For over a year we’ve been wondering what the next project from the gang at Warpo Toys might be. After a highly successful Kickstarter campaign for their retro styled “Legend of Cthulhu” action figure line (a line that the team delivered to backers ON TIME) and then WOWed fans with their 12″ Cthulhu action figure, speculation has run rampant on what might be next. Today we learn that answer, and while it’s not what most people will expect it’s every bit as RETRO-AWESOME as you have come to expect from team Warpo!
This time the team lands smack dab in the middle of 1986 with “DON’T CUDDLE THE KRAMPUS!” This project merges 80’s nostalgia with plush and ALL the 80’s “gross out” properties that you loved such as: Madballs, Boglins, My Pet Monster and Garbage Pail Kids! And just like their last Kickstarter campaign the peripheral “add-ons” are every bit as amazing as the product itself! This time they are doing a freakin’ read-along book with a cassette tape!!!
I had the opportunity this week to sit down with Warpo Toys president Bryan Katzel and did an hour long interview talking about the history of Warpo and the behind the scenes planing and launch of “DON’T CUDDLE THE KRAMPUS!” Also we are proud to bring you an exclusive FIRST LOOK at the Krampus control art by illustrator and 80’s toy designer Jim Groman!
The Kickstarter goes live today at 8am Central Time. While you wait check out the press release and just below that check out the audio file of my interview with Warpo president Bryan Katzel!
DON’T CUDDLE THE KRAMPUS! WARPO LAUNCHES NEW RETRO TOY LINE FEATURING LEGENDARY CHRISTMAS MONSTER
Just in Time for the Holidays, the Creators of the Legends of Cthulhu Action Figures Unveil Don’t Cuddle the Krampus with Kickstarter and 1980s-style Commercial
CHICAGO, IL (November 10, 2015): Warpo, the indie toy company that set the bar in the development of new retro toys with last year’s launch of Legends of Cthulhu, is thrilled to unveil today Don’t Cuddle the Krampus, the first retro collectible toy line based on Santa’s wicked counterpart, and reimagined as an iconic plush monster toy of 1986. Don’t Cuddle the Krampus debuts today with a Kickstarter campaign, chock full of 1980s-style add-on accessories and a new retro commercial.
Don’t Cuddle the Krampus is a large plush toy of the famous Bavarian Christmas monster, standing at 18.5” tall, and comes complete with three Naughty Kids pillows to collect and carry in his Naughty Kid bag, and removable molded manacles with chains.
With Legends of Cthulhu, Warpo took toy collectors back to the 1970s through their Method Manufacturing, using legendary toy artists who created the much-beloved iconic figures of the day. For Don’t Cuddle the Krampus, Warpo transports fans to the 1980s, to the halcyon days of monsters and gross-outs, which produced such treasures as Boglins, Madballs, and Garbage Pail Kids. Keeping with the Method Manufacturing processes, Warpo enlisted illustrator Jim Groman of Madballs and Barnyard Heroes fame, and veteran plush artist Donna Miranda, who worked on Care Bears and My Pet Monster.
“1986 was the year when monsters and gross-outs reigned supreme in toys,” says Bryan Katzel, Warpo president. “When we decided to develop an 80s retro plush line, we knew Krampus would be the perfect beastly buddy to get the Warpo treatment.”
Warpo has put their high level of attention not only into the development of Krampus, but also into the array of ancillary retro items in the line, including a retro Krampus children’s storybook with accompanying read-along cassette, a Krampus coloring book, Krampus holiday wrapping paper and cards, Krampus apparel, and even a lump of Krampus coal that can be sent this year as a holiday gift, to alert the recipient a Krampus will be coming for them next year.
The Don’t Cuddle the Krampus Kickstarter launches today, with an initial fundraising goal of $70,000, and exciting stretch goals and add-ons. To view the Kickstarter campaign, visit warpo.com/kickstarter.
About Warpo
Founded in 2013 by avid collectors and toy industry veterans Bryan Katzel, Eric LeFeber and Tommy Baldwin, Warpo is Making Yesterday’s Toys, high-quality collectible toys with a a distinct retro look and feel. Taking an artisanal approach of “method manufacturing”, Warpo’s debut product line, Legends of Cthulhu launched with a Kickstarter in June 2014, and the company’s future releases include action figures, plush, playsets, and more. For more information, visit warpo.com.
