Toys

Also in keeping with this special day of love, after a troubling seven-year stretch in which they were separated, Barbie and Ken are together again. Although they had dated steadily since their days as surfers together in Malibu in the early '60s, they gradually drifted apart over the years. After Barbie left Ken for Blaine, another, younger surfer dude, Ken entered an "experimental" period that involved Fire Island, waxing, and watching Glee. But it's been announced -- just in time for Toy Fair -- that these two dolls are really soulmates in vinyl.

Wandering the halls of the 2011 Toy Fair for even a few moments, it was hard to avoid Green Lantern -- not only action figures (for both collectors and actual children) but costumes, board games, mugs, rings, and more, more, more. It's all by design as this report from Variety details. It's hard to overemphasize how important this summer's Green Lantern movie is to Warners. This is potentially their new Star Wars, with a giant universe of aliens and adventure and a wisecracking, aspirational hero at the center. The promotional push at Toy Fair and the upcoming MAGIC apparel show is huge -- but it isn't an automatic slam dunk, hence the push:

Despite the fact that popular apps on iPhones can read our private data and sell them to the highest bidder, we just can't get enough of such time-voids as Angry Birds. And now we can look upon them in Lego form and feel even more sated.

Jody Culkin is an artist, photographer, and teacher. Thanks to being married to PW comics maven Calvin Reid, she's also a veteran of many comics and book shows. Camera in hand, she has chronicled the activities and faces of the past seven or eight years of comic cons -- her work can often be found in PW Comics Week.

But she also has a hobby.

The Cultyard pavilion of designer toys and other cool collectibles will be the a place to get your style on. Here's what's going on from TErminal Press and Elite Gudz

I know this is "not comics" but William Gibson and Douglas Coupland both tweeted it, and I am weak-minded.

If I lived in a world where this was real, I'd be so happy. In truth, it is a fake commercial by Phil Lord and Chris Miller made in 1998 for a series of educational shorts about action figures based on historical figures. It was never aired. Thank god for YouTube.

Toy shelf space is at a premium these days, but we have to admit, this Claire Littleton Bobble Head from Bif Bang Pow!, complete...

Welcome to what we hope is a new Beat tradition, the Getaway Giveaway! We have so much stuff that needs a good home --...

The other day we were moaning that there aren't any Mighty Boosh toys, but it turns out Pete Wilson made some which are available...

So we wandered around Toy Fair for a bit yesterday, but missed most of the big presentations. Lego had a very early morning event...

If you are looking to put some cute into your life, you need not seek much farther than the Usagi Yojimbo Plush Figure that...