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Plaid Stallions 7th Anniversary Special & Contest
I'm happy to announce that today marks the 7th Anniversary of the Plaid Stallions blog, mostly because I remembered it before hand.
A lot has gone on since I first logged on that quiet Saturday afternoon and honestly, this whole thing has changed my life, entirely for the better.
I thought it would be fun to the run down some of my favourites of this past year, as it's been one of the best.
Top Seven Reasons I love doing this followed by a contest
7) Making Trading Cards
As much as I would love to collect every toy I blog about, it's just not going to happen (unless I win the lottery, then i'd just become a monster), so it's really fun and somewhat therapeutic to crank out some vintage toy trading cards when I can afford to do so.
I give them away at shows and always throw a pile in with orders at the store. It's kind of awesome that some folks collect these.
6) I made an action figure and people bought it.
Seriously, I made a doll based on a character I goofed around with and someone other than my wife bought it. When I was told the Brick dolls were first coming in from China, I would not have been upset if the cargo got lost. Mostly because I worried that they'd just sit in my garage and I'd be crouching in my shower, forever washing off the stink of failure.
However, I couldn't have been more wrong, lots of people had Mantooth fever and only some are sitting in my garage. Total win!
As an added bonus people share with me all the funky things they do with Brick and I post them on Facebook.
5) The Submissions
Every time I check my email I get something new, a photo, leads or information on rare toys, vintage superhero mall appearance photos all mixed in with the 3500 messages about some folding garden hose (seriously you called it "Pocket Hose" with no irony?). I love surprises and all the cool information I get is like Christmas to me, sharing truly is caring.
4) Toy Discoveries
I'm an information junkie and I love finding out new things. So, networking with other collectors is often the next best thing to getting parcels in the mail. Also, less expensive. Since I started this site, a few major toy mysteries have been solved, minor to many but they kept me up at night.
3) The Pod Cast
For years, I'd get off the phone with my pal Jason and thought "We should have taped that and called it a Pod Cast" and now we're doing it. We're still in our infancy with it but we really do appreciate the support it's received.
We'll be cranking out a new one every month for the same reason we do anything around here, because it's fun.
Like Pod Stallions on Facebook.
2) I wrote a book because of it
Seriously, without this blog I'd have never even attempted to write, design and publish Rack Toys. Going to night school to get my certificate opened up a new world to me and it's helped me in my personal and professional life.
Publishing my first book was exhausting and completely addictive that I'm quietly working on my second book (a close cousin to Rack Toys). I had my hand held by some close friends during production but also, I put out a call for this book and you people stormed in with some epic contributions. It's something I'll never forget.
1) The Vibe
I can honestly say this has been the most rewarding thing I've done outside of the whole "marriage/family" thing. The outpouring of support from you , the people is just unreal, I've made real life friends and been helped and supported the entire way. Whether it's with photo contributions, emails, buying something or just saying "hi", it's been fantastic, uplifting and rewarding.
Thank you for not only liking my mad ideas but enabling and sharing them, I promise you more and always look for your ideas.
The 7th Anniversary "Mom Logic" Contest
I like contests, you like contests, let's do this!
One of the things that seem to haunt me as an adult collector are not the toys I had but the ones I wasn't allowed to have. God, they feel like forbidden fruit, like me buying a Calibos figure is somehow a big deal thirty years after the fact.
I want to hear your best Toy Denial story and your mother's reasoning for refusing you said toy, here's my example:
I vividly remember the commercial for Doctor Steel coming on while I was watching "Space:1999" one Saturday afternoon. "Big Jim's greatest challenge" had me the moment he came out of that tall grass. My mother however, was not fond the good Doctor for two reasons a) He's bald and b) he has a tattoo. I persisted but never managed to snag him, the best I got was Torpedo Fist.
To this day, I'm not sure how a one eyed man with a wooden arm and a tattoo is somehow more socially acceptable but he was.
I would like to point that despite my enjoyment of Dr Steel, at 42 I have a full head of hair and am totally tattoo free, mission accomplished mom....
