Heart Land trailer: Coming Soon ?

Matt Boiselle

Amongst the plethora of zombie apocalypse movies that have surrounded us lately like a pack of rampaging, virus-infected maniacs, we the viewers have seen literally every form and fashion of life fighting off the undead, but what if for a moment, we looked towards the children ?

Coming ( hopefully) soon from the ultra-creative minds at Centermass Studios, is the film Heart Land, which focuses on a small band of young children and their struggles to survive against the backdrop of a zombie outbreak. While little is known about the movie itself, you can sort of get a gauge from focusing your peepers on the trailer, which looks very impressive. For all the latest news regarding what looks to be a sure-fire hot topic movie, head on over to http://www.centermassstudios.com/ or as usual, get the latest rotting chunks of news pieces from us here at Zombies & Toys. I can almost HEAR the parents' groups chomping at the bit, waiting to attack this film !

2 Free Kindle Zombie Reads

by Dorothy Emry

I don’t know what’s up with the new weekend marketing strategy for authors with Kindle editions on Amazon, but you gotta love it if you’re a fan of zombie stories. This weekend you can get the Kindle editions of Sabrann Curach’s short story “Footnotes to a Lesson,” first published in Dead Worlds, Undead Stories in 2009 and May December Publications first anthology (2010) Eye Witness: Zombie for free. Curach’s story is told from the POV of a one of the undead. The anthology gives you 15 zombie filled stories to while away your weekend hours. So hurry on over to Amazon.com now. It doesn’t get better than free.

Do You Want To Be A Zombie ?

Matt Boiselle There is a certainty to the popularity of zombies in the entertainment industry, and the mass hysteria that surrounds it. There have been two types of people that are following this movement, and those are the ones that are preparing for the worst-case scenario, and there are those who just love the idea of zombies to their core.

Now there has been a third group thrown onto the mix as of recently: those deep down who wish they were one of the undead. Well, there are some that just don't want to go through the pain ( infected blood, decaying skin) to get the glory ( just kidding). There however is a much safer alternative to achieving the "rotting killer" look, and it begins with checking out a very cool website. Head on over to www.allmyfriendsarezombies.com and have a look around, and you will find one of the most inventive ideas to be put into book form. Matthew Sebert, the graphic designer of " All My Friends Are Zombies" gives you a look at some of the ones that were lucky enough to make it in to this book ( or should I say unlucky ?).

The book itself has profiles of Facebook friends that had their pictures " zombified" by Sebert himself, and when each person was having their pic deaded up, they filled out a questionnaire in order to help identify certain characteristics each of them thought they would possess once they became a flesh-eater. Zombies & Toys own Keya Millionie had her pic done as well ( the undead chick at the top of this article !) There will soon be a Kickstarter campaign commencing in order to assist with funding of the books, and judging by the preview on the website, this will be well worth it. Take a look as well at their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/allmyfriendsarezombies) and "like" to get in on some killer giveaways, but more importantly, to show support for a great idea from a true lover of all things zombie !!

Damien G. Walter's story "My Lovesick Zombie Boy Band" free...for a short time

by Dorothy Emry

For a limited time this weekend, you can get Damien G. Walter’s short story “My Lovesick Zombie Boy Band,” Kindle edition, on Amazon.com (or Amazon.co.uk if you’re one of our readers across the water) for free.

Walter is, in his own words, a “writer of weird fiction, Guardian columnist and journalist.” He’s just sold a new short science fiction story to the brand new, UK based Universe Magazine. He announced that news this week on his blog, which is how I found out about the freebie story for this weekend.

I hope, of course, that you’ll check out Walter’s other Kindle offering “Cthul-You” and maybe even start following him on Twitter @damiengwalter for updates on his Guardian reviews and news. He’s one cool dude and worthy of a follow, I assure you.

Zombie Survivor Shirt

Matt Boiselle For all of the reality TV junkies out out there that have a love affair with the hit television show "Survivor", I'm sure that you have purchased at one time or another from their website one of the corresponding tribal groups' t-shirts. Well say hello to the ultimate survival shirt - fresh off the printers from the gang at http://www.teeminus24.com/ - this tough looking shirt is something that these reality show producers should get a long hard look at when considering a plot for one of their next cash cow pilot episodes.

