Moe Yoe Sirocco Comic Strip Figurines - Unca Jeffy's Toy Box

Happy Saturday and time for another dive into Unca Jeffy's Toy Box -

Here's some more of those nifty sirocco statuettes celebrating classic comic strip characters, sculpted by Craig Yoe Stodios, hand painted and numbered and distributed by Dark Horse Comics.

Here's Uncle Walt Wallet and orphaned Skeezix from Frank King's "Gasoline Alley"...

Chester Gould's iconic hard boiled detective, "Dick Tracy"...

Chic Young's "Blondie"...sigh...how'd Dagwood get so lucky?...

Lee Falk's "Mandrake the Magician", one of the forerunners of comic book super heroes (and as we'll see in the comig weeks and months in "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comic Book Super Heroes", direct inspiration for at least a score of said heroes)...

And Billy DeBeck's original little ne'er-do-well, "Barney Google"...

More of these to come. I really think they're 9 kinds of cool!

Talk to you soon.

Craig Yoe Comic Strip Sirocco - Unca Jeffy's Toy Box!

Continuing from last weeks peek at the nifty Craig Yoe Studios sirocco figurines of classic comic strip characters that were distibuted by the smart folks at Dark Horse Comics and continuing pimping the new "All Color Sunday Funnies" right here inside my head, here's a look at a few more!

From George Herriman's "Krazy Kat", everyone knows Krazy loves Ignatz Mouse who does NOT love her back, but Offica Pup does. Here he's got his standard "Move along mouse, and stay out of Kelly's Brick Yard look. See 'em every Sunday right here.


"Hully Gee!" Here's he very first newspaper comic strip star ever, Richard Felton Outcault's Mickey Dugan from right outen Hogan's Alley, "The Yellow Kid"!


Everyone what has any sense already knows, my blogger buddy Thomas Haller Buchanan celebrates the wonderfully talented Walt Kelly regularly in his blog "Whirled of Kelly" which covers all of Kelly's work, including the land of Pogo Possum in the Okefenokee Swamp. Here's Pogo's pal, "Albert Alligator"!

The king of fantasy art in the comics, master of design and perspetive, innovator in animation Winsor McCay is represented on my library shelf with "Little Nemo in Slumberland"! You can check out all of his adventures in high-res scans at this h'yar web page "The Comic Strip Library"!

And finally for today's batch. Everyone knows my love for the epic work of Harold Gray and his famous little redhead, "Little Orphan Annie".

More next week.

Talk to you soon.

Craig Yoe's Sirocco Comic Strips - Unca Jeffy's Toy Box!

Happy Saturday and another delve into Unca Jeffy's Toy Box!


A last pimp for the new Thor movie as I show off my nifty keen Thor helmet and Nerf "Mjolnir". I couldn't get bearded, one-eyed, wise Odin to look over my shoulder, so The Flying Spaghetti Monster is standing in for him.

Lest ye think this blog is becoming comic book-centric, what with "A 'Slight History of the Golden Age of Comic Book Super Heroes" taking over Tuesday-Thursday" slors for a while and "Mad Monday" ongoing, I thought I'd slip some Comic STRIP based toys into today's post. Yes folks, Strips and Books are two distinct art forms. Though both peak examples of narrative sequential art, they both take on different skills for both artist and reader, and I hold them both in high regard.

Craig Yoe and his studio did a series of figurines devoted to the greats of the comic strip world. Distributed by Dark Horse Comics (good for you guys!) they were fashioned in an old-school style of being rough-hewn yet molded from a substance called "sirocco", near as I can tell a wood resin of some kind, and hand painted and numbered. They're frickin' cool.

Here's a glimpse of my library with the Yoe sirocco figures standing guard!


A little close-up of one group...

...and the other.

Today I spotlight the characters of "Li'l Abner" represented here. Al Capp's masterwork of the citizens of Dogpatch ranks high on my and many folk's list of comic strip greats!

