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A L L IE S O F T H E
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K ID S W IL L H A V E T H E I R S A Y
D I T C H W O R K , G O S K A T IN G
R :E Q
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VIVA la
i- E v o iu m v
P P E R PLAYC
TABLE OF C O N TE N TS
E d ito ria l
b y M a rk N agata
N e w s a nd E xclu sive s
b y S ta ff
M y F riend th e M ic ro n a u t
by B w ana S p o o n s
J u m b o M a c h in d e rs
by Sean B o n n e r
D e sig n e r V in y ls
b y J im C ra w fo rd a nd G re g o ry B lu m o f STRANG Eco.
T ra n s fo rm e rs : Part T w o -T h e H is to ry o f O p tim u s P rim e
b y Jack H u rw itz o fT fo rm e rs .c o m
R e m in is c in g w ith D e v ilm a n
by P ushead
C yb o rg -T h e Lure o f C le a r V in yl
b y W a rre n S chw artz, B ria n F lynn a nd M a rk N agata
M e ch a G o d zilla 1 & 2
b y M ike J o h n s o n
The A rt o fT o d d and K a th y S ch o rr
by C had H e n sle y
A rt G a lle ry
F e a tu rin g : N a th a n C a b re ra , K o zyn d a n , Rich C o le m an
A ll B a llo o n s Pop
By J im b o M a ttis o n
3
URBAN VINYL, 12" ACTION FIGURES, MINI R/C CARS, SPECIALTY PLUSH & MORE
NEW YORK: 126 Prince Street, SoHo
SAN FRANCISCO: 1512 Haight St. @ Ashbury
Super7 M agazine, V o lu m e l Issue4 - N o vem ber 2003
E D IT O R IA L
Publisher
S uper7 M ed ia , Inc.
Editors
M ark N agata / B ria n Flynn
Design
B rian F lynn / G e o ff A lle n
FHybrid D esign, Inc. / w w w .h y b rid 1 0 1 .c o m
M arketing / Sales
ShannonT. S te w a rt
s h a n n o n @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Contributing Editor / Ad Sales
Chad Flensley
c h a d @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Gracious C ontributers
T im Brisko, M ike J o h n s o n , Sean B o n n e r, Bw ana
S p o o n s, J im and G re g o ry o f S tra n g e C o ., Chad
Flensley, J im b o , P u s h e a d ,T a ke sh it,T o d d & K athy
Schorr, N a th a n C abrera, Jack F lurw itz, W a rre n
Schw artz, U ssun, Rem y R odis, E lvin Pena.
Am erican D istribution
T ow er Books, D ia m o n d C o m ics, In g ra m s P e rio d ica ls,
S m a ll C hanges a nd Last Gasp.
Japanese Distribution
Illustration by Mark Nagata
Presspop, Inc. +81(0)422717555
O ther International Distribution
Toy Karma
s a le s@ su p e r7 m a g a zin e .co m
Printing
T ra n s c o n tin e n ta l P rin tin g / LG M G ra p h ics
Is it ju st luck th a t I've been able to score quite a fe w o f m y holy grail U ltra­
man toys? On to p o f that, all have been bought at rock bottom prices. Really
a collector's dream comes true.
a ttn: M ike B ra d le y 1.800.661.0052 x24
Advertising
a d s @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Editorial / Subm issions
m a rk @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Contact / Goodie Boxes
S uper7 M agazine
RO. Box 330235
San F rancisco, Ca. 94133
415.922.6612
w w w .s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Legal
The a d v e rtis in g and a rtic le s a p p e a rin g w ith in th is p u b li­
ca tio n re fle c t th e o p in io n s and a ttitu d e s o f th e ir re s p e c tiv e
a u th o rs and n o t n e c e s s a rily th o s e o f th e p u b lis h e r o r o th e r
p e rso n s a ffilia te d w ith th is p u b lic a tio n . A ll rig h ts to th e
p h o to g ra p h s , a rtw o rk and a rtic le s c o n ta in e d in th is p u b lic a ­
tio n are c o p y rig h t o w n e d b y th e ir re s p e c tiv e c re a to rs . A ll
rig h ts to any ch a ra c te r n a m e s a n d /o r like n e sse s are c o p y ­
r ig h t o w n e d b y th e ir re s p e c tiv e o w n e rs , and no a s s u m p tio n
I suppose one could ju s t chalk it up to the poor econom y o r even ju st plain
old luck. But, I've become a firm believer in w h a t I call " to y karma Sim ply
put, I conduct all m y to y transactions w ith fairness and honor. I also focus
my m ind on no m ore than 2-3 rare toys, and quietly obsess about them. By
adhering to these m ethods w ith o u t fail the toys I've been thinking o f make
th e ir way into m y collection. Toy Karma works, and best o f all it doesn't cost
anything. Am I delusional? Perhaps... but as I gaze upon m y expanding col­
lection the p ro o f lies in fro n t o f me.
Back to reality. This issue marks Super7's one-year anniversary! When we
started this mag I d id n 't really think beyond getting the firs t issue out the door.
I figured that w ould be it... But surprise! Here we are issue 4 and counting.
Keep checking our web site, w w w .super7m agazine.com , as we have several
m ajor projects we hope to announce in the next fe w m onths. I think these proj­
ects w ill not only enhance Super7 but help gain it m ainstream recognition.
And, finally, as if w e d id n 't need to tell you, we have m any artists in this
issue - Pushead,Todd & Kathy Schorr, Nathan Jurevicius and our A rt Gallery.
A ll o f th e ir styles are diffe re n t but at the center lays the influence o f toys and
pop culture.
-M ark // mark@ super7m agazine.com // 11/01/03
o f o w n e rs h ip is m ad e by th is p u b lic a tio n . E v e ry th in g else
c o n ta in e d h e re in is © 2 0 0 3 S u p e r7 m ag a zin e , a nd m a y n o t
be re p ro d u c e d in p a rt o r w h o le w ith o u t w ritte n p e rm is s io n
fro m S uper7 m ag a zin e as w e ll as any c o n trib u to rs if a p p li­
cable. In th e e n d , it's a m ag a zin e a b o u t to y s - so relax.
Thank you: Funnyara.Takeshit, Pushead, M egum i (Art Storm), Forest Gangu,
Psychedelia, Ussun and Base Xero Xero, Mark Miyake, Jing, Press POP,
Billiken, M edicom , M oja Cute.
5
2.000
E x tra v a g a n z a !!!!!
[M M a U M
$99. QQ'V
$14.00
14.00
4.00
$10.95
$79.00
Mi
$ 120.00
ll
DUD/CD/Toys/Posters/Figures
JUNGLE COLLECTORS SHOP
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u
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E n tra n c e s to p a rk in g
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fro m th is issue o f S uper7 M ag a zin e ! T he 4 .5 " ta ll fig u re is m o ld e d in
g lo w -in -th e -d a rk v in y l w ith p a in te d de tails. These fig u re s are lim ite d to
one per co u p o n and w ill sell o u t q uickly. O n ly 150 fig u re s w ill be m ade.
A ll o rd e rs m u s t be p o s tm a rke d by F eb ru a ry 28th, 2004. F igu re s w ill
be m ailed 6-8 w eeks fro m d e a d lin e . C ut th is co u p o n o u t and m a il to :
Secret S e rp e nt Offer, S uper7 M agazine, PO Box 330235, San Francisco,
Ca. 94133 USA. O rig in a l c o u p o n s only. N o co p ie s accepted. If y o u r m a il­
ing in fo rm a tio n does n o t f it on th e fo rm , please attach th e in fo rm a tio n
to th e c o u p o n b e fore m a ilin g .
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Paym ent of $20.00 + 4.00 shipping per coupon. Enclose payment as a money order in U.S. funds only. DO NOT
SEND CASH! All California residents must include 8.5% sales tax on the price o f the toy before shipping costs.
Payments made out to "Super7 Magazine." For mail order sales in the U.S.A. and Canada only. No international
orders accepted.
N E O -K A IJU
The N e o-K aiju p ro je c t is c o m in g ! As yo u m a y a lre a d y
kn o w , S uper7 is d e d ica te d to o b se ssive love o f Ja p a ne se
characters, ro b o ts, h e ro e s and ka iju (a.k.a. m o n ste rs). In
a d d itio n , S u p e r7 has also p ro v id e d an a rtis t g a lle ry in
each issue, to sh o w ca se th e a rt and c re a tiv ity o f p e o p le
w h o share th e sam e lo ve and d e v o tio n to th e se characte rs .T h e p o in t is - w e like m o n s te rs , and w e like art. W h a t
if w e c o u ld m ix th e tw o ? W a n t to k n o w m ore? W ell, you
w ill ju s t have to w a it! U n til F eb ru a ry th a t is. In issue 5,
yo u w ill see all th e d e ta ils, and be th e fir s t to on e -u p
y o u r c o lle c tin g frie n d s w ith th e fa s c in a tin g new s. U n til
th e n , ago nize o ve r all th e p o s s ib ilitie s th is co u ld be, and
keep y o u r eyes peeled and ears o p e n!
S U B S C R IP T IO N S & B A C K IS S U E S
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M Y F R IE N D T H E M IC R O N A U T
BY BW ANA SPO O NS
El M asco t.
W h e n I w a s a w e e lad. I ca rrie d a S n a g g le to o th in m y po cke t w h e re
e v e r I w e n t (s h o rt le g g y S n a g g le to o th , n o t th e b lu e one). W e ll, a fe w
y e a rs a g o I d e cid e d it w a s tim e a g a in to have a little to y b u d d y w ith me
w h ic h I n o w c a rry in m y p o cke t o r m y bag. M y o w n p e rs o n a l M asco t.
H a vin g a lil' b u d d y a ro u n d is g re a t fo r im p ro m p tu p h o to s h o o ts , and
to re ta in a c o n n e c tio n w ith y o u r to y c o lle c tio n w h ile o u t and a b o u t
o r on lo n g trip s . Plus, if y o u b e co m e h o m e le s s d u e to 0 . 0 . C.D. (O ver
O b se ssive C o lle c to r D is o rd e r), and yo u lo se y o u r jo b , c o n n e c tio n w ith
o th e r h u m a n s , and y o u r B u ild b a s e .T h e re w ill a lw a y s be a little m as c o t
to liste n to y o u r m in d le s s ra m b lin g s as y o u w a n d e r th e s tre e ts w o n ­
d e rin g h o w it all c a m e to th is .
P a in tin g :
Seen h e re is a p a in tin g o f El M a s c o t m y p e rs o n a l M ic ro b u d d y , in th e
Ja p a n e se G a rd e n s a t th e B o ta n ica l G a rd e n s o f Los A n g e le s. He is a
w h ite o p a q u e B a re fo o t M ic ro m a n re p ro d u c tio n . H w has a tra n s lu c e n t
s k e le to n head and rib -ca g e th a t I b o u g h t as a kit in Japan.
T h in g s n o t to d o w ith y o u r m a s c o t th a t I le a rn e d th e hard w ay.
IT a k e lo n g naps in th e sun. M ic ro m a n do n o t g e t sun ta n s, th e y ju s t
g e t d is c o lo re d like any o th e r p la s tic to y.
2. Do n o t fo rg e t h im in y o u r p o cke t on la u n d ry day. El m a s c o t had a
h and g o th e w a y o f th e lo s t sock.
B w a n a S p o o n s.
9
DOPE
§PLASTIC,
PL USH, P R I N T & MORE!
Be@rbrick I Kubrick
Devilrobots • Hakoton • Mez-ltz
Jamous Dous Dous Plushes
Scary Stories Plushes * Stikfas
Ugly Dolls • SuperMILK Chan
Vanimals • Pete Fowler * KAWS
Hayao Miyazaki • Junko Mizuno
Yoshitomo Nara • Takashi Murakami
1/6 Figures * T-Shirts & Apparel
Art & Design Books / Zines
s w
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c o n ,
Innovative Toy Concepts, ® Design, & Art
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RELATED ITEMS:
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MICHAEL LAU
MEDICOM
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1 0 7 NW. 5TH AVE PORTLAND, OR. 9 7 2 0 9
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JUSTBETOYS.COM
JU M B O S
BY SEAN BONNER
It's p retty crazy to see h o w m uch th e J u m b o M achin d er
Saito san's J u m b o M achin d ers b oo k w as a b o u t th e o n ly
price p o in ts a b o u t a specific to y ju s t so he can sell it to
w o rld has changed in th e past fe w years. I started co l­
in fo rm a tio n availa ble to c o lle c to rs and it w as p a in fu lly
s o m eo n e else.The big questions?
lecting th e m s o m e tim e in early 1997, o n ly a fe w m o nth s
lacking.The lis t w as o n ly o f th o se released by Popy, and
after I'd learned th a t th e to y lin e existed. I'd had th e US
even th a t w as in co m p le te . W ith e v e ry th in g besides the
v e rsions as a kid b ut once I learned th a t w as ju s t th e tip
nam es w ritte n in Japanese, th e little b it o f info w as use­
o f th e iceberg, th e re w as no tu rn in g back.
less to m o st U.S. c o lle cto rs. But th e picture s sure w ere
nice.T he general to p ic s o f co n ve rsa tio n w ere:
1. N ot o n ly do w e k n o w th e Garada K-7 actu a lly existed,
n o t o n ly have high q u a lity picture s o f it been published,
b u t there's a real one on d is p la y in Japan th a t anyone
can w a lk up and see. Hell, yo u can p ro b a b ly touch it.
Perhaps th is is a sign o f th e w o rld changing th a n ks to
the g lobal c o m m u n ity beco m in g ju s t th a t, a c o m m u ­
1.The m yste rio u s Garada K-7 J u m b o v illa in , d id it ever
nity. The intern e t w as ju s t s ta rtin g to play a part then,
even exist?
do a vague search fo r "s h o g u n " and w ade th ro u g h th e
50 o r so results. You'd loo k past th e valks, diecast, tra n s ­
fo rm e rs and Jam es C lavell novels and m a ybe if you
w ere lucky there w o u ld be 2-3 sh og u n ve rsio n ju m b o s.
