The PopCult Toybox
Random Toy Notes
Mars Attacks Kickstarter
Yesterday afternoon at 1:00PM EST, The Topps Company launched the all–new trading card series, Mars Attacks: Occupation on Kickstarter. After just 7 hours, the funding goal of $50,000 was achieved and several stretch goals have already been met, including a new subset featuring the long-awaited return of the 1980’s card series Dinosaurs Attack!, in a crossover with the dastardly Martians.
On Kickstarter, fans and collectors can pledge at a variety of levels to pre-order boxes, complete sets, bundles of items or even unique rewards such as the opportunity to have their likeness appear in the series! Add-on items include: “hot packs” guaranteed to contain sought-after super-rare “hit” cards; chase cards and parallel variants; plus collector binders and more! Stretch goals will add new cards, bonus items and special features.
The initial funding goal will create a 72 base card set with 18 chase cards (now 24 with Dinosaurs Attack!), 3 levels of parallels and incredible hits like sketch cards, metal cards, autographs and letter-press cards.
Backers who get in early will have access to limited-edition bundle pledges that include large master collections– and other valuable reward levels– so fans should be encouraged to act quickly. More stretch goals, new add-on items and additional features will be unveiled as the campaign builds steam.
Once the campaign concludes on June 1, Mars Attacks: Occupation will go into production, with a scheduled ship-date of December 15th. Check it out if you’re interested in helping Mars Attack the Earth once more.
My Little Pony Banks
Bronies Rejoice! Two new banks based on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are galloping into stores this week. Released by Diamond Select Toys, these vinyl banks of Fluttershy and Rarity join the previously released Applejack, with even more characters on the way!
Each vinyl bank measures approximately 7 inches tall, and features a different pony atop a sculpted base: Rarity stands on a giant jewel, Fluttershy canters through a field of flowers, and Applejack stands on a haystack with a bucket of apples. Each base has a coin slot in the side and an access door underneath, so you can store your loose change under each pony’s feet! Each bank comes packaged in a clear polybag, to protect the display-quality paint and sculpting, and is available to order through your local comic shop, your favorite online toy retailer, or at diamondselecttoys.com.
Viewmaster Archives
Viewmaster is a bit of a relic of the past, a steroscope viewer that lets you see three-dimensional images. It was introduced at the 1939 World’s Fair as an entertainment medium for adults. Following its use as a training device in WWII, Viewmaster became geared towards kids when its manufacturer bought the company that owned the 3-D rights to Disney novelties.
It was in the 1950s when Viewmaster started licensing children’s properties that it became a toy, and had strong sales well into the 1980s, when home video took the novelty away. Later this year Mattel, in collaboration with Google, will try to relaunch Viewmaster with a concept closer to its roots.
Barbie with her weird old dad and an Indian Woman with what looks like a man’s head
But the really cool stuff are all the licensed reels. You can find an archive with detailed images and synopses HERE. View Master World preserves dozens of classic Viewmaster reel sets like Batman, Star Trek and The Munsters. Also of interest is “Barbies Around The World,” which features customized dolls of Barbie’s father and other characters who were never released as toys.
The Adventure Team. Gotta love ’em
You can find even more Viewmaster sets at Viewmaster 3D Spectacular. This is where you’ll find The Hulk and The Adventure Team GI Joe. Viewmaster Resource Site offers lots of cool background info and an archive of printable booklets and packets, but doesn’t actually share the images from the reels. It’s still a fountain of information on the cool three-dee viewer.
Coming up in The PopCult Toybox
In the next few weeks we have several cool things planned for you. We will bring you video of some locally-celebrated folks playing a new game called Stinky Pig. We will update you on Colorforms with video shot at this year’s New York International Toy Fair. You can expect that elusive second-part to our JoeLanta Diorama photo essay. Soon we will bring you reviews of Lady Action, The CKRT Captain Action figures and The Captain Action Footlocker, plus the 50th Anniversary Johnny West figure (with details on how you can order it) and we also plan a series of reviews of cool ReMEGO figures leading up to this year’s MEGO Meet, which we can’t attend because the moved it out of Wheeling this year.
So keep checking PopCult for your toy news fix.
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