The Toyman is the name of three

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

s and one adolescent

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

appearing in

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, mostly as an adversary for

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

. The most well-known incarnation of the Toyman is Winslow Percival Schott, a criminal who uses toy-based or toy-themed devices and gimmicks in his various crimes. The Toyman made frequent appearances in the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

comics, but has appeared infrequently in ''Superman'' stories since then. In the succeeding years, Jack Nimball briefly took up the mantle after Schott retired while Hiro Okamura uses the name while operating as a superhero despite Schott coming out of retirement by then. Schott, Nimball, and Okamura have made several appearances in DC-related media, with Schott appearing in television series set in the DC Animated Universe, in which he is voiced by Bud Cort, and the live-action television series ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'', portrayed by Chris Gauthier. Additionally, Schott along with his son and series original character Winslow "Winn" Schott Jr. appear in the live-action Arrowverse television series '' Supergirl'', portrayed by Henry Czerny and

Jeremy Jordan Jeremy Jordan may refer to: * Jeremy Jordan (actor, born 1984), American actor and singer, notable for being an actor and Broadway performer * Jeremy Jordan (singer, born 1973) Don Henson (born September 19, 1973), known professionally as Jerem ...

respectively.

Publication history

The Winslow Percival Schott version of the Toyman first appeared in '' Action Comics'' #64 (September 1943) and was created by Don Cameron and Ed Dobrotka. The Jack Nimball version of the Toyman first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #432 and was created by

Cary Bates Cary Bates (born 1948) is an American comic book, animation, television and film writer. He is best known for his work on ''The Flash'', '' Superman'', ''Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes'' and ''Captain Atom''. Biography Early career Bates ...

and

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

. The Hiro Okamura version of the Toyman first appeared in ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #127 and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.

Fictional character biography

Winslow Percival Schott

The Toyman first appeared in 1943 and appeared in several

''Superman'' stories. Schott appeared less frequently in comics published after the early 1950s, but remained a semi-regular foe during the '60s, '70s, and '80s. While at first more of a nuisance, the Toyman gradually grew more emotionally unstable and paranoid over time, his toys following suit by becoming a lot more dangerous. Although Winslow Schott in his civilian persona was a rather sweet, humble, quirky (if socially withdrawn) person, as the Toyman he turned into a childish, destructive megalomaniac. During the '70s Winslow was effectively retired from crime, but he kept contact with Superman and even helped out to take down Jack Nimball, who he felt sullied the Toyman legacy. This retirement proved to be tragically short, as not long after Winslow put some of his toys on display (a suggestion by Superman), the entire museum exhibition was completely wrecked. Sightings reported this to be the work of a man in blue tights flying at great speeds. Thinking he has been played for a fool by Superman, Schott swore to destroy everything Superman cared about to avenge his life's work. Eventually it is revealed that the real culprit was Bizarro, in search of the duplicator ray, but by then it was already too late: Schott had already returned to his Toyman ways, murdered Jack Nimball and a hotel door guard in cold blood, and built a giant robot to terrorize the city. Shortly after his defeat, he regained his sanity and remembered what he had done. He shed tears of regret as he was escorted to the police car. After that incident Winslow's mental state grew even worse, and while he often made several legitimate attempts to atone for his sins, he would often relapse back into madness. After 1985's miniseries '' Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and John Byrne's '' Man of Steel'' miniseries, the Toyman's history was revised, and the Post-''Crisis'' version of the character first appeared in ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #13 (January 1988). In this version, Winslow Schott is an unemployed British toymaker who blames Lex Luthor and his company, LexCorp, for being fired from the toy company he is working for. He uses his toymaking talents to seek revenge, which eventually causes him to cross paths with the British hero

Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

, and subsequently,

himself. The Toyman continues to commit various crimes in

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

, including engaging in child abduction. The Toyman later became a much more sinister figure, shaving his head, wearing black and getting advice in his head from "Mother". This was prompted by him being told that a range of Superman

action figure An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are ...

