ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

And so are a bunch of you, too. Laura McMullan interviewed me for Amazon’s new toy blog, Toy Whimsy, which focuses on toy culture for the toddler to teen set. Of course, where there are kids, there are (hopefully) parents, and as such, the need for news from the adult toy world (contain yourself Kylo76) arises. Laura is putting together an excellent group of guest bloggers from all walks of toy culture. I’ll be contributing some art toy 101, recommended toy reading and family-friendly toys in the coming weeks.

This scene is in the midst of an evolution. For one thing, resin toys are being taken seriously. For another, there seems to finally be a decisive splintering off of kids’ toys from art toys. The biggest evidence of this is Kidrobot debuting a new category “Art” opposite its traditional “Toy” area. There’s been a reason why we define the genre with both words. Splitting them apart makes one seem like a collectible, and the other a plaything. And perhaps that is the point. Some of Kidrobot’s offerings in 2008 were inarguably geared toward kids. Surely, this will ruffle the feathers of folks who recently spent $75 on a “toy” that’s not “art,” but to the kid with that “cool-looking bunny,” it doesn’t make a difference. I’m all for kids customizing Munnys, or as I put to Laura: “Look, I’m a fan of any hobby or activity that gets our fat little American children away from their videogame consoles.”

If you want to hear me shoot my mouth off about my “credentials,” collection, upcoming art stars and why Beanie Babies are like Miley Cyrus, check out the whole interview here. Getting my name on Amazon is the closest thing to having my own ISBN: the writer’s dream number. I’m always looking for interesting writing opportunities to supplement my current endeavors, so if you need some words, drop me a line!