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SYFY WIRE Original Video

Diabeetus Wilford Brimley and more custom toys you need to own

By SYFY WIRE Staff

You may have noticed a severe lack of Baby Yoda toys on the shelves this season. Because Lucasfilm wanted to preserve The Mandalorian's big reveal, Disney may have missed out on millions of dollars. But that doesn't mean that you can't find Baby Yoda toys! The underground toy customizers have already pounced on The Child like a Loth-cat.

This isn't a new phenomenon. Toy customizers have been around for decades. But thanks to Instagram, Etsy, eBay, and social media, the customizers have blown up like never before. A small subculture of toy fans is rapidly expanding, and there’s nothing they won't touch. Want to get an "action figure" of the High Ground from Revenge of the Sith? Or have you been longing for a "Diabeetus" Wilford Brimley figure? Both exist, and they were created by the man known as RetroGimmick.

SYFY WIRE recently spoke with RetroGimmick and he told us why he created the Diabeetus figure and shared his thoughts on picking a subject to customize into a toy.

"I think what makes a good custom action figure is the initial impact it has on people when they see it," said RetroGimmick. "If someone's scrolling on Instagram and they see your figure and they laugh, I think that's what makes it. I made the Diabeetus Wilford Brimley action figures because I knew that infomercial... was popular and it's been parodied on TV and there's memes of it. So I just put it up there and it became the most popular thing I've ever made."

For a deeper dive into the world of custom toy makers, check out the latest episode of SYFY WIRE's Toy Masters!