s would not include him, as he was not "edgy" enough. While this seems to begin as a pose of what he thought people expect of a villain, it rapidly became a genuine psychotic break. While in this state he abducted and later murdered Adam Morgan, the son of '' Daily Planet'' reporter Cat Grant. Adam and several other children captured by the Toyman tried to escape, but Schott found out and stabbed Adam to death for being the leader of the group. This caused Schott to develop a hatred of children, as he blamed them for not appreciating his toys. At the time, Schott showed no remorse for what he had done. When Cat Grant later confronted him in prison he cruelly told her "You were a bad mommy. I'm glad I killed your son." The Toyman later seemingly recovered, and Superman showed him that children did appreciate old-fashioned toys, arranging parole in an

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

; it was later revealed, however, that this was all a hallucination caused when

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in '' Hawkman'' #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with a ...

attempted to cure him and he had, in fact, returned to child abduction. He appeared after ''JLA: Crisis of Conscience'' where

reveals she mind-wiped him. She and Superman go after him. Zatanna is bound and gagged by him, but freed by Superman; however, the Toyman escaped. Winslow was seen in '' Lex Luthor: Man of Steel'' as a criminal released by Lex Luthor's aide Mr. Orr to deploy his genetically engineered hero Hope, but she almost kills the villain, until Superman saved him. The Toyman was in the '' Infinite Crisis: Villains United'' special as well, preparing for the Blackgate Prison break by lacing the dinner stew with Venom and Velocity 9 to increase the prisoners' strength, speed, and aggression. Unfortunately, some guards also ate the drugged stew and fought the superheroes who showed up to stop the criminals. He was later seen as a member of the Injustice League in the ''

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

Wedding Special''. The Toyman's history was later revised in ''Action Comics'' #865, by Geoff Johns and

Jesus Merino Jesús Merino (born 1965) is a Spanish comic book artist, best known in the American comic industry for his collaborations with penciller Carlos Pacheco. Merino himself raised from the ''Línea Laberinto'' of ''Planeta-DeAgostini'' Spanish publi ...

. Winslow Schott tells

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

that he was a toymaker who lived with his wife Mary. When a businessman offered to buy his shop to expand the number of children his toys can reach, he refused. When Mary was killed in a car accident a few weeks later, Schott agreed to the purchase. However, the businessman lied and gave his technologically advanced toy plans to arms manufacturers. Schott proceeded to bomb the business with an explosive

teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...

. A twist at the end of the story reveals that Mary was just one of his first robotic creations. Following his first confrontation with Superman, Schott met the Prankster for the first time. The Prankster is a cruel, callous man who commits crimes "because it's fun". He repeatedly asked Schott to "team up", but Schott refused. Schott reveals to Jimmy that the Toyman who killed Adam Grant was a robot created by Schott to replace him in the event that he was ever incarcerated and that a glitch in the robot's programming resulted in it developing a personality (and later a hatred of children), and that Schott's repeated attempts to contact the robot resulted in it suffering from delusions of "Mother". This was confirmed in ''Superman Secret Files 2009'', although Jimmy initially expressed doubt that Schott was telling the truth. In the 1997 ''Speed Force Special'', the

Max Mercury Max Mercury is a fictional DC Comics superhero similar to Quality Comics' Quicksilver. Initially an obscure speedster, the character was rebooted by Mark Waid in the pages of ''The Flash'' and turned into a mentor for Wally West and Bart Allen. ...

story ''Child's Play'', set in 19th century

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, featured the Schott Toy Company run by Archimedes Schott, a crooked businessman who resembles Winslow. Any relationship between them is unknown. In 2011, "

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

" rebooted the DC Comics universe. In the '' Supergirl'' series while in

Arkham Asylum The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane (), commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appear ...

, the Toyman is visited by Cat Grant (whose son Adam was murdered) and Supergirl. Cat interrogates him about children who have been kidnapped with dolls left behind. The Toyman claims he is innocent and the robotic dolls attack him. Supergirl saves him and gets him to medical care. When Cat return home, she is confronted by a villain called the Dollmaker. He identifies himself as Anton Schott implying that he is somehow related to the Toyman.''Supergirl'' (vol. 5) #58 (January 2011). DC Comics. The Dollmaker eventually reveals himself to be the abandoned son of Winslow, who has been kidnapping children and using macabre experiments to turn them into slaves. He tells Cat that he wants her to become his new mother, and that he wishes to serve as a replacement for her murdered son, but Cat violently rejects him. With her gag temporarily removed, Cat is able to call Supergirl for help, and the two are able to defeat the Dollmaker and free the children he had enslaved.

