Posts Tagged ‘Zombie toys’
7 items.
Remember a while ago when I reported that a certain children’s block company refused to create a replica of the Winchester Pub from Shawn of the Dead? Although that company will not be named in this post, let’s call them “Overly Priced Blocks R Us,” I have found a company that has made my dreams come a little bit closer to reality.
Citizen Brick is a Minifig fabricator out of Chicago that makes short run toys that are compatible with Overly Priced Blocks R Us. And they have taken up our plight brother’s and sisters. I can honestly say that these are the toys my childhood was missing.
So many choices, so very few zombie minifig’s to decapitate. {1}
Although they don’t have Shawn of the dead, they certainly have zombies gruesome enough to be cool. And would you just take a look at that Zombie Hunting Enthusiast? Nothing says bad ass zombie hunter more than a crossbow and a goatee. Now only if I could place why he looks so familiar?
I know where I saw him now! Must have been that Harley Davidson convention I was at last week! {2}
Oh and back to that whole Winchester Pub problem (or lack thereof). If you head on over to their website (citizenbrick.com) they have that covered too. I was most excited to find out that they have custom printing available. Now I’m sure you would have to do some negotiating to get them to design a whole playset, but let’s say you needed zombie heads that look suspiciously like the latest bad guy that was turned into a zombie on that popular tv show everyone is watching. These are your guys! You know, so you can have your newly acquired Zombie Hunting Enthusiast stab it through the skull 6-8 times then cry like a girl.
Not only do they do Minifigs, but check out their line of custom blocks. And if they don’t have your “If I only had a Brain” plate that you wanted, you can request it! {3}
Isn’t imagination fun?
If you have something you would like me to talk about in a post, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com, or leave comments in the comment section below. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook, and Google + pages for more zombie goodness. As always be safe and I’ll see you Friday for Zombie Current Events!
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Image Sources
{1}, {2}, {3}, all provided by and used with permission from Citizen Brick
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It’s that time of year again! Santa is coming! And if you don’t know what to put on your holiday list yet, let me help you with that. I have searched Amazon.com to come up with the most popular zombie gift ideas this holiday season! Every Monday from now until Christmas, I’ll be putting up some gift ideas from toys, to books, to video games, and even decorum.
So this week I figured I would bring you the most popular of the zombie toys. The toys category includes board games, but not video games. Video games will be a separate post.
To find my results, I went to the specific department, and searched “Zombies.” I then selected “New and Popular” in the Sort by Field. If you try this yourself, be warned, some things that come up are not zombie related. So to come up with this list I had to do some clean up. I’ve removed anything from the results that does not seem to fit (for example aliens instead of zombies), and even grouped like items together so that we weren’t coming up with 3 Walking Dead action figures on our list. Instead I’ll just mention the group as a set. I also removed anything with less than 4 stars from this list.
10. Last Night On Earth – The Zombie Game:
Last Night On Earth is a board game that pits you against the undead masses in an epic fight for your lives. For 2 to 6 players this game has gotten great reviews and will will entertain you and a small party! Play as either human survivors, or play as the zombies and try to wipe your friends off this earth! With several scenarios that drastically change the game, this modular board game will make it hard to get board of.
9. McFarlane Toys The Walking Dead TV Series 2
What Walking Dead fan would get caught without these on their Christmas list? McFarlane makes the best action figures. Pair that up with the number 1 zombie TV show ever, and you have one must have this holiday season. Collect them all for display or for play. Now you can reenact your favorite scenes from the hit TV show!
8. Munchkin Zombies
This is one of my personal favorite games. Building of the insanely popular mechanics of the Steve Jackson Games Munchkin, Muchkin Zombies brings you into a whole new world where you always start off as a Level 1 Character with no class, disagreements on the rules are always settled by loud arguments (according to the rule book), and the silly and insane are just another flip of the cards.
7. Bowling Zombies
This is a novelty game with a zombie twist. With 10 hand crafted zombie pins, you use your wooden bowling ball to knock over as many as you can without knocking over the king-pin. This table top game will be loads of fun for two players who want to have a ball.
Get it? “have a ball?” Bowling? Ah everyone’s a critic.
