Friday 27 June 2014

Eyeballs on Parade

It's anniversary time at the Plastic Eyeball again!  I can't believe another year has gone by already.  I've been slacking with the posts lately, but an anniversary is as good a reason as any to get back at it.

Now, my blog is called "The Plastic Eyeball", but how many plastic eyeballs have actually been spotlighted here?  NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!  To mark the blog's second anniversary, I've decided to show off most (if not all) of my eyeball collection.  This is gonna be pic heavy, so I'll keep the chatter to a minimum.  Some of these things have been spotlighted already, and some will get the proper treatment down the road.  Until then, let the Parade of Eyeballs begin!


I had to start off with one of the original eyeball heads to appeal to me, AFC Blinky from Bucky O'Hare.  He's a classic figure for me, and still one of my all-time favorite eyeball heads.


Another old classic is Optikk from the He-Man line.  I don't have my original anymore, but I do have his modern update from the Masters of the Universe Classics line!  I do miss the action feature of the original, but there's no denying that this is one fiiiine looking figure.


Beetlejuice isn't someone you'd expect to see in the Parade of Eyeballs, but this is Shish-Kebab Beetlejuice.  He's special.  Why?


Because you can pop his head off, and there's an eyeball head underneath!


Orb-It from Creepsters looks like he could be the deluxe vehicle for Eye Pus from Savage Mondo Blitzers.


And speak of the devil, I couldn't leave Eye Pus out of the parade, could I?  He's another one of those figures that made eyeball heads appeal to me early on.


My friend Alexx from Toys and Tomfoolery sent me these a while back, and I think they're pretty fun.  I've seen ladybugs and animal printed racers from this series as well, but the eyeballs are what it's all about.


Next up is the Skeleton Man from Scooby Doo!  I'm not really a big Scooby Doo fan (A Pup Named Scooby Doo is all I got into as a kid), but I know a cool eyeball headed toy when I see one.  This one adds another thing that always appeals to me as well: skeletons!  The skeleton pattern on the body glows in the dark, and I likes me some glow.  I've never seen the episode these guys show up in, so I have no idea why he comes with a bucket o' clams.  But they're removable!  So there's that...


Alexx was kind enough to send me this glow-in-the-dark version of the Skeleton Man in our last trade.  Maybe he's like the supercharged version of the regular guy?  All he needs now are some glow-in-the-dark clams.


Ok, when there's something you like, you have to let as many people know as you can.  That way, if they like you, they'll try to hook you up with the stuff that you like.  Alexx also sent me this little gem here, and I can't believe I never got him as a kid.  He's absolutely perfect.  The spring loaded eye-boobs are a bit weird, but he's still perfect.  His name is Eye Guy, and the name delivers what it promises.


Jagun Fighters was perfect for anyone who likes a lot of eyeballs in their toy lines.  Eyeballs and pottery.



More swag from Alexx!  These guys are from a line called Crashlings, which is kind of Trash Pack-esque, only with less characters to choose from and meteors instead of trash cans to store them.  Each character has a few different versions to get, and I got three of this guy in one set!


OF COURSE Kinnuman/M.U.S.C.L.E. has an eyeball head guy.  They set the bar high for weird way back in the 80's, and they still have some of the strangest looking characters I've seen.  "Gan" is Japanese for eye, and this guy's name is Gan Satan.  So I guess that makes him Eye Satan.  I hope I don't go to Hell for thinking that's cool.


One of the great modern eyeball heads is Eye Brawl from Skylanders.  He even manages to pull off an eyeball/Jack-o-lantern look, somehow.  Mega Bloks also released a version of him, and there's even a little plush finger puppet of his head.  That's how you know you've made it.  I don't have a little plush finger puppet of my head.

I... I haven't made it...



Mega Bloks also did this Skylanders baddie: Biclops.  Not only does he glow in the dark, but he took something normal like having two eyes and really made it his own.


Another modern classic eyeball head is this Dunny, by Mishka.  I love the way his veins just bulge off his eyeball!  And yet his chainsaw says, "don't mess with me".


Here's the background star of the blog himself, Gan-Q!  Or "Eye-Q", which I just got!  Anyway, I also got a smaller version of this cool kaiju when I was in Japan.  He might be less detailed than his big brother, but man his eye is sweet!  There's a layer of transparent plastic over the eye part, which just makes it stand out and look pretty realistic.