Honestly, can you say that the aforementioned show can really be about survival ? With a fully stocked medical clinic on the other side of whatever island the contestants may be on, and a buffet station that would make any power-eater start drooling hardly can be construed as hard times. (Come on, do you really think the host and camera crew are dining on leaves and fish guts too ? ) To add a little horror to this show for next season, lets drop onto the island about 100-200 flesh-hungry rage infected zombies and watch these prissy little camera hogs run for their lives !!! Oh well, in the meantime, head on over to http://www.teeminus24.com/ and grab yourself and your tribe a whole slew of these killer shirts - they are only $12 for Men's - $13 for ladies - & $14 for the little ones. You cannot beat those prices with a stick, so prepare to Outrun, Outgun & Outlast the walkers that will be infesting an island near you !!

The Reaper Virus

Nick Teeters

In this tale of pain and discomfort, we have a single man battling the odds of bad luck and finding the ability to outsmart and overcome the "Infected" in this new twist on something classic. Nathan spends his nights manning the radios in the local police station and things start to go crazy as the Reaper Virus takes hold on the throat of the world. As it sweeps through the streets it comes banging on the front door to the police station. One thing Nathan knows for sure is that he has to get home to his wife and kids.

This was originally a blog, but was picked up by Knight Watch press and you can still check out the site to get an idea of the story here.

This will be a must have for the Zombie fanatic when it is released early this summer and we'll have an interview with the author and an update to post when it does!

The Walking Dead Videogame: Trailer

Matt Boiselle It has only been 2 short days since the explosive finale of The Walking Dead, and the zombie addicts are assuredly going through what is affectionately called "The DT's" - where you need the fix of bloodshed and survivors fighting for their own prolonged existence. Well sweet salvation - the game developer Telltale has decided to fill a prescription for us and slip it into our bloodstream !

There has been quiet rumblings for a while now regarding The Walking Dead videogame, but unfortunately not much that has been tangible... until now. Hot on the heels of the first game trailer, comes actual in-game footage of this sure to be instant classic. Fans of the comic will see points of the storyline infused into gameplay, and will center on convicted criminal Lee Everett, and his attempts to stay alive in the future of the living dead, all the while trying to protect Clementine, an orphaned girl who now looks to Lee as her savior.


The story of Sheriff Rick Grimes and his band of survivors will be in the foreground, but not focused upon centrally, but have no fear, there will be plenty of spine-tingling moments as well as copious amounts of blood. The game will be available as part of a 5 -part adventure series in late-April, and each episode will be made accessible on networks (PC-MAC-PSN-XBLA) for 4.99 an episode. If you click on the campfire pic, you will be taken to Telltale's website, where you can not only read all about this upcoming game, but watch both trailers and get 10 percent off your pre-order.

The Walking Dead Minimates Series 1: Coming Soon

Matt Boiselle If you are one of the millions of die-hard Walking Dead fans, then you are most likely climbing out of your flesh-suit after tonight's Season 2 finale, and you are left wondering "now what ?"

There has got to be something out there to scratch the undead itch until Season 3 premieres in October, and this may be it. DST ( Diamond Select Release) who designed, and Art Asylum (sculptors), have yanked open the barn doors and unleashed a series of of highly detailed Minimates-minifigures that are cut from the mold of Robert Kirkman's insanely popular comic-book series.

These mini-figures will be issued in 2-packs and will feature one character with a zombie walker. Each mini measures 2 inches tall with 14 points of articulation and comes with numerous removable & interchangeable accessories. When these little beauties are released in September, make sure you hop on into the Zombies & Toys store and pick up some for yourself, but DON'T leave them on the floor, because these zombies BITE !!

Skateboarding Zombie Ollie Mongo

Todd Jepperson



Hey boy fiends and ghoul friends! Today we have a special opportunity to introduce to you the freshest meat from creators Arlene Klasky (Nickelodeon’s Rugrats/Rocket Power) and horror mogul Craig Singer (Perkin’s 14/Darkride.) Meet Ollie Mongo; Just your average teen skateboarding zombie from the future! Don’t worry, he’s half human; so he’s not looking for a few snacks to hang around. In fact, the taste of brains makes him wanna hurl.

Lucky for Ollie, being half zombie gives him some pretty neat bonuses. When you or I have to bail, we can come up with some nasty damage; but when Ollie loses an arm, it’s no big deal. He’ll pick it up and it’ll be just as good as dead in no time.

