Even from an early age, Tim Burton loved the macabre, a love that has given his films a unique aesthetic. As he grew up in Burbank, California, he differed from the typical child, who would love to play in the sun. Instead, he would spend his time visiting cemeteries and wax museums. Similarly, he enjoyed […]
Wheeljack’s Lab – Vintage Toy Blog
Follow this blog for the new, the unusual, the rare and cool Generation 1 G1 Transformers toys. Reviews, news, toy resources, galleries, unboxing, opinions and personal reflections on vintage toys.
The Top Ten Toys from Kenner’s Beetlejuice Toy Line
When Tim Burton took his gothic art style and combined it with the bizarre tastes of Michael McDowell’s script, Beetlejuice was born. This unique horror-comedy then presented the supernatural prankster, Betelgeuse, to audiences across the world. While most films of the era called for humans to exorcise a dangerous ghost or demon, Betelgeuse offered his […]
Retrospective on Beetlejuice: The Delights of Comedy-Horror
In 1988, Tim Burton took the original script from Michael McDowell to flip the book on exorcism in the hit film, Beetlejuice. Rather than presenting a demonic entity that necessitated banishment, they created a film that introduced ghosts dealing with problematic humans. Likewise, they transformed Michael Keaton into the delightfully trouble-making title character of the […]
The Top Ten Characters from Star Trek: The Original Series
When Star Trek first aired in 1966, Gene Roddenberry and his production team understood that the crew of the Enterprise would make or break the series. Even with the exotic new worlds that the Enterprise would explore during each episode, audiences required characters that they could relate to. Otherwise, the series would fall flat and […]
The Top Ten Star Trek Toys of the Original Series
When NBC canceled the original Star Trek series in 1969, few imagined that syndicated reruns would generate enough fans to build one of the current tentpoles of Science Fiction. Before the series even aired, executives expressed concerns that the content would be too cerebral to become a hit. Still, the persistence of Gene Roddenberry and […]
Retrospective on Star Trek: The Original Series
When the original Star Trek series first aired in 1966, few could have dreamed of the franchise that it would spawn. During its original run, the series fared poorly, only lasting three seasons before cancelation. For the era, Star Trek offered a taste of top-notch, revolutionary special effects alongside a thought-provoking tone. Even before it […]
The Top Ten Star Wars: The Clone Wars Toys
As the Star Wars prequel trilogy moved toward its final installment, Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network joined forces to create several cartoon shorts set during the Clone Wars. These cartoons served to promote toy sales as well as retain excitement for the final film. So, they turned to the acclaimed Genndy Tartakovsky to direct and draw […]
Retrospective on Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Before the 2000s, Star Wars only dabbled with television-based content, such as the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special from 1977. However, the release of the prequel trilogy films, starting with 1999’s The Phantom Menace, opened up the possibilities to content created to fill in the decades-long gaps between each storyline. Especially once George Lucas introduced […]
The Top Ten Enemies from the Metroid Series
In celebration of the launch of Metroid’s newest game, Metroid: Dread, it is an exciting time to look back at the greatest enemies that have challenged players. Ever since the original game on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the sprawling worlds of the Metroid universe have fascinated the minds. As soon as players encountered their first […]
The Top Ten Toys Featuring Nintendo and their Greatest Characters
Nintendo has come a long way since Fusajiro Yamauchi founded the company in 1889 to produce hanafuda (“flower cards”). Now, both gamers and general audiences know the name for their video game empire. For some time, Nintendo became the ubiquitous word to describe all video games amongst the general public, like parents in the 1980s. […]