Toys and Tiny Things | EP 2 | Weird Kids

Summary

Critical Role: "Toys and Tiny Things" | EP 2 | Weird Kids

Aired: March 31, 2026
Participants: Ashley (A) and Taliesin (B)

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Episode Overview

In this nostalgic and whimsical episode of "Weird Kids," Ashley and Taliesin settle in to discuss the curious, unconventional, and deeply personal relationships they have with childhood toys. The conversation meanders from the tactile pleasures of play to the deep-seated need for control and comfort that collecting and interacting with toys can bring—both as children and adults. Along the way, they share hidden gems from their own collections, delve into the allure of tiny things, recall favorite moments from their child-actor years, and reflect on the special, sometimes healing, qualities of cherished objects.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Toys as Identity and Comfort

• Maximalism vs. Minimalism:
  Ashley and Taliesin reflect on their mutual collector habits, embracing maximalism. Taliesin jokes about never being able to maintain a minimalist lifestyle due to his love for "stuff" ([03:22]).

• Nostalgia and Sentimentality:
  Both hosts admit to a deep attachment to objects, admitting they seldom get rid of gifts or playthings for sentimental reasons. Ashley explains:

  "It was... I am a very... nostalgic. But I'm also a sentimental... I'm very sentimental, which is why I think I keep so much. Because I can't get rid of it." ([33:00] - Ashley)

2. Non-Traditional Toy Play

• Setting Up Scenes Over Playing Battles:
  Taliesin describes creating elaborate scenes with toys, focusing less on action and more on set-up, negotiation, and sometimes avoiding battle to prevent damaging precious figures ([09:04]).

• Crossing Gender Lines in Toy Choices:
  Both hosts touch on the freedom they found in playing outside gender expectations—Ashley shunned Barbies, while Taliesin collected Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, and My Little Pony ([08:04]).

• Weird Kid Tendencies:
  The pair bond over being "weird kids"—preferring bath toys, scientific kits, and miniature worlds over mainstream choices.

3. Special Toys, Sets, and Play Philosophy

• Favorite Childhood Toys:

  • Taliesin details his cherished Japanese toys, action figures, and a custom-built dollhouse ([19:01]).
  • Ashley recalls bath toys like the Seven Dwarves and her pride in her Pee Wee Herman doll and Polly Pocket sets ([16:20], [48:04]).

• Tiny Things and Miniatures:
  Both express huge love for things in miniature, Polly Pocket, and the sense of control tiny environments afford them.

  "I love tiny things as well, and I feel like it's a sense of control over my environment." ([47:48] - Taliesin)

• Sensory & Tactile Joy:
  The hosts delight in hands-on toys like Pin Art:

  "Listen, see, now I don't feel so bad about my—my picks for what I really wanted, because this is sensory. It's sensory. I'm big on sensory shit." ([42:36] - Ashley)

4. Toys, Control, and Emotional Health

• Toys as a Source of Control:
  A major revelation: both discuss how play with toys, especially miniatures and set-pieces, gave them a sense of agency and psychological comfort as children coping with chaos or anxiety ([61:02]).

  "Everything in here feels like control to me, like comfort." ([61:28] - Taliesin)

• Fear and Phobias:
  Taliesin shares how phobias and anxiety colored much of his childhood, even fainting on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean; toys offered small zones of security ([59:15-60:20]).

5. Professional Toy Experiences

• Acting Gifts and Studio Perks:
  Both reminisce about getting toys as gifts from studios during their child-actor days, such as Alvin and the Chipmunks figures and Thundercats action figures ([10:55], [12:18]).

• Japanese Toy Store Management:
  Taliesin recounts his experience managing a Japanese toy store in Beverly Hills, his journey to Japan to procure collectibles, and how this shaped his obsessions ([24:29]).

6. Show and Tell: Favorite & Coveted Items

• On-Set Objects:
  The episode features a "show and tell" of toys, from a Pee Wee Herman doll and a Mercedes Benz model car (from Ashley's grandfather), to a glowworm and a rare Japanese automata science kit ([46:36]-[56:59]).

• Polly Pocket Addams Family Playset:
  Ashley's excitement is palpable as she reveals a modern Polly Pocket in the style of the Addams Family:

  "This is so cool. You guys have just made my dreams." ([50:02] - Ashley)

• Scent and Memory:
  Both reminisce about scented toys. Taliesin mentions he has tracked down a perfume evocative of Strawberry Shortcake dolls:

  "I mean, I got a scent that's very close to the strawberry shortcake doll of, like, fake strawberry and plastic. It's 99% there." ([43:08] - Taliesin)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Roach Co-Habitants:

  "Sharing it with roaches so together that they have their own SAG card." ([03:51] - Taliesin)

• On Battle Play:

  "I would set everything up in these very complex ways and... it was very like pre-battle, like, battlefield negotiations. It would never actually get to the battle." ([09:22] - Taliesin)

• On Acting Studios' Gifts:

  "I got a complete set [Thundercats] just by like throwing balls at targets. I felt spoiled briefly." ([12:18] - Taliesin)

• On Polly Pocket, Miniatures & Control:

  "The more I think about it, the more I'm feeling like it's... a sense of control over my environment." ([48:17] - Taliesin)

• On Fear of the Dark:

  "I fainted on Pirates of the Caribbean as a child. I got so scared. I literally... had to carry me out one of the emergency exits." ([60:02] - Taliesin)

---

Important Timestamps

• Collecting & Maximalism – [03:16]-[04:45]
• Animals & Spider Wrangling Stories – [04:45]-[07:00]
• Unconventional Toy Play & Setup – [09:06]-[10:10]
• Studio Gift Toys Memories – [10:10]-[12:28]
• Movie & Event Memories (American Tail, Indiana Jones ride) – [13:32]-[15:17]
• Set Show & Tell: Pee Wee Herman, Polly Pocket, Automata Kit – [16:20]-[57:06]
• Japanese Toy Store Tales – [24:29]-[26:34]
• Scent & Sensory Memories – [43:08]-[43:14]
• Exploring Control, Comfort & Toys – [61:02]-[61:51]

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Tone & Style

Playful, nostalgic, honest, and gently self-deprecating, Ashley and Taliesin share deep personal stories with a mix of humor and sincere introspection. Their chemistry is warm and familiar, often finishing each other’s thoughts and making space for digressions into childhood memories, weird actor stories, and philosophical musings about the lasting power of childhood objects.

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Conclusion

"Toys and Tiny Things" is a delightful, layered look into how and why we love the objects of our youth, and how those connections endure—even as our lives change. It’s as much about childhood comfort, identity, and coping as it is about action figures, bath toys, and Pin Art. For listeners who grew up a little weird, a little anxious, and a lot enamored with the magic of "stuff," Ashley and Taliesin’s stories offer empathy, laughs, and plenty of permission to stay cosmic, proud, and weird.

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[End of Main Content Summary at ~[66:00]; additional credits and acknowledgments follow.]

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Hey, welcome back.

[A]

What the heck are you doing here?

[B]

It's crazy. We're back and they're back.

[A]

Why are we back? For round two. They let us do it.

[B]

They did let us do it. And everybody else is back too. Which means we have to keep being entertaining. Just keep doing stuff with new stories. I've run out.

[A]

Yeah, I'm all out of things to talk about.

[B]

Everything interesting that's ever happened to me.

[A]

Yeah, same. I really like your shirt.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

What's happening with this shirt?

[B]

This shirt is a. Is a for. For those. Again, for those at home. It is covered in a wonderful flower beetle pattern. I feel bad that I cannot remember the name of the company that makes it, but they make you want me

[A]

to look at your tag.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is that weird?

[B]

Look at my tag because I love these people and I buy a lot of stuff.

[A]

I know because you've Worn this Morning witch.

[B]

Morning Witch. They're on Instagram and they put out crazy stuff. And I own a few of their.

[A]

I love it, Taliesin.

[B]

Thank you. It's my attempt to be colorful.

[A]

Post goth goes with your hair.

[B]

That was intentional.

[A]

I'm really proud of you.

[B]

Thank you. I'm trying to do a thing.

[A]

What are you drinking right now out of your grandma mug?

[B]

Some sort of pumpkin flavored caffeine drink.

[A]

God, that's a good mug.

[B]

Thank you. I've been collecting a few. I have too many mugs at home, so now I'm just bringing them here. And eventually they will overtake our kitchen.