6. ThinkGeek – Zombie Plush Slippers
If you’re looking for a way to keep your feet warm this winter, why not employ some zombies to help you with that. This clever design for slippers will not only keep you warm but also be a great conversation piece. So if you dare, stick your feet into the zombie mouths. They won’t bite… promise.
5. Zombie Dice
Another Steve Jackson game making the list this year! And another personal favorite of mine. You play as a zombie to see how many brains you can eat! Save your brains to eat all at once! Collect as many as you can get your undead hands on. Be careful of the shotguns however. Three of these and you loose all your brains. Eat the brains before getting shot up and you can save your score for the next round. First to reach the predetermined score wins! Another fun party game where it’s just as fun to watch as it is to play!
4. E5000 Auto Fire Blaster with Zombie Target
Want to teach your kids about firearm safety and techniques without handing over a real gun? This may be your solution. The E5000 Auto Fire Blaster uses BlasterPro Ammo that disintegrates on impact, leaving little mess for you to clean up and making it safe(r) to play indoors, unlike paintball. Using the Zombie target you can teach your kids the basics of firearm safety and shooting accuracy without the danger of real guns! The design gives you a rifle feel for accurate handling training.
3. Monster High Dolls
Think what Barbie would be like if her and her friends were monsters instead of, well everything else that Barbie is. These cute dolls are popular with little girls who want just a little bit of creepy with their play. With characters based off of werewolves, yettie’s, vampires, Mummies/Egyptian rulers, gorgons, and yes, even zombies, there’s a wide variety of dolls to choose from as well as lots of different cloths, accessories, and playsets.
2. The Walking Dead Board Game
This is one game on the list I have not gotten a chance to play. But being based off the hit television show The Walking Dead, this board game is getting a lot of attention. Play as your favorite characters from the TV Show and see how well you would survive a zombie apocalypse! If you happen to get bit, don’t worry, your new objective is to turn against you former allies to help the zombies wipe out humanity.
1. Lego Monster Fighters Sets
Lego has been delighting children for generations with their toys that are only as limited as your imagination. This new Monster Fighters set tells the story of one brave adventurer who’s on a mission to stop the monsters from obtaining 6 magical moonstones. With the power to turn day into permanent night where vampires, werewolves, mummies, and zombies will be free to roam around the world forever, these moonstones must be protected at all costs! Build castles, dungeons, and other playsets to go on your own journey and fight back the evil that lurks in the night!
There you have it! The top 10 zombie toys of the season. Get some for your kids, get some for your friends, get some for yourself! Just call me so we can play together!
Till Fate brings our future…
Penguin Prince
Image Sources
Are all from Amazon.com under the respective product link embedded in the item name.
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I sort of missed the boat on this one. Although He-Man was not a huge part of my childhood, just the mention of his name sends millions of geeks over the internet into a chorus of “By the power of Gray Skull… I HAVE THE POWER!” The original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series aired from 1983 to 1985, which explains why I never really watched it. I was born in 1985.
A spin off series aimed more towards female fans called She-Ra Princess of Power came about from 1985 to 1987. If you watch the two opening themes, you can see that the creators weren’t really creative a bout the new series. Although the dialogue changed a bit, the sequencing was pretty much exactly the same. Even some of the supporting characters looked similar as well as the bad guys.
From there He-Man doesn’t even make an appearance until 1990 where he returns, but to the future in The New Adventures of He-Man. There be haters out there, but I have to say that The New Adventures did have better animation, and better voice acting. People were turned off on it however because it did take place in the future, with flying ships and areal battles. Other changes to the series caused some fans to be pretty angry about the new series but in the end it only came to their own fandom downfall.
After The New Adventures of He-Man is taken off the air in 1991, He-Man goes on a 10 year vacation. That’s practically a whole generation of fans that got to miss the vote because some people couldn’t roll with the punches.
But finally in 2002 someone had the bright idea to remake He-Man with a more up to date look. With modern cartooning techniques He-Man looks better than ever. What I really loved when you take a look at the introduction was how it paid homage to the original intro, and right in the middle of Adam’s useless speech, the bad guys attack out of nowhere. Now that’s what I call action! Cut right to the chase. Long intros are so 80’s. Evidently people liked it a little more than The New Adventures because it lasted for 2 full years before the series finished up in 2004.
