Day 113: Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he made his début onto the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1969, and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Jackson was referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years; his 1982 album Thriller is the world's best-selling record of all time and four other solo studio albums are also among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" — 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career, and the sale of 750 million records worldwide. Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, aged 50. Before his death, Jackson had announced a 50-date sell-out This Is It comeback tour, in London, England.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Michael Jackson! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and customize your own MJ toy!

Day 112: Mikhail Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (born 2 March 1931) was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until 1991, and also the last head of state of the USSR, serving from 1988 until its collapse in 1991. He was the only Soviet leader to have been born after the October Revolution of 1917.

Gorbachev's attempts at reform as well as summit conferences with United States President Ronald Reagan contributed to the end of the Cold War, ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Gorbachev! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Day 111: KISS (Peter Criss)

The fourth and last one from the KISS series.

Download the Ace Frehley PDF file here. Or download the complete KISS paper toys here!

You can also get our blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toys!

Day 110: KISS (Ace Frehley)

The third one from the KISS series.

Watch out for fourth and last member of KISS soon! Meanwhile you can download the Ace Frehley PDF file here. And here's the PDF of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

Day 109: KISS (Gene Simmons)

The second toy from the KISS series.

Watch out for the rest of the band over the next few days as I post them all. Meanwhile you can download the Gene Simmons PDF file here. For those who can't wait to see the rest of the other band members, head on to our Facebook group for a sneak!

Day 108: KISS (Paul Stanley)

KISS is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics. KISS has been awarded 24 gold albums to date.

The original lineup of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, percussion and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable. With their makeup and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters: The Demon (Simmons), Starchild (Stanley), Spaceman (Frehley), and Catman (Criss).

Watch out for the rest of the band over the next few days as I post them all. Meanwhile you can download the Paul Stanley PDF file here. For those who can't wait to see the rest of the other band members, head on to our Facebook group for a sneak!

Day 107: Mr. Incredible

Robert "Bob" Parr (superhero name Mr. Incredible), is a fictional superhero with great strength and durability introduced in the animated Disney/Pixar motion picture The Incredibles. His strength is of such dimensions that he can single-handedly lift a semi-truck with little difficulty. His best friend is fellow "super" Lucius Best a.k.a. Frozone. Mr. Incredible is married to Elastigirl (Helen Parr), who have three children together, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Mr. Incredible! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Reader's submission: Ghostbuster by Graham Wilson

Here is another submission - Ghostbuster Peter Venkman, contributed by Graham Wilson.

You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Reader's submission: Insectosaurio by Carlos Romero

Here is another toy from the movie Monsters vs Aliens, Insectosaurio by Carlos Romero (who also contributed B.O.B.).

Download the PDF file here! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Day 106: Bernard (Where the Wild Things Are)

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a children's picture book originally published by Harper & Row. The book is about the imaginary adventures of a young boy named Max, who is punished for making mischief by being sent to his room without supper. Max wears a distinctive wolf suit during his adventures and encounters various mythical creatures, the "wild things". Although just ten sentences long, the book is generally regarded as a masterpiece of American illustrated children's literature.

Originally the Wild Things did not have names. They were later named after (and are presumably caricatures of) Sendak’s aunts and uncles (except “Goat Boy”, of course): Aaron, Bernard, Emil, Moishe and Tzippy.

A live-action movie version is currently in post-production, with Spike Jonze directing, due in theaters on October 16, 2009. Featuring Catherine Keener, and introducing Max Records as Max, the film also has Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara and Forest Whitaker providing the voices of some of the Wild Things. Adapted by Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze.

Download the PDF file here and make your own "wild thing"! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Please check out Max too which I made earlier.

Reader's submission: B.O.B. by Carlos Romero

Here is B.O.B. from the movie Monsters vs Aliens, contributed by Carlos Romero.

Download the PDF file here! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Day 105: Plastic Man

Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 (August 1941).

One of Quality Comics' signature characters during the Golden Age of Comic Books, Plastic Man can stretch his body into any imaginable form. His adventures were known for their quirky, offbeat structure and surreal slapstick humor. When Quality Comics was shut down in 1956, DC Comics acquired many of its characters, integrating Plastic Man into the mainstream DC universe.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Plastic Man toy! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Day 104: Megatron

Megatron is the founder of the Decepticon uprising, and their most well-known and feared leader. As a young, charismatic leader forged in battle and the heritage of war, he began to believe in a grand purpose for his race—it is the Transformers' glorious destiny to rule an empire which will span the universe. The opposite of his mortal enemy Optimus Prime, he feels great contempt for other Transformers who, he feels, betray their proud heritage by demanding peace and cooperation with weaker life forms.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Megatron toy! Also check out the other two Transformers toys, Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime I did earlier. You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Reader's submission: He-Man by Thomas Hollnack

The PDF file can be downloaded from our Facebook group, where you can also find our blank template to design your own toy.

Day 103: Sluggo Smith

Sluggo Smith is a comic strip character from the Nancy comic strip. Sluggo is Nancy's best friend. He is Nancy's age and is a poor ragamuffin-type from the wrong side of the tracks. There are strips that appear to place Sluggo as Nancy's boyfriend. He is portrayed as lazy, and his favorite pastime seems to be napping.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Sluggo toy! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Day 102: Nancy (comic strip)

Nancy is an American daily and Sunday comic strip originally written and drawn by Ernie Bushmiller.