[A]

I think that's what I'm gonna do. I love collecting mugs. We both are collectors. We collect a lot of mugs.

[B]

I try and fight it, but there's only so much you can do. I get gifted a lot of mugs too.

[A]

Yeah. It's a good gift to give and to receive. I feel like when we were talking about the set that we were gonna do for weird kids, you and I both are maximalists, I would say.

[B]

I love that word. Big fan. Yes.

[A]

I try to be. I would love. I love the idea of, like, clean lines, being a minimalist, just having just the little things that you need. But I can't. I like stuffs too much.

[B]

Even when I was, like, at my low. When I'm, like, trying to, like, living in the worst studio apartment in Hollywood, sharing it with roaches so together that they have their own SAG card. I still surrounded by SAGs.

[A]

Roaches sewn together.

[B]

No, no. Like, they even have their sew together. I'm sorry. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, o. Okay. Okay.

[B]

Honestly, they were working more than I was at the time.

[A]

Well, okay.

[B]

They were very talented. And, yeah, listen, they could sing and dance. Mike. Sam Riegel.

[A]

Yes, they could. Our friend Sam Riegel, who is just an incredible performer of all sorts.

[B]

Joe's Apartment is actually a movie with. With singing and dancing cockroaches. But don't go looking that up. It. Well, it's its own thing anyway. Joe's Apartment, I believe that was the name of a terrible comedy with singing and dancing cockroaches. I'm so sorry to bring that back. It's the things that are buried.

[A]

It's an episode about cockroaches.

[B]

Apparently, now it is. Let's.

[A]

I hate them.

[B]

I, I, you know, I. Yeah, they. I like spiders. I, I can't. I can't handle cockroaches.

[A]

I can't really do spider. I can do I can do rats, I can do mice. I can do things with hair.

[B]

Spiders have some. Spiders have hair.

[A]

Well, yeah. And like a tarantula. Yeah, I can deal with a tarantula. No big deal.

[B]

I like spiders because they're only in your house if there's something to eat and what they eat want less. And when they run out of food, they'll probably leave.

[A]

Really?

[B]

I mean, wouldn't you. Well, I mean, the cupboard's bare.

[A]

Yeah. Fair.

[B]

And, you know, a little lemon pledge. And they. They don't like. Like putting their feet on citrus. So you can kind of. I learned that on a movie set.

[A]

Really?

[B]

I did. It's how they would rank spiders like Pledge. Yeah. They'd use pledge because it's the citrus. They don't. They. They don't like stepping on citrus. So they could make little pathways for the spiders to walk on by. By. When you would have a spider wrangler, they would happen. These things just don't. You know.

[A]

Isn't that weird that there are. See, this is another thing. And this is. This is what I'm from the last episode we talked about working with animals.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You told me something. God, I don't remember when this was, but for some reason it blew my mind.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

When you were working with dolphins.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And you said that if you click your fingernails under the water.

[B]

True.

[A]

They respond to it because it sounds like them.

[B]

It's. It's some sound. I don't know if it's like a natural thing or it's because these were trained dolphins. Crunch and Leilani. That was their names.

[A]

Crunch and Leilani.

[B]

Crunch and Leilani are the. The two dolphins I worked with. We'll get into a. I'm sure we can do a whole episode of this. But. Yeah.

[A]

The.

[B]

The clicking your. That's what the, the trainers told me to do to get them to come to you for.

[A]

And would they.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

They would just swim on over and be like, hello, I'm Leilani.

[B]

Yeah. Crunch was more down. Leilani was, you know, when she was

[A]

in the mood, there's always like one that's a little bit more friendly of the animals.

[B]

Yeah. She was more of a loner. She was a, you know, a one dolphin wolf pack. I don't know.

[A]

Spider wrangling. Thing to me is there's always.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I had to work with a. I had to work with snakes and there was a snake wrangler. But for some reason, a spider wrangler seems so wild to me.

[B]

They're men.

[A]

Because I just see Like a little, like, pin. Oh, like a. Like a corral with little spiders in it.

[B]

Man, there's so many stories I'm holding in because we could do a whole lot. We will do a whole animal episode because I. I'm now thinking about Alex Ward and his. His.

[A]

Oh, my God, we gotta get Alex Ward up in here.

[B]

I know that'd be hilarious, but yes, because, yeah, he's a whole other wonderful vibe of actor.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, the original thought for today was to talk about toys. And I like the idea because I had a very weird relationship with toys growing up.

[A]

Okay. I did too. So. But I think a lot of this goes back. Like, I didn't. I didn't play with toys like a normal kid, whatever that even means.

[B]

I'm. I'm curious. No, I mean elaborate. I'm. I'm curious. We've been avoiding this subject for fun.

[A]

I will say, like, I wasn't. I wasn't a Barbie girl. Were you a Barbie girl?

[B]

I would have been.

[A]

Did you ever get into. You would have been.

[B]

I like the notion of them. I was more. I mean, like, I definitely crossed gender lines pretty hard with my toys. I had a really nice collection of Care Bears. I had the full rainbow bright run and a decent. Like, I had a smattering of My Little Pony specifically. I like the little seahorse ones because it was a good bath toy too.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Loved bath toys. Love bath toys. Like, I. I think toys that I still. That. That will. All that are a core memory are the Seven Dwarves. Not this. Not Squishies, but they were bath toys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That kept those things forever. I don't know why. Those were. Those were like the toys that. That I had with me for so long. But a lot of the toys that I grew up with are here on the set.

[B]

Oh, really? Yeah, that's. I definitely have. Yeah, I definitely have a few as well. And like, did you. Did you. Okay, a couple questions.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

How, like, your notion of playing with toys. Mine, because I was often alone, was. I would set up these giant. I don't want to quite call it diorama, but like, I would. I would just set everything up in these very complex ways and. And just sort of.

[A]

You would set up a scene or a story.

[B]

Yeah, a scene or a story. And oftentimes it was like, it was very like pre battle, like, like battlefield negotiations. It would never actually get to the battle. Like, I would never. Because I, like, I treasured these things too much to actually damage them. And then I came up with Some weird ways of playing with them, with physics, which I will get into.

[A]

See that we need to get into. Because that was more of the stuff I was like, how can I. This is terrible. How can I destroy this toy?

[B]

I got to that late. That was a teenage thing. Later. But especially since that was a whole. I was not allowed GI Joes. That was a thing. Why My parents decided that that was the line of like quote unquote war toy. And I resented it for a while, but I eventually got over it. And when I finally became an adult and could buy toys myself, I. I kept that line. I don't know why. I just.

[A]

You were like, I'm never going to cross the line with.

[B]

You know, it is like the toy version is. I've been vegetarian for so long, it just seems silly to stop. Even though it was my parents decision. But. And then like, like, I don't know if like the studio ever gave you. The studios would give us, me like us, all the kids Christmas gifts every year. And they tended to be pretty batshit cool.

[A]

They were awesome. They were awesome because it was like you would, you would do a show and they would. The studio would give out like a holiday gift or like a start of show gift. And sometimes, sometimes it would just be like the same gift across the board for all of the cast and crew. But other times it would be specific to a kid. It was always nice.

[B]

I never got specific. But it was always something that they were producing at the time. And it was usually like, I got a nice set of Alvin and the Chipmunks toys. And I was deep in it. I owned vinyl. I was like really deep in Alvin.

[A]

Simon, Theodore. Do do do do do do.

[B]

I think it's as far before we get trouble. I had Urban Chipmunk, which was one of their albums. It's great. Dang. And then I got a Fievel Mouskowicz.

[A]

Oh my God.

[B]

Could wear the hat.

[A]

No way. Fievel goes west.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, American tail.

[B]

Both are great.

[A]

American tail is like so good for everyone under 40.

[B]

This is a. An animated mouse. Steven Spielberg produced it. Yeah. With. With a giant.

[A]

He did.

[B]

I think that was a Spielberg or Amblin. I'm gonna say Amblin.

[A]

You're gonna say Amblin. Okay, I'm gonna look this up.

[B]

Spielberg's thing.

[A]

I'm gonna look this up and I still want to IMDb you.

[B]

Oh, it's. I have it. It's horrifying.