The Original Battle Armor He-Man {1}
When you take a look at the timeline, GI Joe He-Man ant’. But he does make for a good Zombie Toy. The first series of toys had a great run between 1982 to 1988. During the same time frame the Princess of Power series only lasted from 1985-1987. From 1988 Matel dropped the Masters of the Universe line of toys and immediately picked up its He-Man line in 1989. This new series was based on The New Adventures TV series and promptly stopped after the show ended in 1992.
In 1999, He-Man was given new life (or at lease his toy line) as a commemorative series was brought out the first figure was released in 99, and the last figure was released in 2001. One has to wonder if this is what cause the TV series to be made in 2002.
A much more extensive toy line was released in 2002 featuring the style and the look of the modern cartoon. And with 2004 we see the series die again, not to show face for another 6 years.
Masters of the Universe Classics version of Battle Armor He-Man {2}
And now finally we come to the Masters of the Universe Classics. The reason this whole blog is being written. It seems 6 years after the last toy line Mattel is making yet another commemorative line of toys. The Masters of the Universe Classics look like the toys of old, of course with 2010 toy making technology. The color scheme has changed slightly, and they finally gave He-Man a tan, but really this is a good representation of the original figures.
I swear it’s like Mattel is the Mad Evil Doctor of the toy world. They just love to resurrect old toy lines. If you take a look at the dates in between production of the toys, and even the tv series, it’s not hard to see that He-Man has gone zombie on all of us. Those poor souls of Eternia never expected the mightiest hero in the universe to turn to the side of Skeletor, did they?
If you have an idea for the next Zombie toy blog, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. Just want to add your two cents, comment below. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
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Zombie Toy Review: The Walking Dead
Normally the toy review is done about a toy or series that was once popular, and at one point drifted into obscurity, and has since then become popular again. These toys fell to the bottom of your closet and have somehow clawed its way back up to the surface to bite off your face.
This time however I wanted to actually talk about a zombie toy. Now I have seen advertisements for these toys all over the internet and I’ve been wanting to get my hands on these for a while now. I’m talking of course about The Walking Dead action figures. There are 2 series of figures, one for the AMC TV Series, and one for the comic book. I will be featuring the TV series set, however I encourage you to check out the comic book series as well.
Original Image taken from www.spawn.com
If you’re a fan of the TV show on AMC, these toys are a must have. Created by the celebrated action figure maker McFarlane Toys, these toys are sure to catch your eye. Series one was released in December of 2011, and consists of 4 equally awesome toys. Of course pictured above you will recognize as Deputy Rick Grimes, the reluctant leader of our favorite band of survivors. Also in the series you will find Darrel Dixon (the resident survivalist), a zombie walker, and a zombie biter.
The figures that were based off the main characters in the story are to scale models of the actors themselves. 3D technology was used to create a scan of the actor’s faces. The scan was scaled down and then transferred to the toys. What is neat about these toys are their accessories. McFarlane always provides quality and value with their work, so with the Rick Grimes figure you will also get a revolver, a shotgun, a baseball bat, a hand grenade, and what amuses me most, a walkie talkie. That’s right; enjoy recreating the highly ridiculed opening scene of season 2! Darrel’s figure won’t disappoint either with accessories like a crossbow, hunting knife, a fire axe, and again my favorite, a string of squirrels. Nothing says backwoods country survivalist like a string of squirrels.
Original Image taken from www.spawn.com
Now unfortunately the zombie toys don’t come with nearly as many cool extras, however as I said, McFarlane still brings the value. I would like to point out that these aren’t just random walkers that they decided to put together. The designs of these toys were based on actual memorable zombies from the show. The Walker you may remember as the zombie that chases Rick from the bus wreckage to the tank in his trip to Atlanta. The Biter can be recalled as the zombie that was found gorging itself on a dead dear near the group’s first encampment, and although they beheaded it, the zombie kept biting until Darrel ended its unlife with an arrow to the brain. The due to lack of accessories with the zombies, these figures feature unique features, like the windup-and-walk feature for the walker, and a spring loaded moving jaw and dear meat accessory for the biter.
