Pocket Zombies - A Zombies & Toys Exclusive

I mentioned in a previous post that I would be providing more information about Atomfreak Studios and their flagship product, Pocket Zombies. Not only was president of Atomfreak, Alex Rodrigue, kind enough to answer some of my questions and offer some insight, but he also provided Zombies & Toys with some exclusive images!

“The adventure started two years ago,” states Alex. “I was looking to start my own project but finding the right idea was not easy.” The “right idea” was the result of introducing Alex’s seven-year-old son to one of his favorite movies, George Romero’s Day of the Dead.

“My son told me the monster [on the cover] looks funny and scary at the same time.” Of course, the “monster” Alex’s son was referring to was everyone’s favorite zombie, Bub! Alex was asked by his son if he could draw a funny zombie that would not scare him. “And that was it, BANG!”

The next morning, Alex, began to draw some concept images. Disappointed with what he had come up with, he contacted his good friend Eric Belisle. Eric had done some illustrations for Wizards of the Coast and D&D as well as several concepts for games. “The timing was good with [Eric] and he started the process,” Alex explains. “Eric catches the essence of what I had in mind!”

We can expect to see a back-story developed and the Pocket Zombie world will resemble in many ways Charlie Brown’s world. “I really like the Charlie Brown Concept.” Alex continues, “You know, no parents, a kids’ community.” And what about man’s best friend? “The theme for the first series is ‘THE FAMILY’. So the dog was an obvious choice during our brainstorm. Dogs are a zombie’s best friend!”

These PVC characters stand around six inches tall including the base and this initial series will consist of 1,000 pieces each. They will be available directly from the Pocket Zombies site this October.

What does the future hold? “Expect some t-shirts, posters, stickers, etc. An art book is in the making but we are going to wait at least a year before we develop those other products.” We can also expect to see more pets introduced to the series. Oh, did I forget to mention that we may have more? “We already have six catalogues with a total of around 30 characters. Whether or not we inject more money into future development will depend on the success of the first series,” explains Alex. Personally, I NEED all the Pocket Zombies they can throw at me. So make sure to buy!!

Stay tuned as I will anxiously post more information as I come upon it. A big "thanks" to Alex Rodrigue for his time. Now, for the first time anywhere, have a look at a new Pocket Zombies poster as well as some concept art!