If you’re one of those video game fans who collects assorted goodies related to your favorite games or if you’re just interested in fun finds with a quirky edge, I bet there’s a nice possibility that there’s something from A Crowded Coop on a shelf or hanging on or from something you own. Based out of Monroe, Washington and made up of a couple of professional genius business types with heavy experience in all things toy related as well as being some very talented artistic types with vision to spare, the company creates its own products as well as licenses and distributes other trendy, hip gear the cool kids (and old farts like me) love through a number of retail outlets such as Think Geek and other quality online and brick & mortar emporiums.  At this year’s Toy Fair, the company showed off an outstanding line of collectibles from some of Valve’s hit games (Portal 2, DOTA 2 and Team Fortress 2), a new line of beautiful plush toys from artist Justin Hillgrove, another upcoming fun plush line called Whim Whams and more that had me smiling even as I walked up to the booth…

Seeing the almost 50 Portal 2 related items gathered together in once spot was almost overwhelming (I was making a mental list of stuff I wanted for the home office as I was snapping away), but fun and pretty incredible simultaneously. As sales VP (and artist supreme)  Mike Capp gave a small (and growing as time passed) herd of smiling journalist-types a tour of the booth, ACC’s Mary Olson (call her a partner, but there’s no crime involved here) noted that the company was able to create the largest set of licensed Valve items you’ll ever see thanks to their proximity to the Bellevue-based game developer/super games delivery service offering  company. In a nutshell, they come up with ideas that they run directly through Valve, who approves the ones they like (and they definitely like a lot of what they see), and in turn, those approved items get cooked up and sent out to assorted retailers before ending up in your home. If you didn’t even think you needed an inflatable Companion Cube Ottoman (yes, you CAN sit on it!), a few types of must-have Portal 2 messenger bags, key chains, wallets or even a few awesome metal signs that will make any door or wall a point of humor (or a slightly confusing read to throw off people who aren’t too up on their gaming).

Meeting artist Justin Hillgrove was a show highlight for me, as I’ve been a fan of his older work for a while and his recent stuff is equally incredible because it combines fantasy, horror and whimsy with storytelling all in a single image. His soon to launch Imps & Monsters line (coming in March) features a bunch of fantastically recreated plush versions of creatures from his artwork, each of which is full of personality and yes, has a story to tell. Hillgrove’s switch to a softer style is a direct result of his having kids and wanting to do artwork they could look at without having nightmares of their own. He’s also inspired by watching them draw and how they react to everyday things as kids do and you can see those childlike expressions in some of his paintings. I dabble in a bit of art on the side, so my short conversation and looks at his work in a few forms has inspired be to be a bit more sketch happy. I still need to get a time machine up and running so I can draw more (hey, running a site solo is hard work!), but it’ll get done soon enough!

Of all the plush toys I’d seen at the show, the Imps & Monsters line of plush and keychain plush was probably the most personable (and personal, as each person who eventually own one can imagine his or her own story being told by the characters they’ll buy), but I’ll have to give ACC credit for the humorous Whim Whams line, also coming your way soon enough. These cuddly creations are a mash-up of assorted pop culture favorites in a set of plush figures that are guaranteed to put a grin on anyone’s face. There were also some wacky zombie-related items that had me chuckling, and you just know you want NEED that plush bacon key chain that sizzles when you squeeze it. I could find something like a dozen good gift uses for that one item alone (torture your vegan friends! Stop zombies or rabid dogs! Mean gag gift for that guy you find in the desert having that oasis mirage hallucination! And so forth and so on), so I’ll need to find out who stocks it and how much it’ll cost at some point. I’ll bug these guys to keep me posted on new gear so i can let YOU know what’s what – get ready to go half-broke filling up your home (and the homes of people you know) with some really super stuff.