Jack Nimball

In the 1970s, a man named Jack Nimball assumes the identity of the second Toyman during a period in which Schott had retired from his criminal career and first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #432 (February 1974). Nimball wore a

jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

costume and used a similar modus operandi to the original Toyman. However, this version of the Toyman proved short-lived. Schott killed Nimball with a mechanical toy bird and resumed his criminal career in ''Superman'' #305 (November 1976). Between those two issues, this Toyman's only other appearances were in ''Action Comics'' #454 and ''Superman'' #299. Nimball appears as one of Schott's androids in ''Action Comics'' #865.''Action Comics'' #865. DC Comics. The version of the Toyman who appears in '' Challenge of the Super Friends'' was based on Nimball. In 2011,

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

released a DC Universe Classics 6" Toyman figure based on the Jack Nimball version of the character. On the back, though, the character is labeled as Winslow Percival Schott.

Hiro Okamura

is a teenage mechanical genius from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

first appearing as the Toyman in ''Superman'' (vol. 2) #177 (February 2002) by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. He shows up in Metropolis in a giant Super Robot fighting

Metallo Metallo () is a name used by multiple supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of Superman. Metallo is usually depicted as a cyborg with a kryptonite power source in his heart, which he ...

, claiming the cyborg's equally-giant body was based on material stolen from his grandfather. He later becomes an ally to Superman and

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

. In the '' Superman/Batman'' series, he aids the two in destroying a

kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

meteor that threatens the Earth. He strikes a deal with Batman to provide him with various technological implements. Okamura uses more technologically advanced devices than the traditionally-constructed contrivances Schott uses and his work is largely whimsical in nature. Many of his inventions are inspired by

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, including giant mechas (notably, his giant Composite Batman-Superman robot). Okamura appears only a few times in the ''Superman/Batman'' comic book, and his activities are limited to Japan. Winslow Schott remains active as the Toyman in the United States. In the

Sam Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and ''Lost (TV series), Lost'', writer for the films ''Comman ...

-penned memorial issue ''Superman/Batman'' #26, Okamura fakes his own kidnapping at the hands of Schott, forcing Superboy and

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

to search through his complex to save his life. Realizing his loneliness, Superboy and Robin extend their friendship to the boy. Okamura joins Robin and the other

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

at Titans Tower for Superboy's funeral, clutching a Superboy

. In ''Superman/Batman'' #45, he offers to assist the duo in their quest to rid the world of

, using spider-like

nanobot Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer (10−9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics (as opposed to mic ...

s to collect kryptonite molecules in the air. His offer becomes a necessity as Lana Lang, in a last-ditch effort to get rid of

Kryptonian Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to re ...

s and keep LexCorp afloat, turns a set of kryptonite caches into " dirty bombs", which irradiate the entire planet. Okamura comes to the rescue, settling for a Power Girl-bot to "date". Instead, he gets his own dream date, a dinner in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

with the real Karen, and the status of an honorary member of the Justice League. A future version of Okamura, allied with a power-hungry group of Titans, travels back in time to the modern day to cement their power-base in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #52 (January 2008).''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #52. DC Comics. Okamura appears as one of Winslow Schott's androids in ''Action Comics'' #865; given the unreliable nature of Schott's narration, Hiro's status as his android creation is suspect. In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC Comics universe. Hiro Okamura operates as the Toymaster. He and his friend Agnes have reverse-engineered the works of Silas Stone and Professor

Emil Hamilton Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Superman. The character was portrayed by Richard Schiff in '' Man of Steel''. Publicati ...

to create a massive multiplayer online role-playing game that puts the players with Batman and Superman in real life. When it comes to the Toymaster's latest game, Jimmy Olsen is one of the players that will partake in the game that will involve the killing of Batman. When Batman and Superman track down the Toymaster, he warns Batman of their weakness of being beaten down in real life while also stating that his game has somehow began to manifest in real life. Before Batman can destroy the console to end the game, the Toymaster's building is then attacked by Mongul, who plans to make the Toymaster's game real for him. Okamura later appears as a confidant at his Toymaster Gameshop for a witness named Condesa to Clark Kent and Lois Lane's story on HODOR_Root, in which he agrees to help them.

