H.E.R.B.I.E Goes Bananas

Well i haven't been able to keep up with the "toy-a-day" theme i had going and that's because of work and also because we're moving to a new place on monday. We really move around alot (this will be our 5th move in our 4 years of marriage) but we actually enjoy it. Although i don't think our friends and family feel the same way since they always have to help us move...

So in-between packing up boxes i was in the mood to do something retro. I decided to do a "Mr. Peabody" type illustration using everybody's favorite Human-Torch-Substitute, H.E.R.B.I.E. I wanted it to feel like an old cartoon still frame. It was definitely a fun experiment.

I might add a few more things to the background/foreground after we've settled into our new place.

Nascar Guy

This is another one that i've had forever but don't know the history of it. I have no clue what this guy originally came with. I know that he used to be holding a flag in his right hand and that he's made by ERTL. That's about it. If anybody has info on him please let me know!

Kid Vid

If you were a child of the 80's i don't think you'll have any problem recognizing today's character, Kid Vid. He was part of the Burger King Kid's Club team and my favorite of the bunch.

This guy was so cool with all of his high tech gadgets (at the time). I still remember how excited i was when Burger King released these action figures. For once they were like the figures you'd buy in the store instead of the cheap chunks of plastic that you normally found in a kid's meal. Don't get me wrong, BK released lots of cool toys in the 80's but these were by far the coolest.

Now if only they had come with a few accessories. I think i'm going to go check ebay for a mini-ipod for him to hold...

Brainoid Shenanigans

Today's illustration is one i don't actually own, Brainoid. He's also another character from Fisher Price's Adventure People line. Brainoid is hands down the coolest figure out there, in my opinion. I mean c'mon, what's not to like about him?! Spacesuit? Check. Robotic claw arm? Check. Weird brain-like head? Check!

I really need to find this guy so i can add him to my collection. I haven't seen him on ebay yet but if i do i'm definitely going to pick him up (unless he's like a gazillion dollars). Until then you can see the original figure at the links below.

View the original figure here, and here.

M.U.S.C.L.E. Man

Today's illustration is based on the awesome line of little wrestlers know as M.U.S.C.L.E. (Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere). They're from the mid 80's and i used to have a TON of these guys. Unfortunately i only have two left: today's character, known as Robin Mask (E), and a red gummy-like man/bear. Enjoy!

Denizen of Troll Village

Today's illustration is based on a little caveman i picked up at a garage sale in the mid 80's. I have absolutely no idea who made him or what he originally came with so if anybody has any info about him, please drop me an email!

*Update* Thanks to my good buddy Keith i now know this guy's part of a set called Troll Village by Marx. I actually have a few of the other trolls as well but this guy was always my favorite since he has a toucan and a hammer. For more info, check him out here.

It's the Law!

Today's illustration is based on the very first G.I. Joe i got as a kid, Law and Order (unfortunately i didn't have time to finish his dog Order). I still remember walking out of Children's Palace with this guy and thinking he was the coolest toy ever. He's still my favorite Joe hands down even though you hardly ever see him in the comics or cartoons.

The reason i picked Law is because Planet Pulp is doing G.I. Joe for this month's theme. Be sure to head over there and check out the other awesome entries that will be appearing all through the month of July.

Alien Astronaut

Today's toy is based on the awesome line of action figures by Fisher-Price called "Adventure People." They were made in the 70's so they were a little before my time but i had a few of them (which i think i picked up at garage sales). I just bought a bunch of them of Ebay not too long ago and definitely need to pick up some more.

This guy was an astronaut alien. There are a ton of great characters so i may do a few more from this line.

*Edit* Fixed his head a bit.

Bert's Adventure

So this might just become a daily exercise...i'm having too much fun doing these. This one took about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish. It's based on a set of die-cast Sesame Street cars i had as a kid. I only still have the Bert one and it's always been my favorite so i thought it would be fun to illustrate.

Here's the toy he's based on:

The Captain

My wife showed me this great little toy boat set in a catalog and I was inspired to do a quick illustration of it. I did it as an exercise to help me become faster at illustrating so i only spent about 2 hours total on this (which is fast for me).

Here is the toy that it's based on.

In the end, this was really fun and i think i might make it a regular thing here at illustration-a-day.

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