Adam Hoffman
@adamhoffman.bsky.social
Library Clerk and geek of many stripes (comics, board games, anime, manga, fairy tales, etc). Nerdy enough to watch anime. Old enough to not give a damn if someone calls them "Japanese cartoons".
There is no male version of Red. I guess it could be a guy from a superhero cartoon married to a Daisy Duck type character.
January 5, 2026 at 1:08 AM
There is no male version of Red. I guess it could be a guy from a superhero cartoon married to a Daisy Duck type character.
It could work, but it's not really drawing on existing cartoon tropes. Part of why Roger and Jessica was funny and interesting was it kind of drew on the whole "Droopy and Red Hot Riding Hood" pairing you see in some old Tex Avery cartoons. [CONT]
January 5, 2026 at 1:07 AM
It could work, but it's not really drawing on existing cartoon tropes. Part of why Roger and Jessica was funny and interesting was it kind of drew on the whole "Droopy and Red Hot Riding Hood" pairing you see in some old Tex Avery cartoons. [CONT]
As I recall, he's not keen on corruption either.
January 4, 2026 at 11:29 PM
As I recall, he's not keen on corruption either.
"I gave Cap a free paper. Now I have to deal with some dope calling himself the Armadillo coming around here".
January 4, 2026 at 10:58 PM
"I gave Cap a free paper. Now I have to deal with some dope calling himself the Armadillo coming around here".
They actually have a Cap just for that. His name is John Walker aka U.S. Agent.
So, they have the option if they need it.
So, they have the option if they need it.
January 4, 2026 at 10:56 PM
They actually have a Cap just for that. His name is John Walker aka U.S. Agent.
So, they have the option if they need it.
So, they have the option if they need it.
Also, apparently she's a human in the book and only becomes a toon at the end. I did not know that was a thing that could happen (though, granted, the origins of Toons in the world of Roger Rabbit was never elaborated on).
January 4, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Also, apparently she's a human in the book and only becomes a toon at the end. I did not know that was a thing that could happen (though, granted, the origins of Toons in the world of Roger Rabbit was never elaborated on).
Apparently Gary K. Wolf has been writing Roger Rabbit novels for a while and his last one was a espionage-themed prequel about Jessica Rabbit that also gives the origin of Toontown. So, I'm guessing Wolf wants to do that one as a sort of reset for the whole concept.
January 4, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Apparently Gary K. Wolf has been writing Roger Rabbit novels for a while and his last one was a espionage-themed prequel about Jessica Rabbit that also gives the origin of Toontown. So, I'm guessing Wolf wants to do that one as a sort of reset for the whole concept.
Because it was the '90s and everyone was going for "darker".
That's my least favorite version of this character.
That's my least favorite version of this character.
January 3, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Because it was the '90s and everyone was going for "darker".
That's my least favorite version of this character.
That's my least favorite version of this character.
But you can see the shift there. From what if a toymaker was a criminal, to what if someone tries to hurt your child, to what if the child was dangerous, to what if the toy maker is someone from another culture and ultimately isn't so bad.
Not sure this thread did everything I set out to do.
Not sure this thread did everything I set out to do.
January 3, 2026 at 7:24 PM
But you can see the shift there. From what if a toymaker was a criminal, to what if someone tries to hurt your child, to what if the child was dangerous, to what if the toy maker is someone from another culture and ultimately isn't so bad.
Not sure this thread did everything I set out to do.
Not sure this thread did everything I set out to do.
(One thing I forgot to mention: the new version opens up the option of using all the old versions of Toyman and even creating new versions. It's just that they all have to be robots built by Schott. They're all just toys from his toy chest).
January 3, 2026 at 7:20 PM
(One thing I forgot to mention: the new version opens up the option of using all the old versions of Toyman and even creating new versions. It's just that they all have to be robots built by Schott. They're all just toys from his toy chest).
But what could they really do? Make Winslow Schott the CEO of the DC equivalent of Hasbro?
And I wonder as kids reach more for electronics than toys, maybe Toyman being anachronistic will become the point of the character.
And I wonder as kids reach more for electronics than toys, maybe Toyman being anachronistic will become the point of the character.
January 3, 2026 at 7:17 PM
But what could they really do? Make Winslow Schott the CEO of the DC equivalent of Hasbro?
And I wonder as kids reach more for electronics than toys, maybe Toyman being anachronistic will become the point of the character.
And I wonder as kids reach more for electronics than toys, maybe Toyman being anachronistic will become the point of the character.
I don't hate the new Toyman. He kind of reminds me of Dr. Coppelius, from the ballet Coppelia (something I'm pretty sure was unintentional).
I don't think Toyman ever quite recovered from the change in cultural association between toys and craftsmen to toys and big businesses.
I don't think Toyman ever quite recovered from the change in cultural association between toys and craftsmen to toys and big businesses.
January 3, 2026 at 7:15 PM
I don't hate the new Toyman. He kind of reminds me of Dr. Coppelius, from the ballet Coppelia (something I'm pretty sure was unintentional).
I don't think Toyman ever quite recovered from the change in cultural association between toys and craftsmen to toys and big businesses.
I don't think Toyman ever quite recovered from the change in cultural association between toys and craftsmen to toys and big businesses.
Toyman was revealed as someone who liked and would never kill a child, but had a very parental, punitive attitude toward adults who did him wrong. It's also suggested that Schott may like machines more than people. In a flashback, it showed his departed wife as being basically a mechanical doll.
