More Even More Zombie Jesus Day

Because "more" wasn't enough and neither was "even more", we bring you "more even more" Zombie Jesus Day pictures!

Even More Zombie Jesus Day

The fun continues as we approach ZJD!

Expect Six Episodes of The Walking Dead

Exciting news was announced from AMC regarding the eagerly awaited zombie series, The Walking Dead. First of all, they have ordered a six episode first season. So at the very, very least we have six episodes to look forward to!

Though not official, it is looking like Jonny Lee Miller will play the role of Rick Grimes.

AMC's president, Charlie Collier, had this to say to The Hollywood Reporter:

"AMC strives to make original shows that play like movies and The Walking Dead is a perfect complement to the network’s celebrated movie franchise, Fearfest, which has always been an important destination for our audience. With its depth of story and the remarkable talent attached, The Walking Dead gives us an opportunity to raise the bar significantly within this popular genre, and continue our commitment to being the home of premium programming on basic cable."

Some Holiday Art

As most of you veteran Zombies & Toys readers know, sometimes I like to stray a bit off topic. Just a bit. Being a huge fan of art in addition to zombies and toys, I wanted to share a few images I've had stashed.

The first is a painting titled "Clash of the Holidays" by Todd Schorr. This serves as my wallpaper at work.

This next piece is "Scare Tactics" by Rob Sheridan.

And because this is a zombie site and Easter IS about the kiddies.... "Zombie Playground" by Jason Chan. I love this painting.

More Zombie Jesus Day

The countdown continues to the only holiday I know of that celebrates a zombie. With this countdown comes a handful of blasphemous images for your enjoyment! Again, if anyone knows the party responsible for the creation of these images let me know.

Zombie Jesus Day

And the countdown begins! We have one week until the celebration of Zombie Jesus Day. Or... to the majority, Easter. I'll keep my personal opinions out of the mix and hope not to offend the masses but you can expect some borderline offensive images this week. I mean, presumably he did die and come back to life. If you ask me, that's the textbook definition of a zombie.

We'll kick things off with a great photograph of a zombie Easter bunny!

Followed by a great painting most of you have probably seen already. I would love to know who the artist of this is. If anyone knows the story, please drop me an email.

Finally, head over to Nakatomi and grab yourself a copy of this print by Omar Hauksson. "Romero 3:16" is limited to only 150 hand numbered pieces so act fast.

Girls Kill Zombies Too

Gamer Chix Gear has a pretty sweet shirt for the ladies in their Cafe Press shop. It's $24 (ouch) but may be worth it if you're a proud, zombie-slayin' female. Grab yourself one by heading here.

AMC's The Walking Dead First Official Cast Member

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Jon Bernthal has been cast to play Shane in The Walking Dead. Those familiar with Robert Kirkman's books will know Shane as main character, Rick Grimes', best friend.

Bernthal has been seen on television in "Eastwick," "The Pacific," and "The Ghost Writer." He was also in the movie "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian".

Seriously, if you haven't read Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead you need to do so. Now! If nothing else, go to Boarders, buy a coffee, and mooch their copies.

330 Year Old Text Shows Fear of Zombies

"Our Common People attempt to avert the danger of chewing by placing under the chins of the dead a portion of recently excavated earth, lest they perhaps open their mouths and chew on the attached bands. Others, who do not consider this a sufficiently safe measure, before the mouth of the dead is closed, also place a stone and a coin in the mouth, so that in the event that it begins to chew within the grave, it would find the stone and coin and would abstain from chewing."

That is an excerpt from an ancient manuscript written in 1679 by Philip Rohr. What this manuscript addresses is the fear of having the dead rise to feast upon the living. Sound familiar? Even 330 years ago we were preparing to combat the undead. De Masticatione Mortuorum which translates from Latin as "On the Chewing Dead" was recently featured on National Geographic. While they are mostly trying to make comparisons to vampires, you and I both know where the real threat lies.

A Word From Our Sponsor

We interrupt our normal posting of zombie news so that we may drop a plug for our primary (and only) sponsor. Me!

