Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.
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…and I can’t wait to see Adam West’s old ass in spandex! Oh wait, wrong batman……..doh!
Anyhow, this client of Matt K’s (from One Shot Studio in Edgewater, MD) apparently has an affinity for the OG Batman (before even the “with nipples” Michael Keaton Batman) Adam West and the “same bat time, same bat channel” tv program he starred in many moons before he became the mayor of Quahog, RI on Family Guy.
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On the heels of Rob’s previous article about the Zombie Boy doll released at this year’s San Diego ComicCon, Robert Tonner, founder of The Tonner Doll Company Inc. graciously answered a few questions for BME.
BME: First, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions to share with the readers of BME.com and ModBlog. This is such a unique doll. Where did you first hear about (or see) Rick Genest and what inspired you to create a doll in his likeness?
Robert: Hard to say…I think I became aware of Rick sometime around the Mugler ad campaign and then the Lady Gaga video. I thought the ads were powerful—here you have a beautiful classic tux worn by a guy who was totally tattooed. The images were incredible. I didn’t think when I first saw them that the tattoos on the model were real—it wasn’t until later that I found out that they were. I saw an article about Rick and the campaign.
I have to say I’m from a totally different generation (I remember my mother saying that I should never get a tattoo because I’d never be able to work at a bank!) and although the extent of Rick’s tattoo’s was, to me, a little shocking, I really saw what he’s done as something of a work of art. And art should rattle you.
BME: What was Rick’s reaction when you approached him about making this doll?
Robert: Actually, I’ve never spoken to Rick! I sent him an email and his agent/lawyer got back to me. Seems that Rick thought it was a great idea.
BME: Zombie Boy is unlike other dolls we have seen from Tonner. Did you have any concerns about how this doll would be received?
Robert: I didn’t really worry too much about the reaction of our collectors. I think our group is pretty sophisticated and while they may not want the doll, I’m pretty sure they could see the artistry in what we tried to do. The figure is unlike a lot of what we put out in some ways, but I always felt that we’ve pushed the envelope of collectible dolls and figures.
BME: What process goes into creating a doll with this kind of detail, particularly in duplicating Rick’s tattoos and what can you tell us about the doll itself?
Robert: We used a doll body that we had in stock but we had a head sculpted to Rick’s likeness. I work with one of the best portrait sculptors working today and with Rick’s input I think we got a great likeness and we were able to do it all with photos. We then had Rick’s tats produced in decal (a painstaking process) form and that along with a lot of hand painting created the look. We worked with Rick and his agent on the outfit and the box.
BME: Sneak previews of the doll were published online and the doll itself was an exclusive release at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con. What has the response been from Tonner collectors and those in attendance at the convention?
Robert: I can tell you that no one was on the fence about the figure! Most people loved what we were trying to do and there were a few negative comments but that all comes with the territory. All in all, it was really well received. At Comic Con (where Rick did a personal appearance for us to promote the doll) we sold out of the figures that we had there. It was very positive.
BME: The body modification community has certainly taken notice of this doll, sparking interest from those who might not necessarily be doll collectors. How likely is it that we may see more Tonner dolls with body modifications in the future?
Robert: Actually, Zombie Boy was not our first. We did a line of dolls called “Sinister Circus” and we had a lot of body modification going on. I do see us doing more—if it can be beautiful and well done.
I’d just like to thank Robert Tonner for taking the time to answer a few questions for us and to Joanne who has been so friendly and helpful in setting up this Q&A. Check out some more detailed photos of the doll below.
If you didn’t make it to SDCC, that’s ok! You still have a chance to get your very own Zombie Boy doll as they are set to go on sale Thursday, July 26. You can pick up your own for $159.99 from the Tonner Doll Company. Dolls ship worldwide and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Rick Genest.
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I rarely post tattoos on Modblog, seeing as how there are hundreds of popular tattoo blog sites and thousands upon thousands of smaller ones. However, this onehas so much going on and yet, is so well executed, I felt obliged to share it here.
The piece is on Keighla Night’s thigh and it was done by Ryan Burke at Tattoo Asylum in Portland Oregon.
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At this point in my life there are not too many “extreme body mods” that I actively consider getting. For instance, scarification doesn’t hold up well on me, transdermals had to be cut out of my head and eyeball tattooing simply freaks me the hell out. However, the one “extreme mod” I still could see myself getting is a new subdermal implant. I LOVE the little ear flat implants for instance. I am also planning on swapping out my old school titanium circular barbell implant in my hand for a newfangled silicone one of identical shape and size. My left had used to have a Titanium cbr until months later I caught a bad case of cellulitis in the hand, freaked out and cut that bastard out! Had I known then, what I know now I would have just taken some cephlex and bada bing, it would have been better. Anyhow, I am currently lasering off the tattoo on the hand and that has me thinking I’d like to do a detailed silicone implant on that hand then tattoo over it.
This lotus implant. done by the only man I’d trust to do such a thing on me personally, XPureX, has been under the skin for two years and looks absolutely awesome! It definitely has gotten my creative juices flowing and it has helped to respark my interest in getting a new one myself!
| “As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world” | |
| -Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism |
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Well, it’s funny you ask.
I have been doing the same thing I have always done, I have been focusing on body modification and blogging on that matter. Only, this time I have been focusing on a totally new (to me) form of body modification, one that consist of improving my bodies health and fitness. So I left ModBlog to my bearded buddy, Rob, and I started focusing most of my efforts towards my health and fitness blog, The Caveman’s Man.
So whereas before I was cutting, perforating, injecting, implanting and removing my body parts to obtain my ideal body image, now I have shifted focus onto the aspects of my body and health that will allow me to live long enough to answer that often asked question “what are you going to do with all those tattoos and piercings when you are 80?”.
With my former lethargic lifestyle combined with eating nothing but take out (and perhaps occasionally over indulging in booze), 80 wasn’t looking too likely of a lifespan for me. However, after losing 70 pounds and totally turning my life around, when someone ask ”what are you going to do with all those tattoos and piercings when you are 80?” I can cynically reply, “probably your great granddaughter”.
Anyhow, my passion for BME type body mods has never, and as far as I can assume will never diminish. So when Rob asked me to cover ModBlog for him for a few days while he was on vacation, I gladly accepted the offer. When it came time to write my first post of the year, I figured, why not combine both of these vastly different body modification interest for it?
So here you have my good friend, fellow healthy modded human being and my WOD wife, Katie McShady (who coincidentally has her own fitness blog), doing a split snatch at my Crossfit gym, Crossfit Mainstreet.
(I know, I know. I said “split snatch” laugh it up, add some relevant puns and move on.)
There are many sides to body modification, and many types of people involved in it but you have to appreciate someone like Katie, who represents our modified world so well by being a showcase for amazing tattoos and beautiful body jewelry as well as health and fitness, education and just being a damn good human being in general.
