8.01.2016

Thank You for 9 Years!!!

Just like a stealthy clan of cyber ninjas, you guys struck with a powerful force last Wednesday night! Thank you so much for a truly exciting 9th anniversary release and for warmly welcoming Bit Figs into the fold. All the production numbers balanced out and the store operated without any major insanity or shurikens to the skull, so the mission continues!

The inspiration behind these seemingly random ninja themes dates back to the powerful influence that the early 80's ninja craze had on us when we here at Onell were kids. Even though Marcus and I are 10 years apart in age (and were raised in different states), we both still developed a lifelong love of those shadowy assassins imported from esoteric Eastern legends.

Ninjas were everywhere in those days, from movie screens, videotapes and magazine stands all the way down to the ubiquitous quarter muncher machines that peppered the walls of seemingly every grocery store and pizza joint. There was just something about the ninja concept that resonated across the country, especially with the latchkey generation.

Maybe it was the barrage of Kung Fu flicks that seemed to perpetually play on our local channel 56 (WLVI) every Saturday afternoon, but I personally went bonkers over anything ninja related. I remember wrapping an ACE bandage around my head and terrorizing the neighborhood not long after watching Enter the Ninja on video at my Uncle's house in Beverly, MA (and this weirdness took place years before playing The Revenge of Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden around the clock).

Eventually, my growing obsession graduated to a full on "child sized ninja uniform" that I had begged my mother to order for me from the amazing Ninja Magazine. Can you imagine the level of unintentional comedy that I spread running around at night as a pudgy little kid in an ill-fitting ninja outfit, punctuated by a massive set of scratched up Coke-bottle thick glasses? I even had my own ridiculous homemade katana that was fashioned in our family garage from a busted hockey stick. Of course it had an equally cruddy matching scabbard thrown together from old socks and scraps of duct tape to complete the look. Pitiful? Yes. Unforgettably fun? Absolutely.

Thinking back to those days of true childhood freedom, I'm made even more aware of how crazy lucky we've been over the last 9 years, especially with the constant shifts in an increasingly volatile market. I hope we can keep this extended trip going for some years to come, but no matter what happens, I couldn't be more thankful for everything leading right up to this very moment.

Thank you straight from the heart for making Glyos more than just the fever dream of a chubby little ninja kid.


10 comments:

  1. From my family to yours THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

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  2. Aw man, that was totally me! Ninja and Kung-Fu magazines were like ancient texts left by a long forgotten master and Sho Kasugi was our sensei. Our local flea market carried all the supplies we needed...ninja suits, tabi boots, nunchucks, and throwing stars- which we traded like sports cards. On Fridays after school we'd train and on Saturday we'd set out on our mission evading the detection of hunters and of spying on and sabotaging the Hick Finn tribe, a group of country kids who fished and rode around on hand-me-down spare parts motorbikes who shared our woods. It was a time of intrigue and action!
    I'll admit I wasn't sure about this drop, bringing ninjas to the Glyos System wasn't working for me, but then I realized that it was like looking through a window back onto a really magical time of my childhood that I don't think of too often. It also reminded me of the scifi surrealism of Samurai Jack and that anything can happen in the Glyos System!

    Congratulations on another stellar year and on expanding Glyos to the masses, I know some kids who are gonna love finding those Bit Figs at the grocery store. Here's to nine more years of success, thanks for inviting us to go with you to the edge of space!

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    1. That is a crazy awesome story!

      And yeah, now that you mention it, there might need to be some Samurai Jack-inspired builds on the horizon, especially as Season 5 is about to drop. Could probably dig out some black metallic, green, and orange to do-up Aku...

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  3. This makes me all the more excited to track down the Bit Figs when they arrive in my area. They look really neat and the Glyos compatibility level is a hilarious touch to me.

    Ninjas in the Glyos universe was something I was a bit unsure of, but I didn't have any issue when I considered all the other wacky and fun stuff in Glyos! Congratulations on 9 years, and hopefully they lead to many more to come!

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  4. Snake-Eyes was my first conscious introduction to Ninjas, though my affinity for Batman was probably my first real gateway into my obsession for these warriors. This obsession continues even today. So, picking up Glyninja Tana was a no-brainer!

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  5. so we know one of the easter egg teasers is the glyninja am i right that the other teaser easter egg in this picturehttp://onelldesign.blogspot.com/2016/03/happy-easter.html is the villseer

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  6. From 1990 until 1994, I was a ninja at every Halloween. Snake Eyes made it look so cool, Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi even cooler, and when the LEGO Ninja line dropped, ninja became cooler still. And that is not counting the perennial cinematic masterpiece that is Surf Ninjas.

    ...okay, so maybe the '90s weren't entirely kind to ninja. But to see ninja emerge now in Glyos is nothing short of awesome. Congrats for making it 9 years, everyone!

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  7. Got my Ninjas today & they are excellent!! I too am a child of Channel 56 afternoons!!XD CAN'T BEAT THEM!!;-) -Chris Para

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  8. Congratulations on another anniversary! Can't wait to see what number ten brings. I love the orange glyan. Possibly my new favorite. The new head is cool but I'm pretty bummed it replaced the neo sincroid head. My favorite head will always be the one with the really big visor though. Not sure what that ones called. As long as you don't replace that one then I'm happy :). Would really love to see the helmetless human head or something similar come out some day though.

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  9. Seeing that Century ad for the ninja outfit really brings back the memories.

    This is such an amazing drop! Mine just arrived so I am about to dig into the awesomeness. Thanks for another awesome year!

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