Shocker Toys: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 01:29, 14 November 2008
| Founded | New Jersey, U.S. (2000) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Geoff Beckett Jr |
| Headquarters | New Jersey , United States |
Key people | Geoff Beckett Jr (President) Lance Buttiglieri (CEO) |
Shocker Toys is a company manufacturing a number of action figure and collectible products based on comic, music and original characters. Founded in the late 1990's, the company is run by Geoff Beckett Jr. and Lance Buttiglieri, and is based in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Their major line consisted of the "Shockini" action figures – 3 inch tall figures with multiple points of articulation and interchangeable parts that lend themselves to customization.
History
Shocker Toys was founded in the late 1990s in Buffalo, New York by Geoff Beckett Jr.[1] Beckett had previously worked in construction,[2] and claims that he was inspired to venture into the toy industry while "playing games with his brother" – in effect moving from consumer to creator.[1] Initially the company operated only on the Internet, and by 2002 the company had only two full time employees: Beckett as CEO and Dana Newsom as the marketing director.[1]
Shocker Toys relocated twice prior to 2002, moving to Glen Rock, New Jersey in 2000, before subsequently relocating to Ridgewood in New Jersey, where they are still based today. During this period their primary focus was on card games featuring characters developed by Beckett,[1] but in 2002 the company debuted their Shoulder Action Figures, or SAFs, displaying the prototypes at the "Christmas in July" event in New York run by public relations firm Steven Style Group.[1] The SAFs were soon "put on hold" though, with Beckett citing problems arising from outsourcing as the cause.[3]
The company's focus them moved to developing their Shockinis line of action figures. Released in 2004, the 3 inch high figures used interchangeable parts with between 18 and 24 "pop-and-lock" joints.[4] 2004 also saw significant changes to the company's structure, as it was the year in which Shocker Toys was Incorporated and Beckett was joined by Lance Buttiglieri as the new partner in the company. [5]
Subsequent to Buttiglieri joining the company, Shocker Toys worked on a number of projects. They continued to develop the Shockinis line, and in 2006 displayed the figures at the American International Toy Fair.[4] They also gained the rights to produce figures based on the band Gwar,[5] the characters from the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse,[6] as well as rights to a (currently unreleased) action figure based on the character Feedback, the winner of the first season of Who Wants to Be a Superhero?.[6] Shocker Toys also started work on their Indie Spotlight series – six inch high action figures based on characters from independent comic series. Development of the Indie Spotlight series encountered some hurdles, though, when Marvel Toys announced their own plans to produce toys based on independent comics. Nevertheless, while prototypes were displayed at both the 2007 and 2008 American International Toy Fairs,[2][7] the line is as yet unreleased, and is currently due to enter the market in December, 2008.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Christmas Comes Early for Young Ridgewood, N.J.–Based Toy Company". The Record. July 26, 2002.
- ^ a b "Shocker standing tall after action-figure flap". The Washington Post. March 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ St. Louis, Hervé (May 17, 2004). "Interview with Geoff Beckett of Shocker Toys". Comic Book Bin. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ a b "On with the Show". Playthings. 104 (2): 92. 2006.
- ^ a b "About Shocker Toys". Shocker Toys. Retrieved 2008-10-31. Cite error: The named reference "AboutShocker" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Ball, Ryan (June 25, 2007). "Shocker Toys Jams with Metalocalypse". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ Annicelli, Cliff (2007). "Next Stop: TOY FAIR". Playthings. 105 (2): 95. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Shocker Toys Indie Spotlight Shipping Dec Pre-Orders up now!". Shocker Toys. October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-01.