Here it is, the very first episode of the Junk Fed podcast. Episode 0! Sure to be a collectible. As far as nostalgia goes, what better place to start than Halloween. On this inaugural episode of the Junk Fed podcast, I’m joined by artist, toy maker, blogger, and fellow nostalgis
A number of circumstances have kept me from posting for a little over a year, and boy do I miss it. One of the things that has kept me busy lately is my toy art. Since my debut at C2E2 2015, I’ve been steadily creating for and tabling at a number of conventions across the country, the
If it weren’t for Instagram I might be living alone in a rented storage locker on the outskirts of town among piles of vintage action figures procured from eBay. Allow me to clarify. I spend a significant amount of time looking at photos of vintage action figures on the internet
Halloween came in a box when I was growing up. Or at least, most of my Halloween costumes did. The moment the first leaf rusted on the branch, I’d beg my parents to take me to K-Mart, Bradlees, or Zayre so I could pick though the stacks of boxed Halloween costumes. This was very impor
It’s no secret that I’m fond of revisiting my past. Recently, this temporal wanderlust was prompted by my taste buds. A sudden craving for one particular childhood foodstuff lured me to an aisle of my local grocery store that I don’t normally frequent these days. I narrowe
If you grew up ensnared in the hypnotic glow of 1980s television, you probably remember Max Headroom, the “computer generated” TV personality from the near future. The charismatic icon with the glitchy stammer was a ubiquitous presence in the mid to late 80s, mostly due to
Anyone familiar with Bobcat Goldthwait might consider him an odd role model for a thirteen year old, but in 1987 his tremulous blend of humor and frustration was just the sort of influence that helped me harness my angst and find some self-esteem. By the time I was thirteen, I had bo
American media is riddled with sales pitches that promise immediately gratifying health, happiness, and satisfaction. As intended, this kind of manipulation certainly worked on my malleable child brain. I actually believed the commercial that suggested I’d be able to tear my Manglor t
Before becoming a household name, Mr. T grew up in the Chicago projects, served in the US Army Military Police Corps, worked as a bouncer, a bodyguard, and boxer. He emerged in the neon age of colorful personalities and self-stylized eccentrics who defined the trends and fads of the e
Sometimes, as I fade off to sleep, I revisit settings from my childhood. I’m able to conjure up places where I’ve lived with such clarity that it almost feels like I’ve traveled back in time. I walk from room to room with meticulous recall: the wood paneling in the k