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

And then the other. I briefly worked when I was at Lorimar Shooting a sitcom that one day we will get into. They had like carnival games for their Christmas thing for their Christmas party. And they were all giving away great toys and I got. They were giving away. For winning the carnival games, Thundercats action figures. And I got the complete run just by like what? By playing carnival games?

[A]

You just kept playing.

[B]

All I did was like, want that one? I want that one. I got a complete set just by like throwing balls at targets. I felt spoiled briefly.

[A]

Okay, well, first of all, I forgot Christopher Plummer was in it.

[B]

In. In which?

[A]

In American Tail.

[B]

Oh yeah. No, wait.

[A]

Who played. Who played Fievel?

[B]

I don't.

[A]

Philip Glasser.

[B]

You're kidding. Oh, that's great.

[A]

I remembered him. I remembered him as a kid. As a kid actor. Okay, wait, let's see. So the director was Don Bluth.

[B]

Okay. Don Bluth is very serious. For anybody who knows their animation, that's. Don Bluth is a big deal.

[A]

All cast and crew. Wait, how do I look up producer?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

What did you say?

[B]

Oh, I think Amblyn. Yeah, I think Amblyn.

[A]

Steven Spielberg did produce it.

[B]

Look at that.

[A]

What the heck?

[B]

I remember that because after we went to see it, we went to the little Amblin entertainment area of Universal and you only know it's his. Cause they have a well out front of the studio and Jaws is coming out of the well if you look into it.

[A]

Did you go to the premiere I may have. Of American Tail? Yeah, I did. Whoa.

[B]

I had forgotten that. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Cause if you're going at Amblin Entertainment afterwards.

[B]

Yeah. Cuz there was.

[A]

You're there for an event.

[B]

I guess it was an event. I was just excited about the doll.

[A]

What was the. This just reminded me about something. What was your like your favorite event that you went to as a kid that you remembered? Oh boy. Is like that's kind of hard actor

[B]

event kind of thing. Oh man. I. I remember doing a parade and I don't remember what parade. Like being on a. On a. On a float. Float. Float. And it may have been like the Rose bowl thing, you know, the Pasadena and maybe that like that's the thing. And I also did a couple of the Youth and Film Awards which were a thing.

[A]

Were a thing. And they were weird.

[B]

They were horrifying. But at least I was at a table with other. With like the other kids where we're like, what the fuck is this?

[A]

Yeah, that was strange. And we all were there and I think you and I were there at the same time.

[B]

We may have been there at the

[A]

same time, but we didn't know each other yet.

[B]

Yeah,

[A]

I went to. In 1995.

[B]

Good year.

[A]

I went to the opening. Was invited to the opening of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Not to brag. And I got to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was there. And I remember going up to him and like tugging on his shirt and being like, you know, can I get a picture with you?

[B]

And. And.

[A]

And I think I did. I did.

[B]

I was going to say. So you have a picture with. With the governator.

[A]

With the governator.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

And they gave away like a T shirt, which I just found.

[B]

Oh, yes. I'm excited for that.

[A]

And like this little. I should actually put it on the set. No, it's like this metal. This like. I don't even know what it is. It's just like a metal thing that just stands up that just says Indiana Jones the Ride 95.

[B]

I. I'm real deep into amusement park rides.

[A]

You are very into amusement park rides. And lore.

[B]

And lore. And I love some good lore. But they used to give away at the very beginning these little cards that were translations of what was written on the wall.

[A]

Yes, I know what you're talking about. And I think I have one of those too.

[B]

They would have given them away at the premiere. It's almost. I think most of it is just ads for AT&T or Sprint because they. They funded it. So it's like a lot of phone advertisements.

[A]

That's right. Because each of the games always have. Or games. Each of the rides have like a sponsor. Yeah, I forgot about that.

[B]

Yeah. So I just remember being a little disappointed.

[A]

You're like. Yeah, it's like you. You look at the. The translator and it's like, drink Coca Cola.

[B]

I was like, this is. I suppose this is why it's a cursed temple. I don't know.

[A]

Maybe. God, I love that ride so much. I kinda wanna show some.

[B]

Show me something.

[A]

This back here.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

My Pee Wee Herman. So my mom and dad bought this for me and he.

[B]

He looks like he talks. Oh, there's a pull.

[A]

There's a pull.

[B]

But there's a pull at the back of this toy.

[A]

The thing is, I'm gonna undress him right now.

[B]

It's getting weird. Okay.

[A]

I feel like.

[B]

Good suit. Pee Wee Herman had a good suit.

[A]

I can't find an opening to him to maybe switch out the battery either.

[B]

You can try find like a little screwdriver or Nature's screwdriver, which is a knife.

[A]

I'll find, like, an opening. I'm gonna have to, like, surgery him open.

[B]

Yeah, we'll get an X acto knife and play Operation.

[A]

Play Doctor.

[B]

Well, that. Yeah, Here we go.

[A]

Wait. Sometimes you can get it to. I know you are, but what am

[B]

I. Oh, my God. Here, let me try. I gotta. I gotta try this. This is. This is. This is nightmare fuel. See if I can do it. That was just a laugh, huh? I love you. Did he just say, I love you?

[A]

Yeah. What I think is funny about this is we're putting his mouth at the microphone.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Like, that's gonna make the difference.

[B]

I hadn't thought about that. And now. Oh, my God.

[A]

Yeah. And that came on the cherry chair.

[B]

That is a. That is also nightmare fuel.

[A]

Check out this technology.

[B]

The eyes on the chair flip back and forth.

[A]

Cool, right?

[B]

I mean. Yes, you can. Oh, it's a bigger talk. Oh, no, it's a puppet.

[A]

I know.

[B]

I love a puppet.

[A]

It's a. It's really just. This is one of my prized possessions, like, to the point where I was nervous about bringing this to the set. But listen, we make sacrifices here for all of you.

[B]

We do. I am highly entertained. And this is also gonna require a field trip to a toy store that I know. That should be a lot of fun.

[A]

Do you have a toy here that you can spot that you.

[B]

Oh, man. I don't know where. I don't put anything. Well, part of it is that I had siblings, and they got so much of my stuff. There is that skull that's almost. I don't even know if that counts as a toy. I mean, like, it is kind of very. And the fact that it's not playable. You know, a lot of my toys are. I mean, I had a few playable ones, but, like, the skull is really good. I also had. I was really big into the 3D picture bits.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

What else is up here? I know. Now I'm. Now I'm blanking. The skull is a whole thing.

[A]

We still have. Shockingly, we still have so much more that we could have added.

[B]

I know.

[A]

But we didn't.

[B]

And I have, like, my. I like tiny things. I have a lot of little tiny things. I love dollhouse. I had a dollhouse as a kid, which I really love.

[A]

You did?

[B]

Yeah. My parents built me a dollhouse. It was huge.

[A]

See, that was the type of, like, dollhouses I did, like, because I think it was. I think you and I both like really little tiny things. And so I think it was like, oh, I'm making a Little mini house, which I think was. That was more appealing to me than like.

[B]

Oh, yeah. And I could. I could put. I could put like, you know, Luke Skywalker and like Conan in the same room. I just would wonder what they were talking about.

[A]

So would you take your figurines because you cared about them? Would they fight each other? I was not communicate.

[B]

It was mostly communication. Again, I was really big into like setting up the battle. And then once the battle was set up, it was just kind of figuring out who was going to have a conversation with who.

[A]

Yeah, well, I mean, I would take. I mean, the Barbies that I did have. I would just have them like make out and have sex with each.

[B]

Oh, I mean, there was some making out, clearly.

[A]

But I. You know what I thought that was.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where I would just like smush all them together.

[B]

But. Yeah, I mean. I mean, inevitably.

[A]

Yeah, inevitably.

[B]

But it was. It was also I loved a playset. So if there was like something that did something like a trapdoor, I would use that trapdoor over and over again.

[A]

Hell yeah.

[B]

And then I got really into Japanese toys very early on. Like before. Before anime was a thing. Like I.

[A]

How old were you?

[B]

I guess I was. I was pretty young. I was in the movie 2010 and.

[A]

Hang on, I need to look this up.

[B]

And like the year before me and a friend of mine introduced me to Japanese cartoons. And it was like. And Japanese toys. And I was kind of getting into it. And again, this was before. This was in the like actually like the late 80s, early 90s. And they were buying. They like, were doing my kids room in future toys. And so the prop people were using Japanese toys to make future toys, quote unquote.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

And I started to be like, oh, I know what that is, and I know what that is. And they were so excited that they let me go through the catalog and be like, here, which ones do you want for your room?

