Ep. 298 Toys on Tap w/Quzu Critters: What If Every QR Code Had a Monster Inside?

Ryan Brunty of Depressed Monsters is back and this time we have some announcements.The Toys on Tap x Depressed Monsters Yerman is finally headed to DesignerCon, and we’re going BIG.We talk about:• Bringing Yerman back to DesignerCon • Sharing a Toys on Tap x Depressed Monsters booth • The official Yerman release party • A Depressed Monsters emo night • DJs, art, mystery bags, giveaways, and more • The OG Yerman colorway • Clear, Kintsugi, gray, glow, and blank variants • Extremely limited DesignerCon quantities • Last-minute production stress • Why the factory remade the clear figures • What Yerman means to the people who connect with him • What comes next for the collaborationThe Kickstarter was only the beginning.Now Yerman is going to DesignerCon.On Instagram: @depressedmonstersThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Jacob and Jay join Toys on Tap to talk about what happens when years of collecting, podcasting, obscure monster movies, and toy obsession finally turn into actually making toys.Between them, there’s a lot going on.We talk about:• Growing up with Godzilla, Ghostbusters, and Ninja Turtles • 12 years of podcasting • How Jacob and Jay met through Dr Pepper and Waffle House • Building Toku Toy Town • Creating Kaiju Go • Turning cryptids into an '80s-style toy line • Licensing Bat Boy • The success and future of Cryptoids • Creating Okashi Station • Licensing incredibly obscure tokusatsu characters • Designing vintage-inspired sofubi • Working with Rabbit Giant • Seven more Okashi toys already in production • Building toward their own original universeThey spent years talking about toys.Now they’re making the ones they always wished existed.On Instagram: @okashiistationThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Drew joins Toys on Tap to talk about QUZU Critters, a new electronic toy that lets you discover collectible creatures and more hiding inside everyday QR codes.What started as something Drew wanted to build with his son quickly turned into something much bigger.We talk about:• Growing up with weird '90s electronic toys • Pokémon, Barcode Battlers, and scanner toys • Building the first prototype out of cardboard • Drew’s “duct tape method” • Designing the electronics from scratch • Fitting dozens of creatures into tiny amounts of memory • Hand-designing every monster • Turning lost internet data into creature lore • Trading cards, rarity, and exclusive creatures • Wireless trading and competition • Why QUZU Critters uses AAA batteries • Refusing to gut the product just to make it cheaper • Building toward KickstarterIt feels nostalgic without simply copying the past.And somehow, every barcode becomes part of the game.On Instagram: @quzucrittersThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Scott Cherry of Barbarian Rage is back and somehow we had to record this episode TWICE.This time we dig into a year of conventions, creative obsession, GWAR, black velvet paintings, and the biggest toy Scott has tackled yet: The Destroyer.We talk about:• Going all-in on conventions this year • WonderFest, Kaiju Go, and KaijuFornia • Sculpting The Destroyer as if it were his last toy • Entering the “valley of despair” • Constantly trying to outdo himself • Making GWAR figures in seventh grade • Finding those SAME toys in a gallery 30+ years later • Twenty years of painting on black velvet • Why creative limitations can actually help • What Barbarian Rage does nextOn Instagram: @barbarian_rageThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Neil Ewing of Bombastic Plastic is back, and this one goes everywhere.Fresh off a trip to Japan, Neil joins Toys on Tap for a brutally open conversation about what it actually takes to survive as an independent toy maker.We talk about:• Selling toys in Japan vs. the U.S. • Why some conventions just aren’t worth it • Losing $2,800 at a show • Original IP vs. “art hacks” • Pricing toys realistically • Gatekeeping, education, and factory secrets • Why collectors can smell a cash grab • Ego, jealousy, failure, and artist drama • Why craftsmanship still matters • Supporting artists instead of punching down • His upcoming Big Pounder KickstarterNeil puts it perfectly:It’s easier than ever to make a toy.Making a GOOD toy is another story.On Instagram: @neil_ewingOn Instagram: @bombastic_plasticThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Space Rabbit Studio joins Toys on Tap to talk about turning a creative escape into their full-time life.They started Space Rabbit with no business plan, just two creatives who wanted somewhere to