The Gallery of Monster Toys

It amazes me how much kids like monsters. I mean young kids. Babies. One-year-olds. Monsters are scary. You would think you would want to do anything scary to a baby. Of course monsters are funny at the same time. That's the art of monster-making - making monsters that are scary and friendly, menacing and deeply huggable.

"The Gallery of Monster Toys is dedicated to preserving a disappearing facet of our popular culture. Vintage monster toys are typically overlooked by collectors, largely because they seem obsolete in today's world. The toys in this gallery are not, for the most part, "slick" or "hyper-detailed." They are humble and imperfect. They depict flawed, tortured creatures. These toys capture a time when horror was fun."

Maybe such a resource helps us keep things in perspective. Maybe playing with horror helps us somehow accept the reality of it.

But one thing, for sure: a visit to the Gallery of Monster Toys is fun. And online. And free. And aaarrrgh....