Here at Z&T, we got a chance to trade emails back and forth for a short but very sweet parlay with Ollie about everything from the future and also about his buddy Yuki, a hardcore tomboy stunt girl who gives Ollie something to chase on his board. Check out what he had to say in the interview below:

Hey Ollie! How are things in 2210? Is Zombies and Toys still the only place to go for everything a zombie could ever need?

Well, I can you say are one of MY favorite places! Pickings are pretty slim post apocalypse as I'm sure you can imagine - sometimes just finding some decent replacement wheels for my skateboard is a challenge. I keep reading about these things called Slurpee's but there's no 7 - 11's to find them at! :)

So you’re only half Z. What that’s all about; like, what’s the difference between HZ and going all the way Zombie.

I was born this way so I really didn't have a choice - to be serious though I think being half human gives me an interesting perspective on some of the difficulties for both sides - I mean nobody's perfect and I get to sort of sit on top of the fence and look at both sides with a pretty open mind.


I hear you and your pal Yuki are doing everything you can to keep Vinnie Stitch and his evil little buddies from totally wrecking everything we have worked so hard to build since the Zombie Apocalypse. Tell us what a typical night of being awesome looks like for you two crazy kids.

When we're not skating down on the boardwalk (there's this really cool old mini golf course we turned into this radical skate park) or watching old Horror films - I'm doing some Zombie chasing and trying to keep Vinnie and company out of peoples hair - some Z's hate for no reason and Vinnie is really good at stirring the pot - so to speak.

Who the heck is Dr. Crash? How close is he to completely trashing the world and making all of us breathers into full fledged flesh crawlers?

That's a really great question but also a bit sensitive - Let's put it this way - if old Hans has his way things would look very different down the shore. He's a bad dude and I'm not at liberty to fully disclose what I intend to do about him but I will say - it may not be too pretty.

I’ve been reading a little bit about Tilly? How’d you guys meet?

I've known Tillie for as long as I can remember - he's almost like part of my family - He's one part big brother with a dash of psychic advisor - he's seen it all and always has great advise for me. You know Tillie's been here from way back in the day before everything turned kinda gray and well before the apocalypse. He's also very funny and while some of his jokes may seem a bit corney - he's the hippest cat I know.

What’s in store for Ollie Mongo?

Just doing my thing - chillin & skating. I am who I am - and while some folks think I'm misunderstood - I'm really just your average teenage skateboarding zombie.

Where can Zombies and Toys readers go to keep up on all the action?

The best place for now is my facebook page and remember to "LIKE" and "SHARE" - I'm not sure why but everybody tells me that's really important (you full humans can be pretty silly I guess) as for other Ollie "Stuff" - stay tuned - I hear there are some incredibly cool adventures coming your way soon

Thanks, Ollie. Tell Yuki we say hi and tell future us to keep up the good work. It’s been pretty cool to have you on the blog today. Stop back in anytime.

It was fun - anytime!

World War Z: Postponed until 2013

Matt Boiselle
In a move that will surely disappoint fans of the impending cinematic zombie apocalypse, Paramount has decided to change the previous release date of the Brad Pitt feature film, World War Z. The movie adaptation, based on Author Max Brooks' wildly popular book centering on the effects of a society that has been crumbled due to a zombie armageddon, has now seen its original December 2012 release date kicked back to June 21st, 2013. The move appears to strictly be made in an attempt to combat other Summer blockbusters, allowing it to flourish in the competition of other theatrical heavy hitters. So for all the zombie fanatics hoping to see this movie around the holidays this December, crack open the book once again and hang tight for another six months.

Google + Launch

When we launched our Google + page....
Ima Zombie dropped into a hang out with Byron Rempel and his 1000 Zombies Project.

It was certainly fun to watch Byron draw zombies live on the web and James Ehni from PA is getting a special package in the mail from Zombies & Toys.




Of course, Ima Zombie is also a mail artist...
So a custom Artist Trading Card & custom envelope had to be made ...




Thanks James for joining our Zombie Hoard circle .....

Indonesian Zombie : Real or Fake ?

Matt Boiselle In what looks to one of the biggest internet controversies in a long time, the villagers of Toraja, Indonesia have reportedly allowed cameras to document what they are depicting as "a true zombie." The above picture was taken as a supposedly deceased female was being led to her new resting place. This is a long standing belief of the Toraja people, as death is purported to be a very long process.