This is the newest member of my Gan-Q collection.  He transforms into this gross little egg!  Who doesn't love something that transforms into a gross little egg?


Japan gets the appeal of a nice eyeball monster.  Here's another one!  This is Alien Akumania.


When I was in Japan we were trying to find this fish market that my wife wanted to visit (though who can honestly say why?) when I came across this guy for the first time through a small shop window.  It wasn't even a character goods shop, it was just a little hole-in-the-wall grocery store type of place.  See, that's how I operate.  It doesn't matter where I'm going or what I'm doing, I WILL find the eyeball heads.  Over the course of the trip I would end up getting some keychains, a pen and notepad, and something else (shown at the end of this post) baring this character's likeness, but it wasn't until later on that Medama Oyaji's masterpiece came out...


The little plush guys and the keychains are well and good, but I wanted a real action figure of Medama Oyaji, ya know?  Something that could be the definitive version of the character in my collection.  Well, the Revoltech figure will fill that role perfectly.  I'm not a fan of all the visible joints with Revoltech figures, but they're still usually pretty nice as a whole.  I doubt there will be a better Medama Oyaji toy any time soon, but if there is, I'll make sure to hunt it down.


Some Morbs are more eyebally than other Morbs, but they all try.


This cyclops from Disney's Vinylmations line isn't a true eyeball head, but his eyeball is so well done that I've put him in the parade anyway.  The point is that eyeball heads are my first love, but I'm happy with ANY cool eyeball toy.  Or thing.


Like these guys!  They're simple wind-up toys, but they're great.


These next figures are original custom guys by Eric Nilla and Ironhaus Productions.  The top figure is Eyeklops from their Universe of Violence series, while the bottom one is Dr. Eyeklops Chesterworth, from the much more sophisticated Gentlemen of Violence.


Alexx also sent me this thing.  There's a fine line for what kind of cyclopses appeal to me, and which ones do nothing.  It goes a long way in their favor when their eyeballs are HUGE.


Sometimes if you like to drive fast, you should probably still try to blink.  This guy's going to need some Vizine.


Gotta love POGs.


Of course, the eyeball is a favorite subject for gross-out toys, bouncy balls, and candies.








These are two of my eyeball rings.  Why do I have eyeball rings?  Because they're eyeball rings.


I've got this eyeball whoopee cushion that I must have won from somewhere.  The end is getting all dry and cracked, but it can still be blown up!


I found this eyeball mask at Target.  I bought two, just to make sure at least one of them lasts.  The chance to dress up like an eyeball head doesn't come up very often, but when it does, I'm ready.


Eyeballs even make for great gifts with that personal touch.  My wife gave me this eyeball card for my birthday last year.  Yeah, she gets me!


And Alexx's wife made me this crocheted eyeball bag.  I couldn't believe this thing!  It's awesome, and I was truly touched to receive it.  It also makes for a pretty cool eyeball puppet.


My eyeball wallet.  Well, I guess there's other stuff going on there too, but I'm in it for the eyeballs.  That's practically my motto!


I got this eyeball in Las Vegas.  It's one of those things that you throw at a hard surface and watch it go splat and almost completely flat, and then it pops back to it's regular round shape.  The effect is hard to take pictures of (timing and all that), but I tried...


Turns out these things are actually a lot of fun.  Too bad these balls don't have bodies, or would that be weird?


It would be weird, but it's also hilarious!  The last Medama Oyaji toy I got in Japan was this splat thing here.  Not a bad likeness of the character, but if you throw him...


WHACK!



SPLAT!


BORT!


CHECK OUT THAT ACTION SHOT!

Point is, squishing things is fun.


Lastly, it says something when the only piece I still have from my old TMNT Technodrome playset is the eyeball that goes on top.  It says "I like eyeballs!"  Hopefully I've been able to drive that point home with this post.

Anyway, it's been a fun two years working on this blog.  Bring on year 3!

4 comments:

  1. One of my pogs was an eyeball! And it had a sawblade shape so that was cool. I also had a set of those glow in the dark eyeball bouncy balls, they were some of my faves out of my whole collection.
    I can relate to things!

