ToyFare
Encyclopedia
ToyFare was a monthly comedy and collecting magazine
published by Wizard Entertainment
that focused on collectible action figures, busts
, statues
, and maquettes. It previewed new and upcoming lines and figures each month, as well as providing a price guide for toy lines, new and old. ToyFare was also known for its satirical humor, which could be found on almost every page.
. It has maintained a steady monthly schedule ever since, reaching its 100th issue in December 2005. It was well known for using alternative covers, a feature which was first utilized with issue 20, and has been used almost regularly since issue 57.
done by photographing toys on sets built by the magazine’s staff (this technique was likewise used for covers for much of the magazine's earlier run, though without the comedic intent). The strips predominantly feature a line of toys called Megos
(a line very popular in the 1970s, during the youth of much of the magazine’s staff). Most of the regular figures/characters featured in the strip are principally those based on Marvel Comics
characters, such as Spider-Man
(popularly known as "Mego Spidey") and the Incredible Hulk
. Twisted ToyFare Theatres popularity was such that Wizard Entertainment has released several trade paperback
collections of the strips.
debate on the planet Cybertron
, home of the robotic Transformers). Originally, this feature's main articles were humorous exaggerations of actual toy-related stories (such as news of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
series' release on DVD, reported as "Shocking He-Man
Footage Made Public!"), and a sidebar column would appear somewhere within the "Monthly Rag" section with short summaries of the real news behind the exaggerated articles. For reasons unknown, at one point the summaries column was dropped from "The Monthly Rag", causing confusion among readers as to exactly what the source material of the humorous articles was. Finally, any pretense of reporting actual news in any form was dropped and replaced with the "Rag"'s current format of purely fictional parody material.
, Minimates
, and Heroclix
.
, Tom Root
and Matthew Senreich
went on to help create the Adult Swim
program, Robot Chicken
with actor Seth Green
. The show is in much the same vein of humor as Twisted Toyfare Theatre.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published by Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment, formerly known as Wizard Press, was a New York-based publisher of Wizard and ToyFare magazines, along with various special issues for each magazine and the annual Toy Wishes holiday guide....
that focused on collectible action figures, busts
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
, statues
Statues
Statues is a popular children's game, often played in Australia but with versions throughout the world.-General rules:# A person starts out as the "Curator" and stands at the end of a field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end...
, and maquettes. It previewed new and upcoming lines and figures each month, as well as providing a price guide for toy lines, new and old. ToyFare was also known for its satirical humor, which could be found on almost every page.
History
The magazine began publication in 1997, initially borrowing many features which first appeared in its sister magazine, WizardWizard (magazine)
Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011...
. It has maintained a steady monthly schedule ever since, reaching its 100th issue in December 2005. It was well known for using alternative covers, a feature which was first utilized with issue 20, and has been used almost regularly since issue 57.
Twisted ToyFare Theatre
The most popular feature in ToyFare was Twisted ToyFare Theatre, a humorous stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
done by photographing toys on sets built by the magazine’s staff (this technique was likewise used for covers for much of the magazine's earlier run, though without the comedic intent). The strips predominantly feature a line of toys called Megos
Mego Corporation
The Mego Corporation was a toy company that dominated the action figure toy market during most of the 1970s. The Mego Corporation was founded in the early 1950s by David Abrams and was mostly known prior to 1971 as a producer of dime store toys.-Golden age:...
(a line very popular in the 1970s, during the youth of much of the magazine’s staff). Most of the regular figures/characters featured in the strip are principally those based on Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters, such as Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
(popularly known as "Mego Spidey") and the Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. Twisted ToyFare Theatres popularity was such that Wizard Entertainment has released several trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
collections of the strips.
Recent additions
In recent years, the magazine added "The Monthly Rag", a feature similar to supermarket tabloids, presenting parody articles using various toy and pop culture references (an example would be an article reporting on the intelligent designIntelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
debate on the planet Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...
, home of the robotic Transformers). Originally, this feature's main articles were humorous exaggerations of actual toy-related stories (such as news of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
series' release on DVD, reported as "Shocking He-Man
He-Man
He-Man is a fictional heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. In most variations, he is the alter ego of Prince Adam...
Footage Made Public!"), and a sidebar column would appear somewhere within the "Monthly Rag" section with short summaries of the real news behind the exaggerated articles. For reasons unknown, at one point the summaries column was dropped from "The Monthly Rag", causing confusion among readers as to exactly what the source material of the humorous articles was. Finally, any pretense of reporting actual news in any form was dropped and replaced with the "Rag"'s current format of purely fictional parody material.
Regular features
- Monthly horoscopeHoroscopeIn astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
s with ridiculous or nonsensical predictions, supposedly written by Cobra hypnotist/interregator Crystal Ball (billed as "psychic to the famous toys"). - An advice column headed by a fictional character who, because of a specific situation or certain quirks in their personality, gives advice that ranges from useless to extremist to outright non-sequiturs. An example would be "Ask Anakin Skywalker, Burning in Lava" (a reference to the character's horrific fate at the end of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the SithStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
); all of Skywalker's responses were non-sequiturs, primarily cries of pain and lamentations about his fall from grace. - A classified section featuring ads supposedly placed by various fictional celebrities, such as movie or TV characters and superheroSuperheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es. - The "Page Sixteen Girl", a photo on said page of a sexually appealing female character in action figure form, a parody of the Page Three GirlPage Three girlPage Three is a tabloid newspaper feature consisting of a topless photograph of a female glamour model, usually printed on the paper's third page...
, a feature originating in the Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
-owned United Kingdom tabloid The SunThe Sun (newspaper)The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
. - Parodies of comic strips, primarily drawn by Ryan Dunlavey, usually placing toy or other pop culture characters in the roles of an established comic strip, such as "Cringerfield", which placed the feline character CringerBattle CatBattle-Cat is a fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is a large green tiger, with yellow stripes who serves as He-Man's fighting mount.-Battle Cat :...
from the Masters of the UniverseMasters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
mythos into a setting similar to that of the comic strip character GarfieldGarfieldGarfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
(with He-Man in the role of Jon Arbuckle).
Exclusive offers
In addition, both Wizard and Toyfare often feature mail-away offers for exclusive merchandise. Toyfare at first largely offered Toy Biz figures that had been repainted or slightly modified into other characters, though have since gone on to offer exclusive figures that run the industry gamut, including figures from Jakks PacificJakks Pacific
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses...
, Minimates
Minimates
Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a 2" tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 points of articulation, higher than average for block...
, and Heroclix
HeroClix
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system. Originally designed and produced by WizKids, it is now owned and marketed by NECA. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, and other characters from popular video games such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo...
.
Connections with Robot Chicken
Several former staffers, such as Doug GoldsteinDoug Goldstein
Douglas Goldstein is an American screenwriter, television producer and director, primarily known for his work as co-Head Writer on the late night animated series Robot Chicken...
, Tom Root
Tom Root
Tom Root is a writer, producer, director and voice actor for Robot Chicken. He has been co-nominated for an Emmy Award for Robot Chicken. He was also the editor for prolific low-budget horror filmmaker and Bollywood character actor Stegath James Dorr during their employment with the newspaper CM...
and Matthew Senreich
Matthew Senreich
Matthew Ian "Matt" Senreich is an American screenwriter, television producer and director, best known for his work with animated television series Robot Chicken, which he co-created with business partner Seth Green. Senreich and Green together run the production company Stoopid Monkey...
went on to help create the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
program, Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
with actor Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
. The show is in much the same vein of humor as Twisted Toyfare Theatre.