Just a reminder that everyone should check out the Zombie Toy Store. There's plenty of rare and unique collectibles available with everything from plush zombies to imported vinyl. Of course, there's plenty of Zombies & Toys swag available so that you can show your support. So run over and buy some magnets, buttons, and key chains.

We will now return to our original broadcasting...

New Book... New Contest!

I just found out about a new book that has me pretty darn excited. The Zombie Combat Manual looks to be a practical guide full of techniques we will need to know once the dead rise and attack.
The author, Roger Ma, is also founder of The Zombie Combat Club. Their goal is to educate the public in blade, bludgeon, and unarmed combat techniques with ways to fight off the swarming hordes of undead assailants. There is nothing I like more than practical advice that will save my arse during the zombie apocalypse and this book seems to be full of it. For a taste of what lies inside, head over to The Zombie Combat Club and begin preparation.

And because Roger wants some additional survivors to stay alive long enough to help the cause, he is graciously giving a copy of his book to one of our lucky readers! You and I both know we must prepare sooner and not later, so this contest will end on the release day of The Zombie Combat Manual, April 6th. I don't want anyone to delay picking up this vital and life-saving piece of literature.

To enter, email your name and address to zombiecombat@zombiesandtoys.com. I also want to hear what one weapon you would want to possess when the dead rise. A general blanket of Zombies & Toys contest rules can be found here.

Beautiful Blogger Award

Wow! I am excited and surprised to announce that I was just given the "Beautiful Blogger Award". To be recognized by those who read my ramblings and those who write their own is a huge compliment and one I do not take lightly. This award was given to my by Aspasia of Blood Lines.

The recipient of the Beautiful Blogger Award must follow four rules upon receiving it:

1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award

2. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers you've recently discovered and think are fantastic
3. Contact said Blogs and let them know they've won

4. State 7 things about yourself

I must say as honored as I am, the idea of writing seven things about myself is a bit ominous. I mean, it's not like you're here to read about me... unless I were a zombie. So, in no particular order and strictly zombie-related...

1) The first zombie movie I saw as a child was Romero's Dawn of the Dead when I was maybe 7 or 8.

2) I have had dreams about zombies since I was a child and still have them to this day.

3) Regardless of where I am, one of the first things I do is size up my surroundings in case of a zombie outbreak and have done this since I was a child. Not out of paranoia, but out of fun.

4) I was a zombie 4 years in a row for Halloween as a child.

5) I was well on my way to finishing a zombie novel until I started pouring all of my time into Zombies & Toys. It's nearly finished and I hope to have it published sometime next year.

6) Zombies & Toys has truly become a labor of love and even though I loose sleep, neglect my family, use vacation days, and put myself in debt, the friends I have made and the people I have met make up for it ten-fold.

7) Sharing my passion for zombies and Zombies & Toys with my family and having their support through it all is the shiny bow that ties the whole brain-filled package together.

So, again, thank you to Aspasia and to everyone who took the time to read my rambling. I will be listing my 15 nominated blogs this weekend.

Real Plants That Help During the Zombie Apocalypse

The only thing I like as much as zombies in my toys is zombies in my science. Practical advice regarding the "what fers" of everything zombie is just plain 'ol fun to read. Truth Is Treason just posted an article titled, Houseplants You'll Want to be Growing During the Zombie Apocalypse of 2014. The article is full of practical advice that tells you which plants you'll want nearby when you're bunkered in your safety zone. What I want to know is how they know the zombie apocalypse will be in 2014?

Some are obvious. Of course it would be beneficial to have an aloe plant. I remember putting cutting them open when I would get burns as a child. Others, like the Venus Flytrap, I had never thought of. I mean, the decaying corpses are bound to draw flies, right?

It's a fun read and one I stumbled upon because of Awesome Apocalypse, another blog I just found. Do you like reading about end of the world scenarios? Of course, you do! So go check out AA.