[A]

And.

[B]

And then they just gave all of them to me at the end of that.

[A]

No way.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I even got the crazy three wheeled bike that I got to use in 2010. Like, they like. Because they were just so excited that somebody else knew all these weird Japanese toys.

[A]

2010 came out in 1984.

[B]

Okay. So, yeah, that would have been real early.

[A]

Yeah. Anime was the year we make contact. What is this?

[B]

It's the sequel to 2001 with Roy Schweider.

[A]

Wait, 2001 is one of my favorite movies.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How did I not know you were in the sequel 2000?

[B]

Well, I don't know.

[A]

I mean, this is.

[B]

But, like, 2010 is very much like it is to 2001 what shock treatment is to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Everyone goes. There's a sequel. Like, yeah, it's a different vibe.

[A]

John Lithgow, Helen Mirren.

[B]

Yeah. Am I ruining you right now?

[A]

Roy Scheider.

[B]

Roy was great.

[A]

I love him.

[B]

Roy played my dad. He was cool.

[A]

Bob Balaban. Oh, he's great.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, I have. I mean, like, I learned to ride my bike going through that. Through that, like, space station, and I got to crawl through Hal. It was a good time.

[A]

You were Christopher Floyd. That was your character's name.

[B]

Yes, that's correct.

[A]

Oh, my God. Taliesin. My mind is blown right now.

[B]

It's gonna. Yeah.

[A]

I cannot wait to watch this movie.

[B]

It's a good time.

[A]

That is what I'm gonna be talking about in the next episode. I'm gonna watch it. All right. I'll watch it with you, and we'll talk about it.

[B]

It's a good time.

[A]

All right. We'll watch it together.

[B]

I'm done. I'm done with it. So, yeah, I was really into. I got really into Japanese toys then. And there was a. There was, like, toys called Saint Seiya's. I think I had almost the entire collection of those growing up, which blew my.

[A]

What's it called again?

[B]

Sa. And there were action figures that had armor. It was based off of cartoon. And the armor would look like different constellations or, like, there were zodiac ones which were gold, and then they had, like, pegasuses, which were, like, silver. And then the statue would become armor to the guys for the action figures. And the whole cartoon was just lots of melodrama and had weird bisexual undertones, which I kind of dug. It was anime.

[A]

See, I don't know anime very well, but I feel like that is a common undertone or thing.

[B]

Oh, well, there's whole genres of anime that are just, like, gendered. Staring longingly at people of the same gender. Or two men who are extremely effeminate, getting very, very close to each other and almost kissing. And then. Yeah, it's. And then the tension. Oh, yeah. There's, like, a French one called the Rose of Versailles with Marie Antoinette and her. Like, it's a woman who is actually one of her soldiers named Oscar. And it's a whole. It's so. Yeah, it's a whole thing. Anime goes deep. Anime does go deep, and I'm out of it these days. But when I was in, I was really in.

[A]

I'm slowly trying to get educated in the world of anime because of all of.

[B]

I'll give you a gentle.

[A]

Friends are into it.

[B]

Yeah. We may have to do a gentle crash course. We're not gonna, like, show you anything that's 400 episodes long, but maybe just a spatter at some point.

[A]

Yeah, I'm down for that.

[B]

All right.

[A]

I'm down for that.

[B]

So. So, like.

[A]

So you got really big into Japanese toys.

[B]

Yeah. And. And they. I.

[A]

Do you think that was, like, the impetus for you of, like, oh, I love this. I love Japan. I want to move to Japan.

[B]

Well. Oh, boy. God, this is.

[A]

I'm sorry. I'm throwing a lot of questions at you at once.

[B]

My first job out of high school was managing a Japanese toy store.

[A]

What?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wait, how have we never known this?

[B]

So I had. I mean, like, I started. There was a Japanese toy store in LA called the Pony Toy Go Round. And I spent more money at Pony Toy Go Round at the Honda Plaza. I wonder what happened to their backstock. I spent so much Toy Go Round. Magical.

[A]

Where was it in la?

[B]

The Honda Plaza in downtown Los Angeles. In Little Tokyo.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It. It's long gone. But then I managed a store called the Joy Store, which was a Japanese toy store in Beverly Hills, I kid you not. On Beverly Drive.

[A]

Is that popular?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I ran it. I ran it in a very weird way because the owner, who is delightful, kind of didn't care what I did. So sometimes we would stay open late. We were right next to. We were across the street from that. It was a. It's a famous restaurant that was open, like, really, really late and, like, would play like, like, a lot of hip hop music at night. And it was the basis of, like, the. The $12 milkshake from. From Pulp Fiction. I cannot remember.

[A]

I mean, that sounds like a place that was cool.

[B]

So it was. It was the only cool place in Beverly Hills because Beverly Hills was a nightmare. But, yeah, I had gone full goth. So, like, I would literally be in there, like, dressed all in black with, like, a snake around my neck, going, like, whatever. We would stay open late. If, like, local kids just wanted to play video games, we just. We just leave it open. And I mean, so cool. Yeah, we. We ran the place like a private club. It was nuts.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And they let me do the buying for a while, and I ended up in Japan because I was. Did other jobs for the owner and including. He was like.

[A]

So that's how you ended up in Japan?

[B]

Yeah, I did all sorts of weird stuff for him. I worked for like, did some work for Brutus magazine. I did some. Like, I was a personal assistant for some stuff. And then I bought and imported a lot of Japanese toys to the United States before it was a thing, really.

[A]

Okay, I have to tell you, I was just looking on ebay where I go for all kinds of things I love. And there it was.

[B]

That hologram trading card. One of the rarest. The last one I needed for my set. Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. Ebay had it. And now everyone's asking, ooh, where'd you get your windshield wipers? Ebay has all the parts that fit my car. No more annoying, just beautiful.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

21/ that is so cool.

[B]

Yeah, it was fun. It was really dumb. It was fun.

[A]

Did you speak a little bit of Japanese?

[B]

I did once. Yeah. It's it. Last time I was there, it took about two weeks to kind of come back to my brain. But like, right now it's just. I mean, yeah, it's paced. Wow. But yeah, I loved it out there. It's one of the few times I left L. A where I was really like, I could stay here and be. Be okay.

[A]

God, I love Japan so much.

[B]

Yeah, having an apartment was really nice. I spent so much money on stupid things I could not bring back.

[A]

I feel like I don't really know what, like a toy from Japan would even look like. So it could be cool.

[B]

They are.

[A]

Because I think. I think you might. We might have something.

[B]

It might have. Because those are the ones that really had an emotional connection for you. Yeah, I mean, like, I'll admit, like, the Rainbow Brite ones were pretty heavy on me just because there was the cartoon and I was really And I had, you know, anything with a cartoon kind of hit, but. Yeah. And they felt special because I was the only kid who had them.

[A]

Wow. Yeah, that makes sense.

[B]

My one other friend who is deeply into it. So.

[A]

Yeah. Man. I feel like. Like, I think there was a period for me where I was into, like, American Girl dolls.

[B]

I didn't even know what those were until, like, 10 years ago.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And I. So that was.

[A]

They were just. But I remember because. Yeah. Because I wasn't a big toy kid, but I did. I remember went to FAO Schwartz when I was just prime age. So I think I was probably, like, 8 or 9. And when you go into FAO Schwartz, you're just like, this is heaven. I think.

[B]

I didn't know it was real.

[A]

I didn't know it was real either.

[B]

I thought it was. They made it up for the movie.

[A]

I did, too. And then you go in and you're like, oh, this is a real place.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's glorious. And I think that's where it probably. I think where I saw American Girl

[B]

dolls, it was like, posh Toys R Us. It was like Toys R Us, except, like, that you felt like there was a dress code. Like. Like.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I love. I love Toys R Us. Rip.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No, but FAO Schwartz was a different. It was a different thing. Okay. You know, it was. One of my. Probably. My favorite toy was from FAO Schwartz, and it was like the cases that you would get. And I feel like this is a very 90s toy where it was like crayons, markers, like watercolors, all just in a pack in, like, a case. And I remember it just said FAO Schwartz all over it. And I was that. That I had forever.

