Five (More) Questions With > October Toys

I first interviewed the good folks at October Toys way, way back in 2008. Given the recent success of their OMFG figures, I decided it was time to check in with them again.

Codename: October Toys
Specialty: Toymakers
Base of Operations: www.octobertoys.com
History: Formed in 2004, October Toys is a purveyor of fine toys and collectibles with an artistic twist. The two creative misfits who own October Toys – George and Ayleen Gaspar – have a lifetime of experience collecting toys and two decades combined experience working in the toy industry. They are currently focusing on expanding their new line of Z.O.M.B.I.E. micro statues and finding a cure for keepitinthepackageitis. They also host and produce the weekly Internet show Toy Break which feature toy news, reviews, and much more!

1.) OMFG seems to have been a big hit. What’s the secret (or not-so-secret) origin of this project–how did it come about?

It all started with the very talented group of artists and designers who regularly inhabit the October Toys forum. We found out that many people on our forum share our passion for mini figures and wouldn’t it be cool if we could put out a community created line of mini figs? Once we decided to go forward with that idea, there were dozens of character concepts posted by various artists which were then voted on and narrowed down to the final five for production. With the help of Kickstarter, we were able to carry the community created aspect all the way through production. We couldn’t be more pleased with how smoothly the process went and look forward to using the same model for future OMFG series!

2.) Is there any chance of OMFG making its way to other markets than the Internet? I ask partly because I ran into some Z.O.M.B.I.E.s at my local comic shop.

Yes! DKE Toys is currently distributing the standard flesh colored Series 1 OMFG, so watch for those (among other series/colors) at your local toy stores in the near future!

3.) Have you ever considered revisiting Z.O.M.B.I.E., particularly with what you’ve learned producing OMFG?

Yes, series 2 of our Z.O.M.B.I.E. line has been in the works for quite some time, but getting it to production is a question of cost. Now that we know the Kickstarter model works, we may end up going that route for series 2.

4.) Of the licensed lines out there (G.I. Joe, Transformers, ThunderCats, Lego Friends, My Little Pony, MOTUC, Star Wars, DCUC, Marvel Legends etc.) what are you most excited for in 2012?

We’re big fans of the MOTUC and pretty much everything else the Four Horsemen do, so we look forward to those each month. The new Marvel and DC Lego sets are pretty exciting. The new My Little Pony look is pretty weak, so Ayleen will probably only pick up the SDCC exclusive pony. George has recently bought his second-ever GI Joe figure (Zombie-Viper), so perhaps another Joe will catch his attention this year. Really we sort of pick and choose what we like when we see it though because we just don’t have space to collect everything!

5.) What’s next for October Toys?

We have the glow in the dark version of OMFG Series 1 coming out within the next couple of months and since voting just ended for OMFG Series 2, we will have the Kickstarter up for that in the near future. We are really excited about a few upcoming collaboration projects with some of our favorite artists and will post information on those as soon as we can. We will also be focusing on expanding what we’re doing with Toy Break and hopefully bringing even more from the wonderful world of toys to the web. As always, we look forward to seeing everyone at San Diego Comic Con and later at Designer Con, so come say hi!