Skills and abilities

The Toyman does not have powers, but he does possess an incredible technological prowess and expertise in

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

, as well as knowledge of

biological weaponry Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Bio ...

. Despite the childish motif which he usually insists on incorporating, his creations are highly sophisticated, destructive, and dangerous. In addition, most of these inventions have an innocuous or even comical appearance that disconcerts his opponents. The second Toyman possesses skills identical to Winslow Schott. The heroic Toyman is an excellent engineer, able to fix most machinery (such as giant robots and computer hardware).

Other characters named the Toyman

Toyman robot

The Toyman surfaces in Metropolis and allies with Lex Luthor in ''Action Comics'' #837 (May 2006) as part of the One Year Later 'Up, Up, and Away' story arc. His first appearance was written by Geoff Johns and

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers, Thunderbolts (comics ...

with art by Pete Woods. His appearance, inspired by the character's '' Superman: The Animated Series'' incarnation, is that of a child-sized doll. This Toyman mentions meeting Hiro Okamura in Japan and stealing one of his

Superman robots The Superman robots are fictional robots from the DC Comics Universe. The robots resembled Superman in appearance and abilities. History Silver Age versions Superman robots played a particularly dominant role in late 1950s and 1960s era Superman c ...

. As part of his bargain with Luthor, he is given the information needed to find his creator Winslow Schott in exchange for assistance in a plot against Superman. This Toyman, renamed the Toyboy, is shown amongst Schott's other robots in ''Action Comics'' #865, and appears as the Toyboy alongside Schott in the 2009-2010 '' World's Finest'' miniseries. On the cover of ''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #13, it shows this android Toyman as a member of the Injustice League.

Toywoman

A female version of the Toyman named the Toywoman appears in ''Superman'' #349 (July 1980). The Toywoman is the gender-inverted version of Winslow Schott, the criminal known as the Toyman, created by

Mister Mxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk (, ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in DC Comics' '' Superman'' comic books. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he en ...

to serve as an enemy to his creation of Superwoman. Once Superman tricked Mister Mxyzptlk into saying his name backwards, the creation of Superwoman and Toywoman were undone.

Bizarro Toyman

The Bizarro Toyman appears in '' Action Comics'' #856 (November 2007). When Bizarro III found himself infused with radiation from a blue sun, he developed the ability to replicate himself as well as create other "Bizarro" lifeforms based upon likenesses of people from Earth. He used this power to populate a cube-shaped planetoid dubbed the Bizarro World within the blue sun star-system. One of the many duplicates that he created was a Bizarro version of Superman's adversary Toyman. Bizarro imprisoned Toyman inside of his Fourtriss uv Bizarro along with several other known foes.

Other versions

''World's Finest Comics''

A version of the Toyman appears in ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' #167 (June, 1967). The Toyman is a notorious criminal and an enemy of Superman. He tried to start a crime spree in Gotham City, but was promptly stopped by Superman, Supergirl and

. In his defeat, the Toyman used a prototype molecular-dissolver ray on Batman, which affected him in the same way as gold

affects Kryptonians.

''Titans Tomorrow''

An older Hiro appears in the ''

Titans Tomorrow "Titans Tomorrow" is a storyline of a possible alternate future in the DC Comics Universe, from ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #17-19 (2005), by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone. The story arc has been collected as part of the ''Teen Titans: The Future is Now' ...

'' reality, where he dons a

orange-and-blue battle armor as part of the Titans Army.

''Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?''

In the story, '' Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?'' by Alan Moore, the Toyman and the Prankster are unwittingly manipulated by

to discover Superman's secret identity. They succeed after kidnapping Pete Ross and torturing the information out of him, then killing him. After managing to unmask Clark Kent in front of Lana Lang and others by machine-gunning him and revealing his costume beneath his clothes, the Toyman and the Prankster are captured by Superman.

