Shocker Toys was a company that manufactured limited release toys and products based on comic book and cartoon characters, as well as original creations. Founded in 1998, the company was run by Geoff Beckett Jr., Lance Buttiglieri, and Bill Roshia and was based in

Ridgewood Ridgewood may refer to: Geography Australia *Ridgewood, Western Australia Canada * Ridgewood, Ontario *Ridgewood, Edmonton, Alberta United Kingdom *Ridgewood, East Sussex United States *Ridgewood Heights, California * Ridgewood, Illinois *Ridge ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. In 2012 Beckett rebranded the company as GBJR Toys and began raising money for the company through fundraising sites. It has since come under fire for allegedly using licenses without permission and failing to deliver product as promised. Beckett, however, has claimed that GBJR toys is in no way associated with Shocker Toys.

History

Shocker Toys was founded in 1998 in Buffalo,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

by Geoff Beckett Jr. Beckett had previously worked in

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

and claims he was inspired to venture into the toy industry while "playing games with his brother". The company operated primarily on the Internet, and by 2002 the company had two full-time employees: CEO Beckett and Marketing Director Dana Newsom. Shocker Toys relocated twice prior to 2002, moving to

Glen Rock, New Jersey Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, reflecting an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 11,601 counted in the 2010 census,Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958, Instead, the company began to focus on developing action figures, and in 2004 they released their first product: the Shockini block figure. According to Shocker Toys, this was a significant year for the company, as it was also the year in which Shocker Toys was incorporated and Beckett was joined by Lance Buttiglieri as a new partner. Subsequent to Buttiglieri joining the company, Shocker Toys continued to develop the Shockinis line, and in 2006 displayed the figures at the

American International Toy Fair The North American International Toy Fair (formerly the American International Toy Fair and also known as Toy Fair New York) is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and at t ...

. While Shocker Toys became "best known for being plagued by delays and other problems", the company released the first series of Indie Spotlight figures and the "Mallow" line of marshmallow-themed figures in 2009. In January 2010, Dave Ryan was named Shocker Toys' first sales agent. In May 2011, Shocker Toys was accused of nonpayment for work done for them by artist Tony Robles and then attempted to have the artist's website shut down by Robles' domain host using legal threats. During the Shocker Toys panel at the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego, court papers were served to Geoff Beckett by Jim MacQuarrie on behalf of Robles. In late 2011, Shocker Toys announced that the company had new partners and that they had undergone a change in ownership. One of the new owners of Shocker Toys is Eric Nyenhuis, the current owner of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling). Packaging mock-ups of GLOW action figures bearing the Shocker Toys logo have been shown online. During the first half of 2012, Geoff Beckett rebranded the company as GBJRToys, through which he now holds the licenses to make Indie Spotlight and Mallow figures. According to Geoff Beckett, he quit GBJR Toys in December 2015 and sold it to new owners. The Shocker Toys/GBJR Toys website remains registered in his name.

Products

Shockinis

Debuting in 2004, Shockinis were the company's first product to be released. Shockinis were 3 inch action figures intended for customization, with multiple points of articulation. Geoff Beckett has stated that while there are many similar toy lines – including Kubricks, Pocket Heroes, and

Minimates Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 point ...

– Shockinis, and their predecessor, Stikfas, are the only two designed specifically for customization. Beckett has differentiated Shockinis from Stikfas on the basis that Shockinis were "conceived in the USA" and were available as preassembled figures rather than as model kits. Different versions of Shockinis, including a Toxic Avenger Shockini, Kade from Arcana comics and other comic book convention exclusives were sold online, at conventions, and through a few comic book shops in limited runs of 50 to 1000 pieces. No new Shockinis have been produced since 2006.

Indie Spotlight

In 2006, Shocker Toys started work on Indie Spotlight, a line of six-inch action figures based on characters from various independent comic book series. The first series consisted of Katchoo from Terry Moore's ''

Strangers in Paradise ''Strangers in Paradise'' is a creator-owned comic book series, written and drawn by Terry Moore, which debuted in 1993. Principally the story of a love triangle between two women and one man, ''Strangers in Paradise'' began as a slice-of-life ...

'', Scud and Sol from Rob Schrab's '' Scud: The Disposable Assassin'', the Maxx from Sam Kieth's series of the same name, David Mack's ''

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

'' and two different versions of Jim Valentino's ''

Shadowhawk ShadowHawk is a fictional antihero created by Jim Valentino. He was first advertised in the ''Malibu Sun'' free promotional magazine in May of 1992. His official Image Comics debut was in the second issue of Rob Liefeld's '' Youngblood'' series. ...

