Welcome to Dan Alexander Dizmentia

Welcome to Dan Alexander Dizmentia
Thank You For Visiting

MAN-ATEE AND WOMAN-TARAY: NEW SUPER HEROES SURFACE

MAN-ATEE AND WOMAN-TARAY: NEW SUPER HEROES SURFACE
Join the Crime Wave

Bad Biker Kitties Are On The Prowl

Bad Biker Kitties Are On The Prowl
Join The Kitten Motorcycle Gang

Formula Juan Racer: Numero Uno!

Formula Juan Racer: Numero Uno!
A Real Wild Juan

Baby Formula Juan Racer

Baby Formula Juan Racer
Juan Year Old

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Cuckoo For Coco Pups


As I write this, Disney Pixar's Coco hasn't been released in the United States, but it is a huge hit in Mexico.  I plan on seeing the movie on Thanksgiving.  Today I stopped by a Toys R Us and noticed a selection of Coco merchandise.  Of particular interest to me was the blind bag Mattel "Skullectables" toys, which were actually on sale if you got more than one.  While I haven't seen the film, I did spoil it by reading about the story in depth.  So, based on that, I had an idea of which characters I wanted to get.

Like the blind bag LEGO mini figure toys, the Coco Skullectables are snap-together pieces.  This can make finding what you want rather complicated.  The easiest one to find was Pepita, the flying leopard creature (you can feel the wing piece easily, and the creature has a large body).  I had to have Dante the dog, plus both versions of Miguel, and Hector the skeleton.  There are two versions of Ernesto (human and skeleton) and I lucked out getting the one I wanted.

This movie is of special interest to me, because I have been drawing my own comic called Formula Juan Racer, inspired by my friend, Juan.  Since Juan spent most of his life in Mexico, I was excited to ask him about Dia de los Muertos.  I had been hearing about the customs of the holiday, and wanted to get his take on it.  As it turns out, his family never really did much for it.  Funnily enough, his kid dressed up like a skeleton for Halloween this year.

Will Coco merchandise be popular in the United States?  My guess is that this will be a situation similar to Up, where the dog character is the most heavily monetized.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

LEGO Kumail Nanjiani Ninjago


The mission seemed impossible.  Sort of like finding a needle in a haystack.  How do you find a single blind bag LEGO mini figure, when: 1) Said figure is in tiny pieces that must be assembled 2) There are 20 different figures in the set ?  If you only are looking for one of the figures, you've got to feel the blind bag for a costume piece or accessory.  Luckily for me, Jay from the LEGO Ninjago Movie has a scarf and a Selfie Stick.  I had previously hunted for Jay at a Wal-Mart with no luck.  I found success at a Toys R Us.  Toys R Us had possibly hundreds of bags, and fortunately I was able to find Jay early on.

I have yet to see the LEGO Ninjago Movie (I enjoyed the first LEGO Movie and the LEGO Batman Movie).  I had never even heard of LEGO Ninjago before the movie was being launched.  I had to get Jay because I am a big fan of comedian Kumail Nanjiani.  I first discovered him when friends introduced me to the TV series Portlandia (a sketch with Kumail selling a cell phone plan had us in stitches).  I later discovered Kumail's stand up and his shows like Silicon Valley and The Indoor Kids, and movies like The Big Sick.

Kumail Nanjiani in an Old Navy Commercial

As I have learned from his stand up, Kumail is a big fan of theme parks.  Ironically, LEGO Jay's Selfie Stick would not be welcome at some amusement parks.  Hopefully they are allowed at LEGOLAND.