Here's Li'l Abner Yokum hisself...

...and a rear view highlighting his stylish rear seat patch.

The love of his life, Daisy Mae...

...and her stylish rear. Oh, and she's got a patch too. :P

The greatest gift to mankind as well as the greatest threat to his existance, The Shmoo! Depending how the meat of the Shmoo is cooked it can taste like the finest steak, the most scruptious chicken or the most succulent pork. It gives milk (and all it's by-products of cheese and butter in ready made form) AND eggs. It's skin, depending how thick it's taken, can by as durable as the toughest leather or as fine as the most luxurient silk...and it's eyes can be used for buttons. It swoons with happiness and dies ith a smile on it's face if we desire any use of i's body and they breed faster than rabbits...as if you didn't know...

...and it has an ample bottom too!

These figures come in these colorful tin boxes...

...and inside they also come accessorized with these bitchin', boss, cool pin-back buttons...

...and these way-cool booklets with a quick description of each character and the genius of their creator, Al Capp!

I have specific reason for picking these characters first, and if you check back here tomorrow for "Sunday Funnies" you'll see why. "Nemo: the Classic Comics Library" is done (except for 2 issues I've yet to get ahold of) and the "Sunday Funnies" goes color, they way the good Flying Spaghetti Monster intended it to be

I'll look for you then!

Talk to you soon.

Them Old Timey Poster Figures...and Maybe a Little More Thor - "Unca Jeffy's Toy Box"!

Last week I dug a Popeye PVC figure out of my toy box modeled after the bad drawing from an early 1930's one-sheet poster. This was a great idea for a toy series and I kind of wish they'd made more.

Here's the other 3 figures that they DID make!

A more portly Porky Pig than is remembered today from early Friz Freleng Merrie Melodies cartoons, usually as supporting character and as sidekick to Beans the Cat. Beans the Cat anyone?...no I didn't think so. The names Porky and Beans do ring together well though.

Here's the original poster version...


And here's the happy little fat figure.


In the first Might Mouse cartoon, he was originally named "Super Mouse". His yellow costume was even blue to match the man of steels. It didn't take long though before the litigious folks at National Periodical Publications (DC) called a cease and desist, and "Here he comes to save the day!", Mighty Mouse became what we all know.

Here's a relettered but still miscolored poster from the day...

...and here's the uber-cool figure that occupies a space in Unca Jeffy's toy box.

Our sweet little "everyman's girl friend" Betty Boop actually began as a dog and girlfriend to Fleischer's "Bimbo" character, but by the time she became a headliner and appeared on one-sheets, she'd basically taken on the form we all know. She did change a little from the early 30's to the late 30's as the Hayes office made her more matronly and less slutty, but from the days when she was still a little jazz strumpet, here she is on an early one-sheet...

...and here's my little sweetie in 3-D.

Her spinly legs (as opposed to her vivacious thighs) and tiny feet don't let this figure stand on her own, but my fingers in the photo also prevent those sick foot fetishists from enjoying this too much.

I'm all for an individuals expression of their desires, but you foot people are "F"ing sick!

Well, as long as yesterday was the official opening of Marvel's "Thor" movie, here's a cool figure made of pewter I got about 5 years ago, commemorating the 1962 debut of the character...

...with a replica of "Journey Into Mysery" issue 126 (the very first appearance of the character in Marvel Comics. The figure really has a lot of detail.

I didn't think the figure had enough of a Jack Kirby feeling to it, but the way he's seen burting out of a splayed open comic book (like the rest of the figures from this series) is pretty cool.

That's one hammer-weilding mutha' fer ya!

Ah, what the heck! Since we're on a super hero jag here (what with Mighty Mouse and Thor), this guy was hanging out right close to the top of the toy box as well. Where's my "Underdog" movie? Oh, yeah...a bunch of hacks that didn't get the point already made one...it sucks!

But one thing you can't deny...