''. A small figurine of an Isz was included with each figure, as well as other, character specific accessories. Plans to include a comic book or poster packed in with each figure, similar to the packaging of Toybiz's Marvel Legends figures, were announced but later abandoned. Shocker Toys also announced a "mail away" figure of Mr. Gone from The Maxx, available to customers who purchase all seven figures in the first series. This figure has yet to be made available, however a sculpt did appear at the 2010 Toy Fair. Development of the Indie Spotlight series encountered several problems, among them

Marvel Toys Toy Biz (also stylized as ToyBiz), was a toy company which later became a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment and was renamed to Marvel Toys. It was best known for producing action figures and toys and holding the Marvel Comics license from 1990 t ...

' 2007 release of their own line of action figures including independent comic book characters announced for the Shocker Toys line. Prototypes of Indie Spotlight Series 1 were displayed at the 2007 American International Toy Fair, and new versions of that series were shown at the following year's show and at the San Diego Comic-Con – the latter also including Series 2 prototypes. Following numerous announced (and subsequently missed) release dates, the first series of Indie Spotlight action figures was available for purchase online as of April 2009. In February, 2011, a limited run, preview edition of The Tick from the planned second series of Indie Spotlight figures was released, along with a "Mucus Tick" variant produced as an exclusive for the ''Idle Hands'' website. As of 2014, GBJR Toys no longer has the right to produce any further Tick related figures.

Limited convention exclusives

Shocker Toys has produced a number of convention exclusives over the years. These include a

Gwar Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...

" Beefcake" statue, a 3" Maxx vinyl figurine for the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

, and a

Scud A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second World, Second and Third World, Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporti ...

statue for the

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a f ...

. Shocker Toys also released a pair of statues and a box set of five vinyl figures based on the fictional band Dethklok from the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

series

Metalocalypse ''Metalocalypse'' is an American adult animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006, followed by a musical one-hour special, '' Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem'', on October 27, 201 ...

as San Diego Comic-Con exclusives. The box sets of vinyl figures were limited to 500 pieces and sold at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, the subsequent 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, and the 2009

Wizard World Chicago Fan Expo Chicago (formerly Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, and commonly known as the Chicago Comicon), is a comic book convention held during the summer in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. It was tr ...

Comic Con. At the 2009 New York Comic Con, Shocker Toys had planned to sell two translucent versions of their then-forthcoming Scud and Maxx figures from the Indie Spotlight line. The figures were unavailable for the event, but were shipped out to customers roughly a month later, starting on March 3, 2009. A similar variant was offered at the

Wizard World Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book supe ...

convention in Philadelphia that year, with a transparent Maxx incorporating painted highlights. At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, Shocker Toys offered figures based on their forthcoming Indie Spotlight Series 2 – a "black and white"

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

figure and a trench-coated variant. At the same event, convention exclusive Mallows also debuted, including Dr. Rockso, the Phantom, and an SDCC Guy. Convention exclusives have also been sold through their website, and unsold figures have subsequently been made available at later conventions.

Mallows

In 2009, Shocker Toys started a new line of marshmallow themed figures called "Mallows." Similar to

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

Mighty Muggs Mighty Muggs are a vinyl–plastic collectible toy series made by Hasbro. The toys resemble super deformed versions of characters from the following franchises: '' Star Wars'', Marvel Comics, '' Indiana Jones'', ''G.I. Joe'', and ''Transformers''. ...

and

Kidrobot Kidrobot is a producer and retailer of designer toys, vinyl art toys and collectibles founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Paul Budnitz. The company was one of the earliest creators of designer art toys in America. The company was acquired in November ...

Munny Kidrobot is a producer and retailer of designer toys, vinyl art toys and collectibles founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Paul Budnitz. The company was one of the earliest creators of designer art toys in America. The company was acquired in Novembe ...

and

Dunny An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilet, dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may als ...

figures, Mallows feature multiple points of articulation, interchangeable parts, and are available in blank, black or white, do-it-yourself versions.

Cancelled or unreleased items

Card games

Shocker Toys first planned products were card games featuring characters developed by Beckett. Despite promoting them online, none of the card games were brought to market. Beckett cited cost fixing by competitors as the cause.

Manga

Using characters from the unreleased card games, the company turned its attention to developing an "American Manga magazine". The magazine was never published, but the characters developed for the stories lead to the company's next effort.

Shoulder Action Figures

After its attempts at manga creation and publication, the company changed direction to focus on the production of action figures. In 2002 Shocker Toys displayed prototypes of their Shoulder Action Figures, or SAFs, at the "Christmas in July" event in New York run by public relations firm Steven Style Group. In spite of early publicity for the concept, the product was never released, with Beckett citing problems arising from outsourcing as the cause. The company's attention then shifted to developing the Shockini line of action figures.

Mutant Mania Shockinis

Shocker Toys announced a line of "mutant and monster" Shockinis in October 2004, for release the following February. Aside from a Toxic Avenger Shockini which was released as a convention exclusive, no other figure from the line was released.