Funeral arrangements are extremely expensive, so the burial process is performed in kind of a two-act process. After death, the body is interred in a temporary burial spot while the family works to gain funds for a more decorated and celebrated funeral. Once the money has been gained, the Toraja believe that in some cases the dead are actually able to walk from their temporary to their final resting place. In the photo, you can see that the woman's arms are crossed, much like a person that had been prone in a casket, or that the head is slightly bent forward to suggest that there was a pillow under her head. Although these inferences are strictly "what ifs", the Toraja people stand by their beliefs and claim that this practice is nothing new.

Others claim that this simply a case of leprosy, or that it has been photoshopped to extreme limits, but in my opinion ( of which is fairly useless), this just looks TOO creepy to pass off as fake. Check out the pics or click on the link to the website to read a little deeper into the story, however trying to get THAT face out of your memory banks may be a little hard to do !

The Walking Dead: Talk about it here !!

Matt Boiselle Has this season of AMC's The Walking Dead: Season 2 fullfilled your zombie-loving wishes ?
Are you less than impressed with the storylines, and want some hardcore undead violence to splash across our TV screens ? Well just click on the pic of this little sweetheart above and you will be whisked away to our zombie forum where you can hop on a topic and blow off some steam, or show a little love to the show that has every fan of The Walking Dead talking until their jaws fall off !!

Unique Abstract Zombie Art Coming At Ya!

Here at Zombies & Toys, we love to come across any kind of really cool art.  Especially when it's related to zombies, of course!

Enter Jessica Echevarria, creator of a large variety of abstract art pieces.  Amongst them are many very cool images of celebrities - being such a metalhead, the one of Lemmy is particularly awesome - and some unique creations of monsters.  And of course, piquing our interest, is a specific piece dedicated to some good old fashioned zombification.

Check it out!

Very cool stuff, huh?  Abstract art done well is always eye catching, and this is certainly some good stuff.  We sure would love to see more abstract pieces of the undead variety from this awesome artist.  Wouldn't you?

So go on and check out and pick up something from Miss Echevarria at her Etsy store here.

Be sure to also go to her Facebook page as well!


- Dan Barkasi

THHPPT Zombie Kitty Kawaii goes on an adventure..

Artist - Louise Kiner
Zombie Kitty Kawaii!
International Union Of Mail Artists

THHPPT!
From Austrailia to Paris – Greece & the US
This Zombie Kitty is on the move….
So i asked Louise Kiner some questions about her mail art project.

Ash:
I really dig your use of zombies in art.
Can you tell me a little more about:
Zombie Kitty Kawaii!

(Zombie Kitty Kawaii! Valentine 2012 ) 

“About Zombie Kitty Kawaii!:
I came up with her in 2009. I was teaching a "Manga" course for kids (ages 8 to 12 approx) at a studio of some friends of mine. “


“It was pretty hilarious as they were all really into the horror and monsters and vampires etc. 
My experience with Manga was reading a lot of Shojo Manga (girls manga) and Kawaii (cute) Manga; 
so after the first class I thought I'd better come up with a character 
one I could use for the different lessons I had prepared and that these kids would like. “


“I thought "Hello Kitty", but more gruesome, but with humor as well, 
 like the Black Night who has all his limbs cut off in Monty Python and the Holy Grail 
("It's only a scratch!"). 
So, after a bunch of sketches,
 Zombie Kitty Kawaii! came about.”

Zombie Kitty 2009

Ash:
So it seems that there are a whole bunch of people involved in the project.
How does that work?

Louise Kiner:
“The Zombie Kitty Kawaii! project: 
A little more then a year and a half ago, I had bought and read: 

Make Every Day a Good Mail Day

It was a bit of an epiphany
the idea of making art and sending it to someone was such a great idea 
the fact that you might get really good mail (and not bills) was really exciting to me. 


Back in the fall, 
I sat down that day and wrote out a basic outline for it. 
I actually also posted a question on how to get started on the IUOMA's Ask Anything Group. 
Ruud Janssen actually read my outline through and made some great suggestions to get it up and running. 


It's not the most original concept 
people have been stealing garden gnomes for years and photographing them on holiday.


Everyone who has been involved, has been having fun and are really inventive.
The Zombie Kitty Kawaii! Project/Group would be nothing without all the Artists who are and who will be involved. 
I think they all bring a certain charm and inventiveness to the project that I cannot take credit for. 


If they all lived closer by, I would have them over for drinks and a really nice dinner. I really can't thank them enough. 

