Death By Toys makes comical one-of-a-kind action figures, like Karate Teacher Who Threw Up, Deadbeat Dad Action Figure–which is an empty box–and All the Babies Your S****y Friends Keep Having. However, some of the most interesting original creations just happen to be a unique take on Simpsons figures: imagining them as if they were real-world humans
From bartender Moe Szyslak to neighbor Ned Flanders, the person behind Death By Toys, Dan Polydoris, originally made the real-life Simpsons figures for an art show at Gallery1988. “I’ve made lifelike figures of cartoon (and video game) characters in the past, and it’s something I love to do,” Polydoris told GameSpot. “I think it’s fun to imagine a cartoon being made into a crappy movie adaptation, and then the movie adaptation being made into a crappy action figure line. It’s also fun to find stock photos that capture the spirit of a particular cartoon character.”
Gallery
While these Simpsons toys can’t be purchased themselves, Death By Toys produces a lot of comical custom action figures with specialty packaging. Polydoris’s company began its origins in 2013, after his first child was born. He was creating vintage-style NES action figures and found that not only did people like them–there was a demand for them. Eventually, this led to him quitting his job after 15 years to make Death By Toys his full-time gig, a decision that Polydoris said is the best he ever made.
As for the creation of these toys themselves, it doesn’t take an exceptionally long time to make each one. “Some one-off figures I can make in a day or two if I have time,” said Polydoris. “But most are made during the course of a few days or a week while I continue to make inventory for my store or work on the occasional commission I have.
“Most one-off figures I make are actually a combination of repurposed toys and hand-sculpted parts. I love working with existing toys or being able to repurpose something familiar in a brand-new way. When there’s something that I’m in need of that doesn’t exist, I’ll sculpt new parts using a two-part sculpting clay. Once everything is painted, it’s usually impossible to tell which parts are newly sculpted and which parts are repurposed pieces. It all just comes together to make one, cohesive, unsettling piece of junk.”
Death By Toys primarily deals with social and cultural commentary in toy form, all of which is hilarious. If you’re interested, you can pick up some of Polydoris’s creations at the Death By Toys shop.
