Tech Deck the Halls

I am surprised that Tech Deck does not make Christmas or holiday-themed merchandise every year.  I am not just talking about the defunct Tech Deck Dudes, but even their little fingerboards.  They are small, frivolous items that just have "stocking stuffer" written all over them.  At least they should.  Even for people not into fingerboarding -- maybe they are into skateboarding -- get them this little Christmas-themed miniature skateboard.  It could even be a tree ornament for the skater in your life.  I know their graphic designers could come up with a funky series with unconventional Christmas images.  I am always looking for unusual Christmas stuff -- maybe something with a zombie Santa or a robot Santa or a scary snow monster.  Who knows.  I can also picture kids thrashin' through grandma's Christmas village with their new holiday Tech Decks.

Anyway, they made this, once upon a time.

Tech Deck Dude #138 is Snow Ballah.

 

This is the only Holidude ever marketed at retail.  This was one of the first new designs from the Spin Master takeover in 2007.  He has an awful name and a really boring design,  but what I find even stranger is that he is the only Holidude.

 

It makes no sense.  It's like they started a new line -- named a brand new series -- and only put one figure in it.  The driving force behind collectibility falls apart when there is not more than one to collect.  This guy was a huge flop.  I can't help but think that if they had just released three or more Holidudes -- instead of just this one loner -- the idea would have been a seasonal success.

I was certain Snow Ballah was the only Holidude until I saw this oddity hit eBay:

A Santa version of Sumo San!

These must have been given out at the X-Concepts Christmas office party in 2007.  Maybe they were celebrating selling the company to Spin Master.  Who knows.  It certainly is an awesome piece.  And not because it comes in a silly box or because it is "limited edition" -- it is awesome because it is a cool figure and kewl idea.

Sumo San as Sumo Santa. What a great idea.  (I kinda think Santa San would have been a better name, no?)  I also like that they re-wrote the bio, which is something they never do. 

  

Man, I wish I had bought it.  It was a BIN with a "best offer accepted," so I know the buyer got it for less than $15. I did come across it while it was live, and it stayed listed for about three days.  I had a chance to go for it, but I was pretty new to collecting TDD and I had no idea it was truly rare.  No other TDDs go for that much.  Anyway, in hindsight, I would easily pay $15 or more for this Dude.

I wrote the seller to see if he had any more -- and -- of course not.  I also asked him if the reindeer image opposite Sumo Santa was also made into a figure.  He said yes but he did not know which character it was.  Then, about one month later, look who shows up on eBay...

 

It's Cluckers as a reindeer!  

And, although his job is to guide Santa's sleigh -- they did not give him a shiny red nose.

Or any nose for that matter.

Although the outcome is the same -- I don't own this figure either -- the story is a bit different. This seller listed Cluckers at auction with a $100 opening bid.  That is the auction price, not a BIN.   It ran for one week, no one bid, and the seller never listed it again.  Ever. 

And that is the only time I have seen each figure.

Of course I still want these two figures, but the max I would pay for them is about $40 each.  And that's with shipping.  And, yes, I will open them up and give them a photo-shoot for this site.

Anyway, back to my original point. 

After I learned of these two figures, I could not believe that the designs never made the retail rounds.  I think about that silly Snow Ballah out there -- all alone in the cold -- and it blows my mind that these two other figures were not also released as Holidudes.  There could have been an actual Holidudes series -- just like I had imagined!  The designs, sculpts, molds, and copy already existed -- why the heck didn't these go to retail?  And don't give me some nonsense about, "this was a special limited edition gift for employees."  Sure.  We all know about making variants with alternate paint-jobs and different packaging.  It is a shame and a waste that these two awesome sculpts were never made available to fans and collectors.

Update: Someone listed Sumo Santa on 11-15-17 for $50 BIN with shipping.  It sold right away, before I even found the listing.