Creepy Toys

I once wrote a story inspired by a toy (technically a night light) that I bought for my daughter.  It’s a good story that hasn’t found a home yet, but it will.  Anyway, I like the idea of toys inspiring stories, especially if that inspiration leads in an unusual direction. So when it became necessary that I provide a story seed for the Codex Halloween short story contest, I decided to scour the internet for some odd/creepy/bizarre toy images.  There are quite a few out there.  Some of my favorites that had (IMO) the most story potential have been reproduced here.  Some are more subtle than others.

If you’re here for my Codex story seed, feel free to use whichever inspires you most.

Facebanks. Do you want to put my money in there?

More or less creepy without eyes? (Click this one to see it moving!)

Can a toy look too much like you?

Madballs are a classic from my childhood. Still odd.

Every kid needs an undead pet, right?

Seen these? They are "Corner Dolls" or "Time-Out Dolls". Life-sized, facing the corner.

More Corner Dolls. They're fairly common, it seems.