This dates back all the way to 1959! Almost makes me wonder if this makes it the first designer vinyl? The only info I could come across on this was from the daughter of the creator. She was the one who told me two other aliens were made and that a musical jingle was to go with the marketing.
That is impressive. Definitely way ahead of its time, and probably unfortunately unappreciated then too. You really have to respect and also feel for the early creators of 'out there' stuff like this who had great skill and vision, but were probably passed off as junk peddlers at best, or weirdos at worst. When you think about how much art/fiction/culture/etc. has changed over the past hundred years, it kinda makes me sad for what could have been lost from overwhelming discouragement of the populace. Thankfully some stuff made it through, but when you think about the effect of things like the comics code or even all the more recent 'anti-satanic' fear-mongering against things like DnD or He-man, well, anyways, makes you wonder. Things are definitely different now. Anyhow, back on track. I'd love to see shots or artwork even of the other two aliens. It's really nice to know you could track down his daughter, I am sure his family would appreciate that his legacy lives on.
Heres that jingle ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbqE9kxQVXQ "Walter Hogue's recording of The Exphobe, a song he produced and performed in a studio on Sunset Blvd. to promote his toy figurine of the same name circa 1959. He later worked for Joe Cossman, the cocreator of The Ant Farm, a toy that is still on the market under the Uncle Milton brand. Milton Levine and Joe Cossman were originally partners."
been obsessing over these guys ever since you posted yours on flickr. such a wild find, it's so amazing that new weird things are being rediscovered all the time!
OH MY GOD SO MANY THANKS FOR SHARING!!! * weird toy * even weirder jingle ...MUST FIND OUT MORE INFO!!!
Love 'em . . . i think the black and red ones look like humanoid volcanoes. The bald spot is the crater.
Those (especially the center guy w crab claw legs and robot arms) are absurdly ahead of their time in terms of design. Repopped in modern materials, they would have zero problem fitting in with today's vinyl toys. Mind blowing.
Hi everyone. Dad marketed the Exphobe in 1959, I was born in 1964, we have been creative collaborators for my entire life. Now I'm into graphics and am currently in the process of redrawing the Exphobe to resuscitate the brand digitally. Exphobe stands for Ex-Phobias, or getting rid of fears. As Dad's lyrics say, "Exphobes relieve nervous tension!" Exphobe the rebrand will be based on that concept and translates seamlessly to themes of emotional intelligence, good citizenship, protecting the environment, cooperation between races (and species) and wellness/happiness/stress reduction through laughter. These concepts are becoming increasingly more popular in the media. Put simply, Dad's life has always been about creating peace and joy. It's clear that with the advent of emotional intelligence programs in prestigious institutions like Yale and Stanford, people are waking up in terms of understanding the power of love (read: peace not war) and are openly talking about unconventional things in non traditional media more than ever before (read: alien disclosure.) The power of the heart is at the heart of the Exphobe. (check out http://www.heartmath.org) He's not just a toy marketer, he was a ventriloquist too, started at age 12, did a show for a UNICEF fundraiser last year. Not just a ventriloquist, dad was also a comedian and this is his life's mission: To heal the planet through laughter. It's that simple. Laughter is love and light, everything is energy, it's based in quantum physics. He also is a poet, essayist and lifelong advocate of the therapeutic aspects of art, specifically comedy, along the lines of Norman Cousins and his good friend, the late and great Frank Kidder, creator of the SF Comedy Competition. Last year Dad had a mini stroke and was diagnosed with early stage dementia, so this project has been very helpful to his "mental fitness" regimen (my mantra is art heals) as well as fulfilling his dharma. I'm working on this part time, will probably start a Facebook fan page soon as a slow grass roots community building effort. Your support would be greatly appreciated. Here's a photo of Dad seeing all your posts, made his day, thank you! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/545357836099685423/ More about Walter Hogue, the most fascinating man in the world (did I mention he was a Teenage Spy for Howard Hughes? True story! And that's just one of them in his memoir that we are also working on, he had finished the first draft before the stroke thank God) http://wehogue.blogspot.com/ My contact info is public: Shyama Sachi 650-339-2026 Cell @Shyama_Sachi Twitter http://www.linkedin.com/in/shyamasachi http://www.facebook.com/shyama.sachi You are all making this "crazy diamond" shine on longer! THANK YOU Shyama
Wow. Amazing. Thank you so much for signing up and sharing this with us Shyama. Your father's creativity and inspiration is certainly evident in his work. His and your stories really are what keeps this hobby so great. Please pass along our sincere thanks for all of his contributions, and I wish you guys nothing but positivity and success in the revival of the Exphobes.
He sounds like an amazing person. Thank you so much for sharing all this info. Best of luck to you guys.
... many many thanks for the info Shyma! What your dad created lives on due to it's amazing beauty and uniqueness. Can't wait to see were you go with the revival!
Thank you Shyama for sharing! Your dad has had an interesting life, no doubt! I loved the origin of the name and all the idea behind the toys. Interested in seeing the resuscitation happening!
Thanks again! I will be sure to keep you posted on our progress! Forgot to mention, Dad's got a small house near Joshua Tree, site of one of the biggest annual UFO conventions, Contact In The Desert, how fitting for the Exphobe! Also thought you might like seeing this video of his old boss, Joe Cossman, a toy marketer who was a pioneer in direct mail order business and creator of the Spud Gun and The Ant Farm. Dad marketed that for a while, Joe introduced Dad to my mother, that is how they met, so toys are in my DNA. Joe's partner was his brother in law, Milton Levine (Uncle Milton brand, still on the market today) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxxhRUOvLY8
Very Cool Your Father sounds like an incredible man. So sorry for his stroke though. I'm looking forward to what will come of the renewed project!
Check out this Exphobe print ad author Jon Stebbins sent me on Facebook yesterday. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/545357836100485928/ Here's a fun image as well of Dad at The Grove in LA last week with Exphobes added. An earlier version I had used as a Facebook cover had them on a black space background with a moon in the top left corner that coincidentally looked very much like the print ad that I had never seen before. Wiggy! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/545357836100485918/ Take care and remember, "Exphobes remove nervous tension!" Shyama