This was e xtre m e ly useful fo r u p g ra d in g w h a t you had;
released by any and all c o m pa n ies in Japan. R ight
a bo u t n o w th e o n ly q u e s tio n a b o u t le g itim a te ju m b o s
thanks in part to a site called eBay. A search fo r "J u m b o
M a chin d er" w o u ld pull e xactly 0 results. You'd have to
2. There's a p re tty s o lid lis t o f w h a t w as o ffic ia lly
2. W h a t o th e r c o m pa n ies in Japan released J u m b o s
is th e ru m o rs o f a God M azinga.
and w h a t ch aracters d id th e y release?
3. Value is p ro b a b ly th e th in g still up in th e air, b ut that's
3. H ow m uch are these th in g s w o rth ? (This w as c o m m o n
re la tin g m ore to ch an g ing m arkets than a n yth in g else.
because o fte n yo u'd have tw o dealers w ith th e sam e
For th e m o s t part, everyo n e w h o cares know s w h a t
to y in s im ila r c o n d itio n one se lling it fo r $800, th e o th e r
th in g s are g o in g fo r today. There's still th e occasional
asking $2,500.)
fin d in g m issing parts o r g ettin g a bette r box, b ut use­
d ea le r w h o th in k s it's 1991, b ut th o se h old o uts are g e t­
tin g fe w e r and few er. M o st dealers are g o in g w ith the
less if you w an te d a nyth in g Japanese. If yo u w an te d
So here w e are a lm o s t 6 years later and e v e ry th in g
th e real deal you w e re fo rce d to go th o u g h one o f a
has changed. Old q u e stio n s have been answ e re d, new
b uye rs, b ut no m a tte r w h a t th e re w ill alw ays be som e
sm all handful o f dealers w h o knew w h a t a "m a c h in d e r"
ones have been asked, info is m o re accessible and it's a
g u y try in g to charge $2,500 fo r a Dol D ragon, w hich
was o r go to Japan yo urse lf.
w h o le n ew ballgam e.
e v e ryo n e know s is an $800 toy. In general, prices are
Lack o f sources and in fo rm a tio n , puts a g ood b it o f
An eBay search fo r "s h o g u n " y ie ld s 1200+ results, but
p o w e r in th e hands o f th e p eople w h o can p ro vid e it.
w h y look at th a t w h e n , d ep e n din g on th e day, you can
Dealers w ere able to price th in g s at ju s t a b o u t w h a te ve r
g et 15-30 results by searching fo r "J u m b o M a c h in d e r"
they w anted because th e re w as no o p tio n to s im p ly
A lth o u g h th a t search is s till fille d w ith a lo t o f U.S.
get it fro m som eone else. No resource to see w h a t the
ve rsio n s so yo u m ig h t as w e ll go rig h t to th e source
going price was, no reference to use to decide if it was
b y lo o kin g on Yahoo Japan. A search th e re to d a y fo r
a w ise buy. O ften, if a ju m b o tu rn e d up th a t a dealer
"M a c h in d e r" p u lle d 20 results, 19 o f th e m w ere even
h ad n 't seen b efore, and tw o o r th re e co lle cto rs w anted
th e real deal.
it (since th a t's a b o u t all there w ere at th a t p o in t) the
dealer w o u ld nam e a price and th e fir s t co lle c to r to
send a check g o t it.T he fa ct th a t th e price had a lo t m ore
to do w ith w h a te ve r o u tsta n d in g b ills th e d ea le r had
th a t m o nth ra th e r than w h a t th e to ys w e re w o rth w a s n 't
fre q u e n tly a to p ic o f d iscussion. N o th in g aga in st deal­
ers here, it's th e basic law s o f s u p p ly and d em and, and
at th a t p o in t in th e gam e th e y held all th e chips.
Today in fo rm a tio n is e v eryw h e re. There are coun tle ss
w e b site s packed w ith re vie w s o f each toy, each to y line,
archives o f recent s o ld -fo r prices, e stim ate s o f values,
in-d e p th pictures, d ea le r re vie w s and g e n e ra lly m ore
in fo th a n m o st p eople can s to m a ch .T h e d iffe re nce n ow
is th e co lle cto rs are th e ones w ith th e in fo rm a tio n . It's
n ot u n co m m o n fo r a d ea le r to call a c o lle c to r to ask
flo w and co n tin u e to have g rea t re la tio n sh ip s w ith th e ir
m uch lo w e r th a n th e y w ere a fe w years ago. But m ar­
kets go up and d o w n , so there's no te llin g w hat's to
com e. Since prices are d ro p p in g , a lot o f people w ho
w ere in it fo r th e " in v e s tm e n t" are panicking and selling
fu ll c o lle c tio n s at rock b o tto m prices.
W hat's th e p o in t o f all th is? There is n 't really one. It's
ju s t in te re s tin g [to m e] to see h o w m uch has changed
o v e r th e last fe w years. In th e m id-70s w hen these
w ere n ew on th e shelves, e ntire d iv is io n s o f com panies
kept track o f th e m . W hen th o se office s sh u t d ow n and
p ro d u c tio n sto p p ed th e in fo w as lost. It to o k years fo r
a nyone to care eno u g h to d ig it back up. Personally, I
c a n 't w a it to see w h a t w e fin d o u t next.
Sean B o nner is S7's reside nt ju m b o nerd, an e d ito r at
ToyboxDX.com a n d can be fo u n d on lin e a t seanbonner.com.
11
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POKE
e sell Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, and other figures, toys,
books, posters, mini posters, highgrades, hyper figures, plush toys,
, candy toys and THEATER EXCLUSIVE ITEMS.Kaiju collectors serving
collectors, Tom and Diane lived in Japan for six years! They know the country
and they know the Kaiju! Vintage toys or new toys, toys for all budgets, they
have the largest Godzilla inventory in the USA!
Web site: http://w w w .claw m arktoys.com
—
E-mail: [email protected]
Clawm ark Toys
1308 Tour Drive
Gulf Breeze, Florida 3 25 6 3
Phone: (850) 916 -4 5 17
~
®
VISA &
MASTERCARD
ACCEPTED
PAUSE
T E L L IN G T H E S T O R Y W IT H T O Y S
IN T R O D U C IN G N A T H A N J U R E V IC IU S A N D S C A R Y G IR L
Quarterly column by Jim Crawford and Gregory Blum o f
O ver the past year, A ustralian artist Nathan Jurevieius has achieved
international n o to rie ty as the crea to r o f the S carygirl de sig ner toy
series. W ith its disting uish ab le character style and b u ilt-in narrative,
Scarygirl figu res have developed a w o rld w id e fan base and have rap­
id ly becom e the fla g sh ip designs fo r th e ir producer, Hong Kong's
Flying Cat. They are cute and creepy, a fa r cry fro m the hip-hop fla­
vored designs tha t have becom e u n fa irly synonym ous w ith Hong
Kong’s vin yl fig u re scene.
Nathan and Scarygiri are poised to go big. In addition to m ore lim ited
e d itio n figu res and a co n tin u in g array of PVC m inis, Nathan has been
sim u ltan eou sly developing both video game and anim ation properties
to furthe r develop the storyline . He is currently w o rkin g on original
non-Scarygirl related projects, in clud in g apparel fo r Burton, helmets
fo r Bell Sports, a Zippo for Flam erite and e d ito ria l illustratio ns for
N ickelodeon Magazine. He is also prepa ring G irls an d O ther Scary
Things, a retrospective e xh ib itio n o f his art being held at M elbourne’s
O utre G allery this January.
As opposed to other toys w h ich usually fo llo w the release o f a TV
show, m ovie o r video game, the Scarygirl story has p rim a rily devel­
oped throu gh the release o f Nathan's figures. An episodic tw o-panel
com ic has been published in Hong Kong's M ilk M agazine and on the
Scarygirl w ebsite {scarygirl.com ), but the d riv in g force behind the sto­
ry's de velopm e nt has been the lim ite d ed itio n soft vin yl figures. So
fa r this year, Nathan and Flying Cat have released fo u r figu re sets from
the Series: Scarygiri &Toycat, B lister & Bitdee, Bunniguru & Egg, and
the m ysterious Dr, M aybee.They have also released a PVC m in i figu re
series— M in i Treehouse— w hich features tw elve new characters that
exist ih a parallel storyline to the u n fo ld in g Scarygirl drama.
The story thus far fo llo w s a cute but s lig h tly deform ed little girl w ho
was abandoned late one n ig h t by the seaside. She is fo u n d and taken
in by Blister, a frie n d ly octopus w h o bu ild s he r a treehouse hom e pop­
ulated by a v a rie ty o f frien ds and associates. One evening she has a
vision, w hich is interpreted by the m ystic B unniguru as a message to
seek her roots. Scarygirl and her frien ds jo u rn e y in to the big city on
a quest to find her mother, fa th e r o r anyone else w h o had a part in
her creation. This search bring s her to the undersea ia b o ra to ry o f Dr.
Maybee and an unsettling cliffha ng er revelation.
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A b6 m : ScarygrlCbm ic, episode 1
Above light Scarygiri & Toycat
Right: Scarygiri
'
Toy design is actually a n e w endeavor fo r Nathan. He had been w o rk ­
ing as a freelance illu stra to r for ten years before Alan Chow o f Flying
Cat offered him the o p p o rtu n ity to make toys. In fact, the actual
Scarygirt character was in itia lly developed as part o f an e d ito ria l illu s ­
tration fo r a magazine. Ide ntifying it as a rich character, Nathan pitched
an earlier version of Scarygirl to Film Victoria as a possible onlin e
interactive anim ation idea. The day before the pitch was ready, Film
Victoria lost its governm ent fu n d in g for new m edia projects and w ith it
w e nt S c a ry g irl:"T h is actually turned out to be a good th in g " explains
Nathan, "because the Scarygirl you see today is a lo t stronger."
This background in illu stra tio n clearly influences S carygiri's success
at telling its story th ro u g h toys. " If you 're a good e d ito ria l illustrator,"
suggests Nathan, "y o u 'd try to a m p lify the story and b rin g s om ething
m ore than the text actually says." This is clearly evide nt in the
Scarygirl design. Each fig u re includes a sidekick, im p ly in g a relatio nship between th e tw o characters; the packaging depicts scenes w ith
additional characters. Even the PVC m in i figures contain accessories
to transfo rm each character in to an alter ego form .
W ith all o f the attention Scarygirl is receiving, it could very w e ll be
a boutique to y series that so lid ly breaks in to the larger media. Since
m ost to y releases are still considered the m erchandising aftertho ug ht
of an established property, this is a serious m old-breaking coup. A
well-crafted, artist-driven toy can be a v ia b le starting p o in t fo r a larger
creative endeavor, a pro p e rty in its e lf th a t can cross in to oth er m ed i­
ums. "Figures that convey art interesting back-story are a great start
fo r bigger things," agrees Nathan. " It boils do w n to creating products
that are part o f you r personality and convey a sense th a t there's m ore
to them than ju s t a nicely m ade piece o f v in y l"
For m ore in fo rm atio n about Nathan J, v is it scarygirl.com and
STRANGEco's Toy Culture section, s tra n g e co .co m /to ycu ltu re .h tm l
A rtw o rk courtesy o f Nathan J.
Special thanks to B ill C raw ford (o u r m an in M elbourne)
Above left:
I Cl Boys/Scarygirl crossover (l-r: Toycat, Blister. Bunniguru, Scarygirl)
2. Toy2R Qee/Scarygirl crossover (l-r. Bunniguru. Toycat. Scarygirl, Blister)
3. S m n u rtM m iTreehouse figures (l-r Glamboosa, Dudson, Ziffrey,
Seoop, Naai. Ark.ski)
4. C! Boys/Searygiri crossover il-r: Blister, Toycat Scarygirl and Bunniguru)
Above top:; Bunniguru (detail)
Above left: Whazzup Robtock Crossover (Bunniguru detail)
Above r ig h t Bahniguru (grayscale and color editions)
4k.
'
Left: Promo an for Girls and Other Scary Things.
Below: Cl Bovs/Dr. Maybee crossover set
Below left: Scarygirl Mini Treehouse■figures
(l-r: Dudson, Arkski, Heenie, Seoop, Naai,
Bennzi, Roofis, Pegstl Glam§gosa)
;
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Below top: (l-r) Bunniguru, Scarygirl & Toycat, Blister
Below bottom: (l-r) Bunniguru & Egg, Blister St Birdee
Right: Bunniguru and Egg
■11:
....A
a
TRANS
FORMERS
THE HISTORY
OF OPTIMUS PRIME
PART 02
By Jack Hurwitz
H A
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1997
W hen Hasbro acquired Kenner in 1996, they were tasked w ith re-launching a
Transform ers line that featured cars, trucks, planes, and other vehicle types.
W anting to test the fans' reaction to the line, Hasbro released tw elve redecorated m olds based on Europe-only releases left over from the G2 line. Unfor­
tunately, it was a flo p and was pulled from the shelves before long. Not,
however, w ith o u t leaving us w ith one m ore O ptim us Prime figure.
N ot based on a n yth in g in th e kn o w n T ra n sfo rm ers Universe, the M achine
W ars O p tim u s Prim e arrives in his classic truck cab, trailer, and base m ode
co n fig u ra tio n . He is co lored in a lig h te r scheme, d ra w ing on the com m on
red, blue, and gray p a lle t.T h is Prime's m old was a ctually a re-deco based
on th e G eneration 2Thunderclash fig u re th a t was o n ly released in Europe.
The fans w e lco m e d th e fa ce lift w hen com pared w ith the garish teal, pink,
red and y e llo w c o lo r scheme. Call m e a nut; I happened to really like the
Thunderclash colors. There is n 't a w h o le lo t new w ith th is version o f the
leader. It is one o f th e least P rim e-looking to ys m ade after the character.
However, th e sleek fu tu ris tic look and lim ite d a v a ila b ility o f the to y as a KB
Toys exclusive m akes it a fa irly p o p u la r to y w ith collectors.