The prices of the figures are found for about $15 (USD) a peace depending on where you shop for them. The toys are currently being sold in local comic book shops through Diamond Comic Distributors, Toys ‘R’ Us and Barns and Noble. If you don’t feel like making the trip for the figure of your choosing, you can always shop online through e-bay, Amazon.com, and other retailers.
If you want to find out more about the figures, and see more pictures, visit McFarlane Toys’ website at www.spawn.com.
If you want to comment on today’s post feel free to leave a comment below, or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate Brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
It’s been long overdue people. I love these segments and I hope you love them too. It’s time for another Zombie Toy review! Keep in mind that these toy reviews are not necessarily of toys having to do with zombies necessarily, but more of those toys that were lost in the bottom of your storage unit collecting lord knows what kind of bugs, then suddenly reemerging in the public spotlight and climbing to the top of the pile to bite you in the face for it’s revenge. If you have these outdated zombie toys, the originals may be worth some money now that it’s popularity is back, but then again, maybe not.
This time around I wanted to go over a trend that has been taking the United States by storm, and not by who you would expect. My Little Pony. Is it a surprise that this franchise has found new life in today’s children? I’m sure many girls that grew up with fond memories of the MLP franchise as youth in the early 90’s and late 80’s have very fond memories of the cartoons and play sets. What little girl would not want a magical pony who could take away all the bad things of the world and act like your very best friend? Sharing these memories with their little girls now would be as natural as sharing their old Barbie Dolls. No, it’s no surprise that this franchise has come back from the dead. What is surprising is the audience it has reached. For this franchise is not only popular among young girls, but among many males as well. No, not young boys either. Some of MLP’s biggest fans are adult men.
Why would a show that is aimed at a female audience be popular with grown ass men? These men self tittle themselves as Bronies and claim that the new My Little Pony series is well written, shows character development, and has excellent animation. Bronies also claim that the show does a good job at teaching the values of friendship and kindness, something that is lacking in much of the world today. Against my better judgement I have watched an episode in order to get an inside look into the Brony state of mind. I would now like to share with you this episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWpPWArP6OM
I have found by watching this is that all of the points above are true. Parts of this did make me laugh out loud, and although parts of it made me want to cringe (music scene for instance) is that really much worse than some of the other cartoons we have watched in our time? Some may scoff that friendship was what defeated the bad guy in the show, and that’s just well… homosexual. But please be honest with yourselves people, that was not any worse than the endings of some of the episodes of the cartoons you used to/still do watch. Every show has had an episode in which friendship was the key to solving all the groups problems. No exception.
And you must admit this new version is leaps and bounds better than the original.
Does this make me a Brony as well? No. Beyond this blog I probably will never watch this show again, however I will be more open minded and less judgemental about those who find children’s shows fun and entertaining.
So far I have only talked about the new show, let us discuss the matter at hand, and that is the toys. The new My Little Pony toys are made by Hasbro Toys and are in just as much demand as the tv show. I don’t know if that’s by the same audience, but being as guys sometimes like to decorate there desks with figurines and what not I would not be surprised if you did not find a brony somewhere hiding one of their favorite ponies behind that GI Joe.
Image of Pinkie Pie taken from www.hasbrotoyshop.com
As of 12/28/2011, the Hasbro Toys website was still out of stock on many of the new MLP toys including Rainbow Dash, Plumbsweet, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle. Not to mention various play sets that can accompany these figures. Although I doubt these toys were the must have for the holiday season, it does go to show you that for the manufacture to be out of stock on many of the items, it is safe to say that the toys seem to be just as popular as the new tv show, and that makes this toy the zombie toy of the month.
And of course I couldn’t conclude this post without the obligatory zombie MLP
Image of zombie MLP tattoo taken from http://fyeahtattoos.com/post/269225155/zombie-my-little-pony-tattooed-by-justin-storm and inked by Justin Storm.
Don’t forget you can get more zombie goodness through following Dead Future on Facebook. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +. Have a comment about this post? Post it below or just email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com.
