June 22, 2005

{ HI-FRUCTOSE - Issue One }

Crammed with more delicious goodness than a billion Hostess Fruit Pies, HI-FRUCTOSE is toysploitation at it's finest. Tons of luscious pictures printed in brilliant color on thick-stock pages, exclusive interviews with the ladies and germs behind the designs we've all come to love, and a refreshingly unique take on collectible toy culture make this less of a magazine and more of a hand-held bit of modern-day cultural anthropology. As a contributor my opinion may be a bit biased, but speaking as a fan of Pervasive Art and a true lover of toys, there's little that's not impressive about this first issue of HI-FRUCTOSE. This is largely due to the passion evident in every page; HF is hand-crafted by people with a true appreciation and understanding of toy culture. Imagine it as a fanzine crossbred with a coffee-table book, brimming with info and enthusiasm yet also picture-filled and slick-as-hell. In the world of toysploitation, HI-FRUCTOSE is something truly special. Issue One includes interviews with Dave Cooper, Gary Baseman (penned by myself and CrownDozen's own Lindsey Baker), Seen, Alex Pardee and Paul Cruikshank of Circus Punks to name a few. There are also huge juicy features on Kaiju Big Battel, Little Miss No Name, Friends With You, and an excellent piece on photographer Brian McCarty, the man behind this issue's cover shot. One of my favorite items is a "Make-Your-Own-Plush" instructional by Jenny Harada. The design is simple yet super-cute, and it's this kind of fresh content that sets HI-FRUCTOSE apart. You can also read up on the "Life Size Mousetrap" project, which replicates to scale the wacky Rube Goldberg mechanism from the old board game, or just scope out the cream of the crop in recent designer toy releases. At 6 bucks (+ shipping) it's a steal, and you'd be cheating yourself if you didn't pick one up.

» Visit the HI-FRUCTOSE site and pick up a copy today!

By Adam in Reading | Comments:

Comments

its amazing how many toy mags are sprouting up.

Posted by: upso at June 23, 2005 1:56 AM

It's amazing how many TOYS are sprouting up!

I remember 5 years ago going apey over some blocky-assed "designer" Kubricks, and being ridiculously overcharged through an importer. Now I'd rather spend my duckets on a Dunny, and I think we can all agree that the quality and originality of designer/collector toys has shot up directly in proportion to the boom of interest.

What's cool about mags like HI-FRUCTOSE is that they give you a really good look at this stuff before you buy, and you can actually get to know the stories behind some of these pieces.

Posted by: Adam at June 24, 2005 8:10 PM