BEAST
WARS
1996
A fte r a lo n g ab se nce fro m th e T V screen th e T ra n s fo rm e rs w e re back!
W ith H asb ro 's p u rch a se o f K e n n e r in 1985, a s p ry n e w g ro u p o f
d e s ig n e rs in C in c in n a ti w e n t to w o rk on p u ttin g th e se w e ll kn ow n
ro b o ts th ro u g h a fa n ta s tic change. W ith B ob F orw a rd and L arry D iT illio
b e h in d th e w h e e l o f an all c o m p u te r g e n e ra te d ca rto o n th a t d e b ute d
in A p ril 1996,T h e T ra n s fo rm e rs re tu rn e d - based n o t on m ach in e s, b u t
o rg a n ic life fo rm s ! D u b b e d th e "B e a s t W ars," th e se n e w ch a ra cte rs
w e re reca st in ro b o tiz e d fa c s im ile s o f all kin d s o f crea tu re s. From bugs
to m o n k e y s , a nd o v e r tim e even lio n s , tig e rs and bears.
The ra d ic a lly d iffe re n t a p p ro a ch o f th e CG ca rto o n a ttra c te d scores o f
n e w fa n s , b u t it a lso cre a te d a backlash o f sco rn and re s e n tm e n t fro m
d ie -h a rd G e n e ra tio n 1 fa n s. T h e y w e re a p p a lle d th a t K enner had lite r­
a lly m ad e a m o n k e y o f o u t O p tim u s Prim e. Even s till, th e to y s w e re an
in s ta n t h it w ith T ra n s fo rm e rs n e w c o m e rs and fle w o ff s to re shelves.
M uch to th e d is m a y o f G1 fa n s, H asbro's K e n n e r w a s d e lig h te d w ith
th e resp o n se . B east W a rs w o u ld be th e fo c u s o f T ra n s fo rm e rs fo r th e
n e x t fe w y e a rs .T h e s h o w w a s an even b ig g e r h it in Ja p a n, b ra n ch in g
o ff in to tw o n e w se ries, Beast W a rs II a nd Beast Neo.
For fa n s o f th e Beast W a rs era, th e to y s w e re s im p ly w o n d e rfu l. The
to y s ' in tric a te d e sig n s o ffe re d c o n v in c in g a n im a l and ro b o t fo rm s as
w e ll as e x te n s iv e a rtic u la tio n . O p tim u s , as u su a l, w a s tre a te d w ith
ro ya l a b a n d o n in th e B e a stW a rs. R enam ed O p tim u s P rim al a fte r being
reca st as a m eg a -size d a c tio n fig u re th a t d o u b le d as m a s s iv e black
g o rilla o r a fig h tin g w a rrio r. O p tim u s w a s th e le a d e r o f th e M a x im a ls
and th e ch a ra cte r w ith th e m o s t to y s m ade, w ith at least s ix u n iq u e
fig u re m o ld s s p a n n in g th e US and Ja p a ne se series.
18
BELOW
B E LO W
M achine Wars O ptim us Prime
d etail sh ow in g lig h t-p ip in g
(left), G2 Thunderciash (right)
B ELO W
M achine Wars O p tim u s Prime
in base m ode
TO P LEFT
Beast W ars O p tim u s Primal (bat),
B east W ars Japan Exclusive VSS1 set
w ith CDROM .
TO P C ENTER
B east W ars O p tim u s Primal
in gorilla m ode.
TO P R IGHT
Transm etal O p tim u s Primal
in gorilla skate m ode.
B O T TO M LEFT
Transm etal Primal in ro b o t mode.
B O T TO M R IGHT
O ptim al O p tim u s Prim al
19
BEAST
WARS
JAPAN
W h ile Beast W a rs w a s a h it in Ja p a n, e ve n ts u n fo ld e d d iffe re n tly th a n
in A m e ric a . Ja p a n w o u ld be in tro d u c e d to th e n e w T ra n s fo rm e rs w ith
th e sa m e fir s t season Beast W a rs c o m p u te r a n im a te d sh o w . H ow ever,
fo r rea so n s u n k n o w n , Ja p a n s w itc h e d g e a rs a nd began s h o w in g Beast
W a rs II, fo llo w e d by Beast W a rs Neo. Both ca rto o n s fe a tu re d m a n y
n e w ch a ra cte rs th a t w o u ld re m a in u n k n o w n to th e USA.
1997
A c c o rd in g to S h ig e o N a ka sh im a , a T ra n s fo rm e rs fa n in Ja p a n , "T h e
B e a s tW a rs to y s w e re p u t on th e m a rk e t in Ja p a n th e s u m m e r o f 1997.
E ve ryo n e th o u g h t th e y w e re bad. H o w e ve r, w h e n th e CG a n im a tio n
b e gan s h o w in g in O c to b e r o f th e sa m e year, th e p o p u la rity w ith c h il­
d re n g re w v e ry m uch . A co m ic a l e le m e n t w a s a d ded to th e Ja panese
v e rs io n o f CG a n im a tio n and th e s h o w be ca m e such a socia l p h e n o m ­
e n o n th a t even th e n e w s p a p e rs w ro te a rticle s a b o u t it."
A c c o rd in g to S h ig e o , th e B e a s tW a rs d id w e ll b e tw e en 1997-1998, b u t
had lo s t th e fa n s a tte n tio n by 1999. "T A K A R A had c o n s tru c te d a m ar­
k e tin g c a m p a ig n th a t ta rg e te d 5-7 ye a rs o ld ch ild re n . H o w e ve r, th e
to y s w e re v e ry c o m p lic a te d and c h ild re n d id n o t b u y th e m . S ince th e
s h o w w a s reca st a t c h ild re n , th e o ld e r age fa n s also s to p p e d lo o k in g
a t it. B ut, w e real fa n s a lso lo ve th o s e s h o w s v e ry m uch."
R IG H T
Beast Wars II LioC onvoy, B east Wars
O ptim us Primal, Beast Wars Neo Big
Convoy.
RIGH T
Beast W ars O p tim u s Primal, B east Wars
TRU e xclusive clea r C onvoy (1997, 6000
pieces made), I F U niverse O ptim us
Prim al, Japan e xclusive Burning C onvoy
Beast Wars II m ovie co m m em o ra tive
exclusive (1998, 5000 pieces made),
Japan exclusive ca rto o n accura te gray
C onvoy (2002, 5000 pieces).
20
TO P LEFT
TO P R IG H T C EN TER
Beast Wars II LioC onvoy in Lion m ode
B e a st Wars Neo C on vo y B lack version
in m a m m oth m ode
TO P LEFT C ENTER
TO P R IG H T
Beast Wars II L ioC onvoy in R ob o t m ode
B east W ars Neo C on vo y regular version
in ro b o t m ode
B O TTO M LEFT
Beast Wars II Lio C onvoy C -16, Flash
LioC onvoy m ovie co m m em o ra tive e xclu ­
ABOVE
sive (5000 Pieces), B lack L ioC onvoy TRU
L ucky D raw Pioneer C on vo y -
Exclusive (5000 Pieces).
Lim ited to only 100.
B O T T O M R IG H T
B east W ars Neo C on vo y TRU exclu sive
b la c k version (5000 pieces),
regular version.
AB O VE
L ucky D raw Pioneer C onvoy Lim ited to only 100.
B ELO W
BELOW
C onvoy vs. M egatron - L ucky D raw VS-40 G iftset - Lim ited to only 10.
B lack L ioC onvoy - Lucky D raw “ G alva” Lio C onvoy - 5 0 Pieces
-,'5 ' ' ' '
21
M y fir s t re sp o n se to Beast M a ch in e s w a s th a t it w a s a B e a stW a rs pa rt
2. A s th e s to ry b e gan to u n fo ld , it b e ca m e cle a r th e re w e re d a rk fo rc e s
a t w o rk . C y b e rtro n is p rim a l a nd a se le ct fe w M a x im a ls w a ke up on
C y b e rtro n w ith la st m e m o rie s b e in g th o s e o f th e B e a s tW a rs . C yber­
tr o n has been ta ke n . It is n o w u n d e r th e c o n tro l o f a s in g le e n tity bent
on d e s tro y in g all o rg a n ic life . N o n e o th e r th a n M e g a tro n has d e tecte d
in tru d e rs in his w o r ld of, u n til n o w , te c h n o lo g ic a l c o n tro l.
BEAST
MACHINES
2000
LEFT
B east M achines TRU e xclusive O ptim al
O p tim u s Prim al reissue in G1 colors,
(next to o riginal G1 O p tim u s Prime.)
In m a n y w a ys, B east M a ch in e s are all a b o u t O p tim u s Prim e. Lan ding
on C y b e rtro n he a nd his c o h o rts are le ft n e a rly p o w e rle s s a g a in st
th e v e h ic o n s , th e y q u ic k ly b e co m e d e p e n d e n t on th e O racle to g u id e
th e m . T h ro u g h o u t th e se rie s O p tim u s w o u ld fin d h im s e lf a d rift in
a n e ith e r w o r ld , c o n fro n te d b y th e O racle. Like a s h a m e n o f so rts,
a n s w e rs to q u e s tio n s m a d e th e m y s te ry m o re c o m p le x .
By all a c c o u n ts , th is s h o u ld have been P rim e's to y tim e . S adly, th e
Beast M a ch in e s lin e n e ve r had a chance in its day. The im m e n s e per­
so n a d e v e lo p e d a ro u n d P rim e's ro le in th e s to ry w a s hard to c o m p li­
m e n t w ith a to y. T he in itia l fig u re release in th e series w a s an u tte r
d is a p p o in tm e n t th a t w o u ld n o t be fo llo w e d by a n o th e r to y till th e
s h o w w a s c o m p le te d . Iro n ic a lly , p ro d u c in g se ve ra l O p tim u s Prim al
to y s th a t w o u ld be e x tre m e ly w e ll re ce ive d by c o lle c to rs .
CAR
ROBOTS
2000
LEFT
Fire Convoy (I to r) battle mode, truck
A fte r th e B east M a ch in e s in A m e ric a and Beast W ars Neo in Japan,
H a sb ro a n d T a ka ra w e n t back to th e basics a d o p tin g th e v e h ic le o ve r
th e o rg a n ic fo rm fo r an all n e w T ra n s fo rm e rs ca rto o n series. Released
in Ja p a n in 2000, th e s h o w w a s a p p ro p ria te ly n a m e d "T ra n s fo rm e rs :
Car R o b o ts " w ith T he T ra n s fo rm e rs back on p la n e t E arth, O p tim u s
P rim e re tu rn s as a s p e c ta c u la r fu tu ris tic Ja p a ne se Fire tru c k .T h e series
w a s la te r released in th e U SA as "T ra n s fo rm e rs : R obots in D isguise."
U n fo rtu n a te ly , th e ca rto o n w a s an u tte r d is a p p o in tm e n t. A c o m p le te
U -tu rn fro m th e h e a rt-p u m p in g a c tio n o f th e Beast series. Fans w e re in
shock o v e r th e s lid e -s h o w s ty le a n im a tio n and n e a rly p re -sch o o l level
p lo t lin e s. Lu ckily, it o n ly la ste d o ne season.
m ode, ro bo t m ode and super robot mode.
T he G1 fa n s w h o su ffe re d th ro u g h th e h id e o u s beast era g o t th e ir w ish .
T he Car R obots to y s w e re re a lly fa n ta s tic lo o kin g w ith e xte nsive a rtic u ­
la tio n and c o m p le x tra n s fo rm a tio n s . Even th e s m a lle r de lu xe fig u re s
w e re a m a rve l o fT ra n s fo rm in g to y de sig n . O nce again, G od Fire Convoy,
as he w as na m e d in th e Car R obots series, w a s th e center piece o f the
n e w line. The fig u re in clu d e d th e c u s to m a ry a rray o f ro b o t and base
m o d e s as w e ll as a la rge a rra y o f reissues in e v e ry th in g fro m candy to y s
to th e U ltim a te G od Fire C o n vo y Toys R Us Japan e xclu sive g ifts e t th a t
in clu d e d Fire C o n vo y and God M a g n u s (U ltra M ag n u s) and th e S uper
G od S w o rd , w ith th e w o rd s " t ill all are o n e " etched in th e blade.
THE HISTORY OF OPTIMUS PRIME
T h is p ro je c t o r ig in a lly s ta rte d o u t to be ju s t o n e a rtic le . A s I ta lk e d to p e o p le , I
to o le a rn e d th e re w a s m o re to O p tim u s P rim e th a n I e v e r im a g in e d .T h r o u g h
th e g o o d g ra c e s o f a lo t o f p e o p le a ll o v e r th e w o r ld w h o s u p p lie d e v e ry th in g
fr o m a rtw o rk to to y s , it w a s s o o n c le a r w e c o u ld n o t f i t e v e ry th in g in to one
is s u e .T h a n k s to g u y s a t S u p e r7 w h o in s is te d w e d o i t a ll, th e a rtic le w ill be
p re s e n te d in th re e p a rts .T h is b e in g P art II in S u p e r7 Issu e #4, P art 3 w ill w ra p
th e s e rie s in Issue #5 w ith O p tim u s P rim e th r o u g h A rm a d a , E n e rg o n , th e
Takara PVCs a n d a fe w o th e r s u rp ris e s y o u w o n 't w a n t to m iss.
22
Jack H urw itz -Techie/Artist/Writer - is a Cyborg who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He
collects humans fo r fun and profit. He can often be found programming his Transformers
news web site at http://TFormers.com
Aleck Au Yeung (Rem y) - Artist/Coliector/Photographer - lives in Hong Kong. He maintains
one of the biggest Optimus Prime toy collections around. See more o f Remy's toy collection
on his web site at http://TFKenKon.com
Elvin Pena - Collector/Techie - lives in New York City. He maintains one of the most com­
plete Optimus Prime collections around. Forever on the prowl for the rarest Primes, you
can check out more of EIvin's collection and more info about Optimus Prime at http://
www.geocities.com/elvinpena2000/
LE FT R O W (TOP TO BO TTO M )
B east M achines O p tim u s Primal basic
version in ro b o t m o de and gorilla m ode.
