A few months ago my buddy Ed over at AEIOU & Sometimes Why tipped me off to a mystery box swap that he was planning for this summer. Basically, he filled a box full of miscellaneous fun stuff (movies, toys, and ephemera) and a host toy (a Dracula Mego figure that also travels around with the box.) The idea is to send the box out across the country to various folks who sign up who can take whatever they want from the box and then add more before sending it on to the next recipient. I’ve participated in a couple of fun experiments like this over the last decade (once while hosting Spock and another time hosting King Kong), though this time there would be the added excitement of getting to peruse a box full of free mystery items as well as getting a chance to donate some cool stuff that I’ve had lying around gathering dust that could find much better homes.
The box arrived on my doorstep this past week and my girlfriend Jaime and I had a blast fishing through the box. There were a handful of items that peaked our interest including a rad Stylophone pocket synthesizer that Jaime has been fawning over, a couple movies and a pack of recent Garbage Pail Kids. But my eyes lit up when I spotted something in the box that I’ve wanted to get my hands on for awhile but had been putting off because there never seemed to be enough funds to justify. Tucked underneath a couple Halloween plush dolls and a Mad Libs book was a small package of some really cool independent resin art toys from France called P.U.N.K.S. by Laserpunk Toys!
I first found out about these little M.A.S.K.-inspired resin art toys back at the end of 2013 on Facebook. Somehow or another I stumbled upon their FB page and instantly fell in love with the concept, design and execution of these 3″ figures. I’ve seen a lot of folks making really cool art toys paying homage to the scale and design of the Masters of the Universe, Transformers, M.U.S.C.L.E. and G.I. Joe lines, but I had yet to see anyone tackling the M.A.S.K. aesthetic.
I spent a good year lusting after these figures while I waited for Laserpunks to finish their fundraising campaign and prep them for sale, but was a little bummed when they were released because they were out of my price range for impulse buys. They retailed for $40 + international shipping which is completely understandable when you consider they’re independently produced hand crafted resin figures. That process isn’t cheap, and they even manged to squeeze in 5 points of articulation and accessories, which for resin is difficult. Still, I put these on the virtual wishlist and shuffled them to the back of my mind.
So when I saw the package of P.U.N.K.S. in the mystery swap box my heart skipped a beat. A case of total kismet! I’m not sure exactly who put these little fellas in the box (though I have a good idea from looking over the list of folks who have signed up to host the swap), but I’m eternally grateful and want to assure them they found a good home and will be displayed along side the handful of M.A.S.K. toys I have here at Branded HQ.
Hopefully the items that Jaime and I added to the box will find a new home and make someone else do a double take. If you curious to learn more about the Laserpunk P.U.N.K.S. figures, it looks like they’re still for sale over at their site. There’s a very fun commercial for the toys as well the definitely evokes that 80s era merchandising feel!