Actually it was a Saturday! Just a happy precursor to future SXSW happenings posts. Don’t touch that dial!
Keeping educated on the latest and greatest toys is a lot of work, and this year I’m asking for help! I’ll be hosting an official Meet Up at SXSW to bring together the best and the brightest of tech toy lovers.
Do you have a cool new piece of technology to show off? Or maybe you are super passionate about a particular toy adorning you desk? If this describes you in the least, please stop by the Meetup this Friday. I can’t wait to meet you!!
Kitties love toys too!
I will, of course be bringing some special toys to show off as well, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise just yet! You’ll have to be there in person. Since this is an official SXSW event an Interactive Badge is required to attend. Want to reschedule? Leave a comment and maybe we’ll do this again sometime soon!
SXSW Toys for Techies Meetup, Friday March 8, 2013 5pm – 6pm. Empire, 606 E. 7th Street.
The official SXSW listing can be found here.
Ooooh, big!
The continued search for the latest and greatest in toys and distraction led Toy Joy to New York this week. As the Javits Center hosted the 111th Annual American Toy Fair®, we searched the aisles for fun, and here is what we found:
Spock Box!
“Captain, there appears to be only toys on this planet.” What an amazing package for a U.S.S. Enterprise Model!
Toy Joy loves Trolls! Do you? Series 3 is looking good, and should be in store in a couple of months. Until then, you can complete your collection of Series 1 and Series 2!
One of these things is not like the other…
Bendable Comic Book Classics, with a Super Classic design! These figurines are all based off the artwork found in DC: The New Frontier. They are made out of the same magical bendy material as Gumby, which gives them a bit of an edge over other action figures. Look for them on Toy Joy’s shelves in May. Invisible Jet included.
Sadly some of the toys at Toy Fair are not for sale. This darling bubble-blowing bear was simply a clever advertising ploy to sell more bubbles! While the bubbles were awesome, my life will never be truly complete until this bear lives in Austin!
Keep your eyes open for more Toy Fair news, we’ve only just begun to share our awesome knowledge!
There’s a surprise in your mailbox!
I love surprises! But only when the surprises are custom tailored to my needs, and arrive in cute packaging. That’s what makes my job at Toy Joy such fun, everyday is full of surprises, and most of the surprises I selected myself, and then forgot about. In the interest of sharing more fun surprises with the world, toyjoy.com has recently expanded it’s selection of Subscription packages! What does a subscription package look like? Well, something like this:
This is what arrived in mailboxes during one month of Toy Joy’s Tiny Toy Subscription. It easiest to think of it like a magazine subscription, but once a month you get toys instead! (Extra perk: recycled paper envelopes.) The Tiny Toy Subscription is very classic. Many recipients see it as a mini trip to Toy Joy, delivered to their home. There are a lot of little fans as well, what child wouldn’t be excited by a delivery like this?
Not manly enough? The Mustache of the Month club is calling your name! This temporary facial hair service supplies recipients with a monthly mustache, and an added bonus: custom sticker trading cards, designed to match that month’s delivery! This kit is not only for manly men of course, but also for sufferers of facial hair envy.
Looking for something cuter? The newest subscription launch is purrrfect for you! The Hello Kitty Stationary Subscription supplies monthly deliveries of the cutest stationary and desk jewelry around, to satisfy your recurring craving for pink erasers and tiny stickers. Allergic to cute? You probably have someone on your shopping list who would trade three apples for these deliveries.
We want to hear your thoughts, so please add a comment below! Is there a missing subscription? Have an experience with a Toy Joy subscription service? Let us know, one lucky commentator will receive a free 6 month tiny subscription service! OOOhhh, prizes!
2013 will be a year of animation.
Wednesdays with Wayne is back! Expect the feature to pop up on the occasional Wednesdays, when I feel like. Thanks and credit as always to this man.
Yay! It’s a brand new year! Sorry for the belated celebration, but due to some assorted difficulties, I am starting 2013 a little late. Better late than never though, and I have many things to be excited about. First up: podcasted! (that’s a word, right?)
That’s right! I had the amazing privileged of being interviewed by John W. Smith, of soon to be “Short Story Long” fame. You can grab a listen here. A very enjoyable time was had by all! And by “all” I mean me and my collection of strange toys. I can’t speak for John. No spoilers, but below are some additional photos:
John, pretending to be interested in my Jem doll collection.
the lady herself
The now famous “pea baby”
Now it’s your turn. Want to hear the pea baby song? Really curious about just how deep my Jem doll collection goes? Add a comment or send me an email. The way this year has started, I will probably need some poking to get to that follow up post! Or at least to find some batteries.
2ne1
Sorry, by now the catchy beats of “Gangam Style” must be ringing through your head. It’s inescapable; K-pop is the cute new kid on the music block and I love cute kids!
In light of all the furor I thought I would throw out a helpful list for the uninitiated. Keep in mind that this list is by no means studied (there is just TOO much K-pop out there!), but it is an awesome list! Feel free to watch them individually on this post or head over to the K-pop playlist on YouTube. I’ll try to update it at some point!
