Toy OTD: Berries Devil Novelty Figure, 1971

Some toys you just hang onto because you've had them for too long to imagine discarding them. I think this was a flea market purchase, one of those OCD-collector days where you want to bring something home with you. Then it becomes an entrenched, sentimental object, the toy version of a common-law marriage.

This is one of the few toys I went out of my way to alter - usually, I can't bring myself to change anything, even if it would be simple to do. It used to have an "I Love You This Much" decal on its belly. I couldn't deal with that, even ironically, so with a little scrubbing and a little Goo Gone®, off it came! The figure is so banged up by this point, that a few more scratches wouldn't make much difference.

Everything here is pretty much average - the pose is symmetrical, and the design isn't much to talk about. The proportions of the face are pretty even, and the eye treatment is pretty lifeless. That unfortunately dominoes, weakening everything else - even though the sculpt is decent, and the color choices are okay.

I can't imagine finding another one of these - it's not a licensed character, so there probably isn't much nostalgic demand for them. A cursory search on eBay turned up nothing, and looking deeper is probably more trouble than it's worth. The good news is, if you want one and manage to find it, it'll probably be very cheap. I'd pop "I Love You This Much" into a favorite search - that'll probably give you the most specific results to sift through. Good luck!

Greetings From Hell

Swazzlers Sean and Patrick Johnson performed the characters (from pre-recorded voice tracks) for a series of JibJab Sendables - short clips that are clearly a cut above your average e-card! Check out all six and mail them to your friends! Where else can you watch a puppet Hitler (background) being tortured? Don't answer that.