October Toys is a toy company with a touch of a dark side. Not only do they make high quality toys, they give artists from around the country the chance to design some of them into beautiful, disturbing, and amazing works of art. Their "Gwins" and "Z.O.M.B.I.E." lines of toys are some of the coolest collectible toys I've seen in a good while and their reasonably priced for those of use that may be fund-ally challenged, I had the chance to sit down with the creators of October Toys, Ayleen and George Gaspar to talk about how they got started and what's coming up for them.
Q: How and why did you start October Toys?
A: (from Ayleen) It all started back in 2004. George, myself, and our old partner, Matt Aylward, wanted a creative outlet from our day jobs. George and Matt were working in the toy industry, but on more mass market type projects. We wanted to do something fun that would allow us to work more on the art side of toys.
Q: I'm a big fan of your Gwins and would like to know how you came up with the idea for them? Which is your favorite?A: (from Ayleen) The Gwins actually evolved out of a sculpt of Tux (the Linux mascot) that George did for me as a present. I had it sitting on my desk while we were tossing around project ideas and thought, “Hey! If I like this figure on my desk so much, other people probably would to!” From there we thought it would be cool to see how other artists interpreted the figure and voila! The Gwins were born. As for a favorite, I’ll go with Tim :)
(from George) My favorite one? I have a soft spot for all of them I think. I would feel bad if I picked one. I think the others would get mad. It’s like you can’t pick a favorite kid.
Q: Who can up with the designs for your Z.O.M.B.I.E. line?A: (from Ayleen) The Z.O.M.B.I.E. Series 1 designs were a collaboration effort. Matt did the sculpting on that series and we all contributed ideas. Series 2 will be a collaboration between us and another artist who is currently working on designs. We’re really excited about people’s response to the Z.O.M.B.I.E.s and can’t wait to get the second series out!
Q: What's coming up next for October Toys and where can we learn more?A: (from George) We have a new series designed and created by us called Grave Fellows, the first of which, J.B. Finch, just debuted at San Diego Comic Con this year. Keep an eye on OctoberToys.com to keep up with everything we’re doing. You can also watch us each week on Toy Break as we discuss things in the toy industry.
I just want to say a HUGE thank you to Ayleen and George for taking the time out to talk with me. And if your a fan of their Z.O.M.B.I.E. line, stay tuned for a giveaway very soon!!!
1 comment:
Aw, those gwins are adorable. Me want one. :)
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