It just so happens that this morning while perusing the toy– verse I came across a prototype for the next Coin Rides Game (S.troop: #5) by fools paradise. The odd thing to me was that Peaches' song "Dumb F*ck" was playing in the background and suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. I always thought there was something slightly "different" about these toys, but couldn't put it into words until this moment. Their veneer is so amazing that I likely overlooked the obvious. Now, mind you, there are umpteen examples of toys on the market, whether targeted at adults are not, that depict women in ways that are subliminal to blatant. And while these art toys, crafted to perfection, are a certain eyeful, they are not resistant to a second-look observation. These mash ups of Star Wars and arcade games are of course rather harmless. In fact they do play on the kid in all of us. It's this sub themes that made me do a double take today, and as I explained, it was environmental (while listening to that song). There is nothing overtly sexual about this work, but subliminally I cannot separate it now from the sensory experience.
No questioning the mastery of handmade independent toys here whatsoever. The figure is most definitely female, hands she is masked, anonymous, and scantily clad. Her breasts are pert, her body lithe, and she is clearly mounting something. It's "not a toy". ;) Virtual reality aside, the whole aspect of mechanizing and/or fetichizing females, given the larger public debate these days, floats to the top. In their other toy figures the male characters are the 'player' of the game. Of course, the opposite can be extruded, one could easily see this toy as celebrating the strength of women domineering over the comic universe. There's this delicate balance, this struggle between the body politic and power/submission. Personally I find this piece, and those previous, whimsical and light - hence their popularity. Well the record just came to its end (Peaches' that is). No topic regarding independent toys is off the table for GOFN. But I always believe there are two sides to every coin, game or otherwise.
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