Ash
Well I am certainly looking forward to having my time with ZKK and I would certainly come over for drinks

Cheers Louise

Recently seen in France

Zombie First Responders Course

Matt Boiselle As the impending apocalypse is seemingly right around the corner, who honestly can say that they haven't ( at least in their own mind) seen themselves as the one that will take on the role of savior ? There seems to almost be a kind of poetic victory that can all people can revel in as they view that fearless icon, the ultimate zombie slayer, as he (or she) stands alone in the rubble and debris, holding court over numerous undead bodies, freshly dispatched by blades, bludgeon, or bullets.

Sounds good doesn't it ? That's what I was thinking too, and if you happen to be around the Portland, Oregon area, you can attend the Trackers Earth's Zombie First Responder course. In this handy 2-day course, you will be taught the survival tools necessary to keep your butt from becoming zombie chow. There are a certain number of skills that one must know in order to have a somewhat decent chance at staying alive, and this ZFR course will get you started in the following ways. First up, you will be instructed on how to avoid high-risk areas that may be overly populated with the dead, and the ability to find and collect drinking water. Stealth will also be taught - you didn't think you were gonna march down the street like Rambo did you ?? Cooking is a topic that will be addressed, and rightfully so - unless you stumble on an overturned Hostess truck, learning to live off of the land can be a valuable nugget to be stored in your brain.

Finally, the topic that I truthfully think will be what sets the hunters apart from the hunted, will be how to take down the infected with either a hatchet, or a bow and arrow, because unless you have one serious armory at your disposal, you're gonna have to rely on a killing weapon that does not make a whole lot of noise and draw attention to yourself. All this for ONLY $67.00 for the course - spots are filling up quick, so head on over to www.trackerspdx.com and sign up. If you want the power and glory role in the end-of-days, this is a pretty good place to start.

Frankenweenie Stills, Teaser, and Poster Released

Todd Jepperson



In 1984, Tim Burton put together a short film about a boy and the loss of his best friend. (You can watch that story in two parts; here and here.) The story never left his mind, as it seems. In 2005, plans to revisit it surfaced and last October, Disney treated us to a couple of stills.

With a release date of October 5th, 2012, Frankenweenie has been a project almost two decades in the making; so to keep us busy until October, Disney has released a few more goodies.

Little Victor, shattered by the loss of his pooch, Sparky, turns to science to bring his best friend back from the grave; but, gets more than he bargained for. Victor does his best to hide the dog from his neighbors and when Sparky gets out the action really gets going.

(expand for total goodness)

Check out the main site at Disney and also stop in for extras available over on their FB page.

Zombie Apocalypse Survival 101

Matt Boiselle I'm not one to complain, but where the heck were classes like this when I was in school ? There has got to be more than a fair share of our readers that, when you were in either High School, College, or Grad School. were absolutely bored to tears with the curriculum. You know what you need to take to graduate, but just the act of sitting through it made you want to bang your skull off of your desk until you blacked out.

So now we flash forward to May 14th, 2012 on the campus of Michigan State University, where the Dean of students and his faculty fully believe that this generation's students not only need the prerequisites such as math, English, and certain language classes to survive in this cruel world, but a class in survivalism during a zombie apocalypse ? Now that is what I call earning college credits ! MSU's School of Social Work is offering an online class entitled " Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse - Catastrophes and Human Behavior, and this class promises much more than the normal " how do I effectively kill a zombie ?" type of information.

The 7 week course will integrate human behavior and nature change following certain catastrophic circumstances, using both hypothetical and historical implementation, including an all-out simulation of a zombie apocalypse. The course's creator and work instructor, Glenn Stutzky, says that students will work in small groups during the first week of classes and develop ways to survive the undead outbreak, and as the weeks change, so will the varied simulations. Topics like the Black Plague and meteoric strikes upon Planet Earth will force students to change their ways of thinking and apply certain techniques to each corresponding disaster. all of their collective planning will fall into order on the final simulation event, which promises to be a true test of all that they have learned.

Mr. Stutzky and a team from Visual University Design and Tech. are using every available avenue of social media to promote the course. Finally, a course that can truly be applied after graduation........I mean think about it, how many people do you know that have a degree in "communications", but feel the need to use the word "like" in a sentence over and over ?

Even Zombies get bored...

Zombies & Toys, a photo by CAMEL007 on Flickr.

Nothing happening in the New Zombie Journal....

must be time to get creative...

- Ima Zombie