The following is an interview with Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Doc Wyatt (writer – Essentials, Star Wars Resistance, Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters) and sculptor and horror artist Velikan regarding their BackerKit campaign launch for Cryptid Combat, featuring 2 all-new, sofubi-style figures – Cthuluchador and The Ultimoth Warrior. Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Wyatt and Velikan about the genesis behind the action figures, the exciting backer rewards available through the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: On the heels of your Kickstarter success with the Planetoid Raiders, Wandering Planet Toys is now collaborating with sculptor and horror artist Velikan for 2 brand-new, sofubi-style figures: Cthuluchador and The Ultimoth Warrior! What can you share with us about the genesis behind this collaboration and the pro-wrestling/horror mashup of these characters?
Doc Wyatt: Sadly, it’s a horrifying tale of woe and madness. We at Wandering Planet witnessed the terror of Velikan’s monster sculptures online. They instantly stripped away our sanity, our memory, and our very understanding of our own identities. Thus, lost in a dark cosmos of the soul, we realized the only way to expunge these horrors from our brains was to try to infect others with them. So, we were forced to partner with this dangerous artist on a line of toys called CRYPTID COMBAT. It’s all so shameful.
Velikan: So, so shameful…
BD: Velikan, at Fanbase Press, we always like to learn more about creators and what drives and inspires them. What can you share with us about the WWE and Lovecraftian characters that greatly influenced you as a fan and creator?
DW: I warn you to not believe a word this madman might say to you.
V: First off, WWF! We don’t recognize the WWE in my world. I was a teen of the ’80s and Wrestling at that time was king. I have 4 brothers and we all were fans. When I came up with the name Cthuluchador, Lou Albano left the Cindy Lauper video and said, DUDE, do this. I knew he was going to battle Mothman, so I picked the biggest chest in the ’80s to fill that fuzzy torso. The fact that the ultimate warrior was colorful was not lost on me.
BD: Likewise, what was your creative process in designing these new figures in a way that both paid homage to their predecessors and modernized them for today’s toy collectors?
V: Well, they are a parody, a way to make the fun characters of my childhood even more fun by pairing them with creatures I love. I want to give cryptids and the other things in the line a taste of the past, the glam and glitz of the old wrestlers we should keep in our hearts. They were nuts, so weird and goofy at times but they sold themselves as serious. That’s what I want. That way-out-there awesomeness with too much color and flair, but yet cautiously dangerous.
BD: You have launched the campaign for these figures via BackerKit, and in addition to the figures themselves, you will also be releasing retro-style lunchboxes. What will backers have in store with the various reward tiers offered through the campaign?
DW: Toys. The tiers are TOYS and only TOYS. One toy. Pairs of toys. MANY TOYS. Or, for retailers, VERY MANY TOYS. Other than that, backers are on their own, adrift in a cold, monstrous universe.
BD: Lastly, are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
V: I’ve done a LOT of Cthulhu Kickstarters. That’s where Doc discovered me. Look up my old ones and keep your eyes open for more. I am currently working on a CthuLuchador children’s book! Maybe a coloring book, depends on if I get tired.
You can find out at FindPhil.com or https://www.instagram.com/pvelikanart/
DW: A graphic novel I co-wrote with Luke Arnold for The Lab Press, called ESSENTALS, is out in a new “portable” paperback edition that is only $9.99– PURE VALUE!!! Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or orderable at your local comic shop. Other than that, keep your eyes on the Wandering Planet instagram account for some upcoming big news! We’re at: @wanderingplanettoys
