Much in Common
Chris Wyatt and Gavin Hignight had much in common. They both worked in the television animation industry, working on some very popular properties. Shows like Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), and Star Wars: Resistance. However, after getting to know each other more, they found that they also shared another passion: Toys. But one thing was missing from their action figure collections: characters based on the 1967 show, The Prisoner.
The Prisoner
The Prisoner, which only ran one season, was a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan and George Markstein. McGoohan portrayed Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village. Both Chris and Gavin loved the show. So, what are two talented and ambitious creators to do when the figures they want aren’t available? They decided to partner up and make them themselves. Thus, Wandering Planet Toys was born, with their first offering being figures from The Prisoner. This was followed by Nancy Drew and Fletcher Hanks, The Headless Ones.
Another Nice Mess You’ve Gotten Me Into
Their next project will feature the legendary comedic pair, Laurel and Hardy. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy formed their illustrious partnership in 1927 with the silent short film “Putting Pants on Philip.” Subsequently, they starred together in a total of 107 films, which included 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films, and 23 feature-length films. The fact, that Laurel and Hardy are still popular after almost 100 years made them an idea target for Wandering Planet Toys to bring to toy collectors.
Starting on September 17th, Wandering Planet Toys will be bringing these figures to Kickstarter. Giving their fans first chance to add them to their collections. Recently, we caught up to Co-founders Chris “Doc” Wyatt and Gavin Hignight. We discussed the start of their company, how they choose their next creations and what made Laurel and Hardy the perfect next step in their evolution of quality toys. Also, the story behind “Doc.” So, let’s welcome Chris “Doc” Wyatt and Gavin Hignight to GVN Talking Comics.
Toys and “DOC”
GVN: Thank you both for taking the time to chat, Chris and Gavin. Since this is our first opportunity to talk, let’s start with how you two met and what led to the creation of Wandering Planet Toys. Also, Chris, could you tell us the origin of “Doc”?
GAVIN — Ha Ha Ha, I can’t wait for Doc to tell you the origin of Doc. As for how we met and started making toys… Doc and I are both TV animation writers and producers. We’ve had the good fortune to work on some really cool series together like Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Star Wars: Resistance and some other fun Marvel projects. In the writer’s rooms, or downtime we’d often talk toys, as we are both big collectors. We were inspired by other indie creators we were fans and customers of… and one day decided, “Let’s make The Prisoner action figures, because no one else has made them and we want them!” and the rest… is toy and nerd history.
DOC – Gavin’s being modest. He was the one who came up with the idea, and I just grabbed onto his coattails. “Doc” was my nickname at USC film school, because I had this wild hair that reminded people of Doc Brown, and since there was another kid in my class named Chris (specifically Chris Yost, who went on to write for the Thor movies and “The Mandalorian”, among many others), it was easier to go by the nickname. I started using “Doc” professionally after producing the film “Napoleon Dynamite,” because I went on IMDB, and saw that I was Chris Wyatt #7. There were too many Chris Wyatts! So, I started using the name Chris “Doc” Wyatt on all my work.
Deciding on Projects
GVN: I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t know each other. You could have went around calling “MARTY” every time you saw me. 🙂 But I digress. Part of the charm (and coolness) of Wandering Planet Toys is your emphasis on characters and subject matter that might be considered out of the mainstream. However, the excellence in the figures serves not only to excite the fan base of these characters (i.e. The Prisoner or Nancy Drew) but also to introduce them to a new audience. How do you decide which characters get the Wandering Planet Toys treatment?
GAVIN – Thank you for the compliment on quality, we are really striving, although a small boutique company, to have the best quality and approach possible. We’re really approaching these figures out of our love for the subject matter (IP) and our love for the art form which is the action figure. So far, we’ve been very fortunate and very deliberate to make figures of stuff we love. It’s really that simple. Is this something we really like that will translate well to a figure? Do we think there are other fans out there who would like to add this to their collection as much as we do? We hoped that was the case with The Prisoner, it turned out to be very true, we’ve met so many amazing fans who now celebrate their love of the Prisoner with our figures. Same for Nancy Drew… and we hope the same will happen for Laurel & Hardy.