[B]

I keep coming up with, like. Like. Like, dumb vibrations I had from FAO Schwartz. It was like, of course they would put their name on. On something like that.

[A]

Yes, of course.

[B]

It's like the Tiffany's Blue box. You'd be like, I went to FAO Schwartz. This is how much my parents love me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Lord.

[A]

Oh, my God. You know where. Another place where I liked getting toys, but they were more so. What's the word I'm looking for? Well, Sharper Image. Anything from Sharper Image. Do you remember Sharper Image?

[B]

Oh, I had. I had friends who worked at Sharper Image. We would. We would. We would loiter.

[A]

Oh, my God. They had the coolest shit.

[B]

They did.

[A]

Because it was always just, like, weird little gadgets that almost worked. That almost worked.

[B]

They came. So it was. It was Almost like ordering something from a back of the comic book where you're like, I wish it did what it claimed to.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it got so close.

[A]

So close. But I feel like I would, like, I would get the Sharper Image catalog that you would get for free in the mail, and I would sit and eat cereal and dog ear, the stuff

[B]

that I wanted that in the Sears Christmas catalog. There was just.

[A]

Oh, magic.

[B]

What? Just, just. Because I love letting the brain get weird here. Like, looking back, what did you get out of toys? And like, and do you, like, if you look at them now, like, what do you get out of them?

[A]

Like, God, what a weird. What an interesting.

[B]

And not just the ones that, like, you are personally attached to because it's like a character you played or like a, like a, or, you know, one of our things. But, like, that's a real.

[A]

I don't know how to answer that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I feel like I,

[B]

I know,

[A]

I don't know if it was just like having something new and fun that was exciting to have, but also I have things, toys that I liked better because of who gave them to me or.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

It was, it was. I, I, I am a very, I guess nostalgic. But I'm, I'm also a sentimental.

[B]

Sentimental.

[A]

I'm very sentimental, which is why I think I keep so much. Because I can't get rid of it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I was, I've been like that since I was a kid. So even if, like, someone would give me something really silly, like nothing on the set, that's one of those. But I would just keep it. Like, I would, I didn't really play with my toys.

[B]

No, it was, it was a. Yeah. I had an odd relationship. I, I, A lot of them went missing again because they would, they would either get given to siblings or they went into a storage unit that mysteriously vanished and I'd never gotten a straight answer about where it went. Still today, a mystery.

[A]

Were there toys that you wish you had?

[B]

Yes, like, there are ones that I wish I had again or, like, that I had back or ones that I never got. Yeah, there were both. There were a couple white whales. I'm now at the point, though, where I don't necessarily know if I need them or want them. I, There are a few that if I had, I would definitely be happy to just look at it on a shelf and, and be happy. I have like, a LEGO set or two on my shelf that are, you know, LEGO sets.

[A]

See those, there's some of those, those new LEGO sets that are like, you know, the. The Frank Lloyd Wright ones or like, some of those ones where I'm like, I kind of want those.

[B]

I mean, they're. They're nice. And I also. I'm really big into, like, the aftermarket lights, and so, like.

[A]

Yeah, you are.

[B]

Yeah. I'm gonna be lighting up. I have the Disney Castle, and I'm gonna be lighting it up, and I have five minutes of free time, which has not happened yet. It's been three years.

[A]

Good luck with that.

[B]

Thank you. I bought the light kit for it in 2020, and I have not gotten around to it yet.

[A]

Well.

[B]

And I, like. I'm big on book nooks and things like that, too. I love that.

[A]

I love a good book nook. Well, I feel like show and tell. I feel like we might have some toys.

[B]

Yeah. This is interesting because the crew, like, looked at our Sears catalog. Christmas.

[A]

Yeah. Because we had talked about our wonderful. Max and Will asked us, like, are there toys that we wish we had? And I was. I really was thinking on it, and I'm like. And I. I'm like, am I. Am I wanting. Picking these toys out? Because it's a nostalgic thing of, like, oh, some of them. I was like, I don't think I had these. But it just gives me such a good feeling, a good memory.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, it occurred to me that question of what you got out of them, like, a couple days ago. And I had a feeling. I can't even answer that question yet. But I'm hoping that maybe as we look at some of these things, I'm actually going to get a proper answer.

[A]

Oh, boy. Will has something here for you. Hi, Will.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

Whoa.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[A]

Whoa. It's so colorful.

[B]

Oh, boy. What is this? So this is. I'm trying to remember the technical name for these. It's a TV magazine, and this was a thing I was what? Yeah, it was. Oh, yes. Let me show it. I'm so sorry. So this is a magazine they've been publishing, or a couple different kinds of magazines that they publish, which are for little kids in Japan, and they're about whatever show happens to be on television that's very, very exciting today. And, of course, I couldn't read as a child any of it.

[A]

Could you ever?

[B]

No. Japanese is. I mean, like, I could read, like, the hiragana and katakana I got okay with. And then I just learned enough kanji to translate video game instructions.

[A]

Look at this little bear cub.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just so happy.

[B]

So happy. With a little Pokemon eater.

[A]

A Little Pokemon.

[B]

So the reason that I would buy these is because they are filled and sometimes they would get super complex with paper toys that you would assemble. So it's a little pull this out and build it. Yeah, like pull it out. Let's see what it is.

[A]

I'm too scared.

[B]

And so, like, every issue would come with like sometimes super complex things that had rubber bands and like crazy metal bits.

[A]

This is such a better magazine than stuff that we had. Oh, I like, I read Highlights for children. This is way better.

[B]

Highlights was for dentist's office. This is the real deal.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

Goofy.

[A]

Whoa. Who are these?

[B]

So. So I'm going to point out that, that I am not up on what's out in Japan. And I have not seen this magazine yet. But I will tell you that this is Kamen Rider, some new version of Kamen Rider, which is a show, which is basically a bug Power Ranger on a motorcycle with a cool belt.

[A]

Yeah, that belt is cool.

[B]

I can feel every Kamen Rider fan going, you're an idiot. But fair.

[A]

Look at that belt.

[B]

Yeah, that. See, that's a insect with a belt on a motorcycle.

[A]

I'd wear the shit out of that.

[B]

I had one.

[A]

You did.

[B]

It would light up and then you would have to do your pose and like, you'd vogue and get powers. Vogue, Vogue. And then transfer them into a motorcycle riding bug. So these are like foil trading cards that you get. I'm now old enough that like. And like, this is whatever Power Ranger is going on right now. Oh, there's new Transformer. There's also the best ads. These are Transformers I've never heard of. I don't even know if you can get them in the United States. I would feel like such a badass knowing, like, you know that like the. All of the kids at the performing arts school.

[A]

I wish I could read Japanese. It's so cool.

[B]

Yeah, the kids I did know were all actors too. It was one of those. But like, yeah, you, like, you. You take these out and then there are instructions. And apparently this one is how to build. It's a robot with like, with a jet. And the jet uses a rubber band to shoot out of the robot. So that is what you have here is a jet that shoots out of a robot. Yes, that is easy enough to assemble that. It's for a six year old in Japan, which is more like a ten year old here. Yes, but. And I think I probably remember just enough Japanese to follow the instructions.

[A]

Oh, I also like that the paper, like it's glossy paper. And then it goes into that, like into the.

[B]

We don't care paper.

[A]

Yeah, that we don't care paper.

[B]

Yeah. They treat comic books very disposably out there because they publish weekly. So they're like, it's phone book paper. No one cares. If you want the good stuff, you'll buy it later.

[A]

But just like, look at this graphic design.

[B]

Oh, that's future boy Conan.

[A]

How cool this looks.

[B]

Which it did. This is. This is Detective Conan, which is like a boy detective based off Sherlock Holmes. It's really Arthur Conan Doyle. I can't believe I still know what's in here.

[A]

I'm proud of.

[B]

Oh, and Laura Bailey, this is Shin Chan, who? Laura Bailey does the voice of our

[A]

good friend, beautiful and wonderful, gloriously talented friend Laura Bailey.

[B]

And that's a Zoid, if anyone remembers. Azoid, which were these little robotic animals that you put together with little rubber pins and they were wind up toys. Why do I still know all this?

[A]

It just stays there.

[B]

It's been 30 years since I've looked

[A]

at the world and there's some comics on it.

[B]

Yeah, this. I could not possibly know what comics are in here because I'm not familiar.

[A]

So what was this called again?

