Campaign for a new 2-volume hardcover art book collection featuring artwork, advertising, concept art, and archival materials from the hit Netflix ‘The Toys That Made Us’ docuseries, alongside exclusive collectibles and a deluxe 'Nacelleverse' comics collection, from Oni Press and The Nacelle Company, is launching soon.
Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey award-winning publisher of comic books and graphic novels, and The Nacelle Company have unveiled the prelaunch page for the Kickstarter campaign supporting “The Art of the Toys That Made Us,” a two-volume hardcover art book collection celebrating the history and art of some of the world’s most iconic toys. Inspired by the hit Netflix docuseries, The Toys That Made Us, created by Nacelle founder and CEO Brian Volk-Weiss, the oversized books compile artwork, advertising, concept art, archival materials, stories, and behind-the-scenes details connected to some of the famous toy brands featured in the series.
The Kickstarter campaign will also include "Nacelleverse: Year Zero,” a deluxe oversized hardcover collection bringing together the first year of Oni Press and Nacelle's interconnected "Nacelleverse" comics line. The collection includes stories featuring “Biker Mice From Mars,” “RoboForce,” “Sectaurs,” “Power Lords,” and “C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa,” with contributions from Melissa Flores (“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”), Matt Hotson (“Power Rangers: The Return”), Francis Portela (“Green Lantern”), Juan Gedeon (“DC: The Jurassic League”), V Ken Marion (“Green Lantern”), and more – alongside a new, never-before seen wraparound cover by acclaimed artist Karl Kerschl (“Gotham Academy”).
Additional campaign rewards and merchandise include limited-edition signed and slipcased foil editions of “The Art of the Toys That Made Us” Volumes 1 and 2, signed editions of "Nacelleverse: Year Zero,” and a host of limited-edition, campaign-exclusive collectibles and bonus items – including official Toys That Made Us enamel pin sets, nylon wallets, toy schematic sets, lunch boxes, trucker hats, VHS tapes, and a new RoboForce action figure.
"It took seven years to sell The Toys That Made Us to Netflix and get the show on the air, and every day since has been a dream, including this book series that allows us to take many of the 'relics,' as we call them, from the cutting room floor and bring them front and center into all of our lives!" said Volk-Weiss. "We are trying to put on your shelf a meaningful compliment to what we put on your screens, and selfishly speaking it's already been a ton of fun getting to this point!"
"I think this campaign is going to give fans of The Toys That Made Us everything they could want… and more!" said Sam Kusek, Oni Press' director of business development. "We're working meticulously with Nacelle every day to make sure that no stone is left unturned here! These books will be the ultimate toy guide!"
Launching soon, the Kickstarter campaign follows previous Oni Press Kickstarter projects tied to “Cult of the Lamb,” “Murder Drones,” and “Rick and Morty.” Two additional seasons of The Toys That Made Us are also in development.
Oni Press, founded in 1997, publishes a wide range of original and licensed comics and graphic novels and merged with Lion Forge Comics in 2019 to form the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Polarity.
Founded in 2017 by Volk-Weiss, Los Angeles-based The Nacelle Company is a diversified media company producing scripted and unscripted programming, consumer products, records, distribution, and podcasts. Its Comedy Dynamics division has produced and distributed stand-up specials for comedians including Ali Wong, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, Pete Davidson, Jim Gaffigan, Tiffany Haddish, and Larry the Cable Guy. Nacelle is currently producing the interconnected animated NacelleVerse, which includes RoboForce, co-produced by Volk-Weiss alongside Seven Bucks Productions’ Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Brian Gewirtz, and Biker Mice from Mars, co-produced by Volk-Weiss and Matt Kravitsky with Maximum Effort’s Ryan Reynolds, George Dewey, and Kevin Hill. The company’s productions include the Emmy-winning docuseries Down To Earth with Zac Efron, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Kevin Hart’s Guide To Black History, The Movies That Made Us, The Toys That Made Us, Behind The Attraction for Disney+, Sony’s Mad About You, Icons Unearthed for Vice TV, The CW’s Discontinued, and History Channel’s Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek. Nacelle develops, produces, and distributes content for platforms including Amazon, Disney+, HBO, Discovery, BET+, A&E Networks, Peacock, Hulu, Vice, Viacom, and History.
Source: Oni Press
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