T-ara – Roly Poly
This song is so good an entire musical is being created around it! (no kidding). It’s also supposedly inspired by the 70s and John Travolta. In the full version (12 minutes) of the music video you can see them travel back to the time of disco and…VHS recording? Someone please explain…
2NE1 – I hate you
Supposedly this band’s name can be said as either “twenty-one” or “two anyone”. Confusion aside, this song is just awesome. Plus, they get to be cartoons! You don’t have to understand the lyrics to know that this guy they are leaving is a total jerk. Also, I usually hate pink Hummers, but I guess animated ones are OK.
BIGBANG – Beautiful Hangover
In comparison to the girl groups, k-pop boys appear rather boring. Their favorite color scheme seems to be black, and they often come off as Korean translations of the Backstreet Boys (icky). BIGBANG won me over with this strange video; it’s full of rebranded product, boys wearing lip gloss, and what sounds like a guest rap from Aqua. Also, I think ALL the boys in this video are prettier than the love interest they cast. Maybe they wanted to keep the fans from being jealous?
PSY – Right Now
Yeah, you may know all the lyrics to his latest hit, but have you checked out any of his earlier hits? This man has always been talented, and this song is one of my favorites. Everytime I get stuck in traffic now, I keep looking around expectantly. PSY, please start your commuter revolt soon!
Do you have a favorite K-pop video? Leave a comment, the good ones will get added to the playlist!
Somehow I have managed to steal a couple of minutes from my day to post about the source of my recent distraction. Toy Joy is a beautiful place, full of artistic people, both amongst our employees and lovely customers. Tonight is the culmination of months of preparation in a magical night full of playful art and light hearted song. Curious? All the details can be found here. Of course I will be around tonight, but if you can’t make, be sure to check out the art work over the next couple of weeks. It will be hanging until September 1!
As an added temptation, here are a few of my favorites:
This past Saturday, I was lucky enough to be at the Alamo Drafthouse’s Summer of ’82 screening of The Dark Crystal. In our current era of unimaginative film studios, enjoying a great classic movie can often be marred with negative associations from poorly produced, or just plain unnecessary remakes. The following list is all based of internet rumors, which sadly often ring true. Let’s hope that these potential remake films never see the light of day.
The Dark Crystal 2 – “the Power of the Dark Crystal”
A sequel to Jim Henson’s eerie puppet only fairytale has long been rumored. Considering the quite cult following the original has maintained, and the mixed response to the original release, a sequel would be dangerous at best. Not saying that it couldn’t be done, but the production rumors had the newest Dark Crystal movie featuring lots of CGI in place of many of the puppetry effects. Replacing puppets with computer graphics does not seem to be a fitting tribute to Jim Henson’s legacy, and it seems his studio agrees, as production has currently halted.
Barbarella
We’ve been hearing rumors about this one for years now. The grooviest space babe movie of them all,Barbarella (based off a french comic), was infamously set up as a vehicle for Director Rodriguez’s then girlfriend – Rose McGowan. Fortunately, that relationship ended before the ill-fated redux could take off. We’ve seen recasting rumors online, but thankfully there has been no official news since 2010. There are more whispersabout a Barbarella TV series as well, but no one watches TV anymore, right?
Nice RobotGhost in the Shell
I’ll admit it, I watch a little anime. I try to keep to the classics though, for example: Masumune Shirow’s mid 90′s cyberpunk creation Ghost in the Shell. In addition to basically creating a new genre, it is also listed as one of the largest influences behind the Matrix films (for good or bad). Despite this, a remake would inevitably shun the very elaborate cyber-police plots in favor of simpler story and more focus on how pretty the Major can be in a fight scene. I would like to remind any potential Ghost in the Shell film producers what happens when Americans attempt to adapt anime for Hollywood. You get this.
Teenage (No longer Mutant) Ninja Turtles
The internet had been collectively groaning over this one for months, but thankfully, we can all share a gigantic group hi-five. The Michael Bay produced monster that would be Ninja Turtles has been officially put back on theshelf. Could the fan furor over the removal of the central plot device of the turtles being mutants contributed to the project’s demise? (Ninja turtles, from a planet of turtle people?! Like Howard the Duck?!) We may never know, but I will be content, as long as it keeps the turtles off the big screen and safe on our DVD shelves. Current outlook: not good.
Dune
As one of the first Science Fiction books to cross my path during my formative years, Dune is a bit of a passionate subject for me. I could probably fill a separate book with reasons why this adaptation should not be attempted (again), and if it must be done, how best to go about it. Regardless, the short answer is no. There is just too much necessary plot to fit into one movie, and the Syfy mini series treatment was disrespectful at best. While David Lynch’s somewhat hokey attempt is oft ridiculed, I do recommend watching it, if only for the stunning visuals.
Do you like reading all these personal complaints? Or maybe I should do a post next week on movies I am looking forward to?!
