Weird Writers

Here are some toys that kind of take liberties with the name of this site, since they're about 5" or 6" tall and not technically mini figures. But when I dug them out in an old box of stuff after forgetting about them for well over a decade, I re-discovered how cool they are and just had to devote a post to them...

What: A set of five monochromatic plastic monster figures called "Weird Writers," offered as kids meal prizes at Wendy's a couple decades ago. But they're not just figures--the top part of each pops off to reveal a marker tip (I tested mine and while they're mostly dry by now, they kind of still wrote which I found pretty impressive considering how old they are). What makes these so great to me is the level of attention that whoever sculpted them put into making them look imaginative and all-around awesome. I'm not sure if the characters had an official name or not, so here are my made up names, and a description, for each:

- Hammersquid: A weirdo creature from the deep that sort of looks like an amalgamation of a hammerhead shark and a squid. He features some cool details in his tentacles and was released in a really nice, very slightly translucent blue color.

- Beastly Beachdweller: This dude, who came in hot pink, is a humanoid, three-eyed surfer with big monster feet. It's actually my least favorite of the five because it's the least monstrous and most gimmicky, but still pretty cool.

- The Glooper: I love this one. It's a big ol' day-glo yellow melting pile of goo. It could be a candle wax monster, or maybe some sort of ghost, but whatever it is, it's all kinds of awesome.

- Rexonator: A robot and a dinosaur combined. In neon green. You can't lose with that.

- The Strangler: This is the weirdest of them all. It's an orange mess of scales, numerous coiling arms and eyeballs. I also get a bit of a totem pole vibe from it. I don't know quite what to make of it, which I love.

BONUS: The bird monster pictured to the right was offered as part of the same set, even though he's not a marker. He's a rubber water squirter that was available as the alternate toy safe for kids under three.

Great stuff, huh? Definitely some of my favorite fast food toys of all time.

When: 1993

Where: Released in kids meals in the U.S. at fast food chain Wendy's.

Who: Wendy's Company

For more Weird Writers photos, check out my Flickr stream.