"When criminals in the world appear
and break the laws that they should fear
and frighten all who see or hear
the cry goes up both far and near
for UNDERDOG!

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
UNDERDOG!

UNDERDOG!

When in this world the headlines read
of those whose hearts are filled with greed
who rob and steal from those in need

to right this wrong with blinding speed
goes UNDERDOG!

UNDERDOG!!!!"

To watch this show now, the voice of Wally Cox is really it's only redeeming quality. The jokes aren't very funny and the other voices are lack-luster...but that song ROCKS!

Talk to you soon.

A Lifetime of Popeye - Unca Jeffy's Toy Box Saturday!

I like Popeye!

I like E.C. Segar's Popeye, I like Bud Sagendorf's Popeye and I like Max & Dave Fleischer's Popeye!

I like the idea of Popeye, the mythos of Popeye and the way he looks and acts!

I loved him as a child and as I grew older and learned all the more in-depth stories and sub-text, I loved him even more!

This Saturday's "Unca Jeffy's Toy Box" skims through about 45 years of Popeye collections of toys. It's not all I have, but diving into my toy trunks is not something done easily, I hop you like some of what you see.

I've had this dye-cast metal/plastic/moving toy since before I can remember, I can only assume I've had it since I was 3 or so.


Popeye on board as lookout/navigator rotates to the left and right as the car moves, belting pilot/driver Olive Oyl in the noggin. This of course has her rock back and forth and turn the helm.


Wimpy and Bluto's heads bob up and down as pistons....

And sweet li'l Swee' Pea rocks gently in his dinghy as the car/boat rolls along.

Other than some serious dust build up and a broken dighy plastic rope...the whole darn thing works like new.

And Swee' Pea can even dip down for some independent fun of his own!

Another 40+ year fixture in the ol' Toy Box de Jeffy is a classic. Remember "Bendys"? A soft rubber exo-skeleton over some metal wire armature, give it a vague resemblance to a cartoon character and a sloppy paint job and you have something that actually has a warm place in my heart!

The next two toys are ones I've picked up new sometime in the last 5 years. The first is from a series of PVC figures that are base on hacky cartoon movie one-sheets of the day. Usually these posters were created by the distributers without any input from the originating cartoon studio and they must have been drawn by the owners nephew or son-in-law, because more often that not, they were as off-model as you could get without really trying.

For example, this abboration was an original theatre one-sheet generically used for whatever new Popeye cartoon came along that week.

The sad thing is, these weren't just made before the character was recognizable or had a following, this piece of shit was drawn rigth in the heat of Popeye Mania, right when Popeye was actually rivaling the top tier Mickey Mouse as king of the animated box office! Sheesh!

The cool thing is, the toy looks GREAT! A wonderful work of art, masterfully styled after a hack's dung pile. Amazing! More from this series of toys next Saturday.

And lastly for today, a set of Popeye and casts PVC figures from sometime in the last 5 years which truly does justice to some of my favorite characters. These came as a box set of 7 for about $40...not a bad deal at all...and they look great!

A big chunk of Popeye's cast of supporting players is represented here, and in all their loveable glory. There's J. Wellington Wimpy complete with hamburger...

The magical other-dimensional Eugene the Jeep, standing atop the crate he was shipped to Popeye in...

Popeye's Pappy, Poopdeck hisself...

Popeye's adopted son, "Scooner Seawell Washenting Cristiffer Columbia Daniel Boom"! We know him by his nickname Swee' Pea best though...

Olive Oyl, the love of Popeye's life...

And his sworn enemy, Bluto!

And of course, the sailorman to beat all sailormen hisself. Popeye!

Lot's of years under the bridge for this guy. He's been around since 1929, that's 82 years! Not many creations of that vintage can be identified by so many people. Hell, Olive Oyl made HER comic strip debut in 1919, that's 92 years.

We should all be so lucky.

Guess we'd better eat our spinach.

Talk to you soon.