The character of Nancy, a precocious little girl (eight years old, according to an October 2005 strip), first appeared in the strip Fritzi Ritz about the airheaded flapper title character. After Larry Whittington began Fritzi Ritz in 1922, it was taken over by Bushmiller three years later. In 1933, Bushmiller introduced Fritzi's niece, Nancy. Soon she dominated the strip, retitled Nancy in 1938. Fritzi Ritz continued as a Sunday feature into the 1960s. At its peak in the 1970s, Nancy ran in more than 880 newspapers.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Nancy toy! You can also get the blank template from our Facebook group and design your own toy!

Update: New template now available

The new "no-glue-required" blank template is now available for download via the Toy-A-Day Facebook group.

Also watch out for our 2nd "Design Your Own Toy" contest soon! Meanwhile you can take a look at the entries from the first contest and the 9 finalists.

Day 101: Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking, (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist. He is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and the distinguished research chair at Waterloo's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. He has also achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; these include the runaway bestseller A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking has a neuromuscular dystrophy that is related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years and has left him almost completely paralysed.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Stephen Hawking toy! Join us on Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Day 100: Wolverine

Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974) and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by Herb Trimpe. Wolverine later joined the X-Men's "All New, All Different" roster in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).

In May 2008, Wolverine was ranked #1 out of "Wizard Magazine's Top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time".

Download the PDF file here and make your own Wolverine toy! Join us on Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Update

The PDF file for my Pikachu toy is now available for download here. Also watch out for the new Toy-A-Day blank template soon!

Day 99: Pikachu (Pokémon)

Pikachu is one of the fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise — a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fights other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series. Pikachu is widely considered the most popular Pokémon, and is regarded as the official mascot of the Pokémon franchise.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Pikachu toy!

Reader's submission: South Park by Andrey and Katya

These South Park paper toys are sent to me by Andrey and Katya from Russia, which they made using the Toy-A-Day template. You can download the PDF files from their website.

You can also get the blank template from the Toy-A-Day Facebook group to make your own toys.

Day 98: Luigi (Super Mario Bros.)

Luigi is a character from the Super Mario arcade game. He is a heroic individual from the Mushroom Kingdom who has assisted or fought alongside his brother, Mario on many occasions. Throughout his life he has lived in Mario's shadow, developing both cowardly and heroic tendencies. Originally a color swap of Mario, Luigi was created to facilitate a second player. Since the two player mode was dropped from Super Mario games beginning with Super Mario 64, Luigi has gained his own identity and personality.

Download the PDF file here and make your own Luigi toy! Also do check out the other Mario Bro. or download the PDF here.

And if you have not voted, please do so and let me know if you prefer the new 'no-glue' template or the original template. For your info, Mario is made with the old template and Luigi the new one. Try them and decide for yourself!

Poll

I would like to hear from you if you prefer the new template whereby the toy can be constructed without any glueing, or the original template which I had been using before the Comedian toy. Please let me know by taking the poll on the right-hand side.

Thanks in advance!

Update

The Comedian PDF is now available for download here. It's the first time I'm using the new template which is designed so that the toy can be built without using any glue or tapes. Whether you like this new template or not, please let me know what you think.

Day 97: The Comedian (Watchmen)

The Comedian is a fictional character from the comic book series Watchmen created by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins. Already deceased when the story begins, his murder is what sets the plot of Watchmen in motion. The character appears throughout the story in flashbacks and aspects of his personality are revealed by other characters.

Watch out for the PDF soon. This will be the first one using my newly-designed template whereby no glue or tapes are needed to put the toy together!

More details + pictures on the Toy-A-Day Facebook group.

Updates

A few things...

The Rorschach PDF is now available for download here.

I'm in the process of designing a new template which requires no glue or sticky tapes to construct the toys. Hopefully it will be used for my next toy. For more details, check out my Facebook group.

And finally, just for the fun of it, I've signed up on Twitter! :-)

Day 96: Rorschach (Watchmen)

Rorschach is a fictional comic book character from the DC Comics miniseries Watchmen created by writer Alan Moore with artist Dave Gibbons. Wearing the mask that displays a constantly morphing inkblot (based on the ambiguous designs used in Rorschach inkblot testing), which he considers his "true face", Rorschach has continued his one-man battle against crime long after superheroes have become both detested and illegal. He was named the sixteenth greatest comic book character by Empire Magazine and the 6th greatest by Wizard Magazine.

More Watchmen toys coming soon!

Meanwhile, here's another version of Rorschach submitted by Santiago some time back.

Watch out for the PDF soon! Or get it now from the Toy-A-Day Facebook group.

Update

The PDF for my Dexter toy is now available for download here.

Meanwhile I'm at work on my next toy. You can find out more about it on my Facebook group.

Day 95: Dexter (Dexter's Laboratory)

Dexter's Laboratory is an Annie Award-winning American animated series created by Genndy Tartakovsky about a boy genius named Dexter, who has a secret laboratory hidden behind a bookshelf in his bedroom. His enemy and rival is a boy named Mandark, but he feuds even more often with his older sister Dee Dee, who is as brainless as Dexter is intelligent.

Watch out for the PDF soon! Or get it now on the Toy-a-Day Facebook group.