenny, Kyle, Cartman and Stan are dressed as their band Fingerbang from the episode "Something You Can Do With Your Finger." They even come with interchangeable arms. These toys would bring me hours of enjoyment, and really, isn't that what life is about? Me being happy?

I find it kind of humorous that on the product description page they censor the word "fingerbang" as "f*ngerbang." Apparently replacing that one letter with an asterisk makes it impossible to figure out the word.

[via Jeff Pidgeon]

Looney Tunes gone mad

bugs bunnyIf you're a fan of Looney Tunes and find yourself in the 181 Martell gallery space in Los Angeles this Friday (tomorrow), that's a good thing. A street artist by the name of Dr. Romanelli (a.k.a. DRx) was picked by Warner Brothers to create new designs of characters such as Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester and Daffy as part of a new urban marketing campaign that will eventually include T-shirts, toys, and a limited-edition Chuck Taylor sneaker. The new designs are said to reveal a darker, more insane side of the characters. You can see a couple small examples of what the new designs look like here and here. I'd really like to get my hands on those Chuck Taylors, those would be pretty sweet.

Oh yeah, a bunch of DRx's designs can be found here, too.

The Office Webisodes -- Number 9: Michael's Office

Just one webisode left!The investigation moves to Michael's office, where we see Oscar, Kevin, and Angela rifle through Michael's desk to see if there is any evidence that he had something to do with the missing $3,000. Kevin is playing with Michael's toys, including his bullhorn and train whistle, while Oscar and Angela think of how Michael might have spent the money.

Angela checks Michael's computer and finds that he frequents Jack's Joke and Magic Shop quite a bit, and Oscar and Kevin discover that Michael has a desk drawer filled with Dunder Mifflin snowglobes. It doesn't seem that they've turned up anything, but they agree to talk to Michael.

Since there is one webisode left, obviously there has to be some sort of resolution coming (let's hope). These webisodes haven't exactly been very exciting, to say the least. Will we see Michael in the finale? Guess we'll find out next Thursday.

Watch the webisode here.

Zorak has a blog

zorakWell, not really, but C. Martin Croker, who provided the voice of both Zorak and Moltar on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast has a blog, and it's quite interesting if you're interested in older comics, animation, and toys. Right now Croker has posted an interview from the early '90s conducted by John K. with Flintstones designer Ed Benedict, and check out this page from an old Dennis the Menace comic where Mr. Wilson explains to the boys what a hookah is. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure in the next issue Dennis' father shows the neighborhood kids how to turn an apple into a bong. Packed with important lessons those old comic books were.

[via Cartoon Brew]

Mattel launching Cartoon Network toys in 2007

ed edd and eddyCartoon Network Enterprises announced recently it had signed a license deal with Mattel to create toys based on its animated series for the 6 to 11 age group. What this means is that in 2007 we'll be seeing new toys and games hit the shelves based on shows such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's A Monkey, Powerpuff GirlsEd, Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. Relationships between Cartoon Network and other toy manufacturers will remain unaffected. I don't buy toys for myself anymore, obviously, but since I have nieces and nephews in this age bracket the news caught my attention. Foster's will be the first show to have its toyline launched, and I'm curious to see what kind of action figures they come up with based on those characters.

Lost action figures... with kung-fu grip!

LostOkay, maybe not with kung-fu grip. "Faces in perpetual states of shock, horror, and/or 'WTF'-ness" are more likely. Anyway, McFarlane Toys are coming out with a new line of Lost action figures of season one's "fan-favorites", Jack, Kate, Locke, Hurley, Charlie, and Shannon. They've just released a picture of the Charlie figure. He's sitting down, writing on his fingers. Hmm... Doesn't look very action-y. McFarlane Toys is also releasing boxsets, little dioramas that recreate key moments of the show. So, if you don't like the season finale, you can always film your own.

Maybe it's just me, but the choice of Shannon to be a part of the first set of "fan-favorite" toys comes as a bit of a surprise. If I had to go for one of the deadsies for this first set, I would have picked a Boone figure over a Shannon one. The fact that I found Boone attractive has nothing little to do with it. The toys are expected Fall of this year.

She-Ra coming to DVD

she-raWhile closing the book on the successful half-hour animated toy commercial that was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the creators realized something: 'Holy cow, we need to find a way to make money off of little girls, too.' Enter She-Ra, Princess of Power, the long lost sister of He-Man. She-Ra was first introduced in the 1985 film "The Secret of the Sword" which then led into the TV series. All 93 episodes of the series will be released on DVD eventually, but not in any specific order. The first release will contain episodes voted on by fans, as well as the feature film, and will be available on July 18, with three more volumes covering the rest of the series to be released over the next year. I watched He-Man religiously as a child, but never really got into She-Ra. I assume, other than the protagonist being a woman, that it didn't venture too far from the "fight evil and learn an important lesson" template of He-Man. Did anyone out there watch it?

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