[B]

They all had different ones. It was something tv. This particular one was called, like TV Special. I think someone will look at it and write it and tell me, that is so cool. But yeah, it was. And sometimes it would be super thick if, like all the parts for the toy required like a box. They would rubber band it with a. And put it in plastic.

[A]

But like, I feel like the toys that you have asked for and sourced are gonna be so much cooler than mine. Because what I'm thinking about what I wrote down, this is a prime example.

[B]

Oh, bring it. I was like, yeah, this is. I'm gonna build this and show it off.

[A]

This is hilarious. That. That was yours and this is mine.

[B]

I mean, we were both.

[A]

I've always wanted one of these.

[B]

Oh, they're fun

[A]

pin art. Because I've always wanted to do it on my face.

[B]

I. It's worth it. Have you never done it on your face?

[A]

Never.

[B]

It feels really.

[A]

Oh, but you know what?

[B]

What?

[A]

These are like the tape. This is like the plastic version.

[B]

It still does it.

[A]

They're tame. Do they not make the metal ones anymore? Because they're like.

[B]

They probably do. They. They bend and the metal ones and I can't believe I know this, like, get bendy and snap. Like they. They get stuck.

[A]

Yeah. But they also kind of like hurt a little.

[B]

Just a little.

[A]

I'm gonna do my face.

[B]

We can get you a human pincushion. We can do. How do you feel? Don't. Yeah, keep it there. Let me see that. Your terrible visage.

[A]

Did it work?

[B]

Yeah. Very lawn. That's very Lawnmower Man. It's. It's a. You look like you're coming out of a.

[A]

You know, you would always do your hand. That was. Sorry. That was a. That was classic.

[B]

Classic. Yeah. And you would always try and, like, flip people off and then leave it in people's.

[A]

That feels so good.

[B]

This was very much a Sharper Image toy, by the way.

[A]

I'm telling you, I was a Sharper Image kid. Like, I was any kind of like. Well, this is not like a weird, technical toy.

[B]

No, but like, you were. This is a dumb piece of art that your parents would buy and then they would never touch and never touch. The kid would never stop playing with it.

[A]

How good that feels.

[B]

Oh, man. It's been so many years. It's already iffy. Oh, my God. I know.

[A]

That's.

[B]

This is so much better than slime. Hold on. This is. Oh, my God.

[A]

Doesn't it feel good? Is it good? It's really like the. The tactile. Like the. When they all fall on your face here. I'm trying to get really some.

[B]

Yeah. There. I'm unhappy.

[A]

That's cool.

[B]

Yeah. I wanted a real. A real feeling of unhappiness in my. My pin portrait.

[A]

My.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Listen. See, now I don't feel so bad about my. My picks for what I really wanted,

[B]

because this is sensory.

[A]

It's sensory. I'm big on sensory shit.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

I mean, that's. That's the thing that. I mean, I will say. And I should have brought it like the smell of a strawberry shortcake doll.

[A]

Yes. All of that, like, that stuff. And I've heard that your scent has

[B]

a strongest scents memory I'm really into. Yeah. Like, I am very big on scents. I collect them. And, I mean, I got a scent that's very close to the strawberry shortcake doll of, like, fake strawberry and plastic. It's 99% there.

[A]

You are big on scents.

[B]

I should be scent.

[A]

I am actually wearing a perfume that you purchased for me for Christmas. Oh, you're wearing the pumpkin pie.

[B]

I knew it. I knew it. I love that.

[A]

Love this. This feels so good. It just feels so good.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

God. Oh, you have something else.

[B]

I do.

[A]

What else do we have on the docket?

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

Okay, let me do half my Face.

[B]

This is straight up action figure. And I had these. Oh, wow. It is also. Okay, here we go.

[A]

You guys want to try it? Just feel it.

[B]

Let's pass it around.

[A]

Yeah, let's pass it around. You want to try a kiss?

[B]

Everyone listening at home. Everyone listening at home. If you find your own little pincushion either in a box or just a pincushion and press it. Don't press it again.

[A]

God, it's really satisfying.

[B]

Oh, my God. So this is a. Is a sectaris, of course. Warriors of Symbion.

[A]

Cool.

[B]

I really liked. I really liked action figures based off of cartoons that barely existed. Like, and I don't even. Like. I think they just made a direct to video. And this was. Why am I so insect bound right now? These were. These were insect fighters action figures. And this was the Royal Guard. The fun thing I loved about these, other than the fact that they look awesome, is that they would ride insects. Like. Like, they would have. Like, the vehicles were actual puppets of insects. Like, it was a tarantula puppet with a. With a. With a saddle. And then you put the action figure on the saddle and. And then like, a dragonfly and a tarantula. And then, of course, since they're toys, they'd make out, of course. Because that's what you do.

[A]

Because that's what they do.

[B]

Well, and then they're puppets, so it's even. They can get more complicated, more real into it, more dirty.

[A]

This is a. Like a Loki situation up here.

[B]

Yeah. So he is this. This action figure. Am I going to do the thing? This is a thing I would do to give my friends heart attacks.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I'm gonna do a thing that I've actually heard friends scream bloody murder.

[A]

Oh, you're gonna open it?

[B]

Yep. And not just open it, but open it with cruelty. Yeah.

[A]

You opened that with disdain.

[B]

I did. I had, like, friends would get me, like, limited edition Star wars figures. I'd be up, and then I'd hear them.

[A]

See, I was like, I have so many toys that I just never opened. So that actually felt really good to me.

[B]

Oh, yeah. No, you should, like.

[A]

Oh, he's got different hands.

[B]

Yeah, it was. It was very. And like, this poor, wonderful, chromed guy was very, like. And he's got, like, the weird little Loki helmet, and they're the size of, like, a Star wars figure with, like. And with, like, a little more articulation.

[A]

What is this supposed to be?

[B]

They bend. That's like a. That's a weird little nerf gun. I assume it shoots Pesticide. Because they're insects. I don't know.

[A]

You know, you do naturally. I haven't, like, played with toys like this in a while. Yeah, you do naturally go into that thing of, like.

[B]

Oh, yeah, you make. You make pew sounds and. Yeah.

[A]

And you know what? This is really.

[B]

Now I have to wear my glasses to see them.

[A]

The metallics.

[B]

It's really shiny. They all really had, like. I like that they were shiny. And I like.

[A]

Instead of a centaur, it's a sectar.

[B]

It's a sectaris. I think I never actually. I don't remember the cartoon that well.

[A]

Put him somewhere.

[B]

We are going to. I think we're going to. Oh, my God. Yeah.

[A]

Well, this. My grandpa gave me this, by the way, not to brag.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Are you bringing down your little beautiful. It's an automobile. It's a Mercedes Benz.

[A]

And the doors open.

[B]

Oh, they're gullwing doors. Like a. Like a. That's very fancy.

[A]

Opens. Yeah, this was. This was. My grandpa gave me this.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

Because he had a big collection of.

[B]

I'm definitely. I'm going to add the little extra hands onto this guy.

[A]

You are. Okay.

[B]

And he's got the little holes in the feet so you can stand him up.

[A]

See, like. Okay, we're gonna talk about this.

[B]

Are you gonna bring one? Okay. Okay.

[A]

Minis miniatures. Oh, mini. Mini towns. Oh, like, that is my favorite thing. So the fact that we're kind of, like, doing a little bit thing over here, like, this is, oh, so delightful. Wait, wait. Oh, no way. You did not get it. You did not.

[B]

What are you talking about? Okay, I'm not looking. I'm not looking because I'm over here with the little hands. My action figure.

[A]

I'm so happy right now. You have no idea. So I was big into Polly Pocket, but they did well.

[B]

Polly Pocket, give me a little bit of what?

[A]

Okay, so Polly Pocket was like, a little toy that was like a. Like, almost like a. Like a locket.

[B]

Like a. Okay.

[A]

Like a. Not a locket because it was big, but you would open it like a compact. Like a compact.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And it would have little toys in it. And I heard that they made one for Adam's family.

[B]

Oh, no. This is somewhere where I feel like we've both come together.

[A]

This is where we both come together.

[B]

I love tiny things as well, and I feel like it's a sense of control over my environment, which I know sounds odd.

[A]

No, that doesn't sound odd to me.