DOC – Also, mainstream sucks.
Why Laurel and Hardy
GVN: A man who doesn’t mix words. I like it! Your newest figures will be officially licensed figures of the classic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy who are approaching their 100th anniversary. (I have been a fan of them for ages, along with Harold Lloyd). What made you decide to choose them as your next project?
GAVIN – Like you, we’ve just been fans for ages, for as long as we can remember. And we hadn’t seen the classic duo explored in this style of a collectible before, so we thought… Let’s do it, we want them on our shelves… and from the response we’ve seen in our social media… There are tons of other fans out there like us, who are ready for Stan and Ollie to cause hijinks on their toy shelves.
DOC – I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know who Laurel & Hardy were. I remember my dad laughing up a storm at them. They’re part of the spine of comedy film history.
GVN: As a follow-up, what is it about Laurel and Hardy that you think still resonates with fans, even after almost 100 years.
GAVIN – I would say there is something very special about their humor and approach that has really proved to be timeless. Also, it’s a type of humor and approach that bridges all cultures. In preparation for these figures, we’ve really began to understand what a worldwide phenomenon they were… and they continue to be. From films projecting in multiple languages at the dawn of cinema, to their best gags trimmed down to sharable TikTok video… they have survived, they are forever.
DOC – In a way, they’re a window into an earlier time, which is fascinating. In another way, they’re timeless. Try to watch the physical comedy routine around the bed at the end of “County Hospital” without laughing. Not possible. Even my jaded Gen Alpha kids called it “sigma.”
GVN: As I mentioned, these are “officially licensed.” For someone unfamiliar, what goes into getting that acclamation and is it difficult to get?
GAVIN – for Wandering Planet, we are focused on officially licensed product. And obtaining that really varies with each IP or subject matter for the figures. We’ve had a couple of projects die on the vine as they say, because of difficulties with obtaining, or managing the license… but then something very legacy like Laurel and Hardy or Nancy Drew or The Prisoner, that you would think would be really hard, turns out to be manageable and easy because the partners are so awesome to work with. We’ve been lucky that toys we’ve wanted to make are managed by great partners. The road to making Laurel & Hardy has actually been a really fun and pleasant one to travel. maybe that shows in the product.
DOC – The hardest part of being officially licensed on any IP is tracking down the rights holder and getting them to pay attention to you. We’re a small company, just two guys– our whole company is literally based out of Gavin’s garage. Some IP holders don’t want to pay attention to anyone smaller than Hasbro or Mattel. So, you have to make noise to get noticed sometimes.
GVN: You have made great use of crowdfunding in your creations and Laurel and Hardy will be no different. What will fans find when they visit your Kickstarter campaign?
GAVIN – I think compared to our other campaigns; they’ll find a slightly more simple, very straight forward path to getting the figures they want… Do they want Laurel & Hardy in color? Do they want Laurel & Hardy in a classic black and white? Do they want both sets? Do they want some fun additional Kickstarter exclusive Laurel & Hardy collector’s pieces? It’s all covered there in… I think… in five tiers. And I’ll add, for niche collectible figures like this… because manufacturing is so costly… we really couldn’t do it without crowdfunding/Kickstarter/fans and backers who trust and support our lines, and we really appreciate them.
DOC – They will find a way to buy toys, which I suggest they do.
GVN: Before I let you go, could you please share the link to your Kickstarter campaign and let our followers know where they can go to stay updated on the latest news from Wandering Planet Toys? Thank you once again for taking the time to chat with us.
GAVIN – THANK YOU for speaking with us! As you can tell, we are making these figures out of our love for Laurel & Hardy. Here’s where to find us! the landing page for the campaign
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderingplanettoys/laurel-and-hardy-collectable-action-figures
https://www.instagram.com/wanderingplanettoys/
And our official site:
If you’re like me and fans of Laurel and Hardy and are looking for some quality additions to your collection, this is the campaign to check out.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
