shit! what about my trapper keeper when i was a kid? that smell is a lifetime favorite of mine! guess i have to go back to sniffing books in the bookstore
Wow...after reading this thread, I feel kinda' guilty for having so many vinyl toys and records... BUT, not guilty enough to stop my collecting habits
I heart toys. This is one of the best threads ever and close to the heart, esp focusing on the earlier bits. I can't express how hard it is to get something quality made, no matter how much money, time, and love, you put into the project. So much shit is just out of our hands. Great thread eh. And the telephone game quote from mark nagata really sums it all up I think for most of us- "I choose to live with the risk of having vinyl in my household because my love of the toys outweighs my worries.". Same goes for getting them manufactured. My love for toys and character design outweighs the pain I feel about more plastic on the earth. Just a few days ago i found my clutch of rejection letters from toy agents from back in '92 when we didn't really have the knowledge and knowhow to make stuff DIY and all start our own little companies. Now moving forward I just try to make things peeple will want to keep, and hopefully soon make some stuff where at least the packaging is made from recycled materials. i heart toys.
Regarding the ethical issues, I strongly recommend the short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin.
I've herd that the production of vinyl was toxic and also posibbly toxic as a toy from reading Mark's article from Kaizine, but after reading this post, the thought that vinyl can be hazadous to our health and environment is finally making me think more about these toys. I love toys all my life! Ever since I got my first vinly figure, I've wanted to make one, but now after hearing about all the hardships and how difficult it is to make one, added the environemt consquences from it, i'm not too sure. I will still buy toys, and yes even though i'm not making vinyl toys, buying toys won't help solve the problem. Damn How about resin??? Yeah ok, that's not any better I suppose. I guess I should start learning how to crave wood. This thread is awesome, it brought up a total diffierent prespective to our toy addiction~
Wow, very informative thread. I feel kinda bad for owning vinyl. After all, I choose not to drive, I try to eat healthy, and recycling is important to me. But, I can't let go of Hedorah, even knowing he is a real smog monster. We all know we have an addiction... Now I know it's harmful like any other
this is the best thread i've ever read on this board. don't know how i missed it when it first showed up. this is going to make me consider further collecting a little more seriously now ... dammit.
as others have said, this thread is amazing. not purely for the fact that its been highyl educational about the wild west ways of China, but moreso for the fact that i have really come to respect Kozik for the first time. (no offense, honestly.) i always thought Frank's designs were just made in 3-d by frank then shipped out to some yayhoo and they get made somehow. i had no idea you were so passionate and involved in the process. and you know all about the chemical compunds that make up vinyl, how the dirty underbelly of the chinese toy industry works... wow. kudos, frank. thanks for opening my eyes.
I eat meat. Doesn't mean that I want to visit a slaughterhouse and see a cow get "struck down" and "processed" if you know what I mean. We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread already in progress...
I'd hate to say this folks but that's actually one of the nicest factory condition I've seen. I've been to factories in my home in the Philipines. and also in Taiwan, Cambodia and Vietnam. The one Frank showed was clean, well lit, spacious and the the cafeteria...They have a cafeteria!! Also the workers are provided with hair net, cuffs , masks and gloves etc. You gringos got it too good here in the Good ole USA Seriously tho one mans slop is anothers mans feast. I can tell you with certainty that the poor people in my home country would welcome factory working conditions like that like a five star hotel. It's all about point of view and "the other side of the fence " kinda thing..savvy?
