Jon Huston, co-founder of Toy Vault, talked to ICv2 recently to let us know what's coming for the Cthulhu, Monty Python, and Here Be Monsters lines. 

 

Toy Vault's Cthulhu line is one of its most successful.  Based on H.P. Lovecraft's characters and rendered in formats that you wouldn't normally equate with the scariest creations of fiction (e.g., plush), these have customers telling Toy Vault they want more, and fans producing animation based on the toys (see 'White Radish Cthulhu Anime').  In the pipe for late this year or early next year are:

  • Secret Agent Cthulhu.  According to Huston, this high concept plush will have Cthulhu in sunglasses and carrying a briefcase.
  • Baby Nyarlathotep.  Due later this year.
  • The Deep One, a half human, half hybrid that worships Cthulhu. 
  • Cthulhu furry slippers.
  • Cthulhu backpack.
  • Cthulhu the King, in a white sequin outfit.

Monty Python has also been a successful line for Toy Vault, and now the U.S. release of The Meaning of Life, due out on DVD in September, is creating a new merchandise stream.  Mr. Creosote, from that movie, will be a plastic squeeze toy.  Huston described the character and the toy for us.  'One of the famous scenes is called Mr. Creosote,' he said.  'This big fat guy's in a restaurant and they're feeding him, and at the end they ask him 'Do you want one little sliver of chocolate?' and he says 'I'm bloated, I can't eat anymore.'  And they force this one little appetizer down his throat and he explodes.  Very gross.  And we're doing it as this little squeezy plastic toy about 6' tall, and when you squeeze him the vomit comes out of his mouth, because he always vomited during the show.'  Toy Vault also plans to produce a Grim Reaper toy based on ending of The Meaning of Life.  The company is attempting to get these toys out in time for Christmas.

 

There are also several other Monty Python-based toys coming from Toy Vault.

  • Black Beast of Aargh, from Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • Holy Hand Grenade Plush, which is actually a whoopee cushion that produces the appropriate sound when the hand grenade is squeezed.  It will be packaged in a box. 
  • Organ Donor Puppy.  Huston's description is worth passing on verbatim.  'It's a plush puppy,' he said.  'When you open up its insides, you can take forceps and tongs and you can pull out all the little organs:  stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys.  Right now we're trying to add the ability that when you pull open its ear you can pull out its brains as well.  It was missing on the original prototype.' 

Huston expects Toy Vault's best-selling Monty Python item this year to be its Foot Keychain.  It includes a sound chip with seventeen different sounds from Python soundtracks, including '...everything from the short one, like 'you're a loony,' or 'you hypocritical bastard,' to the 'death comes to surround you with big pointed teeth' ones.'  The foot will have seven different buttons, each of which will play two-three of the sounds.  The MSRP on this toy will be quite low, according to Huston, probably in the $10 to $12 range. 

 

Godzilla has also been doing well, both for Toy Vault and for others that we talk to, so there will be more Godzilla toys in the coming months, including additional plush items based on Godzilla characters and, if the first series is successful, a second series of Godzilla mini-bobblers.  The mix on the first series assortment, by the way, looks like it will be two Godzillas, two King Ghidoras, one Mecha and one Rodan. 

 

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For its Here Be Monsters line, Toy Vault is planning a troll plush based on the children's story Baba Yaga.  It will have 'really long arms, and two different colored eyes.'  While Huston was excited about the quality, he acknowledged that some might not be familiar with the property.  Also new to the line will be a Minotaur plush.