[B]

And I also always had very expensive taste in furniture, even When I was young, like nine. And it was just a way to own something. Nice in art deco is I could get a tiny 4 inch version of

[A]

a tiny version of it.

[B]

Tiny version of the spooky. Of the spooky catalogue.

[A]

It actually really makes a lot of sense to me that we both like the control thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I can control this little tiny environment and feel.

[B]

It's why I like the playsets. The more I think about it, you guys. Oh, my God. That is stunning.

[A]

This is.

[B]

This is.

[A]

This is so cool.

[B]

So there's a lot happening here. And oh, my God. I'm looking forward. We're gonna have to put it for everybody.

[A]

All right, so this is ironically going

[B]

to be hard because it's so tiny.

[A]

And if you're listening, I'm going to put my. I'm going to talk all about this. This is. There we are an Addams Family Polly Pocket.

[B]

So it is. Oh, my God. This is really pretty.

[A]

This is so cool.

[B]

It is a compact and there are tiny little cute. They look almost like evil doll versions of the Addams family that are about three quarters of an inch tall. Look at this. And there's like one, like the top side is like a dollhouse flat. Dollhouse, two story mansion. And then there's the grounds. And that's like a cemetery.

[A]

Get Morticia. Yeah, there's a little cemetery. Oh, my God. Does the coffin open?

[B]

The coffin has to open. Yes, the coffin opens.

[A]

Let's go to sleep in there.

[B]

Here, let's put it. Yeah, we're gonna have to display this in a cemetery. Oh, my God. So how are you just staying there?

[A]

Taking a little nap in there?

[B]

I mean, inevitably.

[A]

This is. You guys have just made my dreams.

[B]

This is amazing.

[A]

Oh, and then look at this. There's a little hidden door.

[B]

Oh, thank God. They have a hidden door behind a bookcase. And the bookcase itself is about an inch and a half tall. I can't. I can't. You're gonna put Gomez behind the bookcase? That's fair.

[A]

This is so cool. How cool is this?

[B]

Here we have to.

[A]

But then look at the front of it. They added a hologram. See, this is like a modern Polly Pocket.

[B]

Oh, it's. Yeah. It's got like a crazy lenticular thing.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

That turns into skeletons. Oh, my.

[A]

Oh, my God. Are you kidding me with this? This is so cool.

[B]

I didn't know that this existed.

[A]

Okay, wait, when did this come out? I need to know when this came out. Okay, this was actually 2019, so I think Polly Pocket Had a bit of a resurgence, I'm gonna say maybe, because,

[B]

you know, I think it might be the control issue, the thing. Like, I'm really.

[A]

I really think you landed on something with that.

[B]

Yeah. Because I'm feeling it right now. I'm like. I'm looking at this, and I'm feeling like everything's gonna be okay. And I don't think. Cause it's just a.

[A]

Like, I don't either. I really enjoy it.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[A]

This is just like, oh, no. I want to live in here.

[B]

Oh, we'll get into that in a second.

[A]

Let's get into it. I'm gonna. I'm gonna put this up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know where Gomez went.

[B]

Like, the action. The action figure. The more I think about it, the more I'm feeling like it's. It's like a comic book thing where I'm just sort of like. I can. Like, I'm looking at that action figure, and I'm thinking, like, I can definitely feel myself identifying with it in an interesting, fantastical way.

[A]

Like, do you feel like it's pulling you back to when you were a kid and having memories again?

[B]

I feel like it makes me want to be a insect. Night. I don't know. I want that outfit, and I feel like that outfit comes with some level of power.

[A]

So doing this is, like, bringing back. You're feeling. You're feeling like your imagination is starting again.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, very much like. This is interesting. I was hoping that this would inspire some feelings, because I don't buy a lot of toys anymore.

[A]

You don't have feelings?

[B]

Because I don't have feelings anymore. Honestly. It's actually more just room and. Yeah.

[A]

Space.

[B]

I only buy toys based off things I work on. Is. My rule is I will buy a toy if I did the voice in a cartoon or something like that.

[A]

That's a good rule.

[B]

It keeps it low key.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But, yeah, there's something. There is something weirdly connective to it. The more I think about it, the more it's sending me somewhere else. Kind of like reading a good book.

[A]

There's a little note with this.

[B]

There's a note on this. Okay. We're gonna get into a very weird thing that I was very. This is something I owned. I owned one of these years ago. This was like, I bought one of these. Right. Or I was given it right after I quit acting or a little bit after. There is a photograph. Oh, my God. This is amazing. This photograph. So this is a Japanese toy.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

There is two little, beautiful Paper. Paper cranes. This is a present for you. Happy face. The Japanese kanji for crane called happiness and long life. Thank you. From Mitt. Two little paper cranes and a wonderful picture which I don't know if I can show. I would love of the man who sold this to me in a, like, sitting in a. In a come out. I'm like, just this really delightful. I feel even better about this that this got purchased because these are old. And so this is. This is called. This is from another kind of magazine thing from Japan called Gakken. And it was a series of science toys for kids. And they would make crazy ones. There was one that was a wax cylinder player that you would build, except instead of a wax cylinder, it would use plastic cups like. Like, like party cups. And you could record by scratching into the party cup if you like, blasted music at it. And it was. I mean, it worked okay.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And this one's amazing. This one is a. Is a. An automata. Like, they actually made little humanoid mechanized dolls that did things.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Based off of a real historical one. And it's a little historical Japanese doll that.

[A]

Get that baby out of there.

[B]

It serves tea.

[A]

It does.

[B]

Yeah. This automatic doll is restored according to the Karakurizui and is. Yeah. This is a whole thing. And do you need this to stab? I do need that. I need to stab something.

[A]

I love this.

[B]

I loved feeling, especially once my hands started to go. The sense of accomplishment over building something is like. Because I used to do model kits and then my hands went and I had to stop. Like, I even built models professionally for a little while. Sort of. That's a story for another time.

[A]

Whoa. But this is like a whole thing that you build.

[B]

So it's a kit. I know. I got a lot of kits, which is weird to show off, but it is. I'm gonna find the head of the doll.

[A]

This was actually. Oh, my God. How fun this would be to build.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I'm gonna have to build it and show it off. You can still find these online every now and every now and then. They're cheap. But look at the little clothes. It's a. The doll, when you build, it has a little cup of tea. And it's a wind up toy that goes over with the cup of tea. And then when you take the cup of tea, it leaves.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

It is. And I have always been fascinated by old robots. Old, like automata. Any attempt to make a robot from, like the 19th century.

[A]

But this is so beautifully made.

[B]

Yeah. Well, I mean, like, and they had one that was an archery one that I had where it was a little robot that would actually pull back and fire an arrow and then pick up another arrow and fire it. And it would do, like five in a row.

[A]

Oh, my God. I can't wait to build this and put this up. Yeah. This is bigger than I thought it was gonna be.

[B]

This Karakuri doll can be said to be one of the original forms of modern robot. Karakuri means the mechanism that drives a machine. The only existing illustrated manual written in the Edo period. It approaches a guest holding a cup of tea in its hands and clears away the teacup when it becomes empty. This is going to be delightful. And I'm going to build this. I'm going to be forced to build it because this is content. And we will build it and show off this. I'm gonna have to put it on the set.

[A]

That is so cool.

[B]

And it's also a doll, so you get to dress it up with these. Phenomenal. I'm so excited.

[A]

Amazing.

[B]

This is gonna be delightful.

[A]

Oh, my God. I can't wait to see this built.

[B]

I know. I was really into building little things.

[A]

This is. Oh, no way.

[B]

I wanted one of these so bad. Okay.

[A]

This feels really. This really feels like Christmas.

[B]

We've gone from robots onto a glow worm. Onto glow worm.

[A]

I've always wanted a glow worm. I don't care.

[B]

At this point, I would be surprised if it wasn't used. So the question is, does it have batteries?

[A]

Where do you put the batteries? There's usually a little so weird looking inside.

[B]

I try not to think about opens.

[A]

And then the head is. Is hollow.

[B]

Yeah. Where the. The gut should be, there's.

[A]

Hide your dregs.

[B]

Is that what a glowworm. That's why they call it a glowworm.

[A]

Hey.

[B]

Oh, I want to see. I want to see if there's batteries in here. If we can like.

