Discussion

Andrew (Television Executive)

@ajroach42@retro.social · 3 weeks ago

Andrew (Television Executive)

@ajroach42@retro.social · 4 weeks ago

Alright, it's Monday and that means it's time for me to briefly plug all the things.

I'm going to do this every monday, I think.

Sorry.

It's Monday! And that means it is time for some #shamelessSelfPromotion

Hi, I'm Andrew. I left the tech industry in 24 to pursue things that aren't enriching the worst people on the planet. I do a lot of things. You can find a pretty detailed, if a little incomplete, list in the thread I did last Monday.

https://retro.social/@ajroach42/115884970250442866

Today I'm going to be a little less scattershot in my promotion and talk about our upcoming toy show.

Andrew (Television Executive)

@ajroach42@retro.social replied · 3 weeks ago

We do an annual hand made toy show in #Asheville called #assemblyrequired

This year #assemblyRequiredAshville is FEB 7TH and 8TH at battery park hall on Haywood street. Tickets are $10 and that gets you in both days.

This will be my fifth year presenting at this show.

It is an incredible experience in a great town with a wonderful group of artists and absolutely worth ten bucks.

Andrew (Television Executive)

@ajroach42@retro.social replied · 3 weeks ago

This year, we're taking a small number of injection molded action figures, many rubber keshis and hard plastic monsters, some original gameboy color games, many comic books that we've published ourselves, and the first two issues of my ongoing #skypirates serial #TheMysteriousAirPirates.

I have attached some photos.

4 media

A small action figure in multiple colors standing in front of a much larger 3D printed monster

Some canvas printed posters and sky pirate magazines. In the corner also Jupiters Ghost Away Mission for the gameboy color.

The cover of issue two of the mysterious air pirates, standing in front is an action figure of one of the characters from the book.

A small number of multicolored tiedye robots and monsters standing on a rock.

Andrew (Television Executive)

@ajroach42@retro.social replied · 3 weeks ago

If you can't come see us in person, I'll be posting a recap video to our television network sometime in mid FEB. You can find our television network on the fediverse at @video or online at newellijay.TV

In the meantime, most of the products we're taking are available for sale from HTTPS://mountaintowntoys.Com and the rest will be available after the show.

We've added an assortment of canvas prints and we're working on some new zines, including English translations of some previously very hard to find early manga.

3 media

A closeup of one of the canvas prints showing the physical details of the canvas. It is bumpy, because it is canvas.

The same print from further away. A masked figure stands on the bridge of a ship. In the distance a zeppelin explodes.

A page from a very early shojo manga. It is in Japanese.

Andrew (Television Executive)

@ajroach42@retro.social replied · 3 weeks ago

A lot of our toymaking efforts right now center around shows and events.

Historically, this has been the only way for us to actually make any sales.

I enjoy doing shows and events, but I would really love if our sales could be more consistent than event based retail will allow. It is too big of a risk to depend on shows that might happen during hurricane helene, or might be slower than usual because of the aftermath of hurricane Helene, or might just have been so poorly advertised no one shows up.

The last two years worth of shows have been a *lot* of that. I wrote a blog post about the last one https://ajroach42.com/joelanta-2025-retrospective/ and the fallout from that post appears to have gotten us blacklisted from the big March show.

That's fine. We'll survive. We'll find new shows. But it would be nice if we didn't have to depend so much on events.

We're working on releasing more toys, more of each toy, and releasing toys on a more predictable schedule. We're working on new video games, more fiction, more comics, and new methods of making toys.

It will be good! But it will take time.