WE TAKE OUR FUN SERIOUSLY!: So, you've all heard the tall tales about the "struggle" (as applied to both this and that) but what is it all mean? As I sit here and write this while listening to old remixes of Yoko Ono dancetracks there seems to be some type of disconnect in this word "community" these days. A hiccup? I bring up community when talking about this mythically universal toy collector community. Why? Because on paper, or I guess social media, one would think that we were one big happy family exchanging smiles, ideas, and ultimately these things that we collect. But I ask, are all of these shared resources really going to and fro? How do we do it...write about toys on a regular and unpaid basis?
Which brings me to sustainability. It's a great concept in theory, but in practice there are far more holes than solid working examples. When compared to recycling in general there's probably as much dysfunctionality to what goes where. Now, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer because there's always light at the end of the tunnel, however dim or bright. There's still light. And everything needs light to grow, right? To sustain is to grow and mature over time with support from some type of outside source(s), and in the case of sustaining, say, a DIY 'zine dedicated to independent toys, it should be so simple when so many people are collecting, right? Not. It's pretty tough! Let me give you some examples.
GROWING PAINS: To this end, before we built this website and went online we first fully realized that what we were doing was for an audience with an acquired taste, so there. We thought to, as such, offer a donate button (via PayPal) for starters. It seemed to make sense, and we figured that people would possibly donate from time to time as they saw fit (oh, it's still there, right at the top o' the page). Well in nearly 3 years we have have not had a single donation of a hundred bucks, not five dollars, not .50 cents, nada. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact to make a point about how one grows a sustainable model for such things. Once Go Figure News was greenlighted and live one of the first things that became important to us was how to make news, reviews, and other exciting content (penmanship and moving pictures) available on a daily basis with both feedback from our audience in some type of support structure, as well as keeping advertising to a minimum. We are not fond of the whole dynamic though I've worked in busy newsrooms, clipping articles, ads and writing copy for a former senior editor for the NY Times. We even explored an e-commerce site all of last year, howver, though it cost us much more to host it, we literally sold three items over the entire duration, so it's gone ba-bye. We even tried selling our domain to a larger geek (.com) and after some back and forth it was just not us, and would not have served our audience. So, don't blame us for trying (something new). ;)
A year or so passed and we dabbled in a few affiliate programs with Entertainment Earth and Amazon to some small degree of success, and a few other online sellers like Big Bad Toy Store and Toy Wars to a lesser response, and then to smaller brick-and-mortar's -- but because our content was specifically targeting the independent toy market there was very little ROI. After more time elapsed we took a new route - realizing that there were some ways of adding a small bit of advertising in order to obtain toy product samples to review for our readers. This has helped in some ways to supplement the 50-50 balance of pieces that we purchase to review and unbox for our audience. It seems there is a solid need for a "consumer report" type voice no matter what strata of toy-scape out there. We hope to still bring this in part. But that brings up a whole other question: if we purchase something just to review it, are we only looking at things from a 'vanity' perspective, objet d'art that we want to keep in our collection -- or could this approach sway our critical judgment only towards the positive? I say that's probably half true, half the time (think quarter scale here, people!). On the other side, if we ask for product samples, does a toymaker or artist expect a sterling review? Well, we are unafraid to call out merde, even at the risk of losing free stuff in the future. Ya kinda have to be smart about such relationships, ya know? And this is the crux of keeping a sustainable model of toy flow, and it gets sticky for some. But we tried to keep a true mix of unbiased-ness, even when based on what we love, what we have grown to expect, true slip-ups, fumbles and outright fugliness.
WHAT HE SAY? Of course, when one asks for toy samples you have to keep in mind things like quantity, rapport with the artist or toymaker, and a myriad of other factors. You can't expect an artist who has produced a limited edition of five to ten of something or other to give you one for free. That's just silly. Even if our review may help said artist to sell out their lot, the creatives in the world make their own sacrifices, and as an artist myself, I know very well the aforementioned "struggle". Still, there's a balance, a give-and-take. Believe me, in terms of asking, I've had eleven "no"s to every dozen inquiries. James Brown's "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" comes to mind. And even with that soulful ditty replaying with all its pop and hiss, over and over, there's always going to be one of those comic needle scratching sounds that is destined to suddenly startle the peace, and boggle the mind. Perhaps this is not the right approach? That said we've been fortunate to meet and/or work with several generous makers, distributors and shops who have taken to our model over these years, and we acknowledge them at every turn. Big shout outs to friends at: DKE Toys, Tenacious Toys, Munky King, Disburst, Mezco Toyz, Winson Creative, Kidrobot, NECA, Mighty Jaxx, Diamond Select Toys, and a few handfulls of artists out there (sometimes from the opposite side of the world), you know who you are. They get it!