[A]

I'm gonna find the battery. So great. I love the difference between the toys that we both asked for.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, I've got some stuff that also. That I put on my list that's veers into this direction. I think that they were because. Because I also love, like, these little things, but I think that. I think they went for contrast. And I appreciate that. I love it because I get to live some of my weird.

[A]

But I was big into. I was big into kits as a kid, too. But those science kits of, like, crystals and growing, you know, I get them explosions.

[B]

I actually have some crystals I grew on the set right now, which is the ones surrounding the bird skull.

[A]

No way.

[B]

Yeah, that was. I was. I saw people doing that and was like, I can grow crystals on bird skulls. And sure enough, I was right.

[A]

This is just. I.

[B]

What is this doing for me right now? What is this doing for you right now?

[A]

I mean, it's a. It's a shape.

[B]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna do a thing.

[A]

Let him. Oh, yeah, there you go. There's your little glow worm. See, the thing is, it's bright in here.

[B]

And I'm also using an iPhone to try and make the. So these things were famous because they would have, like, a light up at night. It was your own little.

[A]

It would light up at night. And I remember it was just this really gentle glow, a nice yellow light. Just like, be a little nightlight for you. Were you ever afraid of the dark?

[B]

Oh. Oh, my God. I was such a phobic child.

[A]

You feel like you still are.

[B]

No, I got over that after some intense mental issues. I was afraid of a lot. I was agoraphobic. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid of deep water. I mean, I was afraid of, like, going into the bath. I was very phobic. I got over a lot of it.

[A]

Little talisman.

[B]

I had damage, man. Yeah, yeah. I got over. They tried to get me to not be afraid of the dark, and it took becoming a teenager to. I. I fainted on Pirates of the Caribbean as a child. I got so scared. I literally. They had to carry me out one of the emergency exits before the ride was over.

[A]

No way. Oh, you poor little thing.

[B]

I fainted on Pirates of the Caribbean

[A]

because you were so scared.

[B]

The two drops started it off. And then once there was a pirate on a pirate ship. That was the end of it. You were done, and I was out like a light.

[A]

Oh, my God. This is so funny to know about you because of how much you love Disneyland.

[B]

I do.

[A]

And how much you love those.

[B]

Despite. Despite. Disneyland hurt me. And I still love it.

[A]

You powered through.

[B]

I did. It took a while. I couldn't do roller coasters at all. I was really. I was not. Not a child who felt safe ever. I got. I got over it. Yeah, Pretty hard. Other than a few. I mean, again, there will be other episodes for. For that level of mental.

[A]

We have a. We have. We have an episode in particular that I'm very excited. Well, a couple, actually, that I'm excited to talk about some things.

[B]

The more I.

[A]

Look, we're going to get a little deep.

[B]

We are. I mean, even Right.

[A]

Starting with. We're starting easy with you all.

[B]

I feel like a lot of control issues here with toys.

[A]

Oh, you think?

[B]

I mean, I do think you and

[A]

I may have some control issues around this.

[B]

I wonder if this is everybody. I mean, like. I mean, like, I'm looking at the. Like, sometimes it's art. Like, when I'm older now, I look at it, and it's beautiful, like an action figure or something. Or the statues from Sideshow that I get or because. Or they represent a comic book character that I really identify with. But, like, this. Everything in here feels like control to me, like comfort.

[A]

I feel like you. You touched on something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This was an interesting experiment for us.

[B]

Yeah. I've never. This is something. I mean, not that my house can take more things, but this is. This definitely. This is stirring something inside where.

[A]

Me too.

[B]

Yeah. This is. This is lightening my agoraphobia just a little bit.

[A]

This is not lightening mine. That's fair, because I'm an enraging agoraphobe, but, you know, listen. Hey, this is unlocking something.

[B]

There's no way to be snuck up on in a Polly pocket brooch. There's just, like, the house in the back. It doesn't go anywhere.

[A]

This is a prime spot.

[B]

I love the little mandating clamp.

[A]

I love it.

[B]

Yeah. I'm also really curious if I can build one of these with my shaky hands at this point.

[A]

We can do it, and I'll help you.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, that would be amazing.

[A]

We'll do it.

[B]

Yeah, let's. Let's watch some stupid movies and build a model.

[A]

Let's watch 2010 and build a model.

[B]

I'm down. We'll pick one of yours, too.

[A]

All right.

[B]

I want to see child you performing like a train seal.

[A]

All right.

[B]

And you get to watch me perform like a train seal.

[A]

Listen, I feel like we learned so much today. We did, and it was so enjoyable and fun for us. What is that?

[B]

Do you have another toy?

[A]

Do we have mail?

[B]

Is that.

[A]

Oh, we have mail today. Who did we get mail from?

[B]

I am delighted by this. Strange. There's a llama on that. On that mail train. Oh, he has his own stamp.

[A]

O, M, f, G. I didn't know

[B]

you could have a stamp if you were still alive.

[A]

Dave Huey has a stamp.

[B]

Maybe he's possibly from Dave Heat Wave. Okay, I'm excited. That's how you rip. You rip.

[A]

Oh, my God. We have a theme song. All right. We're gonna play that. And it looks like there's a letter in Here. Oh, my God. Look at this. All right, I'm dying. We have a letter.

[B]

What handwriting.

[A]

Should I read it?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Ahoy, Ashley and Taliesin. My, what an exciting pursuit you've requested of me. I must say, I am flattered and delighted to take on the task. In fact, your timing is impeccable. I've just returned from a galactic romp through space and time, and let me tell ya, these weirdos, oddballs, and outsiders you speak of are my people. Their energy resonates with mine, and it would be an absolute pleasure to compose an anthem to honor every weird kid near and far. Here. Let me see what I can cook up in the Sonic kitchen. Oh, I hear it. Okay, great. I just recorded a catchy little jungle for you or jingle.

[B]

Not a jingle. Probably a jingle. Yeah, probably.

[A]

Go ahead and insert this cassette tape into your boombox and let this anthem inspire you to stay cosmic, stay proud, and stay weird. Power up, Dave Heatwave.

[B]

I haven't gotten a mixtape since I was in high school.

[A]

We got a mixtape.

[B]

This is so neat.

[A]

Okay, we have a tape player.

[B]

This is how we showed love when I was young.

[A]

This feels like Christmas.

[B]

This is so exciting. Do we have a.

[A]

Do we have a tape player?

[B]

I was like, I know we have a CD player. CD Walkman. I didn't know. Oh, wow. Okay. Okay. You do the honors because you're the president of the fan club.

[A]

I'm your number one fan. Dave Heat. Wave.

[B]

I'm like, top 12.

[A]

Are we ready for this?

[B]

I might be higher soon. Yeah, let's. Let's do this.

[A]

Is this how we go out?

[B]

I think it is. Let's go out with a. With a. Since we don't like. Yeah, let's go out with this.

[A]

All right. Ready?

[B]

Yeah, I'm into this.

[A]

Yeah, I like it.

[B]

Yeah, no, this is good. Under the 80s.

[A]

Make sure we get better service.

[B]

Oh, that's fair.

[A]

Yeah, man. Weird Kids is filmed in front of a live studio audience. That live studio audience is the producers of the show, Maxwell James and Will Lamborn.

[B]

Athena Ross, technical director. Our talented camera and lighting team of Mike Schmidt, Eric Thompson, and Nate Corey Smith.

[A]

Parker Smith, associate producer and winner of best Weird kid employee, Chris Wilmot.

[B]

Audio and sound engineering.

[A]

Opening credit sequence by Max Shapiro.

[B]

Weird Kids theme song by Dave Heatwave, Production designer Knox Wyler Burf set decoration by Monica Siegel.

[A]

Editing by Will Lamborn.

[B]

Creative director, Marisha Ray.

[A]

Quality control technician, Kathryn Zimmerman, Head of production, Vinny Singh, Production coordinator, Jeremiah Rivas

[B]

and a cast of thousands.

[A]

Thank you so much for watching and or listening from the bottom bottom of our reptilian hearts. Come hang with us and sit at our table anytime.

[B]

Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing. You think racing's tough? Try getting your friends to agree on dinner plans. I'm in. Wait, maybe what time again? While they figure that out, I rev up Chumba Casino. Play on your browser. No downloads necessary. No need to negotiate. Why wait on them when you can spin for yourself? Play [e-mail] let's Jumba. No purchase necessary. VGW Group Void where prohibited by law. CTNC's 21+ sponsored by Jumpa Casino.