Other Licensed Shockinis

Shockinis based on characters from Bucky O'Hare,

, '' 2000AD'' (including

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology Comic book, comic. He is the ...

, the Indie Spotlight line, and

Who Wants to be a Superhero? ''Who Wants to Be a Superhero?'' was a superhero genre reality TV series broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel produced by Nash Entertainment and POW! Entertainment. The show was created by Stan Lee and Nash Entertainment. A junior version of the show ...

were announced as early as 2005. Other than the Toxic Avenger and Kade from Arcana comics, no other licensed properties were produced as Shockinis.

Gwar

Shocker Toys acquired the license to produce toys based on the band

, releasing a 500 piece run, resin statue of the band member Beefcake as a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive in 2006. However, the announced line of articulated PVC Gwar action figures was canceled before reaching the market. The proposed replacement line of vinyl Gwar figures was never released.

Metalocalypse

In 2007, Shocker Toys acquired a license to the characters in the fictional band Dethklok from the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

series

. The announced regular retail line of Metalocalypse figures was never released, although San Diego Comic-Con exclusives were sold in 2008 and again in 2009, including Dr. Rockzo as a Mallow designer figure in a limited run of 500 pieces. An expansion of the Metalocalypse line was announced December 23, 2009. On January 12, 2010, it was announced that Adult Swim discontinued the Metalocalypse license with Shocker Toys.

Who Wants to Be a Superhero?

Shocker Toys also licensed the characters from the reality television series

Who Wants to Be a Superhero? ''Who Wants to Be a Superhero?'' was a superhero genre reality TV series broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel produced by Nash Entertainment and POW! Entertainment. The show was created by Stan Lee and Nash Entertainment. A junior version of the show ...

, including

Feedback Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled ...

, the winner of the first season in 2006, with the well publicized, though unrealized, aim of producing action figures based on the property.

Indie Spotlight Series 1 Mail Away Figure

The Mr. Gone mail away figure, an incentive for customers who bought all of the first series of Indie Spotlight figures released in 2009, was never released.

Indie Spotlight Series 2

A second series of Indie Spotlight figures was announced at Toy Fair in February 2009 and then displayed at San Diego Comic Con in July 2009. The line was announced to be available in August 2009, with a lineup of King Zombie,

, Ignacia,

Jack Staff Jack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines. He first saw print in comics pu ...

and

The Tick ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. The official release date was pushed back to Q4 2009 and then again to Q1 2010. The figures, aside from a small run of The Tick, were never released.

Indie Spotlight Series 3

A third series of Indie Spotlight figures was announced at Toy Fair in February 2010. These figures were never released.

Other Spotlight lines

In April 2008, the expansion of the Indie Spotlight line was announced to include Horror Spotlight, Anime Spotlight, Manga Spotlight, Movie Spotlight, and Gamer Spotlight. Illustrations depicting the proposed Anime Spotlight designs were displayed at the 2011 New York Toy Fair. Further announced Indie Spotlight lines from February 2010 include Golden Age Spotlight series 1 and Indie Spotlight Two Packs. These figures were never released.

2010 Summer Convention Exclusives

Shocker Toys sold four convention exclusive Indie Spotlight figures during the 2010 Summer Convention season: Barry Hubris, The Blank, the Blue Beetle and Hunter Rose. The figures were not released.

DMC SDCC Exclusive Figure and Comic

At the 2011 New York Toy Fair, Shocker Toys announced an exclusive figure and comic book based on DMC of Run DMC. Neither figure nor comic book were released due to a dispute.

American Greetings Licensed Mallows

Licensed Mallow offerings announced, though never released, include

Madballs ''Madballs'' is a series of toy foam balls originally created by AmToy, a subsidiary company of American Greetings (Now Cloudco Entertainment) in the mid-1980s, later being revived by Art Asylum (2007–2008) and Just Play, Inc. (2017–2019). ...

My Pet Monster My Pet Monster is a character that began as a plush doll first produced by American Greetings in 1986. It has horns, blue fur, and a fanged smile, wearing breakaway orange plastic handcuffs. The property was sold to Saban Brands in 2012. Then in 2 ...

, and

Sushi Pack ''Sushi Pack'' is an animated action-adventure television series created by Studio Espinosa and developed by Tom Ruegger and Nicholas Hollander. Produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and CloudCo, Inc. that aired for two seasons and 52 episode ...

figures.

Indieverse Comics

In 2010, Shocker Toys announced the Indieverse line of comics, intended to create a crossover universe for participating independent comics titles.http://www.facebook.com/pages/TheIndieverse/123175334407192#!/pages/TheIndieverse/123175334407192?sk=info No comics were ever released.

GLOW Action Figures

The GLOW action figures announced in 2011 were never released.

References

External links

Official Shocker Toys website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207235940/http://www.shockertoys.com/ , date=2011-02-07 Toy companies of the United States