M ID D LE R OW (TOP TO B O TTO M )
B east M achines B last Punch O ptim us
Prim al in ro b o t m o de and gorilla m ode.
R IG H T R O W (TOP TO BO TTO M )
B east M achines A ir A tta c k O ptim us
Prim al in ro b o t m o de and gorilla m ode.
TO P LE FT A N D C ENTER
Fire Convoy in tru ck m ode, Fire Convoy in
base m ode. (Optimus Prime in America)
TO P C EN TE R A N D R IGHT
Black Convoy in robot mode, Black Convoy
in tanker mode, (Scurge in America)
B O TTO M LEFT (LEFTTO RIGHT)
Fire God C onvoy figures: Korean version,
TRU e xclusive version and Am erican ver­
sion.
BO TTO M R IGHT
Fire G od C onvoy TRU e xclusive w ith
S u p er G od Sw ord.
23
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above: A n im a tio n style D eviim an M iracle A c tio n Figure, Bandai, 2 0 0 0 .
above rig h t: “ W ithout the fear o f God, w hat w ould p eople th in k ? ” , Pushead, 2 0 0 3 .
below rig h t: D eviim an Iron Cross fo r Fewture, Pushead, 1 9 9 9 .
opposite page, botto m le ft: Cocobat -C ocobat Crunch cover art, Pushead, 1 9 9 2 .
opposite page, top rig h t: Cocobat -Struggle fo r A p h ro d ite cover art, Pushead, 1 99 3 .
D eviim an is © Go Nagai / D ynam ic Planning. Photograph by Tim Brisko.
R ecently, w h ile in Japan, a grou p o f fo u r c o lle c to r types and one poor soul who
was dragged along, because he d id n ’t know any better, m ade a jo u rn e y to a
sm all to w n. T h is tow n is, in th e eyes o f these h u n te r g ath ere r types, fo rtu n a te
enough to have a h a n d fu l o f vintag e or a n tiq u e to y shops alo n g its b ack streets.
Two m em bers o f th is up u n til now, a nonym ous group, are th e head honchos
fro m th is very m agazine, sad to say, d ro o lin g a t th e m ere m e n tio n o f “ th e re 's
o n e ", w h ile sh arp e n in g th e ir claw s to be th e firs t to g et th a t ch erish e d score.
When th e door o f th e fir s t shop is opened and th e s m e ll o f “ vin ta g e v in y l'
rushes in th ro u gh th e n o stril ca vitie s, th e e x c ite m e n t b u ild s as th e heart
pounds faster, in w h a t th e Japanese w ou ld c a ll “ d o k id o k i” , and even th o u gh
th e ir hands m ig h t be sh a kin g in a n tic ip a tio n , th e tough guy look is su d d e n ly
donned. Four guys in s ta n tly go fro m hyper to sto ic poker faces, not w illin g to
tip th e ir hand to th e shop m aster, w ho is all b u t to o hap p y to see g a ijin w a lk in g
in th ro u gh th e doors o f th e ra th e r "d e a d ” shop. Thro ug h w hisp e rs and hand
gestured conversations, and so m e tim e s ta lk in g louder th a n norm a l, glass cases
are opened, and ite m s are gazed upon, as a co u p le o f ite m s are kn ocked to th e
ground, th e shop w orke r says, all to o q u ic k ly , "n o p ro b le m fo r a d is c o u n t'
translated w ith a sm ile . As if th is is not paradise enough fo r th e severe c o lle cto rs
these 4 are, suddenly, th e y tu rn and e x it th e shop w ith n o th in g ....e x c e p t fo r th e
sm a ll package ca rrie d by m yse lf. (L u ckily, th e fir s t p lace to look h eld th e ite m s
to q u ic k ly b uy and it was over). Now, fo r th e o th e r g u y w ith th e s e m a n ia c a l
n um b e r 5 fo r sake o f privacy, he is on h is firs t
D evilm an is a c o n fu s in g character. M yself, I c a n ’t te ll you how or w hen I
adventure to Japan, and th is is his firs t try a t fo llo w in g som e crazed c o lle c to rs
discovered h im . It was never on Saturday m o rn in g ca rto o ns fo r m e in th e areas
types, le t’s ju s t c a ll h im
around to a bun ch o f toy shops. W e ll, # 5 c a n n o t fig u re o u t w h a t ju s t h appened.
I lived. I re m e m b e r G ig an tor (T e tsu jin 2 8 ) and th e A lakazam m ovie th e m ost,
A ll th e ta lk on th e tra in s was a b o u t g o in g to th e se to y shops. Lun ch was
gobbled down m u ch to o fa s t fo r th e like s o f his weak to n g u e . And now i t ’s in
as b e in g Japanese a n im a tio n im p o rts . I t ’s n ot even clea r if it was th e co m ic
D evilm an or th e a n im a te d D evilm an w h ic h c a u g h t m y eye firs t, b u t som ehow it
and out? P lus, # 5 is now e x p e rie n c in g th e su d d e n u rg e n cy o f how q u ic k ly
d id , and I was hooked. Now th is is n ’t a h is to ry e x a m in a tio n , so th is is not all
everyone can w alk to th e next to y shop. W hat inte re sts # 5 th e m ost a b o u t th is
a bo u t th e a c tu a ls and c h e c k lis ts , or th a t so rt o f th in g . There are books fo r th a t
next shop, is how d id anyone know it was there? See, th e grou p had to navigate
now. T h is is a b o u t perso n a l e x p e rie n c e . Anyway, th e nam e D evilm an
up a few flo ors, via m any e xtre m ely steep and tig h t flig h ts o f sta irs. A nd th e
m is le a d in g , s in c e A kira Fudoh is n ot really a d e v il, in th e sense you m ig h t have
shop c a n 't be m uch bigger th a n h is b a th roo m back hom e. B u t th is shop like
been raised to th in k o f one. So fo rg e t all th o se Satan w o rs h ip p in g quo tes and
is
th e last shop, is packed to th e b rim w ith toys. G lass cases even h id e th e shop
pen tag ra m s. H e ’s a c tu a lly a yo un g school boy w ho is in n o c e n t. U n til h is best
owner's fa ce fro m view. Heads are kn o ckin g in to s tu ff h an g ing fro m th e c e ilin g ,
frie n d Ryo d e c id e s h e ’s th e one to learn a bo u t his fa th e r’s s e c re t... th e "S ta tu e
b u t th a t doe sn ’t stop th e eyes fro m q u ic k ly g la n c in g a t a n y th in g and e veryth in g
o f th e D e v il” . A s ta tu e th a t was c re a te d b e fo re th e Ice Age, by th e E a rth ’s
as fa s t as possible. W ith s till at least 3 m ore shops to go to , both shops had a
o rig in a l in h a b ita n ts , th e race th a t c o n tro lle d th e Earth before m an cam e. The
treasure ch est o f d e lig h ts in those cases, in c lu d in g w h a t was once s o m e th in g
D em ons! The sta tu e is h ollo w in s id e and can be w orn lik e a m ask, and it is a
in c re d ib ly d if fic u lt to fin d ....o rig in a l D evilm an fig u re s and goods.
h istory book on th e d em o n s in sid e . And whoever p u ts th e m ask over th e ir head
can see th is w orld o f th e d em ons. So, Ryo gets A k ira Fudoh to try on th e mask,
I t ’s late a u tu m n 2 0 0 3 , and 17 years p revio u sly was th e fir s t tim e th a t I ever
cam e to Japan. W hat a d iffe re n c e tim e has been fo r c o lle c to rs ....a n d fo r
and
it sca res h im
very m u c h .
B u t Ryo te lls A k ira w h a t h is fa th e r had
h u n tin g o ut th e c o lle c tib le . Add a little fo g here, and g et dizzy or s o m e th in g
destroy th e d em ons was to becom e o n e ....y e t Ryo had one last s tip u la tio n to
lik e th a t, as w e’re goin g b ack in tim e now .......
A kira, o n ly one co u ld becom e a dem on and s till re ta in his hum an so ul, “ one
disco ve re d, th a t c o u n tle s s d em o n s were re tu rn in g to life . And th e way to
w ith th e iron w ill to c o n tro l th e d e m o n ’s c o n scio u sn e ss....o n e w ith a pure and
Novem ber 1 9 8 6 . A rrival a t N arita was e ffo rtle s s , it's ju s t a t th a t tim e , I had no
v irtu o u s m in d !” W ith th a t sa id , Ryo to ld A k ira , he was choo sin g h im as th e one
idea where I w ould be sta ying or how I w ou ld g et th e re . A ll I knew was I ju s t
to becom e th e D evilm an. Through a le n g th y process, A kira Fudoh d id becom e
b rou g h t over a fe w heavy boxes o f records, th a t I w ished to tra d e fo r yen, so I
co uld seek and purchase D evilm an ite m s. N or d id I know a t th a t tim e how
th e D evilm an , a h a lf hum a n , h a lf dem on c h a ra c te r w ith sm a ll w in g s fo r ears
really d if fic u lt it w ou ld be.
D evilm an , he w ou ld k ill o ff th e d em ons as th e y th re a te n th e Earth and its
(lik e eyebrow s and s id e b u rn s m orph e d to g e th e r and s tre tc h e d upw ard), and as
people. A re ally g rea t c o m ic o rig in story, fu ll of im a g in a tio n and o rig in a lity
fro m th e m in d o f Go N agai, one o f Ja pan's legendary c o m ic a rtis ts , w ho wrote
and
illu s tra te d
a ll th e
D evilm an
books. H is a rtis tic style is carto o nish
in
c h a ra c te r re p re s e n ta tio n , b u t g ritty w ith sta rk usage o f b lacks, and great
s to ry te llin g c o m p o s itio n s . S im p le yet fo rc e fu l and m o vin g w ith v io le n t brush
stro ke s a d d in g to th e fe e l. G reat s tu ff to say th e least. Now, th e anim a te d
cartoon on th e o th e r hand, w h ile k e ep in g w ith th e sam e synopsis as w h a t A kira
F u d o h ’s purpose was, has th e D evilm an as a supe rh e ro typ e c h a ra c te r w ith
c o s tu m e , and a ll A kira has to do is s h o u t o u t “ d e v i” and th e s p in n in g
tra n s fo rm a tio n
b egins. The o rig in a l c o m ic s to ry began
in W eekly Shonen
M agazine in 1 9 7 2 , w h ile th e a n im a te d cartoon was m ade by Toei a few years
la te r! Ok, so now you know a lit tle b it a b o u t th is cool c h a ra c te r D evilm an . Toys?
m m
m
ib
m
A
'- 'm
-Sal
I
IK":
m
O rig in a l H enshin Cyborg Devilm an, A n im a tio n style, b y Takara, 1 9 7 2 .
top: Retro A c tio n Hero Devil-God, by Bandai, 2 0 0 1 .
b otto m : Retro A ctio n Hero Devilm an, by Bandai, 2 0 0 1 .
D evilm an is © Go Nagai / D ynam ic P lanning.
Photographs on th is page b y Tim Brisko.
When se a rch in g fo r o rig in a l D evilm an toys, th e y are a ll based on th e a n im a te d
D u rin g th a t tim e , I w o u ld go to sh op s so s m a ll, 3 p eople in sid e and th e re was
carto o n series, n ot th e c o m ic v e rs io n ....th a t w o u ld happen m u c h later. B efore I
no room to m ove, to a p la ce so fa r rem oved and so bizarre th a t a w om an ju s t
fir s t set fo o t in Japan, a lre a d y I had a fe w s o ft v in yl fig u re s , and som e o f th e
had to ys s ta cke d on to p o f each o th e r in a huge p ile o f d isa rra y in th e m id d le
co lle cte d story co m ic books. N ow th e search was on. I was very fo rtu n a te on th a t
o f her liv in g space! It w as u p to us to ju s t d iv e in and d ig th ro u g h , u n til her
fa te fu l firs t tr ip , to have one “ Jha Jh a ” Iw aki and frie n d K uro p ic k m e up a t
te m p e r chan g e d or we fo u n d e x a c tly w h a t we w ere loo kin g for. B u t th e p rice s
N a rita . N ot o n ly was Jha Jha th e v o c a lis t fo r one o f th e best Japanese hard co re
w ere g re a t th e re ! The tim e had co m e to be o ff and v is it o th e r c itie s in
acts L ip cre a m , b u t also an avid to y c o lle c to r o f U ltra m a n and K am en R id e r
J a p a n ...N ag o ya , Okayam a and Kyoto, w here as I g ot o ff th e S h in ka n sen the re , I
s o ft vinyl m o nste rs (k a iju to you). P lus, to m y dism ay,
m e t a good frie n d o f Jha Jha's, th e in fa m o u s Funnyara. B assist o f th e hardcore
he had th e rare 5" green
Devilm an so ft vinyl fig ure in his c o lle c tio n . N ot only was he gracious enough to let
band War P a in te d C ity In d ia n
me stay a t his tin y p lace, b u t he w o u ld ta ke m e o u t on som e long a dve n tu re s in
enough to n ot o n ly le t m e sta y a t h is a p a rtm e n t, b u t d rive to a ll th e shops th a t
and m o nste r to y c o lle c to r. Funnyara was kind
th e h u n t fo r th e c o lle c tib le to y ....n a m e ly D e v ilm a n .
D u rin g th is tim e , Flobby
he knew o f, in search o f v in ta g e toys. It was at F u n n yara ’s a p a rtm e n t one n ig h t
Japan was one o f 2 sources to see ads fo r vintag e toys.
