AND....ACTION!: From the time I started “collecting” toys with Ninja Turtles, articulation is one of those things I was always aware of but didn’t have a strong opinion on in most cases. From the simple arm turns to a neck twist, that was plenty. Eventually things evolved, and Marvel Legends gave us more articulation than we could have dreamed of. Even for someone who didn’t care much about articulation, I was impressed with a Spider-Man figure I could actually position in comic-accurate poses. But I bought that to take out, pose and display, not for collecting purposes.
THIS IS NOT A TOY: Which brings us to now, in the field of designer toys. In a recent article on artwhorecult.com, writer Josh Griffiths states, “if a separate art toy is art, but fails to have any playability – well. Then it is no longer a toy at all. It is art. It is design. It is really a sculpture. It isn’t a toy.” While that is a great definition for helping to categorize what to review and what not to, I completely disagree. I think an art toy is an art toy if people believe it is. That’s the very nature of art, so why would it stop at toys? Similarly, if someone makes a sculpture from existing working toys, but in so doing they lose their functionality, I believe that too would be an art toy. Art, made of toys, or art made to resemble toys. Like a subgenre of art, playability not required.
So, back to articulation. For me as a fan, if a design is great, I don’t care if it has articulation or not. So when I see bootleg toys with magnetic articulation or classic articulation, I look at it as a novelty that isn’t required. But as a designer, I’m designing my own designer toy, and I wonder if I add articulation, will it appeal to a larger audience? Will I turn off a significant number of potential buyers because it’s just a statue, or should I just hope the design stands well enough on its own? Adding articulation might not be difficult, perhaps an interchanging tail, or feet attached magnetically as poseability. Maybe these things will sell my toy better. Or maybe I just stick with my gut and keep it as is, with no articulation, and hope for the best.
How do you feel about articulation? Does it make or break your decision to buy something? Either way, articulated or not, I’m Jim Ford reminding you to get with the prog. Prog is short for program.