Robert Brink - Writer

Todd McFarlane

June 28, 2005 | Skip To The Comments (0)

Todd McFarlane
By Rob Brink
Stance Magazine, March 2002

When I learned I would be interviewing Todd McFarlane for the Freaks issue, I went to see a friend at the local music store that sells Todd's toys, and asked if he knew anything about Todd. His eyes lit up, “Yo, my brother would freak if he knew you were interviewing Todd!”

I soon realized that everyone I told either freaks out over Todd, or knows someone who does. From looking at all of his creations, I thought that Todd would be a freak himself, but he was a pretty normal guy. Sorry if that disappoints the McFarlane legions.

R: I am assuming you have a collection of action figures other than what you make?
T: No not really. It's weird because I didn't get into making toys because I collected a lot of toys. I got into making them because I felt that a lot of the stuff on the market was sub-par. One of the reasons I wasn't collecting any of it was because I thought it was a little stinky. Just because they said that's Spiderman doesn't make it so. It doesn't look, smell, or walk like him. I wasn't going to get sucked into it.

We started because of Spawn, the comic book. A bunch of toy companies saw it and approached me about doing a toy. I could tell from their attitude that they weren't going to get what Spawn was about, manufacture him really dopey, and put him next to the Sesame Street toys. Then complain that it didn't sell and hand it back to me two years later as a damaged good.

R: Do you base your choices on subjects that have commercial success, or that you personally dig them?
T: Both. If something is current you have to be concerned about commercial success of the lead item—let's say it's a movie. You want it to do well enough so that it has some bearing. The more eyeballs that see or hear about it, then the better chance you have of moving your other products. If it is an old license, let's say Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You are just doing it because you have an affinity for it, you don't necessarily think you are going to sell a lot of them.

R: What were the most difficult figures to design?
T: A line for Spawn called “Interlink 6.” It is 6 robots the can be put together to make one big robot. That one was an engineering nightmare.

R: What is your favorite figure that you designed?
T: I have a handful of them. Mandarin Spawn was cool for the feel and detail that it brought to the company. Dr. Evil was good because it was one of our early celebrity look-a-likes that I felt we actually captured really well. I have the very first Spawn next to my sink in the bathroom. Sometimes I think “This little guy started it all,” but then I think, “I would never make a toy look like this now. I would be belly aching if somebody showed me this toy.” At the time we got a lot of awards and accolades, like “Oh my god look at the detail and the cutting edge!”

R: Are there any other action figures other than your own that impress you?
T: Oh yeah. Less so when we first broke in, but over the years, I think we have forced other companies to get their act together. So I am seeing more examples of product that I think is pretty good. The big companies are still more erratic. They hit and miss a lot.

R: How about figures that you wanted to do but couldn't get the rights for?
T: I am a big Planet of the Apes fan, but that is an example of how you can't outspend the big companies for the rights. When big celebrities control their likeness, and their agents and managers think that toys cheapen their reputation, you can't do a lot of cool guys that you would love to do. If you look at at Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, or Sean Connery, they have played some pretty interesting characters, but we are sort of locked out.

R: A few people I spoke with are psyched on the Jaws stuff that's coming out.
T: Jaws is an interesting one because it's a pretty big departure from what you would consider an action figure. I knew when we went after the rights that we would have to get very inventive with it. It's more of a statue than a true toy.

R: Your action figures are very detailed but lack the articulation of some of today's figures. Is it possible to increase the articulation without forsaking the detail?
T: We do it on an individual basis. The Spawn Interlink toys are tremendously articulated. You have to look at your subject matter too. To have a guy like Jim Morrison, who wears pants and no shirt, have a bunch of joints on him would look dumb. I think it is more important to capture the essence of who Jim Morrison is, than to be able to put him in 15 different positions. The people who buy Jim Morrison are necessarily interested in “playing” with their toys. There are plenty of toys with playability, but there aren't a lot of toys that look good. I prefer to make it look good first, then figure out how to make them move afterwards.
R: My first action figure was Luke Skywalker. Do you remember your first or favorite one?
T: Action Man. You could buy costumes and dress him—like a boy's Barbie…and his bad guy, Dr. Evil—he was my favorite, with the blue skin and the brain showing. Another one called Major Matt Mason was an astronaut and he was bendy. Another guy from Major Matt Mason who had different buttons to press and his chest, eyes, and gun lit up. He had cool moon boots. I still have them all in a pillow sack. Can't say they are mint condition, but I have them.