The ad th a t always s tru c k
w h ile s ta y in g th e re , th a t I d id th e fir s t ever d ra w in g of D evilm an as a s k u ll-
fear was th e B atm an shop (now c a lle d M agic Box) ad, fo r it's m in is c u le typ e
fa c e d
ch a ra cte r, a g if t fo r Funnyara. Even th o u g h we had th e grea test tim e ,
and am azing sele ctio n . So we journeyed on th e tra in s Jo w here th e y were located,
m ade
p le n ty o f purch a se s, and I m ade
and of course, it was ra in ing , and th e y were closed. Peeking th ro u g h th e w in d o w s
c o u n t w as s till very low. It was back to Tokyo as M e ta llic a w o u ld be p e rfo rm in g
a re ally good frie n d , th e D evilm an toy
d id n 't help m u ch e ithe r. Jha Jha to ld me he knew o f som e o th e r shops, and d id
as p a rt o f th e ir fir s t Japanese to u r, w ith th e ir new bass pla ye r Jason N ewsted.
he, b u t th e y all seem ed to be on th e o th e r side o f to w n , and rid in g th e tra in s and
B esides, K irk w as w a itin g to go lo o k in g fo r to ys! A n o th e r one w ith th e disease,
m ile s o f w a lk in g to o k up a lo t o f o u r h u n tin g d a y ...w h ic h w o u ld b eco m e days.
W hen I spoke w ith K irk on th e phone, he was te llin g m e a bo u t th is guy who
w as a b ig fa n and w a n te d to m e et m e. K irk , in try in g to te ll m e w h a t th is g u y ’s
n am e w as, k e p t s a y in g h is n am e w ro n g , a nd I c o u ld hear th e g uy in th e
b ackg ro u nd te llin g h im over and o ver w h a t h is nam e was. As soon as I g ot to
K irk ’s h o te l, I m e t Ta ke sh it, w ho also was a fa n o f D evilm an , and o f course, do
I need to say i t
a to y c o lle c to r. Take sh it h un g o u t w ith a ll o f us th e rest o f th e
n ig h t and th e next c o u p le o f days. T h e c lo s e t th in g I g o t to D evilm an d u rin g
th o se days, was d ra w in g one on th e g rip ta p e o f K u ro ’s skateboard w ith a w h ite
m arker. Take sh it to ld m e he w o u ld h elp search fo r D evilm an toys a fte r I le ft,
e s p e c ia lly th e H e n sh in Cyborg c o s tu m e , w h ic h was th e to p o f th e w an t lis t, so
addresses w ere tra d e d and a n o th e r g re a t frie n d was m ade. Time had com e to
go b ack hom e, so m any pla ce s w ere searched, and th e baggage was fu ll of
g rea t p urchases, b u t D evilm an toys n um b e re d 2 or 3 , and a nice s ta c k of
p ro m o tio n a l m ask/glasses fo r a yo un g c h ild 's face. A nd th a t rare green s o ft
vinyl 5" D evilm an fig u re ...n e v e r saw it fo r sale.
A t th is stage, you m ig h t be w o n d e rin g “ w h a t does a ll th is have to do w ith
D e v ilm a n ? ” . W e ll, th e p eople I m e n tio n e d w ho I d id n 't know before I w en t, all
becam e re ally good frie n d s , w ho I am s till good frie n d s w ith to d a y. And on th e
m any tr ip s I w o u ld ta k e to Japa n , th e y w o u ld all be h e lp fu l in th e search fo r
th e s e hard to fin d toys.
On th e th ir d tr ip to Ja pa n , we (T a ke shit & m yse lf) w ere e x tre m e ly lu c k y to get
th e o p p o rtu n ity , m ade p o s s ib le fro m som e very k in d people at a c o m pa n y I d id
b usin e ss w ith , to a c tu a lly go to th e D yna m ic s tu d io to m e et Go Nagai and his
lovely w ife M ik o . We w ere ushered in to a s m a ll m e e tin g ty p e o f room , w ith a
c o u c h and a c h a ir, and glass cases fu ll o f Go N agai's to ys and books. Som eone
ente red th e room w ith h ot ocha (green te a ) fo r everyone, and soon Go and M iko
m ade th e ir way in to th e room . T hey w ere c h a rm in g hosts, and were very
in te re s te d in w hy a g a ijin w as in te re s te d in D e v ilm a n ...T a k e s h it, th e y already
fig u re d th a t one o u t. T hey to o k us on a to u r o f th e p lace, and we saw how th e
a rtis ts w orke d . Go w o u ld
do th e
p e n c ils , a nd th e n give th e
page to his
a s s is ta n ts (lik e 7 o f th e m ) and th e y w o u ld ink, do ru bd o w ns, th e n e m b e llis h
th e rest, g e ttin g it ready to go to p rin t. G o’s b ro th e r was in charge o f th e
busin e ss and we m e t h im b rie fly . A c tu a lly , th e p lace was m u ch bigger th a n we
e x p e c te d , w ith a lo t o f p e o p le w o rk in g h a rd . P h o to s w ere ta k e n o f a ll o f us
to g e th er. For Ta ke sh it, th is was a d rea m co m e tru e to m e et h is boyhood idol.
A fte r th a t we both b ecam e good frie n d s w ith Go and M iko, and co m m u n ic a te d
w ith th e m on a re g u la r basis.
j
Above: Devilm an w in d -up w alking toy by Fewture, S um m ersonic b la c k lig h t version, 2 0 0 3 .
i v ii m a n a n a m e
b y T a k e s h it
rst saw D evilm an on TV, as a c a rto o n show w hen I was k id (5 -6 years o ld ). N early 3 0 years ago? My sm a ll m em o
th is TV show re c a lls a p re tty v io le n t story and e ne m y m o n s te r fa ce s and nam es th a t are a ll ugly. M ostly I rem em b
angry A kira d o in g w h ip la s h m oves w ith h is own le a th e r b e lt. Every kid a round m e w a n te d to do th e sam e thin,
d th e n Toei m ade a g re a t th e a te r m o vie ca rto o n "M a z in g e r-Z vs D e v ilm a n ” . T h is m ovie was so a m azin g fo r m e! St
e m e m b e r th e th e a t e r ’s b ig s o u n d o f M a z in g e r -Z 's w a lk in g n o is e "G u c k e e e n G u c k e e e n ” & A k ir a s h o u t ir
e e e v iiiiiiL U U !!!!” No video e xisted back th e n , so you c o u ld o n ly see th is g re a t m ovie a t a th e a te r w ith a b ig screen
i
Ui
4
*
\
'■
far
%
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m l
\\\
top: Reverse side o f the B andai 1 2 " backe r card.
to p : B andai 1 2 “ D evilm an, backer and header card.
tom : U nliscensed 1 2 " manga style head D evilm an.
A vailable b oth w ith or w ith o u t a rem oveable mask.
b o tto m : U nliscen se d 1 2 " a n im a tio n s tyle D evilm an.
A va ila b le both w ith o r w ith o u t a rem oveable mask.
top: Group s h o t o f vintage Devilm an vinyl fig u re s .lt is im po rta n t to
to note th a t there are only three licensed vintage figures ever made,
the green 5 “ Takatoku, the 1 2 " B andai and the Henshin Cyborg.
m id d le : B andai 1 2 " D evilm an w ith w histle blow er in the back.
b o tto m : B a n da i 1 2 " D evilm an show ing the rem oveable mask.
opposite le ft, botto m le ft and b o tto m ce nte r
photogrpahs by Tim Brisko, a ll others b y Takeshit.
D evilm an is © Go Nagai / D ynam ic P lan n ing
above le ft: Tin w in d -up D eviim an, A n im a tio n style, by B illik e n , 2 0 0 0 .
above rig h t: purp le , green and b lu e d ie ca st D eviim an figures, M a rm it 1 9 9 9 .
botto m rig h t: purp le , green and blue 1 2 " vinyl figures, M a rm it 1 9 9 9 .
D eviim an is © Go N agai / D ynam ic P lanning. A ll P hotographs b y Tim Brisko.
It was th e sp rin g o f 1 9 8 9 , and a n o th e r tr ip to Ja pa n . T h is tim e to c o in c id e
M any years and m any tr ip s to Japan had passed, th e D evilm an c o lle c tio n had
w ith M e ta llic a ’s second to u r th e re . The a rra n g e m e n ts w ere m ade fo r K irk to
grow n, b u t a new wave w as s ta rtin g . In te re s t in D evilm an w as fre s h again w ith
m e et Go Nagai th is tim e , and M ik o said she w o u ld co m e p ic k a ll o f us u p in
th e a c tio n fig u re boom h a p p e n in g in Japan. Soon M e dico m was m a kin g Henshin
her car. Our fir s t d e s tin a tio n ? The Toei a n im a tio n s tu d io , th e in fa m o u s p la ce
Cyborg ty p e 1 2 " d o lls (in d iffe re n t c o lo rs to o ), and o f both c h a ra c te r versions
th a t m ade th e D evilm an a n im a te d ca rto o ns as w e ll as c o u n tle s s o th e r c la s s ic
a n im a te d and c o m ic , and th e flo o d g a te s ju s t s o rt o f opened fro m th e re , and
shows. A fte r g e ttin g th e fu ll tour, a Toei a n im a to r w ho w as a fa n o f M e ta llic a ,
rushed over and gave K irk a fe w C ap ta in H a rlo ck c e ls as a g ift. He was th r ille d ,
every ty p e o f fig u re im a g in a b le was b e in g m ade. From s o ft v in y l to d ie-cast,
and e v e ry th in g in betw e e n . D evilm an was h ip aga in . A ro un d 1 9 9 7 , a com pany
D evilm an c e ls ....th a t was to o long ago th e y sa id . We th e n w o u ld go to m e et
c a lle d F ew ture, w ho had a lic e n s in g a gre e m e nt w ith D yna m ic, asked if I could
w ith Go, and do a jo in t in te rvie w (Go, K irk & m yse lf) th a t w o u ld a pp e a r in th e
do a D evilm an t-s h irt. T h is w o u ld be th e th ird D evilm an illu s tra tio n , and soon
New Type a n im a tio n m agazine. The next day was th e fir s t g ig a t th e Yoyogi
it w o u ld b ecom e a w in d -u p s o ft v in y l toy. The M echa-Terror D evilm an was th e
O lym pic pool, and Go & M iko ca m e as gue sts o f K irk, and sat in fro n t o f th e
soundboard area. M iko was so th r ille d , she said she fe lt like a te e n ag e r aga in .
fir s t in th e series and m ade in to 4 d iffe re n t versions, and a c tu a lly S ilene
(D e v ilm a n 's fe m a le arch ene m y) was s la te d to be th e second. B u t th e p e n c ils I
M e ta llic a w o u ld head w est, and T a ke sh it and I w o u ld go alo n g . We m e t u p w ith
had fin is h e d fo r her fa c e was n ot to th e lik in g o f Few ture's owner, w ho w anted a
Funnyara, and began o u r norm a l h u n t fo r toys. S till, th e D evilm an goods w ere
cleaner, b e a u tifu l S ile n e , and
hard to co m e by, e s p e c ia lly th o se w a n t lis t to p p e rs th e “ H e n sh in C ybo rg "
o u tfit, th e 5" green s o ft v in yl fig u re , and now, new to th e h u n t, th e D evilm an
tim e s by o th e r com panies and not w a n tin g to do th e same th in g , I chose not to do
her. Around th is tim e , d u rin g th e fir s t appearance at the Superfestival 13 toy show,
card set. Funnyara cam e alo n g to Nagoya, w here a sp e cia l d o c u m e n ta ry film
I fo u n d th e D evilm an tea c u p , w h ic h is one h a lf o f th e set, m issin g th e rice bowl,
I fe lt th a t was a lready bein g done to o m any
was recorded fo r M iko a b o u t a day in th e life o f M e ta llic a , s in c e she c o u ld n ’t
be th e re . A fte r th e show, th e 4 o f us were rushed to th e S h in ka n s e n s ta tio n to
The fo u rth and fin a l D evilm an
head b ack th a t n ig h t to Tokyo, as th e next day we w o u ld be tre a te d to a sp e c ia l
s ilk s c re e n e d p rin t and t-s h irt, th a t are p art o f th e box set, w ith a b la c k lig h t
illu s tra tio n was m ade in 2 0 0 3 fo r a b la c k lig h t
d in n e r party at Go & M iko 's house. W hen we arrive d a t th e Nagai hom e, we
d id n ’t know w h a t to e xp e ct, and both T a ke sh it and Funnyara w ere very nervous
version o f th e M e c h a -te rro r D evilm an , th a t w as so ld
c o n c e rt 2 d ay e v e n t in Tokyo and Osaka,
a t th e S u m m erso n ic
to be at su ch a place, th e hom e o f a legend to th e m . M iko greeted us a t th e
fro n t door and w e lco m e d us to th e ir hom e. There w ere ca m era s and vide o s
T h ro ug h a ll th e s e years, I have c o lle c te d e v e ry th in g I co u ld fin d on D evilm an,
g o in g o ff, as we saw G o’s o rig in a l p a in tin g s lin in g th e e n tra n c e hallw a y. A
fro m s o ft v in y l to ys w ith re m ova b le m asks to s o ft v in y l toys w ith w h is tle s in
b e a u tifu l D evilm an p a in tin g c a u g h t a ll o f o u r eyes, it was very large and ju s t a
th e ir backs, fle x i re cord s w ith c h ild re n 's books to 7"ers, LPs and CDs, card
b e a u tifu l s ig h t to a c tu a lly see. M iko had in v ite d som e o f th e ir frie n d s , as w ell
as o rd e rin g o u r fa vo rite Japanese fo o d s ...c h a soba, fu g u , and pizza. Pizza? Yes,
se ts to c h ild re n s s ta tio n a ry sets, th e H en sh in C yborg o u tfit to th e Volks head,
books and m agazines to videos and laser d iscs, o rig in a l a n im a tio n cels to
th a t’s rig h t. And th a t’s w h a t Funnyara ke p t sayin g .,.p izza ? ( It w asn ’t even in th e
o rig in a l a n im a tio n sto ryb o ard s, m e e tin g th e cre a to r as w ell as c re a tin g m y own
shape o f D e v ilm a n ’s head). L ater on, Go w o u ld give K irk and I a very sp e c ia l
in te rp re ta tio n , and th e lis t goes on and on. For th o se o f you w ho m ig h t ask,
g ift. A t th a t tim e , it was cu sto m a ry in Japan fo r th e c o m ic a rtis ts n ot to sell th e ir
w h a t is th e h ard e st D evilm an ite m to fin d , it w o u ld have to be th e D evilm an
o rig in a l artw ork, because it m ig h t lead to th e b e lie f th a t th e y were h u rtin g or n ot
doin g to w e ll. So orig ina l artw ork co u ld be presented as a g ift, and th a t is e xactly
“ P unch & K ic k ". A m e d iu m -s iz e d p u n c h in g bag w ith im ages o f D evilm an on it.