''Smallville''

Winslow Schott and Hiro Okamura are featured in the ''

Smallville Season 11 ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'' digital comic based on the

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

, The Toyman appears in a 2013 '' Smallville Season Eleven'' comic. At LexCorp R&D,

and Lex are all forced to be friendly-like as Lex analyzes the teleportation vest used by some criminals in a hostage situation and admits the technology is his, but that it was stolen during a series of robberies made on Lexcorp and other companies, one of which was foiled way back by the

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...

and Superman. Lex surmises that whoever created these teleportation vests using all that stolen technology would have to be very familiar with Lexcorp's patents and proprietary coding. This leads Superman to

Stryker's Island This page list the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites * the Arrowcave – The former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. * Avernus Cemetery – A burial ground located in Central City for t ...

prison and Winslow who is still incarcerated and seemingly not a suspect, according to Warden Draper, since he has been under constant supervision in "hyper-solitary". Lois Lane arrives at Stryker's Island to question the Toyman about the Prankster. The Toyman reveals that the Prankster is just a pathetic imitation of him; they worked together in the Queen Industries Research and Development Department before the Toyman started working for Lex. Winslow then asks Lois if Lex asked about him since his return, which leads Lois to retort that the Toyman must rank pretty low, since his memory has been removed. The Toyman reveals that Oswald has no sense of gamesmanship, would cheat whenever he could and had stolen his idea for

bullets. It is later revealed Schott modified Corben's kryptonite heart, giving Corben the power to absorb the kryptonite radiation once Schott has re-installed it.

''DC Super Friends''

The Toyman appears in ''

DC Super Friends The Imaginext System is a brand of role-playing, adventure toys designed for kids 3 or older made by Mattel, as part of their Fisher-Price brand. History At the time of its introduction at the 2002 Toy Fair,

'' comics.

Earth-31

Earth-31 The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct used in DC Comics publications. The Multiverse has undergone numerous changes and has included various universes, listed below between the original Multiverse and its successors. The origina ...

, an elderly version of the Toyman - never referred to as such, merely as Winslow - is contacted by the Joker to provide him with dangerous toys, such as exploding dolls.

''Justice''

The Toyman appears as part of the new Legion of Doom in

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

' miniseries ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

''. The Toyman is only seen in person in the first and last issues of the series; he communicates through a human-sized marionette resembling the Jack Nimball version of the Toyman. The Marionette uses a black-and-yellow color scheme and has several strings connected to its joints that give it the appearance of being operated from above. He attacks Hawkman and Hawkgirl in their museum using toy fighter planes and a gigantic Nimball Marionette, blowing up their museum and leaving the duo for dead, though they survive the attack. The Toyman's city is shown to resemble a fun house and is mainly populated by children and families. When the Justice League storm the Hall of Doom, the Marionette attacks the League as a whole instead of any particular target, but is nonetheless destroyed in the attack. After the attack, the toys in his city come to life and attack the Justice League. Superman eventually finds Schott, now morbidly obese and infected with

Brainiac Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to: Culture Fictional entities * Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman * Brainiac (story arc), ...

's cybernetics. Superman realizes that the Toyman had taken all the children in his city hostage and, with a band of Justice Leaguers, managed to save all of the children before any harm could come to them. Schott was seen recovering in a hospital bed on a screen in the Batcave.

In other media

Television

Animation

* A variation of the Toyman appears in ''

The New Adventures of Superman ''The New Adventures of Superman'' is a half-hour series of six-minute animated Superman adventures produced by Filmation that were broadcast Saturday mornings on CBS from September 10, 1966, to September 5, 1970. The 68 segments appeared as part ...

''. This version is the unnamed son of Winslow Schott. * The Jack Nimball incarnation of Toyman appears in '' Challenge of the Super Friends'', voiced by

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

. This version is a member of Lex Luthor's Legion of Doom. ** The Toyman was meant to appear in the '' Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' episode "The Case of the Dreadful Dolls", but was declared off-limits and replaced by series original villain the Dollmaker (not to be confused with the Batman villain of the same name). In a nod to the Toyman however, the Dollmaker's lair is located in Schott's Toymaking Factory. * An unrelated Toyman resembling Jack Nimball appears in a self-titled episode of '' The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'', voiced by Alan Oppenheimer. This version possesses a wind-up key on his back. * A variation of Winslow Schott / Toyman appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe. This version, Winslow Schott Jr., wears a doll's head-like mask, which he is never seen without, and is armed with toy-like weapons. Additionally, he is the son of Winslow Schott Sr., who dreamed of building a toy factory, but lacked capital. Crime boss