Top Selling iPod Launch Game

You guessed it... Plants vs Zombies. PopCap Games' insanely addictive game sold over 300,000 copies in nine days! PvZ was number one in the Apple App Store for "units sold" and "top grossing" within 24 hours of its launch. Speaking of, it just relenquished the number one spot this week after being there since February 15th.

Shouldn't be much of a surprise considering the PC version was the fastest selling game in PopCap's history. This is saying a lot since they also gave us Bejeweled and Peggle. If you don't believe the hype, head over to PopCap Games to play Plants vs Zombies for free. While there, make yourself a zombatar and enter our contest for a free copy of the game and some other great prizes!

Pocket Zombies News

One of my personal favorite zombie toys has an exciting update. Atomfreak Studios recently introduced the undead cuteness known as Pocket Zombies. The first series, The Family, has not been released in its entirety. Ted-E is currently available with sister, Apple, and their undead pet pooch, Wondoo, being made available shortly.

Creator, Alex Rodrigue, just announced on the Pocket Zombies' official Facebook page that they will be sharing some concept artwork of possible future characters. He did mention in a previous interview with Zombies & Toys that there was a good possibility we could see more of these guys in the future.

We'll try to post images here as they become available. But to ensure you don't miss an exciting unveiling, become a friend of Pocket Zombies on Facebook. While you're there, leave some comments about what you like or dislike about the new designs.

Kevin Smith Zombie Sighting

Jason dropped me an email letting us know that Night of the Living Kev is more than just a toy. It looks like Kevin Smith will be hosting a Q & A session that will "eat your brains". So, if you're in the Portland area, you can catch Kevin at the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom on April 12th.

And you still have time to pick up your very own Night of the Living Kev inaction figure from the Zombie Toy Store to take with you!

Thanks to Jason of Jason Takes Portland for the info and images.

SkullyBoom Contest Reminder

Just a quick reminder that our SkullyBoom contest will conclude next week. There will be 3 prizes and you have the chance to win some great designer Skullys and some other zombie toys of your choice.

Scattered throughout this blog, there are images of the Skully I customized to look like the Zombies & Toys logo. Each time you spot him, send an email to skully@zombiesandtoys.com with the date and/or title of that post. Sometimes his picture is just thrown in, and others are like a Where's Waldo-esq having his image photoshopped into the pic. Each post you list counts as one entry (and, yes, you can enter using several different emails on different days).

If you have a Skully, email your customized pic for 5 entries!

Zombie Game Flowchart

Vince emailed me this video game flowchart that pretty much sums up every game I'd like to own. Not entirely... but it is one heck of an entertaining chart!

The Walking Dead Movie

Yeah, so don't get too excited. This is a fan made short acting out events from issue #51. If you haven't read up to that point in the series, lower your head in shame and do not watch this video. Unless you like spoilers and having surprising elements ruined; Then you can watch.

Don't forget, AMC starts filming The Walking Dead television series in May!

View all videos posted by checking Zombies & Toys on YouTube.

Support AARG; Jason Does

Jason over at Jason Takes Portland has addressed an important issue that we should all be aware of. What is it? Well... it involves zombies...

Zombie Mask Review

Xzombie69X is back again with another video review. This time he's showcasing a zombie mask created at Eville J's Creepy Closet. This is the first I've heard of Eville J, but after seeing this mask I think I'm going to check them out!

Half Dead Fred: A Zombies & Toys Exclusive

The name Philip Hynes should sound familiar to readers. He was featured previously as the talented sculptor behind Dead Ringers. He's also an active member of our little Facebook community. So some of you may already know about Phil's blog that highlights his current projects as well as their progressions.

His latest creation is a zombie modeled after our very own Zombies & Toys logo! This one-eyed flesh eating creation Phil sculpted has become known as "Half-Dead Fred". You can watch the transformation of this piece from a skull to a full-blown bust over at Phil's site.

An extremely limited number of these guys are being cast and hand-painted and will be featured in the Zombie Toy Store! There will be more details involving this opportunity in the month's to come. In the meantime, have a look at the amazing work!

A Zombie Water Fountain?