I have never seen one, and n e ith e r has Ta ke sh it, e x c e p t fo r th e a dv e rtis e m e n t
w h a t Go b rou g h t o u t fo r us. O f course, th e tw o o f us b o th w an te d D e v ilm a n ...b u t
in a m a gazine he fo u n d , b u t it does e x is t as Funnyara had one w hen he was a
it w asn’t to be. K irk got a b e a u tifu l Violence Jack cover p a in tin g , and I got a really
c h ild . N ow adays th e re is ju s t to o m u ch new s tu ff, and th e p refe re n ce goes
n ice Bazooka cover p a in tin g . B oth are o th e r c h a ra cte rs fro m G o’s c o m ic w o rld .
to w a rd s th e v in ta g e s tu ff, s in c e th a t has alw ays been w h a t th e h u n t was a bout.
B ack hom e, I received a c a ll fro m a Japanese based TV p ro d u c tio n c o m pa n y
The tim e m a c h in e is b rin g in g you b ack, and it's now d ark, and th e grou p o f 5
w ho were referred to c o n ta c t m e by M iko . T hey were in te re s te d to film
lo c a tio n
on
have tra ve le d to one o f th e last s h o p p in g areas fo r th e day. A m azingly, inside
a t m y a p a rtm e n t, fo r a very fa m o u s Ja pa n e se TV s h o w c a lle d
th is long n arro w shop on th e second flo o r, w he re th in g s are fa llin g as you try to
w a lk dow n th e tig h tly packed sides, th e glass cases hold n ot one b u t 2 d iffe re n t
‘ N aru h o do Z a W a ru d o ” (I See The W o rld ), w h ic h was one o f th o s e u n u s u a l
Japanese q u iz p rog ra m s. The s u b je c t m a tte r, th e D e vilm a n and Go Nagai
D evilm an s o ft v in y l vin ta g e fig u re s . One o f w h ic h is th e rare 5" green fig u re . Of
c o lle c tio n I had. By th is tim e , a fte r m any trip s to Japan, I had fin a lly secured a
'H e n s h in Cyborg D e v ilm a n ” and d isp la ye d it. The film in g was a lo t o f fu n , as
co urse , b o th are p urch a se d, and a t a good p ric e to o . And # 5 , w ell h e ’s n ot too
th e cre w b ro u g h t over 2 p o p u la r Japanese fe m a le co m e d ia n s, w ho w ere p a rt of
a c tio n fig u re boom o f 1 9 9 5 in Japan, a m a jo rity o f vin ta g e Japanese toys were
th e s k its th e y w an te d done. The D evilm an c o lle c tio n was g ro w in g slow ly, and
near im p o s s ib le to fin d , in c lu d in g D evilm an. Yet w ith th a t explosion, brought new
bored, ju s t tire d , w ith a lo t o f visua l s tim u la tio n th a t he’ ll never fo rg e t. U n til th e
ite m s were s till hard to fin d .
in te re s t, to y shows, and p le n ty o f new to y s h o p s ...a n d o u t o f now here, th e rare
T a ke sh it s ta rte d a new b and he w as n a m in g “ C o c o b a t", a fte r a pro w re s tlin g
s tu ff appeared and has been eaten up by c o lle c to rs a ll over th e w orld . Where
was a ll th is s tu ff before th is tim e ? S in c e it was re a lly hard to locate, and n ot as
move. For th e fir s t cover illu s tra tio n , he asked if I c o u ld do it fo r h im , and he
e asily as it is now. N ew er c o lle c to rs w ith in th e last te n years, re ally d o n ’t know
w anted it to be s im ila r to th e D evilm an s k u ll-fa c e d d ra w in g I had d one years
how easy th e y have it. S ure th e p rice s m ig h t be m ore because o f th e dem and,
and th e rare s tu ff is now th e s u pe r rare im p o s s ib le fin d , b u t now s tu ff is co m in g
p rio r fo r Funnyara, w h ic h he had seen. On one o f T a ke sh it's m any v is its to
A m e rica , he discovered C ap 'n C run ch ce rea l, and loved it. So fo r th e c o n c e p t
o f th e fir s t C ocobat release, he w ish e d it c o u ld be h is fa vo rite th in g s ...D e v ilm a n
and C ap’n C runch. So a sk u ll-fa c e d D evilm an e a tin g a s p o o n fu l o f s k u lls was th e
illu s tra tio n , and th e CD was title d C ocobat C run ch , T h is w o u ld be th e second
D evilm an illu s tra tio n , b u t th e fir s t to a c tu a lly be seen in p u b lic . Soon a fte r
th is , one o f th e g irls w ho w orked w ith M e ta llic a ’s Japanese record com pany, th a t
I had becom e frie n d s w ith , had q u it and was d o in g fre e la n c e w ork. In m o vin g
to a new place, she disco ve re d she had a near c o m p le te se t o f D e vilm a n ca rds
th a t she had g otte n as a c h ild , and gave th e m as a g if t to m e. W h a t a g rea t g ift!
le ft: u n p a in te d g lo w -in -th e -d a rk 1 2 " v in tl figure, M a rm it 1 99 9 .
rig h t: m e ta llic g o ld d ie ca st D evilm an figure, M a rm it 1 9 9 9 .
o u t, and peo p le are m a k in g books d o c u m e n tin g w h a t e xists and its history, and
fo r m a n y ....o ld fo n d m e m orie s. H ere c o m es th o s e d em o n s a g a in
D E V I!!!
to p row ( le ft to rig h t): p e n c il case, bath m at, co in purse, rare early ru b b e r figure, m ovie p ro m o tio n a l mask,
second row (le ft to rig h t): m ug, tea cup (rice b ow l n o t p ic tu re d ), pog, p ach in ko gam e (in box), magazine,
th ird row ( le ft to rig h t): kid s book and sleeve, k id s book, M azinger-Z vs. D eviim an book, voicebook, songbook.
fo u rth row ( le ft to rig h t): 7" record, 7 " record, 7 " record and book, k id s book, kid s book.
botto m row ( le ft to rig h t): kid s book, sm a ll notebook front, s m a ll notebook back, large otebook front, large notebook back.
D eviim an is © Go Nagai / D ynam ic P lanning. A ll photographs by Takeshit. A ll illu s tra tio n s © Pushead. A ll Cocobat © Takeshit.
le ft row (to p to b o tto m ): Takeshit's h ead fro m th e Cocoboy,
Return o f Grasshopper cover art, Posi-traction cover art, Positra ctio n tin car, Cocoboy vs. S ku ll-B o n z se t by M edicom .
rig h t row (top to b otto m ): Cocobat Joe figure b y M edicom ,
I versus I cover art, Cococroc v in yl fig ure by Toy's Factory.
Who is th is Takeshit character? And why do toy fanatics even care? Well, actually
the name is a derivative of his given name, w hich is a very common name in
Japan. H is p u b lic c la im to fam e is as th e creator and bass player for the
Japanese hardcore band Cocobat. In private, Takeshit is rum ored to be a toy
collector, and not ju s t your run of the m ill type, but someone who has taken it to
the extrem e... He loves all things Henshin Cyborg, Microman, Makotochan and,
of course, Devilman. On the left hand page, the pictures are of some of Takeshit’s
obscure and o ffbeat D evilm an item s he has collected through th e decades.
Through Kirk H am m ett (of M etallica) Takeshit m et his lo n g tim e friend, Pushead
in 1 9 8 6 . W ith the form ation of Cocobat, the a rtist d id th e illustration fo r the
band's fir s t a lb u m , Cocobat C runch, in its in d e p en d e nt release. W ith tha t,
Cocobat was picked up by th e newly form ed Toy's Factory label, and since then,
th is label has been th e home to all of th e Cocobat releases, each one featuring
an illu stra tion by Pushead (except one 7 inch).
The cover to C ocobat C runch fe a tu re d P ushead’s re nd e ring of a sk u ll-fa c e d
Devilman eating a spoonful of skull head cereal, in a trib ute to Captain Crunch.
Soon a fte r th is, Takeshit would meet one of his childhood idols through Pushead,
the Devilman creator him se lf Go Nagai. From th is m eeting, Takeshit asked for a
collaboration between Go Nagai and Pushead, w hich resulted in the Struggle of
Aphrodite cover art.
When Pushead created th e illu s tra tio n for th e Cocobat album Return of
Grasshopper, it gave Takeshit and his good friend Oka, who was working for the
Tokyo based toy shop Zaap, an idea to create som ething from th e ir childhood.
The title character in th e illustration is a grasshopper headed human with jagged
blades wrapped around his hands. With Pushead’s concept as a springboard, the
idea was to create th is character as a 12 inch figure w ith a clear Takara Joe type
body sim ila r to the early 197 0 s Henshin Cyborg. With help from Medicom, the
doll was named the Cocobat Joe doll after the Takara Joe doll. For these 2 guys,
it was like a dream com e true when th e Cocobat Joe doll was com pleted. The
Cocobat Joe d oll was fir s t released in tw o basic versions: one w ith a clear
Takeshit sculpted head, featuring Takeshit's trademark glasses and the other a
smoky, black skull-head version...basically a "good versus e vil" fig h tin g theme.
A fter these 2 versions q u ickly sold out, an all-clear shorter run version was made
a vailable, and also im m e d ia te ly sold out. Friends of Takeshit and Oka made 4
d iffe re nt lim ite d edition outfits, all in th e ir own packaging, for Cocobat Joe to wear.
Pushead and Takeshit hooked up once more w ith Oka and Zaap to create the
Posi-Traction tin car. Based on the cover o f Cocobat's m ini album Posi-Traction,
w hich features a hotrod w ith a g iant flam ing skull behind th e wheel, rem iniscent
o f Big Daddy Roth's R atfink 1 9 6 0 s era T-shirts. The toy is a painted tin car with
a soft vinyl head th a t came boxed in two versions: fu ll color or black and white.
Also made was a special prom otional unpainted tin car, w ith a diffe re nt head.
This head was Takeshit's trademarked glasses added to a Ratfink head. Known as
the F inkS hit, Takeshit had his frie nd “ H S", w ho’s fa m ily business was actually
making and producing soft vinyl items, cast a deformed fig h te r’s body for this
character head. The FinkS hit predates the so-called “ urban vinyl” trend, and is
credited w ith being the firs t underground soft vinyl figure.
Another Cocobat album cover I Versus I, produced another soft vinyl toy. This
tim e only as a prom otional vehicle, and made by th e same friend “ HS’’ . The
Pushead illu s tra tio n features a cro cod ile headed, lanky bandage wrapped
character, ankle deep in the m uck... affectionately called Cococroc. The toy is a
seven-inch ta ll blue vinyl figure, w ith either a deep blue or purple stain. A very
sm all run of glow -in-the-dark vinyls were made of the Cococroc.
Takeshit, Pushead, Oka and Medicom teamed up again to release the Cococroc
character as a slightly sm aller Cocobat Joe doll known as Cocoboy. The Cocoboy
doll is an 8 inch figure, sim ila r to the youth Henshin Cyborg doll, com plete with
clear body and exterior cloth costum e w ith accessories. Cocoboy and Skullbonz
(continuing the “ good versus e v il” fig h tin g them e from Cocobat Joe) were sold
separately but as a preorder only lim ited item . The all-clear third version of the
Cocoboy was released as an exclusive fo r the Base Xero Xero shop in Osaka.
C urrently, M edicom is p rod u cing tw o new M icrom an styled sets: M icro -S h it &
M icro-B atta (h alf man half insect) and M icro-Skullhead & M icro-Skullbatta (the
dark v illa in )! These two figure sets are based on the Grasshopper character from
Cocobat's Return of Grasshopper album and the Cocobat Joe doll sets, but have
m uch sm a lle r clear bodies. A nother preorder lim ite d item , these toys w ill be
available in February 2 0 0 4 . Through Pushead and Takeshit, Super7 has arranged
to have th e ir own lim ite d version of one of the figures available for mail order.
Watch upcom ing issues for th e coupon and announcem ent. In the meantime,
when you are h un tin g down these toys, be sure to check out one of the many
Cocobat CDs for Takeshit's m usic and those Pushead illustrations.
Tripie-Fighter c y b o rg
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s i s p p i is s i
original bullmai
SMALL-SIZE
IED PAINTED VINYL,
IODUCTION RED UNPAINTED VINYL
LMARK BLACK SPRAY
iAL BULLMARK GREEN SPRAY
ISLE FIRING VINYLS
H ANTO fEEN SPRAY)
12" BULLMARK
The firs t m ovie h it th e a tre s rig h t a rou n d th e tim e th e toy c o m p a n y B u llm a rk was c o m in g to
an end . B u llm a rk p ro d u c e d a w id e va rie ty o f fig u re s o f M e cha g o dzilla 7 4 in several sizes.