January 3, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Toyman was revealed as someone who liked and would never kill a child, but had a very parental, punitive attitude toward adults who did him wrong. It's also suggested that Schott may like machines more than people. In a flashback, it showed his departed wife as being basically a mechanical doll.
In an attempt to consolidate the different versions of Toyman, Geoff Johns revealed that all the different Toymen (yes, even Hiro) were actually robots built by the original Toyman, Winslow Schott.
January 3, 2026 at 7:09 PM
In an attempt to consolidate the different versions of Toyman, Geoff Johns revealed that all the different Toymen (yes, even Hiro) were actually robots built by the original Toyman, Winslow Schott.
It wasn't terrible, though. It gave the comics an excuse to riff on video games, giant robots, Pokemon and the like. It also gave comics the first Toyman who could be an ally of Superman. It's too bad it couldn't last.
January 3, 2026 at 7:02 PM
It wasn't terrible, though. It gave the comics an excuse to riff on video games, giant robots, Pokemon and the like. It also gave comics the first Toyman who could be an ally of Superman. It's too bad it couldn't last.
In the early 2000s, we were introduced to yet another Toyman who wasn't Winslow Schott, Hiro Okamura. The "Japanese Toyman". I'll be honest, this was probably just based on Jeph Loeb and company noticing (about 15 years too late) that a surprising amount of toys now came from Japan.
January 3, 2026 at 7:00 PM
In the early 2000s, we were introduced to yet another Toyman who wasn't Winslow Schott, Hiro Okamura. The "Japanese Toyman". I'll be honest, this was probably just based on Jeph Loeb and company noticing (about 15 years too late) that a surprising amount of toys now came from Japan.
That version of Toyman hung around for a while. But we did get other versions. In the 90s Superman animated series, we got another Toyman that looked like a toy. This time a doll rather than a jack-in-the-box. But they added the notion of Toyman seeming like a child himself. Evil Pinocchio.
January 3, 2026 at 6:56 PM
That version of Toyman hung around for a while. But we did get other versions. In the 90s Superman animated series, we got another Toyman that looked like a toy. This time a doll rather than a jack-in-the-box. But they added the notion of Toyman seeming like a child himself. Evil Pinocchio.
This is the child-killer Toyman. Or, as I like to call him, the "stranger danger" Toyman. Because he's much more oriented to the fears parents have for their children during an age of media-fueled paranoia, rather than a good antagonist for a kids' comic.
January 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
This is the child-killer Toyman. Or, as I like to call him, the "stranger danger" Toyman. Because he's much more oriented to the fears parents have for their children during an age of media-fueled paranoia, rather than a good antagonist for a kids' comic.
A more traditional Toyman would reappear after Crisis, but would then shift drastically in the 1990s. That's when we'd get a Toyman who seemed very much attuned to grown-up, parental fears as writers like Dan Jurgens asked the question "What kind of freak uses toys for crime?"
January 3, 2026 at 6:47 PM
A more traditional Toyman would reappear after Crisis, but would then shift drastically in the 1990s. That's when we'd get a Toyman who seemed very much attuned to grown-up, parental fears as writers like Dan Jurgens asked the question "What kind of freak uses toys for crime?"
Essentially, this is the first time the idea cropped up of "What if the Toyman looked like a toy himself". Because Nimball looks kind of like a jester-like figure that might pop out of a jack-in-the-box.
January 3, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Essentially, this is the first time the idea cropped up of "What if the Toyman looked like a toy himself". Because Nimball looks kind of like a jester-like figure that might pop out of a jack-in-the-box.
Toyman wouldn't appear much in the 50s and 60s as DC transitioned to more of a sci-fi focus. But the '70s would bring us the Jack Nimball Toyman. There apparently wasn't much to him beyond a memorable run on Challenge of the Super Friends. But it is a new look and a shift in theming.
January 3, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Toyman wouldn't appear much in the 50s and 60s as DC transitioned to more of a sci-fi focus. But the '70s would bring us the Jack Nimball Toyman. There apparently wasn't much to him beyond a memorable run on Challenge of the Super Friends. But it is a new look and a shift in theming.
So, Schott is established as an evil take on both a craftsman and a grandfatherly figure.
But cultural association between toys and craftsmen wouldn't stick in our culture and other versions would arise.
But cultural association between toys and craftsmen wouldn't stick in our culture and other versions would arise.
January 3, 2026 at 6:36 PM
So, Schott is established as an evil take on both a craftsman and a grandfatherly figure.
But cultural association between toys and craftsmen wouldn't stick in our culture and other versions would arise.
But cultural association between toys and craftsmen wouldn't stick in our culture and other versions would arise.
Imagine a little old man, bent over a workbench painting tin soldiers and carving wooden trains. That's what old-school toyman was supposed to resemble. The issue even describes Toyman as "A kindly-seeming old man with bright, twinkling eyes".
January 3, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Imagine a little old man, bent over a workbench painting tin soldiers and carving wooden trains. That's what old-school toyman was supposed to resemble. The issue even describes Toyman as "A kindly-seeming old man with bright, twinkling eyes".
The first version of the Toyman first appeared in Action Comics No. 64. Most modern people's view is that he's just a guy in a weird suit who uses toys as weapons. But there is an archetype being drawn from. And it's this: "The kindly, old toymaker".
January 3, 2026 at 6:31 PM
The first version of the Toyman first appeared in Action Comics No. 64. Most modern people's view is that he's just a guy in a weird suit who uses toys as weapons. But there is an archetype being drawn from. And it's this: "The kindly, old toymaker".