You've seen Xzombie69X on Zombies & Toys a few times already with his video reviews of zombie goods. Well... he's back with another one! This time, he is featuring a zombie water fountain.



There are plenty of other toy reviews to be seen on the Xzombie69X YouTube page. You may also want to make note of the Zombies & Toys page as well where you can find all of the videos that are posted here.

We're Alive: A Zombie Podcast

Like with most everything else, my wife was right again. She's been telling me to look into podcasts for a year or more but I resisted insisting that music on my iPod was enough. Well, my new job allows me the benefit of using headphones and with a longer commute I decided to give these podcasts a whirl. She turned me on to some of her favorites like Ricky Gervais and The Nerdist but the fun really began when I started searching for zombies.

Introducing "We're Alive", a radio drama zombie podcast. The best way to describe it would be to say it's like listening to an old school radio drama. Think Little Orphan Annie from the movie A Christmas Story or the original broadcast of War of the Worlds. Since it is also narrated by the main character, you can throw in a dash of audio book for good measure. Each podcast is around 20 minutes long and are priced at a very affordable FREE.

Overall, I must say that I have been very pleased with We're Alive. There is not a lot of down time, it's immersive, the acting is good, the situations are mostly believable, and it has some unique twists. Look at it this way: I like it enough to hop on here and tell everyone reading to check it out. I'm maybe eight or so casts in and have only encountered a few moments that made me want to roll my eyes.

We're Alive tells the story of a handful of survivors trying to make their way amongst a zombie apocalypse. It is very reminiscent of The Walking Dead but is definitely not rip off. If the story was a book, I would read it. If it was a movie, I would watch it. Being a podcast whose episodes you can get through in under 20 minutes? It's a no-brainer. From the official We're Alive website:

A small riot in LA has spread past its containment. Three reserve soldiers are called to their deserted duty station. Believed to be the last remaining armed servicemen in the area, Michael, Angel, and Saul witness the true cause of the riot; people are starting to change and attack each other.

Armed with only what they can carry, they set out to secure an apartment building and rescue survivors scattered amongst the shattered remains of civilization.
In a world turned upside down, every day is a struggle, as those who have taken refuge in “the tower” find out that their safe haven is under constant threat. In this place, however, the strengths of those who stand together, might just be enough to live long enough to see things start to change.



Being new to the world of podcasting, I have a few questions of my own for you, the readers. What other podcasts would you recommend? And would you be interested in listening to a Zombies & Toys podcast? I'm talking 10 to 15 minutes every other week or so to sum up recent news and upcoming events. Maybe have a guest, review a book or movie, or air an interview every now and then. I'm stretched thin but think this could be a fun thing to try. I know if I could find a zombie news podcast, I'd subscribe in a heartbeat. But as with this blog, if the interest is there I'll give it a shot. So cast a vote in the margin to tell me what you think. I also welcome all comments, suggestions, ideas, and recommendations of your favorite podcasts either by posting a comment or emailing me at zombiesandtoys@gmail.com.

Zombie Cuisine Week

Our friends over at The Zed Word, another great zombie blog, is declaring next week zombie cuisine week. There will be contests, interviews, reviews, and posts all centering around zombies and food. I expect the posts to be a lot of fun so make sure to not miss the fun!

Here's a video announcement from The Zed Word but please note that it is gory.

Attack of the Living Dead; Toy Review

Our friend, Xzombie69X, is back again with a video review of two of Mezco's Attack of the Living Dead figures. This is the line that had four different variations to each character. They had color, black and white, and different head sculpts for each. Then, Mezco released a fifth version; The radio-active glow-in-the-dark set. This set included the alternate head sculpt and any accessories available with the regular versions.



The radio-active set was limited to less than 100 sets and previously only available through Mezco Direct. The last of these gems can now only be found in the Zombie Toy Store.

Hollywood Zombies Wall Graphics

LTL Prints has a line of reuseable wall graphics featuring the images of zombified Hollywood stars. The graphics are available as large as 7 feet tall!