Of th e se toys, th e m o st so ug h t a fte r is th e 9 inch sta n d ard sized vinyl. The m e d iu m sized 5"
vinyl ca m e w ith a b la ck spray, as well as a m u c h hard e r to fin d blue spray version. To fin ish
o ff th e vinyl series, th e re w ere tw o d iffe re n t m ini-sized M echa G 7 4 vinyls w ith im m ovable
a rm s, posed in a n u pw a rd d ire c tio n .T h e firs t w as s lig h tly larg e r (3 ") w ith yellow eyes and
ca m e in tw o d iffe re n t sets. One set w as in a p lastic c o n ta in e r and co ntained M echagodzilla,
G hido ra h , Godzilla, Titanosaurus and Gigan. The o th e r version of th e set ca m e in a plastic
bag w ith th e G igan b e in g re p la ce d w ith a Tokyo tower. The second version (2 .7 5 ") had
b lack eyes and cam e on blister ca rd w ith M echagodzilla, M othra larva, G hidorah (different),
G odzilla (d iffe re n t) a nd m issile firin g vehicle. There is also an o bscu re ca rde d set o f two
in c h fig ure s th a t in c lu d e s M echagodzilla alo n g w ith a rou n d 2 0 o ther m onsters.
A long w ith th e re gu la r style vinyls, B u llm a rk prod u ce d a range o f m issile firin g M echa ­
g odzilla vinyls. The s m a lle st version is 4 .5 " tall, has a c a nn o n co nta in e d in th e m iddle
o f th e m o n s te r's c h e s t and c a m e in both b la c k o r green sp ray v a ria tio n s. The next
size u p m issile firin g vinyl w as close to th e s ta n d ard sized vinyls in size (roughly 9"
ta ll), a n d has tw o m is s le -firin g ca n n o n s in th e c h est, as w ell as h old e rs fo r extra
m issies on th e arm s and legs.
The m ost elaborate o f all th e B u llm a rk M echagodzilla vinyls is th e Cyborg M echa­
g od zilla , w h ic h sta n d s a lm o s t a fu ll 1 2 “ ta ll. T h e C yborg M e c h a g o d z illa ’s hands
can be rem oved to reveal a c a nn o n th a t uses th e fin ge rs as m issiles, has 2 chest
9" MISSLE
m
c a n n o n s s im ila r to th e s ta n d ard sized m issile firin g figure, b u t is m ade of slightly
th in n e r vinyl th a n th e o th e r m issle-fire vinyls.
R 17.E V IN Y LS
^ U jjW S S L E F IR ItJp V IN Y L S
To ro un d o ff th e toy line, B u llm a rk released a d ie -ca st M echagodzilla 7 4
fig u re as p a rt o f th e ir B u ll P e t s e rie s (see S u p e r7 issue # 3 ) b oth boxed
GE MINI BLACK SPRAY
NAL BULLMARK SIV1AU
[INI GREEN SPRAY
in d iv id u a lly or as p art o f a hard to fin d b uild -it-y o u rs e if kit.
A lm o s t 2 5 years later, M l fille d a hole in th e B u llm a rk toy line by in tro d u c in g
a M echagodzilla 7 5 vinyl m olded in th e B u llm a rk style. The initial release of
th is fig u re w as a c c o m p a n ie d w ith a m in i vinyl o f Tita n o sau ru s. U sin g th e ir
u n iq u e creativity, M l to o k th e to y a no th e r step forw ard w ith a 2nd version of
M echa G 7 5 th a t fea tu re d a rem ovable head s im ila r to B u llm a rk ’s rem ovable
head hero vinyls. R em oving th e head of th e figure exposed the inner dom e brain
o f th e robot. The toy also c a m e w ith a norm al head th a t co uld be interchanged
w ith th e dom e. An u n p a in te d b la ck version o f th e fig ure w as released in an M l
lu c k y bag th a t c a m e w ith fo u r o th e r Toho vinyls. This lucky bag set was followed
by a special p ainted set of th e sam e fig ure s lim ite d to a run o f 100. A painted and
u n p a in te d g lo w -in -th e -d a rk version o f th e vinyl w as also released, a c com p a n ie d
w ith a s ta n d ard sized Titanosaurus. M l also reissued th e m ini B u llm a rk version of
M echagodzilla 7 4 w ith th e ir standard sized Titanosaurus figure. Recently, M l reissued
th e m e d iu m B u llm a rk M echagodzilla 7 4 as p art o f a Toho g lo w -in -th e -d a rk six vinyl
set th a t ca m e in a large vinyl egg re m in is c e n t of th e original B u llm a rk eggs released
in th e early 7 0 s th a t w ere sold w ith a sm all kaiju inside.
Toward th e end of th e 70s, Popy prod u ce d toys o f M echagodzilla 7 5 in die-cast, as part
o f th e ir C hogokin series, and a M e cha G 7 4 vinyl, as part o f th e ir King Z aurus six inch
series. In th e early 8 0 s, Yam akatsu released th e ir version o f M echagodzilla 7 4 as part of
th e ir Toho six in c h vinyl series. Yam akatsu also released a deta ile d 3 ” grey ru b b e r version
as well as a slig h tly sm aller, b lo c k ie r version of th e sam e figure.
M1
M1 74 MECHAGODZILLA REISSUE
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In 1983, B andai to o k over the reins and released th e ir firs t M echagodzilla 7 4 vinyl. The
figure w ou ld be released again in 1 98 9 in a slig h tly sm a lle r version because o f dam age
to th e orig ina l m o ld . The fin al release o f th e fig u re w as released in 1 99 5 as p art o f th e
G odzilla M em oria l box set, and w as m ade o f a so fte r vinyl and ca m e w ith a loose tag.
In 1992, Bandai to o k a ste p backw a rd s and was th e firs t co m p a n y to reissue th e original
B u llm a rk M echagodzilla as part o f a ten fig u re series of Toho sta n d ard sized B ullm a rks.
In early 2 0 0 3 , M l reissued a version of th is fig ure as w ell, b ut in a painted flesh vinyl
Version, s im ilia r to th e Haw aii e xpo rt vinyls.
Finally in 2 0 0 2 , Bandai released th e long aw aited vinyl version o f M echagodzilla 7 5. This
six inch fig u re w as part o f th e ir G odzilla Island vinyl line and was released in c o n ju n c tio n
w ith th e 2 0 0 2 film Godzilla x M echagodzilla. A lim ite d , c le a r version of th e fig u re follow ed
shortly. Over th e past tw o decades, B andai has released several c a n d y toys, ca psule
sets, and sm a lle r boxed fig u re sets fe a tu rin g both ve rsio n s o f M e c h a g o d z illa . Som e of
th e se m o ld s have m ade it into sets released by Y utaka, a su b d iv is io n o f B a n d a i. N ext
ye ar w ill see th e release o f a d ie -c a s t M echa G 7 4 in scale w ith th e six in c h vinyl line
fe a tu ring th e a bility to sw itch between s ta n d in g and flyin g poses.
In 1 999, M a rm it released both a 7 4 and 7 5 version o f M echagodzilla at th e end o f th e ir
Vinyl Paradise line. A t 11 inch e s ta ll, these fig u re s stand slig h tly ta lle r th a n th e m ajority
of th e Vinyl Paradise figures. C om p a rin g th e tw o side by side, you can see several d iffe r­
e nces in th e vinyls. Three years later, M a rm it reissued a G allery version o f both figures
fo r those th a t m issed th e orig ina ls. A lon g th e way, both a fle sh and a navy blue tra n s ­
lu c e n t version o f both fig ure s w ere sold in very lim ite d a m o u n ts a t toy show s. In 2 00 2 ,
M a rm it started a new toy line ca lle d M onster H eaven, and in 2 0 0 3 M echa g o dzilla 74
joined th e line up. This fig ure was sold exclusively th ro u g h th e m agazine H ype r H obby.
T h e n e w e r m o ld fe a tu re s a m u c h m ore re a lis tic s c u lp tu re th a n th e V inyl P aradise
version. A few u n p a inted versions o f th is fig u re w ere given away as lottery item s.
B ear M odel released th e ir version o f M echa g o dzilla 7 4 in 2 0 0 2 . T h e fig u re w as th e firs t
one to be scu lp te d in a fig h tin g pose. The rig h t h and is tu rn e d sidew ays w ith th e rig h t leg
slightly forw ard. The vinyl also com es w ith a Gorilla Seijin figure from th e movie. A lim ited
crystal version of the figure was given away as a toy show lottery item in Japan. A Japanese
toy sh op also co m m issio ne d a special g lo w -in -th e -d a rk version o f th e toy, a ccom p a n ie d
w ith a g lo w -in -th e -d a rk Godzilla 7 4 vinyl, lim ite d to roughly 150 pieces.
Last b u t n ot least, in 2 0 0 0 M arusan released a sm a lle r vinyl version o f th e M echagodzilla
7 5 fig u re . The fig u re w as follo w e d u p w ith a 2 n d ve rsio n th a t fe a tu re d a red sp ray and
an u n p a in te d fle sh version th a t w as sold in a lu c k y bag set a lo n g w ith th re e o th e r Toho
fig ure s. In 2 0 0 1 , M arusan released th e firs t vinyl version of flyin g M echagodzilla 74.
To m ake th in g s even m ore co n fu sin g , M echa g o dzilla w as co m p le te ly redesigned by th e
scientific team G-Force in order to defend Tokyo in th e 1993 Toho film Godzilla vs. M echa ­
godzilla 2. Look for th e se M echa G toys in a fu tu re issue o f S uper7.
BULLMARI
TODD & K A TH Y
SCHORR
T odd S chorr has an a ffin ity fo r ca rto o n s, co m ic
b ooks, and to ys. His la rge -sca le p a in tin g s are
m a rv e ls o f c o n te m p o ra ry S u rre a lis m , his can­
vass w o rld s p o p u la te d w ith w h im s ic a l parades
o f p o p c u ltu re g o n e a m o k in a style he calls
"c a rto o n realism '.' In flu en ce s on his a rt in clu d e
th e s to p -m o tio n c re a tio n s o f Ray H arryhausen,
th e m u scle -cla d beasts and b a rb a ria n s o f Frank
Frazetta, th e im a g in a tiv e e n g ra v in g s o f French
illu s tra to r G ustave D ore, and th e c re a to r o f
M icke y M ou se , W a lt Disney.
" M y fa v o rite a n im a te d c a rto o n s w o u ld be
Fantasia, e sp e cia lly th e N ig h t on Bald M o u n ta in
seq u en ce , and any o f th e e a rly M icke y M ou se car­
to o n s fro m th e 1930s." For Schorr, th e se ca rto o n s
"h a v e a richness o f g ra p h ic d e sig n and im a g i­
n a tio n th a t has n e ve r been surpassed. M ickey
M o u se as d e sig n e d by U b iw e rks and refin e d
by F loyd G o ttfre d s o n is th e ca rto o n ch a ra cte r by
w h ic h all o th e rs are ju d g e d as fa r as I am c o n ­
cerned," saysTodd.
ei
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As S ch o rr has a g e d, s o m e o f his o rig in a lly in s p ira tio n s have
ta ke n on a d a rk e r side, as re fle cte d in his p a in tin g "F iv e O 'clo ck
S h a d o w s in D isn e y-D a li Land? " W h a t I w a s c o m m e n tin g on in
th a t p a rtic u la r p a in tin g w as h o w I e v e n tu a lly ca m e to v ie w b o th
D isn e y and Dali," he e x p la in s . "I w a s tr y in g to c o n v e y a fe e lin g
o f m e la n c h o ly a nd n o s ta lg ia . D isn e y a nd Dali w e re c h ild h o o d
h e ro e s b u t as I b e ca m e o ld e r and w is e r th e se h e ro e s s ta rte d to
d e v e lo p fla w s and cracks. T h e ir b e st w o rk re m a in s u n p a ra lle le d .
B ut b o th s a c rific e d a rtis tic in te g rity fo r c o m m e rc ia l success in
th e ir la te r y e a rs. D isney, by m o v in g a w a y fro m his cla ssic a n i­
m a te d c a rto o n s to b e co m e an a m u s e m e n t p a rk e n tre p re n e u r and
D ali, fro m an in c re d ib ly im a g in a tiv e p a in te r to je t se t b u ffo o n ."
S c h o rr has a te n d e n c y to ta ke in n o c e n t ico n s a nd tra n s fo rm
th e m in to s o m e th in g s in iste r, such as in h is p a in tin g "T h e S p e ctre
o f C a rto o n A p p e a l" "G o o d a nd Evil is a p la in fa c t o f o u r e v e ry d a y
e xiste n ce and lu rk in g b e lo w th e v e n e e r o f h a p p in e s s is a lw a ys th e
th re a t th a t s o m e th in g s in is te r m a y o v e rw h e lm us," he p ro c la im s .
"T h is is s o m e th in g I d o n 't o b se ss o v e r b u t I am a w a re th a t it's
th e re . P o litic s , re lig io n , th e m e d ia , w h a te v e r... th e re is a lw a y s
th a t flip side o f w h a t th e c a rn iv a l b a rk e r is tr y in g to sell you."
50
use m y p o p c u ltu re re fe re n ce s as a w a y to e n g ag e th e v ie w e r and
th e n lead th e m th ro u g h a s c e n a rio th a t u s u a lly in v o lv e s s o m e s o rt
o f c o n flic t.T h is c o n flic t th a t p re se n ts its e lf in m a n y o f m y p a in tin g s
is b o rn o u t o f m y o w n o b s e rv a tio n s a nd fru s tra tio n s w ith th e m a n y
h y p o c ris ie s and b a ckw a rd th in k in g n o tio n s p re s e n t in o u r society.
By c o m b in in g a s e rio u s n o tio n w ith a h u m o ro u s c a rto o n e le m e n t
p a in te d in an a c a d e m ic s tyle , it b rin g s a b o u t a kin d o f n e rv o u s s illi­
ness th a t I h o p e w ill b o th fa s c in a te and puzzle th e audience."
S ch o rr's w o rk a lso m u ta te s th e m a le v o le n t in to th e c o m ic a l. Take
fo r e x a m p le , h is p a in tin g "H .R L o ve cra ft's Fried S e a fo o d Cart'.' "C o n ­
v e rse ly, as yo u o b s e rv e d , ta k in g s o m e th in g s in is te r and m a kin g it
s illy a chieves th e sa m e g o a l. Yes, I'm a b ig fa n o f L o ve cra ft as w e ll
as R o b e rt E. F low ard. I sta rte d re a d in g b o th a u th o rs a t a ro u n d th e
age o f 12 o r 13 a nd th e ir in c re d ib ly rich d e s c rip tio n s o f m o o d and
a tm o s p h e re in flu e n c e d m e deeply."