Bruno Mannheim Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim is a supervillain appearing American comic books published by DC Comics. He is an Intergang crime boss who is the son of Moxie Mannheim and one of Superman's enemies. Publication history The character first appeared in ''Supe ...

offered to bankroll him to secretly use the factory as a front for a

numbers racket The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a be ...

behind his back. When the police discovered the scheme, the gangsters left Schott Sr. to take the fall. As a result, he was falsely imprisoned for 10 years and died in prison before he could be paroled. Meanwhile, Schott Jr. spent several years in abusive and neglectful

foster home Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

s, which left him a deranged adult. ** Schott Jr. first appears in '' Superman: The Animated Series'', voiced by Bud Cort. Throughout the episodes "Fun and Games" and "Obsession", he creates a lifelike android named Darci and seeks revenge against Mannheim for wronging his father as well as Superman for foiling his schemes before Schott Jr. and Darci are seemingly killed in the latter episode. ** Schott Jr. resurfaces in the '' Static Shock'' episode "Toys in the Hood", voiced again by Bud Cort. Having survived the events of "Obsession", he and Darci turn up in Dakota to capture Static's friend Daisy so they can use her as a model for Darci's new nanite-constructed body. After Superman and Static join forces to confront Schott Jr. and rescue Daisy, Darci betrays him and tries to escape, only to discover that he had implanted a fail-safe device programmed to have the nanites destroy her if she ever did so. Darci melts while Schott Jr. is taken to jail. ** Schott Jr. appears in the '' Justice League'' two-part episode "Hereafter", voiced by Corey Burton. He joins the

Superman Revenge Squad The Superman Revenge Squad is the name of two fictional organizations in the DC Comics universe. As their name suggests, it is a group of Superman villains who banded together to defeat the Man of Steel. Pre-''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' In Pre- ...

to fulfill their eponymous goal, only to battle the Justice League. During their fight, he uses an experimental machine resembling a giant toy robot to seemingly kill Superman, though it is later revealed that he had been sent to a post-apocalyptic future before he eventually returns to the present to prevent the catastrophe that caused it. ** Schott Jr. appears in ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...

'', voiced again by Bud Cort. As of the episode "The Great Brain Robbery", he has become a member of Grodd's

Secret Society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

. Prior to and during the events of the two-part series finale "Alive!" and Destroyer", Lex Luthor takes command of the Society, but Grodd launches a mutiny to take back control. In the ensuing battle, Schott Jr. sides with the former before

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...

attacks and kills most of the Society. Schott Jr. subsequently joins the survivors in working with the Justice League to foil Darkseid's invasion of Earth. * The Jack Nimball incarnation of the Toyman makes a cameo appearance in ''

The Batman Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman or The Batman may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Characters * Batman (Terry McGinnis) * Batman (Thomas Wayne) * Batman (Earth-Two) * Bat ...

'' episode "Lost Heroes" Pt. 1, voiced by Richard Green. * The Toyman appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Battle of the Superheroes!", voiced by John DiMaggio. ** Additionally, an original villain named Funhaus, based on the Jack Nimball incarnation of the Toyman, appeared as the main foe in the episode "Invasion of the Secret Santas!" and the teaser for " Mayhem of the Music Meister!", voiced by Gary Anthony Williams. * A younger Toyman based on the Silver Age version makes a cameo appearance in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'' episode "Intervention", voiced by Cameron Bowen. * A villainous and diminutive version of Hiro Okamura / Toyman appears in '' Justice League Action'', voiced by Ken Jeong. * The android version of the Toyman makes non-speaking cameo appearances in '' Harley Quinn''. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom. * A teenage version of Winslow Schott appears in ''

DC Super Hero Girls ''DC Super Hero Girls'' or ''DC Superhero Girls'' (in various countries) is an American superhero web series and franchise Produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the thi ...

''. * Toyman appears in ''

Batwheels ''Batwheels'' is an American computer-animated superhero children's television series that premiered on September 17, 2022, on HBO Max, and on October 17, 2022, on Cartoon Network's preschool block, Cartoonito. Plot The Bat-Family's vehicles ar ...

'', voiced by James Arnold Taylor.

