So, we all know from that Japanese history course we took (what, you cut class all the time? Shame!) that an unemployed samurai is called a Rōnin and if he says a hearty “Heck no!” to that mandatory seppuku clause in his termination contract, must wander the land, masterless until he drifts into whatever fate (or a decent movie director) hands him. But what about the elusive unemployed Ninja? Well, they don’t quite see the eternally wandering thing as good for potential future gigs because how can you hire an assassin if he’s always wandering around stumbling into trouble (decently-directed though it may be). Anyway, somehow, Mackenzie Mayer, chief designer and all around art ninja (I was going to say “guru”, but mixing mythologies creates time paradoxes or something disastrous like asteroid-shaped pianos falling from the sky over Russia) has managed to capture the spirit of the out of work black-clad agents of assorted demise in HoboNinja form as WillNinjas! Once you see these guys, you’ll want to put them to work for you in any number of (legal) ways…
Tag Archives: Plush
Toy Fair 2013: Despicable Me 2 Toy Lineup: Gru’s Grunts & Girls Get Great Gear!
Despicable Me was quite a surprise for me, as I wasn’t expecting much before I saw it and ended up charmed by the animation and characters. Of course, so were a few many million other moviegoers, which means, yes indeed – it’s time for a sequel. If the teaser and trailers are any indication, you can expect Despicable Me 2 to be even funnier than the original, as Gru’s Minions seem to be the focus this time out. This also means in terms of licensed products, toy companies such as Hasbro, Thinkway Toys, Basic Fun and others are going all out to get fans of the film into stores and online shops to snap up some really cool new items. I got to see most of the upcoming lineup during Toy Fair off-site at a more relaxed downtown location and everything looks (and sounds, where applicable) great and is coming soon to a retailer near you.
Gallery below the jump along with some more scribblings on the collection from yours truly…
Mezco Toyz Wants YOU To Save The Zombified Animals…
Hmmm… those log TV ads with the tear-jerker tunes and too many sad, lonely animals are kind of ripe for parody, but being the sensitive type, I don’t go there… I let people the fine folks at Mezco do it for me. “Won’t you save these 12″ Creepy Critters from more harm?…” Yeah, I want both, as they’d look great hanging out in the living room not stinking up the place like a real cat or bear (until Mezco cooks up a *NEW* “dead scent” series, ewww)… Wait, who keeps a LIVE bear IN their home? Oh, it’s America, right. So that means there are probably a few people out there with wilder pets or animal fetishes. Hey, I knew a guy with a custom built exotic snake pen that wrapped around the walls of his living room and there’s always some nut who wants to hop into the tiger pen at the Bronx Zoo up here, soooo…