C re a tive g e n iu s ru n s in th e fa m ily , Todd's w ife K athy S ta ico S ch o rr is a lso a w e ll-k n o w n a rtis t. Like h e r h u sb a n d , K athy p a in tin g s
in h a b it th e la n d o f c a rto o n s u rre a lis m , th o u g h w ith m o re o f a '60s
p o s t-p o p kitsch. A rtis tic in flu e n c e s on K athy's w o rk in c lu d e Ja m e s
R o se n q u ist, Roy L ic h te n s te in , O tto D ix, G e o rg e G rosz, Leonora
C a rrin g to n , R e m e d io s Varos, and D o ro th e a T an n in g . C o n se q u e n tly,
B o th h u sb a n d and w ife have v a rio u s to y s ren d e re d fro m
K athy w a s th e fir s t w o m a n a rtis t to be fe a tu re d on th e c o v e r o f J u x ta poz m agazine. She w ill be p a rtic ip a tin g in a g ro u p s h o w at th e M e rry
K a rn o w s k y G a lle ry in Los A n g e le s th is D ecem ber.
re n tly in p ro d u c tio n . K a th y is h a rd at w o rk d e s ig n in g s o ft s c u lp ­
tu re s o f a h a n d fu l o f c re a tu re s th a t s h o u ld be a va ila b le in th e
H a llo w e e n is a re o c c u rrin g th e m e in K athy's p a in tin g s . "I ju s t
like th e im a g e ry , d e v ils , black cats, b a ts and skeletons," she says.
"A n d th e n o s ta lg ia ...
o u tla n d is h b e a stie s th a t o rig in a lly a p p e a re d in th e ir a rtw o rk cur­
It w a s ju s t a fu n day to d re ss up as a n y th in g
you w a n te d to be." N o t s u rp ris in g ly , K athy c o lle cts v in ta g e H a llo w e e n
m e m o ra b ilia as w e ll as v in ta g e a n a to m ic a l m o d e ls and n a tu re charts.
W h ile T o d d c o lle cts p u lp m ag a zin e s fro m th e 1920s to1950s, casts o f
fo ssil h o m in id skulls, and tu rn o f th e c e n tu ry m a g ic ia n p o sters.
K a th y a d m its th a t b o th she and h e r h u s b a n d have been fo rtu n a te
th a t th e ir a rtis tic e n d e a v o rs have been so w e ll re ce ive d . " I t w a s v e ry
d iffic u lt to tu rn d o w n th e m o n e y a nd s e c u rity w e had been accus­
to m e d to a nd to v e n tu re in to an u n k n o w n ," she co n fesse s. "C o m m e r­
n e a r fu tu re . S o m e o fT o d d 's w a c k y c ritte rs h ave a lre a d y sta rte d
to a p pear. A life size s c u lp tu re o f th e C yclo p e a n P o te n ta te char­
acter, a o n e -e ye d w o r m S h rin e r, w a s p ro d u c e d in a lim ite d e d i­
tio n o f 10. A m in ia tu re v e rs io n o f a b e in g k n o w n as th e Secret
M y s tic S e rp e n t w a s an in v ita tio n o n ly g iv e a w a y at th e p re ­
o p e n in g n ig h t o fT o d d 's re c e n t s h o w 'An A lie n in th e Land o f
M ake B e lie ve ' a t th e M e rry K a rn o w s k y G a lle ry on O c to b e r 15th
o f th is ye a r.T o d d 's tw o -h e a d e d B u n n y Duck, w h ic h m ad e its fir s t
a p p e a ra n ce in his p a in tin g "R o m a n tic N o tio n s o f th e M y s te ri­
o u s East'/ is se t to be relea se d e a rly n e x t y e a r fro m N ecessaries
Toy F o u n d a tio n as a 17 inch d e s ig n e r v in y l.
c ia l a rt had b e co m e a dead end w ith o u t a n y a rtis tic g ro w th . So w e
fe lt w e had to ch ange o u r live s. A n d w e are h a p p y w e did."
O pposite page: Hunter Gatherer by T od d Schorr
L eft (top to bottom):
Smog Monster by Kathy Schorr
Chibiru by Kathy Schorr
G idrah by Kathy Schorr
R ig h t: U ntitled by Kathy Schorr
Below: T he W itches Chariot by Kathy Schorr
T H E M A K IN G O F B U N N Y D U C K
Todd S ch o rr w o rk e d w ith a rtis t N a th a n C abrera to tra n s fo rm char­
acte rs fro m T o d d 's p a in tin g s in to to y s .T h e fir s t p la y th in g cre a te d fro m
th e ir c o lla b o ra tio n w as S ch o rr's tw o -h e a d e d B u n n y Duck. S ch o rr d re w
th e c re a tu re fro m se ve ra l a n g le s a nd th e n C abrera m a d e a w a x s c u lp ­
tu re . The w a x p ro to ty p e w a s ta ke n to a fa c to ry in C hina and m a n u fa c ­
tu re d in v in y l u n d e r th e a rtis ts ' s u p e rv is io n .
W h ile S ch o rr d id th e a rtw o rk fo r th e fr o n t o f th e to y 's b o x, C abrera
d e sig n e d th e a ctu al b o x to re s e m b le w o rn v in ta g e p a cka g in g . "T o d d
and I re a lly like th e fa c t th a t th e to y lo o ks like s o m e th in g fro m th e '50s
y o u 'd fin d a t a g a ra g e sale," says C abrera.
T u rn in g th e S e cre t M y s tic S e rp e n t in to a to y w a s C a b re ra 's idea.
"I s u rp ris e d T o d d a t h is h o u se w ith th e s c u lp t. He h ad no idea th e ser­
p e n t e xiste d . I d o n 't th in k T o d d e ve r e x p e c te d he w o u ld h ave to n a m e
so m e little g u y on a fly in g c a rp e t he p a in te d y e a rs ago," he says.
A lim ite d e d itio n o f 200 b lu e S ecret M y s tic S e rp e n ts w e re g iv e n
a w a y a t a p a rty at th e N ike B lue House in h o n o r o f S ch o rr's a rt s h o w
'An A lie n in th e Land o f M ake B elieve'. "T h e n ig h t b e fo re th e p a rty, I
sta p le d and n u m b e re d a ll th e h e a de r ca rd s m yself," a d m its C abrera
p ro u d ly . A n a d d itio n a l 125 S e cre t M y s tic S e rp e n ts in a sp e cia l p a in te d
e d itio n are a v a ila b le fro m th is issu e o f Super7.
A b o v e le ft: fre a k s h o w p o s te r a r t d e s ig n e d b y N a th a n
1 A b o v e ( to p r o w ): v in y l h e a d s
! A b o v e ( b o tto m ro w , l-r): o r ig in a l w a x s c u lp t, N a th a n a n d Todd
I w ith th e p a in te d fig u re
j B e lo w : m in itu r e fre a k s h o w s e t d e s ig n e d b y N a th a n a n d g ir lfr ie n d
( p h o to s b y L e s le y F e rg u s o n )
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(503) 233-8915
E. B u r n s i d e
• P o rtla n d , O R
97214
www.drtonguestoys.com
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All logos and Ukenesses are property of Melldown Inc. Mel Character © Dan Clowe*
A R T BY NATHAN C A B R ER A
N atha n C ab re ra , b o rn in O x n a rd , C a lifo rn ia , 1976, is a s e lf-ta u g h t a rtis t and
d e s ig n e r. C ab re ra 's o rig in a l a rt has s h o w n in a rt e x h ib itio n s a ll a lo n g th e W est
C oast: Los A n g e le s , San F ra ncisco and S eattle. His d is tin c tiv e a rt and design
w o rk has been sh o w c a s e d in n u m e ro u s fa n ta s y /a d v e n tu re te le v is io n series, c o m ic
books, g ra p h ic n o v e ls , p lu s to y s to re s a ll o v e r th e w o rld ; his a rt has been fe a tu re d
in J u x ta p o z M a ga zin e and has a p p e a re d o n a n u m b e r o f CD covers.
C ab re ra 's d e s ig n w o rk a lso reaches in to th e w o r ld o f to y s . From m o re tra d itio n a l
v e n u e s like, H a sb ro and M a tte l, to his p o s itio n as lead d e s ig n e r/s c u lp to r fo r th e
e d g ie r Span o f S u n s e t S h o p a nd N ecessaries Toy F o u n d a tio n . N atha n ju s t fin is h e d
s c u lp tin g se ve ra l n e w v in y l fig u re s in c lu d in g th e 15 inch " E n id " fig u re b y Dan
C lo w e s , a 16 inch " b u n n y d u c k ” fig u r e b y T odd S chorr, a nd a s e t o f fo u r fig u re s
fo r FINE C lo th in g d e s ig n e d b y R om an D irg e ca lle d "T h e H a lfs ie s " C abrera is p re s ­
e n tly c re a tin g o rig in a l to y p ro je c ts in c lu d in g th e " S p a n d r o id " fig u re fo r th e Span o f
S u n s e t s h o p , p lu s an o rig in a l lin e o f v in y l fig u re s fo r N ecessaries Toy F o u n da tio n.
Above Red R iding H ood - life size, m ix m edia / fibe rglass / enam el s te n cile d big
bad w o lf targets on b ris to l / 24 x 36
Top center Form O ver Function - a c ry lic on m a sonite / 24 x 48
Top right Rocket form the C rypt - 7 inch v in y l / sy m p a th y fo r the re co rd in d u s try
/ p e n cil and in k /d ig ita l c o lo r
Across bottom T h ow ing Rocks a t G irls - p e n c il / d ig ita l c o lo r iris p rin ts on pa per
under etched glass / 24 x30
55
ART BY KOZYNDAN
P h y s ic a lly r e s id in g in L o s A n g e le s , a n d m e n t a lly in o n e
In a w o r ld o f in c r e a s in g c h a o s th e y s tr iv e to m a k e
a n o th e r 's s u b c o n s c io u s , k o z y n d a n a re y o u n g is h h u s -
a r t t h a t w ill b r in g a lit tle s m ile to s o m e o n e 's fa c e a n d
b a n d - a n d - w ife illu s tr a to r s /a r tis ts w h o w o r k c o lla b o r a -
m a k e p e o p le fo r g e t, i f o n ly m o m e n ta r ily , th e w o r ld
t iv e ly o n n e a rly e v e r y p r o je c t th e y d o . T h e y c re a te CD
o u t s id e .T h e y m a k e c o m p le x w o r k s th a t w ill h a v e y o u
c o v e rs ( fo r W e e z e r, T h e P o s ta l S e rv ic e , D a e d e lu s , e tc .)
d is c o v e r in g lit tle d e ta ils y o u n e v e r s a w b e fo r e m o n th s
a n d m a g a z in e illu s tr a tio n s ( O ffic ia l P la y s ta tio n m a g a ­
a fte r y o u p u rc h a s e a p r in t. T h e im a g e s a re g r o u n d e d
z in e , M a s s A p p e a l, G ia n t R o b o t, a n d M e tr o .p o p ) , as
f i r m l y in th e re a l w o r ld b u t t h in g s a re s lig h tly a s k e w
w e ll d o in g w o r k f o r th e lik e s o f W ie d e n a n d K e n n e d y
- s a lm o n s w im u p a s tre e t, r o b o ts s h o p , a p p le s p r o ­
a n d Id n .T h e y s p e n d m u c h o f t h e ir t im e o n t h e ir o w n
te s t v e g e t a r ia n is m , C h in e se g r a n d m a s lo b d u m p lin g s
p r o je c ts , s e llin g p r in ts o f t h e ir p e r s o n a l p ie c e s o n lin e
a t h a p p y S A R S v ir u s e s , a n d c a r to o n a n im a ls e n g a g e in
a n d in (v e ry ) s e le c t s to r e s a r o u n d th e c o u n t r y .T h e y ju s t
e v e r y m a n n e r o f lo v e ly s e x a c ts .
re le a s e d t h e ir f i r s t b o o k , U r b a n M y th s - a c o lle c tio n o f
th e ir w o r k f r o m th e p a s t y e a r a n d a h a lf, p u b lis h e d b y
B a s ic a lly - k o z y n d a n g iv e y o u g o o d th in g s .
G ia n t R o b o t. T h e ir m o s t re c e n t s h o w a t G R 2 is u p u n til
th e e n d o f th e m o n t h a n d fe a tu r e s o r ig in a lly d r a w in g s
a n d p a in tin g s , a s w e ll a s la r g e s c a le c a n v a s p r in ts .
w w w .k o z y n d a n .c o m
ART BY KOZYNDAN
O pposite page:
Top le ft - Eureka!
M id d le le ft - GumPop
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This page:
Top - W hat's next, USA-chan?
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B e lo w le ft - The Lion a nd The W itch
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B o rn 1976 in S ilv e r S p rin g , M a ry la n d , R ichard C o lm a n c u rre n tly live s
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o f Fine A rts , B o sto n fro m 1998-2000 a nd has sin ce been in a ste a dy
s tre a m o f e x h ib itio n s in c lu d in g Free A g e n ts : A F listo ry o f DC G ra ffiti,
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(N e w Y ork), W h o Do W e A p p re c ia te (N e w York), Royal Elastics S tre e t
W ise (L o n d o n ), th e B a ltim o re A rts F estiva l, 1 7 0 N 1 7 (C h ica go ), The
S tra y S h o w (C h ica g o A r t Fair), C areer Days at M O C A D.C., and C o m ­
p o u n d G a lle ry (P o rtla n d ). His fir s t w e s t co a st so lo e x h ib itio n , W in te r in
A p h e lio n , d e b u te d a t sixsp a ce , Los A n g e le s , in M a y 2003. C o lm a n has
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A ll im ages: U ntitled, 2003.
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