Live-action

* A variation of the Toyman named Orlich Hoffman appears in the ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' episode "The Deadly Toys", portrayed by

Frank Gorshin Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and ''Tonight Starring Steve Allen''. As an actor, he played the Riddler on the ...

. * A character based on Toyman called Nick Knack appears in '' Superboy'', portrayed by Gilbert Gottfried. He is an electronics genius who dresses in child-like clothes. * Elements of the Toyman were featured in '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'': ** A character named Winslow P. Schott appears in the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

episode "Seasons Greedings", portrayed by Sherman Hemsley. This version has a similar background to the post-''Crisis'' comics version of Schott and displays a genuine love for kids, which eventually contributes to him turning over a new leaf by the end of the episode. ** A childlike variation of the Toyman named Harold Kripstly appears in the episode "Toy Story", portrayed by Grant Shaud. He uses a teleportation machine to kidnap children, but accidentally abducts Lois Lane, which leads to Superman foiling Kripstly's scheme. * The Winslow Schott incarnation of the Toyman appears in ''

'', portrayed by Chris Gauthier. This version is a disfigured, partially crippled toymaker and inventor with a great yet eccentric mind and a penchant for bringing toys to work. He originally worked for

S.T.A.R. Labs Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories (S.T.A.R. Labs) is a fictional scientific research facility and organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in ''Superman'' #246 (December 1 ...

before he was hired by

Oliver Queen Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...

to work for

Queen Industries Queen Industries is a fictional business organization in the DC Comics DC Universe, universe. It is owned and run by Green Arrow, Oliver Queen / Green Arrow. Oliver reluctantly inherited the company after his parents, Robert Queen, Robert and Mo ...

, subsequently fired for putting explosives in his toys, and found work with Lex Luthor. In the episode "Requiem", Schott makes several attempts on Queen's life before he is framed by Queen for destroying one of Luthor's mobile bases and becomes a fugitive. In the episode "Echo", Schott is framed for Luthor's apparent death and resurfaces to test

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...

and attempt to kill Queen once more with help from an android double of himself, only to be arrested. While in prison, Schott is visited by

Tess Mercer ''Smallville'' is an American television series developed by writer/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and was initially broadcast by The WB. After its fifth season, the WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which was the second broadcaster fo ...

, who gives him

John Corben Metallo () is a name used by multiple supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an List of Superman enemies, adversary of Superman. Metallo is usually depicted as a cyborg with a kryptonite power source ...

-powered heart to study. In the episode "Prophecy", Schott establishes Marionette Ventures, an organization dedicated to controlling Smallville's waterfront properties, despite still being in jail. Following a series of failures however, Kent foils Schott's plans. * Several variations of the Toyman make several appearances in '' Supergirl'': ** Introduced in the episode "

Childish Things ''Childish Things'' is a 2005 album by singer-songwriter James McMurtry (see 2005 in music). It was awarded the 2006 Americana Music Association Album of the Year Award. The song "We Can't Make It Here" was named the best song of the 2000s de ...

", the Winslow Schott incarnation of Toyman (portrayed by Henry Czerny) tried to kill his boss, Chester Dunholz, for supposedly stealing his projects a decade prior to the series, but Dunholz survived while six innocents were killed. After learning what happened, his son Winslow "Winn" Schott Jr. (portrayed by

) never forgave him for giving in to his rage. In the present, Schott escapes from prison and forces Winn to help him make another attempt on Dunholz's life before he is ultimately apprehended by Supergirl. As of the episode "Schott Through the Heart", Schott has passed away, but his funeral is disrupted by a bomb in his casket. In the two-part episode "Back from the Future", Winn encounters a digital consciousness based on his father while attempting to stop the digital consciousness of a villainous doppelganger of himself. Winn reluctantly agrees to let Schott help and the latter sacrifices himself to delete the alternate Winn's consciousness. *** "Schott Through the Heart" also introduces a female version of Jack Nimball named Jacqueline Nimball / Toywoman, portrayed by Brooke Smith. Following Schott's death, his protégé Nimball sends flying monkeys into the

DEO Deo or DEO may refer to: People * Derek Oldbury (1924–1994), known as DEO, a British draughts champion Surname * Abhinay Deo, Indian film director and screenwriter * Ajinkya Deo (born 1964), Indian film actor * Ananga Udaya Singh Deo (born ...

