This episode of Gweek is brought to you by Bombfell, the glorious clothing service for men that sends handpicked outfits to your door. Go to bombfell.com/gweek to get $10 off your first purchase. And by Stamps.com -- get a $110 sign-up bonus with the offer code GWEEK!

Our guest this week is Bryan Katzel. Bryan is a designer, a creative director, a collector and a creator. He has fronted punk rock bands, launched worldwide brands and created the first line of collectible r/c robots (check out Zibits – they're rad). Bryan is also the president of WARPO, a collectible toy company that recently launched a highly successful Kickstarter campaign for Legends of Cthulhu, the first retro inspired action figure line based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. (See Boing Boing's feature story on WARPO here.)

Here are a few of the things we talked about:

Bryan:

GERMS! by Worlds of Wonder (1988). (More)

Meet the Beaniacs – this 1998 documentary interviews many collectors and store owners about the Beanie Baby craze just before its total collapse.

Dean:

California Extreme – pinball and arcade game expo

TinyHouseBuild.com

Mark

Things to take with you on travels: a roll of black electrical tape to cover bright LEDS, plus a blinder clip to keep blackout curtains shut.

Note from Mark: I'm conducting a free live streaming video workshop on August 4-5 called DIY Projects for Dads to Do with Kids. You'll learn everything you need to complete projects with the whole family. You'll learn how to whip up a mixture that makes enormous bubbles, and how to get started with polymer clay — a medium you can use to create custom toys, shapes, and figurines. You'll also learn the more advanced magic of constructing a Drawbot – a simple robot that can make abstract art all by itself. My daughter Jane and will show you how to make 12 cool things during the two-day workshop. RSVP for the course today!

GET GWEEK: RSS |
On iTunes | Download episode | Stitcher