Till Fate brings our Future
Penguin Prince
As we head into the Holiday season many of you may be thinking of what to buy for your loved ones. Many religious holidays have traditions of gift giving at this time of year so I thought I would go over some suggestions on what to buy that zombie enthusiast. I will be listing the top 10 zombie related products of various categories according to www.amazon.com. I have conducted my search by using the term “zombie” in the search function and then sorting them by category, and then by popularity. I will be removing like items (such as several dolls from the same series) and also removing items that don’t have a high relevance to the search. As I’m a kid at heart I thought my first category to review would be Toys and Games.
1. Doctor Dreadful Zombie Lab: As a kid I begged my mom to get me something like this, and as a dutiful mother of course she said no. But if you want to be a cool parent this is just a creepy gross good time. Your child can make gummy bugs, drink zombie barf puked from a zombie skull and learn at an early age that brains are the breakfast of every zombie champion. Don’t be a party pooper, eat your kids creations as well, if you can stomach it.
2. Monster High Dolls: Leave it to Mattel to find another way to sell a Barbie. For the creepy little girl who still wants to be stylish this may be a good alternative to hanging out in cemeteries, reading bad poetry, and cutting. To be honest these are cute and I like that they encourage girls to be who they want to be and to accept people and things that may be different. These dolls are based around the teenage children of the monsters we grew up to know and love. With names like Duce Gorgan, and Abbey Bominable, it can be a fun way to get your children into the old time horror you know and love.
3. The Walking Dead Board Game: You’ve seen the show, you’ve read the comics, and you’ve larped the story line (don’t lie I know you have), now play the board game! Play as zombies or as survivors with 2-4 players. You may never become Rick Grimes, but at least you can pretend to be him for a brief 60 minutes! Just do me a favor, make your friend play as Shane, then punch him in the junk for me.
4. Zombie Dice : Your going to see Steve Jackson’s games up here on this list a lot. And why not? The games are fun and zombie related. Hello! As a zombie your trying to eat more brains than your zombie friends. Do it before being blasted with a shot gun. Easy as that. Bought these for my friend last year and still haven’t gotten a chance to play it, but from the premise of it it sounds like a winner if you love dice games, zombies and a quick good time.
5. Munchkin Zombies: I wrote a blog about this before. I highly recommend this game. Interchangeable with other Munchkin games and loads of fun. If you like card games, and making enemies out of your friends this is the game for you. Lie, Cheat, and Steal your way to the top in this memorable card game.
6. Zombie Fluxx: Yet another Steve Jackson game. Zombie Fluxx is a spin off the original Steve Jackson card game Fluxx. In this game the rules to play change with every card you play, so getting board would be kind of hard. A good game worth playing over and over again.
7. Monopoly Nightmare Before Christmas: It’s Monopoly with possibly the best stop animation movie ever. Need I say more?
8. Plants vs. Zombies Collection Figures: Why? I don’t know. But Pop Cap Games raked in the bucks off this fun game on the computer, and these things are really kind of cool. Great for the big kid’s desk at the office.
9. Scientific Explorer Disgusting Special Effects Make Up Kit: This may be the most unique item on this list. A great start to teach your children (or yourself) zombie makeup and special effects. Make your next zombie walk the best one yet, or make your own zombie movie! Not only fun to experiment with, but educational as it teaches kids what happens when some of the wounds actually happen. Parental supervision is highly suggested on this one as some of the chemicals used can be harmful if misused. Fun for you and your kid!
10. Last Night on Earth – The Zombie Game: Just think of this as a zombie movie in a board game. Play as survivors or as zombies as you play out several scenarios that always change the way you play. The game is designed to give it a cinematic feel to what happens so you too can be in that zombie movie. Sounds like a cross between a board game and an RPG. Something I would like to try at least.
That’s it. The top 10 most popular zombie toys and games according to Amazon.com. You can find more items that may tickle your fancy, but maybe this list can get you started. Happy hunting and look for more blogs in the next week for more ideas for the holidays as I go over books, movies, and more.
If you have more ideas, include them in the comments below. If you have any questions or want to leave me feedback on my blogs email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com (especially if you are that cute waitress from the Bob Evans this weekend). You should also follow us on Facebook for extra zombie goodness throughout the week. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Google +.
-Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince
Scientific Explorer Disgusting Special Effects Make Up Kit
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