to target Schott's ex-wife Mary and Winn, though they work with Supergirl to defeat her. *** "Back from the Future" also features an alternate universe version of Winn (also portrayed by Jordan) who took on the mantle of the Toyman following his father's death. After he is freed from a prison transport by Brainiac 5 on Lex Luthor's behalf, this Toyman attempts to frame Winn for terrorism in the future by killing Andrea Rojas with robotic

white tiger The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...

s. While Supergirl and the DEO fight off the tigers, Winn confronts his villainous counterpart before the latter kills himself with a bomb he constructed and uploads himself into the DEO's computers at the last minute to invade the Internet. With help from a digital copy of his father's conscious, Winn hacks the system and deletes both of the Toymen's consciousnesses. As he had joined the Legion by this time, Winn changes his legionnaire codename from "Computer Lad" to "Toyman" in his father's memory and to do good in the "Toyman's" name.

Film

* In the unproduced screenplay for ''

Batman vs. Superman ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' is a 2016 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman. Distributed by Warner Bros., it is a follow-up to the 2013 film '' Man of Steel'' and the second film in the DC Ext ...

'', the Toyman makes a brief appearance as a reformed criminal that Batman interrogates and tortures to locate the Joker. When they are attacked by one of the Joker's deadly gadgets, Batman narrowly escapes, leaving the Toyman to be caught in an explosion. His fate is not revealed in the script. * The Winslow P. Schott incarnation of the Toyman appears in '' Superman: Doomsday'', voiced by John DiMaggio. This version is more deranged and unkempt than most incarnations and possesses a

Goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

aesthetic. Following Superman's apparent death while fighting

Doomsday Doomsday may refer to: * Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions. * Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...

, Toyman holds a school bus full of children hostage while robbing a bank until a clone of Superman defeats him. Following this, the latter becomes a fugitive and kills a four-year-old girl off-screen before the police recapture him. Upon hearing the news, the incensed Superman clone takes Toyman into the sky and drops him to his death. * The Hiro Okamura incarnation of the Toyman appears in '' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies'', voiced by Calvin Tran. This version is said to have an I.Q. of 210 and displays an inappropriate attraction towards Power Girl. * The Jack Nimball incarnation of the Toyman appears in '' JLA Adventures: Trapped in Time'', voiced by

Tom Gibis Thomas Wayne Gibis (born August 22, 1964) is an American film, television, voice actor, and Emmy-nominated writer/producer. Gibis is best known as the voice of Shikamaru Nara from ''Naruto,'' Takumi Nomiya from ''Honey and Clover'', and Mushra fr ...

. This version is a living wooden doll and a member of the Legion of Doom. * A character based on the Toyman called the Toymaster appears in ''

Justice League vs. Teen Titans ''Justice League vs. Teen Titans'' is a 2016 American animated film, animated superhero film directed by Sam Liu from a screenplay by Alan Burnett and Bryan Q. Miller. It is the 25th film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and the seventh ...

'', voiced by Steve Blum. He is a member of the Legion of Doom. * The Jack Nimball incarnation of the Toyman makes a cameo appearance in '' Justice League Dark: Apokolips War''. * The Winslow Schott incarnation of the Toyman makes a non-speaking appearance in '' Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse''. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.

Video games

* The Toyman appears in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play action combat massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game w ...

'', voiced by Matt Hislope. * The Toyman appears as a playable character in '' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham'', voiced by Nolan North. * The Toyman appears as a playable character in '' Lego DC Super-Villains'', voiced by Corey Burton. * The Jack Nimball incarnation of the Toyman appears in ''DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power'', voiced by Charlie Schlatter.

Miscellaneous

* An unidentified incarnation of the Toyman and Hiro Okamura appear in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' comics. * The Hiro Okamura incarnation of the Toyman appears in the ''Catwoman: Queen of Thieves'' podcast.http://pendantaudio.com/catwoman.php * An unidentified incarnation of the Toyman appears in the ''

Robot Chicken DC Comics Special ''Robot Chicken DC Comics Special'' is an episode of the television comedy series '' Robot Chicken'' and it was aired as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on September 10, 2012. A DC Universe special, in collaboration with D ...

'', voiced by

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...

. This version is a member of the Legion of Doom.