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    1. Who says you don't relate to things? Even if you don't have any of these TOTALLY BOSS toys, you can still see something that you think is cool or reminds you of your childhood.

      And yeah, a Pog shaped like a saw blade (especially an eyeball one) would be awesome.

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  2. Man, look at all that stuff Alexx got you! He's so awesome! Anyway....where to start...

    - I always wanted that Bucky O'Hare figure! Hell, I still want it. I should look at how much a semi-nice one goes for. I'm not usually a stickler for perfection, but his only paint app is the eye, so I'd at least want that as nice as yours.

    - I have that Beetlejuice! I loved to stick the swords in him and act like he didn't care and KEPT WALKING AT YOUUUU. I totally forgot he had an eyeball head!

    - ...you have an inordinate amount of eyeballs on wheels.

    - Hey, the Scooby Doo guy comes with a bucket of clams! That's a thing!

    - I can't believe you got THREE eyeball guys in that Crashlings set! What are the odds that I pick the one with the most eyeball guys?

    - I have that MUSCLE creature as well! Only in purple. It's weird seeing him in another color.

    - That Gan-Q egg is still my favorite version of him.

    - That POG is FREAKING HILARIOUS. It is the embodiment of the 90's! It makes no god damn sense, and I love it. Like, "BIG DEAL! We see those flying eyeballs all the time EVERY DAY." And I totally still have my buzz saw POGs, though I don't think any of them have an eye.

    - I LOVE THAT EYEBALL RING.

    - The eyeball whoopee cushion is evidence of divine intervention. Because....why? Why would that exist, except for that, at some point, some deity had it's gaze on you and decided to will into existence the perfect mix of eyes and farts.

    - Seems like a question that answers itself, but: How do you see out of the eyeball mask?

    - Hopefully you keep a fair amount of eyes in the eyeball bag. It was made for NOTHING ELSE.

    - Do you use the eyeball wallet? I'ma go out on a limb and say no, because you won't want to wear it out. Am I right?

    - The Techno-Drome eye is now like a long lost key. You keep it on you until, one day, you find a lone Techno-Drome without an eye....and you know just what to do. Also it ends up opening a treasure room.

    Great post, man! It really caught my eye! It's a real eye opener! It's pleasing to the eye! I'll keep a watchful eye on this in the future! OH GOT HELP ME EYE CAN'T STOP AAAAHHHHHHEEEEYEEEEEE



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    Replies
    1. - I got that Blinky figure MOC off of eBay. I don't think he's that hard to find, but you might have to wait to find a good price though.

      - Sadly I only have one of his skewers left, but it still does the trick. It's also fun to see what else you can impale him with.

      - I don't have THAT many eyeballs on wheels, do I? I figured I have more with legs, bodies, etc. What I don't have is any eyeballs with shark bodies...

      - Yeah, I really don't get the clams. I guess I'll have to try to watch that episode.

      - I'm wondering if those three eyeball guys were in the Crashlings set because it's the aliens pack? There are a few different teams, and each team seems to have it's own pack. I didn't get every version of each alien, but I did get one of each alien. I think. Either way, I did clean up on the eyeball guys.

      - I have that MUSCLE guy in purple too! I just didn't use him here because he's not in as nice shape.

      - I found that eyeball POG recently while looking through my old collection of POGs and knockoffs. I still have a few slammers, but no buzz saw ones for me. Anyway, I think I'll do a spotlight on POGs eventually. What kid of the 90's wasn't into POGs?

      - Which eyeball ring? The round, flashing one, or the flat, non-flashing one?

      - Yeah, I also felt that eyeball whoopee cushion was meant for me. I don't think it's much longer for this world, but at least it got it's moment of fame here.

      - The eyeball mask is semi-transparent. It's easiest to see through the green part, but no part of it is perfect. Breathing is the harder part.

      - I was thinking about keeping eyes in the eyeball bag. I mean, it kinda of demands it of itself, doesn't it?

      - I only kind of use the eyeball wallet. I don't want to wear it out, but I also don't really like using wallets. But when I need one, it's there.

      - The technodrome eye is like the key that isn't needed, but you use it anyway, because it's the key. In name only.

      Anyway, thanks for the long repleye! Eye can see that you put a lot of effort into it, so eye wanted to take the teyem and respond to each point in turn. Ummm... retina!

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