My Life As... Vending Machine & Karaoke Machine

I might be in dangerous waters. Today while I was wandering around Wal-Mart, contemplating if I should get the new Harry Potter 12 inch fashion dolls that aren’t Barbie, but it’s Mattel so it’s totally Barbie, I saw the pallet of new stock boxes and looked through it. There’s some talking plush toy called “Fake News” which I’m super worried is a plush Donald Trump... but also: My Life As Vending Machine.

As far as I know, My Life As is Wal-Marts discount version of American Girls. But whereas I completely ignored American Girls, the complex and mundane accessories they put out for My Life As always intrigued me. Like their Washer & Dryer set that actually tumbled clothes. Or their fully functional water fountain. And since I love me some toy vending machines, I asked a store associate if I could get this.... also the box labeled Karaoke Machine...

I haven’t opened it, but by trying out the electronics and looking at the box description, this is a fully functioning vending machine. You have to put in the right amount of toy coins and it will bend your desired product that you stock the machine with. So holy crap, that’s some great role playing potential right there! You know you’ve always sorta wanted to stock a vending machine to see what it was like. Maybe put the wrong can in the wrong spot and watch the hijinks. Pretty good value for $30.

Oh, and the karaoke machine... oh god. It connects to any Bluetooth device and the microphone really works, which means this isn’t a toy karaoke machine, it’s and actual karaoke machine that they just made in miniature. 

I think I love these. And since these are coming out a bunch of the other accessories are on clearance! I might go all in on this line... for my niece... when she gets old enough... She can come over and play with them... I should buy her one of the dolls. I wonder if they come in Asian.

Vending Machine

So it looks like MiWorld has expanded their playset line to include a Mrs. Fields store, a Sketcher's store, and a karaoke studio. But even more exciting, they've released some stand alone accessories: a photo booth and a vending machine.

A vending machine in scale with 5 and 6 inch figures? Sign me up!

The machine has some interesting play features. The middle column of bottles can actually be dispensed, but only if you use the provides bottles. There's a card reader and fake credit card that simulates the act of paying by card, and the machine opens up so you can put whatever you want in there. So, you know, if you want it to sell batarangs...

Phoenix capsule toys

Phoenix is the masterwork of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astroboy among other manga. It's an anthology series, with each volume following different characters as they either hunt (for immortality) or are influenced by the legendary Phoenix. stories range from mideival Japan, the far future, to an f-ed up story about a man who goes insane because he's forced to be immortal and live through a nuclear apocalypse and the billions of years until new humans evolve and appear on the earth. The loneliness is too much for him but he can do nothing but exist and wait.

Nobody does metaphysical torture fiction like the post-war Japanese.

So anyway I found some capsule toys of the series, although at the time I had no idea what they were. I just knew I was in a Japanese grocery store and my impulse buy compulsion made me want to get something from their toy section. Fortunately I found a toy with a space squid/octopus thing so I picked it up. It comes with a two headed woman/man. And the picture on the box shows them holding hands.

I took them home, did some research and I still have no idea what chapter these characters are from, who they are, or what the heck is going on. I just like the visual of space cephalopod. 

Dinosaur Skeleton

I feel like most boys either wanted to be a paleontologist or astronaut when they were growing up. I was totally in the former class.

Saw this in a gumball machine at Toys R Us for fifty cents. I wanted a T-Rex but got a... I want to say Styracosaurus. My dinosaur knowledge is not as good as it was when I was seven. Back when I had the Dinosaur Dictionary and wanted to be a paleontologist. 

It's still pretty neat.

Emo Joe

This little guy is from the bubble gum machine line: Urbanzees.  His name is Emo Joe, because he's got a broken heart and badly styled, disheveled on purpose, black hair. He comes in multiple colors, but I got green.

And I got him because he was 25 cents, and I thought that would be an okay deal for a random piece of cheap and tiny, mass produced, vinyl art.

Glow In The Dark Mini Aliens Capsule Toy

Every now and then I get these things because they're a quarter, but I gotta say. Glow-in-the-Dark alien dude isn't as cool as the monkey figures.

Due to the lack of paint for the glow-in-the-dark feature, details are hard to determine. I didn't even realize the little guy was wearing a baseball jersey or holding a bat until... about a minute ago when I looked at the close-up photo I just took for this blog entry.

He's a baseball playing alien. Sure. Kinda dull. I think there was an X-files episode about that, except the alien wasy playing in the Negro Leagues, so it was a hell of a lot more interesting than this.

It's a sad day when a 25 cent Alien toy from a gumball machine disappoints. Even the glowing from the glow-in-the-dark is dull and barely glowing.

Monkeyin' Around Figure

Because it was 25 cents. I got it out of a gumball machine because I was curious what I would get and I really like my other Monkeyin' Around figure.

Incidentally, I found a website where you can buy these toys in bulk. It's fun to browse through, but I don't see anything I'd be willing to pay $20+ shipping to get over a gross of them.