Send your stories to this email and I'll announce contest winners in Two Weeks time. (Submissions close Friday May 3rd)
1st Prize- An exclusive "Woolco Carded" Brick Mantooth Figure.
2nd Prize- A copy of Rack Toys: Cheap Crazed Playthings
3rd Prize- A set of PlaidStallions Trading Cards
4-7 runners up- A prize pack of items.
For more Fashion Mockery and 70's toy love visit us at Plaid Stallions.comI give them away at shows and always throw a pile in with orders at the store. It's kind of awesome that some folks collect these.
6) I made an action figure and people bought it.
Seriously, I made a doll based on a character I goofed around with and someone other than my wife bought it. When I was told the Brick dolls were first coming in from China, I would not have been upset if the cargo got lost. Mostly because I worried that they'd just sit in my garage and I'd be crouching in my shower, forever washing off the stink of failure.
However, I couldn't have been more wrong, lots of people had Mantooth fever and only some are sitting in my garage. Total win!
As an added bonus people share with me all the funky things they do with Brick and I post them on Facebook.
5) The Submissions
Every time I check my email I get something new, a photo, leads or information on rare toys, vintage superhero mall appearance photos all mixed in with the 3500 messages about some folding garden hose (seriously you called it "Pocket Hose" with no irony?). I love surprises and all the cool information I get is like Christmas to me, sharing truly is caring.
4) Toy Discoveries
I'm an information junkie and I love finding out new things. So, networking with other collectors is often the next best thing to getting parcels in the mail. Also, less expensive. Since I started this site, a few major toy mysteries have been solved, minor to many but they kept me up at night.
3) The Pod Cast
For years, I'd get off the phone with my pal Jason and thought "We should have taped that and called it a Pod Cast" and now we're doing it. We're still in our infancy with it but we really do appreciate the support it's received.
We'll be cranking out a new one every month for the same reason we do anything around here, because it's fun.
Like Pod Stallions on Facebook.
2) I wrote a book because of it
Seriously, without this blog I'd have never even attempted to write, design and publish Rack Toys. Going to night school to get my certificate opened up a new world to me and it's helped me in my personal and professional life.
Publishing my first book was exhausting and completely addictive that I'm quietly working on my second book (a close cousin to Rack Toys). I had my hand held by some close friends during production but also, I put out a call for this book and you people stormed in with some epic contributions. It's something I'll never forget.
1) The Vibe
I can honestly say this has been the most rewarding thing I've done outside of the whole "marriage/family" thing. The outpouring of support from you , the people is just unreal, I've made real life friends and been helped and supported the entire way. Whether it's with photo contributions, emails, buying something or just saying "hi", it's been fantastic, uplifting and rewarding.
Thank you for not only liking my mad ideas but enabling and sharing them, I promise you more and always look for your ideas.
The 7th Anniversary "Mom Logic" Contest
I like contests, you like contests, let's do this!
One of the things that seem to haunt me as an adult collector are not the toys I had but the ones I wasn't allowed to have. God, they feel like forbidden fruit, like me buying a Calibos figure is somehow a big deal thirty years after the fact.
I want to hear your best Toy Denial story and your mother's reasoning for refusing you said toy, here's my example:
I vividly remember the commercial for Doctor Steel coming on while I was watching "Space:1999" one Saturday afternoon. "Big Jim's greatest challenge" had me the moment he came out of that tall grass. My mother however, was not fond the good Doctor for two reasons a) He's bald and b) he has a tattoo. I persisted but never managed to snag him, the best I got was Torpedo Fist.
To this day, I'm not sure how a one eyed man with a wooden arm and a tattoo is somehow more socially acceptable but he was.
I would like to point that despite my enjoyment of Dr Steel, at 42 I have a full head of hair and am totally tattoo free, mission accomplished mom....
Send your stories to this email and I'll announce contest winners in Two Weeks time. (Submissions close Friday May 3rd)
1st Prize- An exclusive "Woolco Carded" Brick Mantooth Figure.
2nd Prize- A copy of Rack Toys: Cheap Crazed Playthings
3rd Prize- A set of PlaidStallions Trading Cards
4-7 runners up- A prize pack of items.
More...
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