So...I have set up the Plastic and Plush YouTube Channel, where I will be posting up toy review videos. If you get a chance, please head on over there and smash subscribe. There are a number of artist videos - from 10 years ago - still available to view. You can check out ESC-Toy, The Sucklord, and many more. Maybe we will do some more of those as well. The sky's the limit!
Hey...Plastic and Plush needs to generate some sort of cash to survive, right? So that's why I have started a Tee Public Shop to sell some of my wacky designs on various products. It's mostly weird mashups of 1970's, 80's, and 90's pop culture (as you can see from When Sally Met Harry... pictured above). You'll be helping keep the site going with every purchase. Thanks!
Plastic and Plush is now on Instagram...sorta. I am on Instagram and will be posting various toy photos and illustrations I do in my free time. Also, if you’re into seeing videos of soccer, hockey, or my kids playing...feel free to give me a follow. Check me out here: https://www.instagram.com/mister.slivka/
So I go and relaunch my site as The Award-Losing Plastic and Plush and the next day someone has to go and give the site a Toy Blogging Award. The folks from RankedBlogs.com sent word that we were chosen as one of their Top 100 Toy Blogs. I have no idea as to the credibility or the validity of this ranking...but I'm appreciative nonetheless.
It's Cyber Monday. Are you looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? Well, we are bringing you our 12 Collectibles of Christmas holiday gift guide. These are some of my personal favorites. And you can pick them up for that special someone (yourself, of course).
1. 5-inch tall Krampus Dunny from Scott Tolleson and Kidrobot ($75.00)
Nothing says "The Holidays" like a part goat, part human demon that comes around and beats naughty kids with sticks and then throws 'em into a backpack basket. Remember, kids, Krampusnacht is celebrated on December 5th every year.
2. Dragonfly 2.0 from Eric Nocella Diaz and Argonaut Resins ($40.00)
Eric's latest creation - the Dragonfly 2.0 - is available in multiple colors (GID, DIY, and various painted versions). Oh...and, of course, I chose the above photo with the Dragonfly 2.0 sporting a horn bump rather than a horn on its head.
3. Back to the Future Part II Vinimates from Diamond Select Toys ($9.99 each)
DST's Vinimates line - the bigger (less-articulated) brother of their Minimates line - is available in a multitude of licenses. One of our favorites? Back to the Future Part II. If you're more of an original film fan...they have Marty McFly and Doc Brown from the first film as well.
4. BattleBots Rival - Minotaur and Beta from HEXBUG ($49.99)
One of those excellent summer shows I missed this past year (because it didn't air) was BattleBots. I've watched BattleBots (as well as the British Robot Wars) for years, so I was excited to see HEXBUG grab the license to produce mini versions of some of the most popular bots. And they are fun to play with...
5. Classicbot by Philip Lee and playsometoys ($27.00)
This was one of my favorite all around figures to review this past year. Based on an Apple Macintosh Classic computer, the figure features magnetic pieces so you can display in bot or computer form. Plus, there's a special Tron version available ($31.00).
6. The Dude Bust from Christopher Genovese and FreakShop Gallery ($200.00)
Who wouldn't want to have Jeff Bridges from The Big Lebowski staring at you day and night? This 1/2 scale bust is one character in a number of available busts from Christopher Genovese.
7. Star Wars Forces of Destiny Endor Adventure Multipack from Hasbro and shopDisney.com ($34.99)
It's nice to see Disney and Hasbro combine to create a girl-centric line (Forces of Destiny) of Star Wars collectibles. Because girls can like Star Wars too! And these stylized collectibles might be my favorite of the new Star Wars toys.
8. Joel Embiid Bleacher Creature from Bleacher Creatures ($19.99)
Trust the Plush Process! Bleacher Creatures' Joel Embiid stands a little shorter than the actual player (10 inches vs 7 feet), but he's still as cuddly...maybe. Who doesn't love a collectible, displayable plush.
9. Lobo 1/6th scale figure from Sideshow Collectibles ($249.99)
Lobo was one of the first comic books I purchased as a kid...and I was in for a world of weird. And while the intergalactic bounty-hunter has never received the respect he's deserved, Sideshow has released the ultimate 1/6th scale version of Lobo for fans.
10. Tuptim Lil' pOtbellie Ellie from Charles Stephan and Charles Creature Cabinet ($211.11)
This might be my favorite creation from Charles Creature Cabinet, and Charles has produced a whole bunch of ball-jointed collectibles. This tiny ball-jointed elephant is super cute and doesn't scare my children like some of CCC's faeries do.
11. Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot Robots from Bob Bukoski and MST3KBots.com (Servo - $275.00; Crow - $450.00)
I love MST3K, so I might be slightly biased. But I did shell out to purchase both of these bots. I sort of like having Tom Servo and Crow hang out in my man cave, helping me riff on cheesy 80's flicks. Oh...and they full size replicas and function just like their on-screen counterparts. Basically, they're big awesome puppets.
12. Sartorial Creatures from Monique Motil ($150.00 - $550.00)
The taxidermied creatures that inspired characters in Christopher Moore's Secondhand Souls, Monique's Sartorial Creatures are creepy, cute, and everything in between. Featuring parts from various types of animals, she takes character creation and art to a completely different place. (Oh...and she now has Game of Thrones inspired creatures available)
I like to keep readers updated on my decisions here at the site.
Lately, I've noticed that most of my output and effort with Plastic and Plush goes into reformatting and reposting press releases. While that's all great and it clearly helps gets the news from companies to readers, there are all sorts of outfits slinging in press release regurgitation. I'd prefer to bring something to the table that other sites don't...
So, in the upcoming weeks, I will be focusing on covering a broader swath of "pop culture-dom". There will be more effort put towards regularly posting toy reviews. Expanding content to film reviews. I might even do impromptu mobile posts and use my cell phone for more than just an expensive email machine. So there will be changes. I will likely be working on the overall look of the site. And I will ask for feedback.
As far as toy news. I will be grouping a lot of those press releases/info/images into single posts, sometimes grouped by company or license or subject (pre-order, release, etc).
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to shoot me an email at brian@plasticandplush.com
It’s obvious that I’m late getting to our end of the year Plastic and Plush Awards (PAPAs) – like 6 months late. And we’ve actually taken some time off handing out our yearly awards – oh, like four year. And while I’ve voted in both the Designer Toy Awards and the Poppies, I wanted to make sure that the PAPAs recognized some of the best collectibles and artists that might have been overlooked by others.
And the rules, to be considered, I’ve either had to have reviewed the collectibles or have seen them first hand. It’s difficult to determine actual product quality in the age of Photoshop. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a number of things look great in photos only to disappoint in real life. Secondly, the collectibles had to have been released in 2016 (or thereabouts).
So, without further ado…
So, we (meaning me) at Plastic and Plush were awarded a Top 100 Toy Blog by the folks at Feedspot. If you scroll through their listing, there are a lot of recognizable sites listed. So, we're in good company. And thanks to Feedspot for the recognition. Have I really been doing this for 13 years?
It's been a while since we've offered the Plastic and Plush Mystery Box to readers. Basically, it's a USPS Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box filled to the rim with toys. These could be vinyl, plastic, resin or plush...and most likely released sometime within the last 10 years. So there will be a number of hard to get items in these boxes. It's like a giant blind box that measures 12" x 12" x 5.5".
Each box will run $68.75. That's $50.00 plus the cost of shipping the priority mail flat rate box.
You can pick one up below...just in time for Christmas.
So Plastic and Plush turns 10 this year. Most folks don’t know that I actually started and ran a now defunct toy news site called Toytoons.com (way back in 2002) before creating this one. The concept was fairly simple. I’d review old toys I snagged off of eBay, Happy Meal prizes and the awful food I had to eat to get them, and randomly purchased cheap toys my wife usually picked up wherever she was shopping that day. The content eventually morphed into covering the “Designer Toy Scene” and now it pretty much runs the gambit of collectible toy geekery.
I was recently inspired to get back to my roots. To revisit why the site was originally created. Plus, I thought it would be a great way to pick up some old toys from yesteryear…that I remember playing with as a kid. So ready yourself for some Retro Review: Toys from the 1980’s. I’m hoping to make this a weekly post, but it all comes down to how much old crap I can buy before my wife starts yelling at me.
There’s only one caveat. All of the toys will be mint-in-box or mint-on-card because I don’t want a toy several generations of children have slobbered all over. You never know where that Go Bot was shoved or how many time Cobra Commander was dropped in a urine filled toilet.
Trust me. Every time I rip open one of the toys from the 80’s, it will tear off a piece of my soul. Imaging that a toy and its’ box sat in someone’s basement for the last 30 years without that person wanting to rip it open…is mind-boggling. So I will play the role of the villain. I will open up these toys so that you don’t have to. And I will tell you if it’s better that they just live on in our memories.