It is most moving when, for instance, an artist has produced 50 or less of something they are quite proud of and they approach me for my opinion via video review. And we support, and understand when some smaller toy companies can't afford to send a toy for review. But if someone is making 200 vinyls (or more) and completely ignore belated and time-released requests, a limbo is created. We'd much rather share our love and expertise in a hands-on review with interested hi-end collectors of work made with soul than further any one-way relationships with toymakers who sit back and exploit artists while collecting a paycheck - while producing corporate landfill. We don't have time for that, and neither should you. Sustainability is also about intellectual property that is original - even that which pokes fun at big time licenses. We celebrate that spirit regularly.
BLIND BOXES ARE ONE THING....: We just cannot continue to tout and preview every last offering (hey, there are toys popping up daily) and not have any form of reciprocal basis whatsoever. There are always very real extenuating circumstances, and we get it. We all know that issues like shipping which has grown astronomically in the past couple years creates a block for some. That said, if we are very regularly writing about a maker who refuses to send us something to review, how can we truly vouch for its quality? Via glam-shots only? It doesn't work that way. Sustainability is about relationships. It is also realizing that your content has to be relatable and balanced in real time, and one of the only ways to be a critical observer is to present experienced physical reviews. So we continue to face sustainability with an open mind and forward thinking approach. And with a bit of a poker face.
Over the course of this last trio of years Go Figure News has developed and adapted it's model to its audience. Now more than ever, with the readers in 160 countries and nearly 5000 followers on Facebook, we must be doing "something" right, yes? When we started I had a small administrative team who helped cheerlead us on social media and among the creative community at-large. Then I slowly grew our contributing 'GO-Team' to 30 people at its high point thus far, everyone doing so pro bono. That right there says something about the potential and passion of community. In the process I've brought in a few different people in the community to act in an editorial role, and have been delighted by their short-term dedication, and appreciate that GOFN can act as a collateral conduit for next steps in their careers. Right now I have a happy half-dozen newbies that are hitting the ground running, diverse voices which I hope will entertain and inform you. And we always welcome more to the mix. I'm truly honored to have worked with some folks who are getting their feet wet during a difficult time in our economy. Since this is pretty much my day job, and after assessing my taxes for 2016, I'm still below poverty level. I wonder about the basic things like food, rent, pet care, relocation expenses, not to mention buying and selling toys to evolve my personal collection. Yet I write this not as a pity party but as an awakening.
COLLEAGUES, ALL: Please know also that we are committed to sustaining our current model in development. We've done some research, as well as we continue to reach out to fellow journalists, networks, sellers, blogs, writers and creative movers and shakers in the community -- for feedback and shared resources. We've connected with Spanky Stokes, Toy Geeks, Urban Vinyl Daily, For The Masses, among others. To date we have not set in place any solid collaboration or shift, but we've planted some seeds, started conversations, relationships, and believe that combining forces with other like-minded entities will make our toy messaging reach an even larger community. We never work in a vacuum and continuously strive to improve on what we do even when the going gets tough (like at present).
What does this all say about the power of or desire to honor journalism in general? Hey, we are not fighting poverty, we are not on the front lines on the Dakota pipeline, but we are most certainly not "fake news" (sorry, I just had to go there). But we also really want to continue with the openness of free press, extending that to the idea that being a subscription-based service would be both ridiculous and cut our readership down to a bare minimum. We like being black and white and read all over, wink.
THE TOY WHISPERER EMERGES: Sustainability does not equal cash. It goes back (and forth) to the core of community as mentioned earlier. Our basic mission is to offer a place where collectors and creatives meet in the middle. What does that mean for us from here? Will we last as an entity? Do we have to become more commercial to be viable? Do we have to produce more, or less, content? Our resources are minimal, and personally I have done this mostly alone. Perhaps we should consider becoming a non-profit, or re-explore crowdfunding, something like Patreon or a Kickstarter campaign (?) -- know that we have mulled this and others in the past, but we look to you, our community, and ask for your opinion. In this, the larger ongoing conversation, is where I believe true sustainability lies. Of course, in turn, this begs a larger question about consumerism in general, and if it is divisive in some way. Or, is it the "art" of making toys at the center of it all, uniting our collective spirit. Just food for thought, and a whole lot more to come......