make their own work. Then a logo became a character. The character became a resin toy. And eventually they quit their jobs and went all in.We talk about:• Growing up with Care Bears and giant robots in Taiwan • How Space Rabbit started as a website logo • Teaching themselves resin casting • The VERY rough first Space Rabbit • Building Mellow Meow and God! Gelato • Creating a strong character universe • Quitting their corporate careers • Taking Space Rabbit around the world • ToyCon UK and their first international show • Why making toys isn’t for everyone • AR, animation, projection mapping, and what comes nextSpace Rabbit started as an escape.Now it’s the thing they built their lives around.On Instagram: @space_rabbit_studioThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Tattoo artist and toy maker Chris Reed of Creeder Toys joins Toys on Tap to talk about what happens when decades of tattoos, horror movies, Japanese art, vintage toys, and monster obsession all collide.Chris started apprenticing as a teenager and has spent nearly 30 years tattooing—but eventually collecting turned into sculpting, mask making, resin casting, monster banks, and finally sofubi.We talk about:• Tattooing at 17 • Punk, skateboarding, and horror movies • Falling into vintage toy collecting • Japanese tattoo history and yokai • Making latex masks from scratch • Sculpting and casting his own toys • Why his first sofubi HAD to be made in Japan • Collaborating with Chaz • Selling out his first toy shows • Resin vs. vinyl collector obsession • Kong banks, Frankenstein, and what comes nextChris may not have a master plan.He just wants to keep making cool shit.On Instagram: @creedertoysThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Bob Johnson of Bay Area Film Events joins Toys on Tap to talk about the wild evolution of Godzilla Fest, from a seven-day movie marathon to a full-blown convention.Bob has spent decades turning the movies he loves into experiences people remember.We talk about:• Discovering Godzilla and Ultraman as a kid • The first Godzilla Fest in 2004 • Hosting legendary actors, directors, and suit performers • Turning a film festival into a convention • Growing from one hotel floor to two • Vendors, Artist Alley, cosplay, card tournaments, and retro games • Working with Toho, Tsuburaya, and Toei • Why the goal is a “Godzilla Wonderland” • What’s new for SF Godzilla Fest • Bob’s dream of taking over even more of San FranciscoThis episode is equal parts fandom, event-building, and proof that sometimes the thing you loved as a kid can become the thing you build for everyone else.On Instagram: @sfgodzillafestThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Bullmart founders Jerry and Shiti join Toys on Tap to talk about building a collectible that doesn’t really fit into any existing category.It’s leather. It’s weighted. It uses magnets. It comes with premium packaging and a handwritten letter, and it was created by a team new to toys.We talk about:• Why Jerry wanted to make a bull • Designing for adult male collectors • Turning ambition into a physical character • Choosing leather over traditional toy materials • Going from TWO handmade bulls a day to a real business • Shipping costs nearly destroying the margins • Why collecting is really about emotion • Collaborating with Inter Milan • Building sports and lifestyle partnerships • Creating Bullmart’s own identity • The upcoming Bank of Bull collectionBullMart is here trying to create something worth collecting right now.On Instagram: @bullmartglobalThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm

Kaiju Go co-founder Chaz joins Toys on Tap to break down how two friends turned a love of kaiju films and toys into one of the most talked-about small toy events around.And the philosophy is simple: throw a great party and take care of the artists.We talk about:• Growing up obsessed with dinosaurs and monsters • Starting Kaiju Go in 2023 • Combining designer toys with classic kaiju films • Why artists table for FREE • Keeping the event intentionally small • Curating sofubi, resin, and kaiju artists • Fans lining up hours before doors open • Volunteers keeping everyone hydrated in the Texas heat • Designing Kaiju Go’s killer merch • What could change next yearKaiju Go isn’t chasing massive growth. It’s chasing longevity, community, and one ridiculously good day every year.On Instagram: @Kaiju_goThanks to Our SupportersRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!Subscribe and Follow AlongInstagram:@toysontapLinkedin: Abraham MustoFacebook:@toysontapYoutube:@ToysontapSubStack: @toysontapPalmstreet: Toys on Tap: Live on Sundays 6pm