Homies
Encyclopedia
Homies are a series of 2-inch figurine
s loosely based upon Chicano
(Mexican American
) characters in the life of artist David Gonzales. First created in 1998, these plastic figurines were initially sold via vending machine
s typically positioned in supermarket
s, mainly in International marts. Homies have become a highly collectible item among fans of the line. Many imitation toys have hit the market following the success of Homies.
The figures caused controversy after their initial release as members of the Los Angeles Police Department
(LAPD), argued that the figures glorified gang life. Many stores stopped selling the toys after the LAPD complained. Gonzales then created a story for each of the Homies' characters, each of which had a positive view of the characters. Some of them became former jail
mates who went on to educate children about how to avoid jail. Mainstream stores, such as Walmart, quickly returned the Homies to their stocks, and the toy branched out to include a line of die cast cars, among other things. By 2005, the Homies character line had women, as well as Filipino
, Japan
ese and Puerto Rican
, and even Evil Clown
characters. The Puerto Ricans set, which includes twelve of the Homies, are nicknamed Los Boricuas. According to Gonzales, he has received orders from countries in Europe
, South America
and Africa
requesting characters representing people from those continents.
In 2004, the creators of Homies, created 'Los Mijos
' intended for a younger audience. They are solely Hispanic and are portrayed as kids, babies, and teens.
In 2007, a show was made about the figures called The Homies Hip Hop Show. The show had many negative reviews saying the figures don't even move, all they do is stand there and shake. The show did make it to DVD.
Figurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
s loosely based upon Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
(Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
) characters in the life of artist David Gonzales. First created in 1998, these plastic figurines were initially sold via vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
s typically positioned in supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, mainly in International marts. Homies have become a highly collectible item among fans of the line. Many imitation toys have hit the market following the success of Homies.
The figures caused controversy after their initial release as members of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
(LAPD), argued that the figures glorified gang life. Many stores stopped selling the toys after the LAPD complained. Gonzales then created a story for each of the Homies' characters, each of which had a positive view of the characters. Some of them became former jail
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
mates who went on to educate children about how to avoid jail. Mainstream stores, such as Walmart, quickly returned the Homies to their stocks, and the toy branched out to include a line of die cast cars, among other things. By 2005, the Homies character line had women, as well as Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese and Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
, and even Evil Clown
Evil clown
The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.-Background:...
characters. The Puerto Ricans set, which includes twelve of the Homies, are nicknamed Los Boricuas. According to Gonzales, he has received orders from countries in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
requesting characters representing people from those continents.
In 2004, the creators of Homies, created 'Los Mijos
Los Mijos
Los Mijos, mostly known as Mijos, are toy characters created by David Gonzales loosely based upon Chicano Mexican American characters, the mijos line include girls as well and other ethnicities of characters as well as Puerto Rican, African American, Caucasian. It's how he sees "through the eyes of...
' intended for a younger audience. They are solely Hispanic and are portrayed as kids, babies, and teens.
In 2007, a show was made about the figures called The Homies Hip Hop Show. The show had many negative reviews saying the figures don't even move, all they do is stand there and shake. The show did make it to DVD.