137 Matt Hadder

Matt Hadder is a spoofing spoonerism for the Mad Hatter from the Alice in Wonderland books and movies.

A spoonerism is a play on words where you switch around parts of a well-known phrase or name.  (The TDD #8 "Zobo" is also a spoonerism of "Bozo.") 

Anyway, Matt Hadder has one G3 figure, with no variants. 

Matt Hadder has a zood named Cheddar.  Cheddar is a little mouse.  This is a reference to the Dormouse in  Alice in Wonderland.  He is wearing a little clock like Flava Flav.  However, it is the White Rabbit who carries the over-sized clock in Alice.  Maybe they just wanted to change it up a bit as to not be too similar.  Regardless, Cheddar is a pretty cool little figure.

Matt Hadder is also one of the eight G4 Trick Dudes.  He does the "Kick Flip" trick.  Duke and Turbo also have this same gimmick.

138 Snow Ballah

Snow Ballah is the one and only retail Holidude.

Two other holiday-themed figures exist.  One is Sumo San (#4) as Sumo Santa and the other is Cluckers (#99) dressed as a reindeer.  These were given out at the Spin Master Christmas party in 2007 -- probably as a celebration for acquiring the Tech Deck brand.   They were never sold to the public.  More info on these figures can be found here. 

In line with those two figures, it would appear that Snow Ballah is just some other dude in a snowman costume.  He seems to have been hastily made as to get something into the seasonal stocking stuffer section of the chain stores. So, he was given a distinct name, unique packaging, and mass production. 

As further evidence of this haste, he was given the wrong number on his package.  He technically should be #135.  There was no figure released as #135, whereas there were two figures numbered #138.  The other is Radd.  The error is not just in the packaging, but in both figure molds as well.  They both have #138 as part of their sculpts. 

I guess the 5 looked like an 8 on the Snow Ballah spec-sheet and that's how it was printed up.  Who knows. What I do know is that Snow Ballah would have hit the shelves first. So, he is the one who should be #135.

However, for the ordering of this site, I am letting him keep the #138 spot, and I am designating Radd as #135.  The reason for this is simple: Radd is the far rarer of the two.  Snow Ballah is very common (even new in package).  He was mass produced.  He also seems to be a bit of a flop, judging by how many sealed figures are still circulating today.  In other words, Snow Ballah is already publicly known to anyone interested in the TDD toyline as the #138.  The much harder to find Radd gets to be #135 by default.

And it's like that.  That's the way it is. 

139 Clobber

Clobber is a parody of Lawrence Tureaud, better known as Mr. T.

One popular character portrayed by Mr. T was Clubber Lang in 1982's Rocky III. 

Clubber = Clobber.

When Spin Master bought the Tech Deck property from X-Concepts, they introduced us to Clobber as the new spokesperson.  He appears in (and narrates) the TDD commercials.

Clobber has two versions.  One was available within Spin Master's first Street Crew series of single-pack figures. Here, he looks just like Mr T.  This "regular" version of Clobber is quite hard to find.

The second figure is exclusive to the Vanformer playset.  Here, Clobber is dressed in a Hot Dog costume.  This version of Clobber is very easy to find, due to the apparent prevalence of the Vanformer.  Remember that Spin Master was really trying to take the Dudes from a line of affordable, collectible figures to a line of expensive playsets and gimmicks. This didn't really catch on, and the Vanformer "warmed the shelves" at many stores before finally going to deep clearance.  As such, the mass-produced Hot Dog Clobber is still very easy to find on eBay.

It is also interesting to note that the Vanformer itself is a parody of a vehicle from a popular franchise associated with Mr. T.  It mimics the iconic van driven by The A-Team.  Of course, Mr T. played Bosco Albert "B. A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus on this T.V. show.

Props to TDD for all the radical 80's references.

140 Robo Supreme

Robo Supreme is a parody of Ultraman.

Ultraman is an enormously popular Japanese franchise that has been around in some form since 1966.  The main character is a human with alien-enhanced powers who defends Earth against a wide variety of invading kaiju.  Brad is the TDD kaiju, who has been around since G1.  Anyway, Brad finally has a worthy adversary.

Robo Supreme was the only new character in a series of six G4 figures with a martial arts theme. The other five re-released characters were: Nick, Bruce, Fu Man, Ronin, and Feng Long.

Robo Supreme actually has a second G4 version in the Trick Dudes series.  He is one of two characters who do the "Front Flip" trick. Metal Man is the other. 

141 Leon

Leon is King Leonidas.

King Leonidas led the Spartan Army into the Battle of Thermopylae in the Persian War. This was way back in 480 BC.  King Leonidas died in that battle.

You have probably seen him portrayed by Gerard Butler in the film 300.

The film is based on a comic by the same name, written by Frank Miller.

The Tech Deck Dude designers love Frank Miller. In addition to this nod to 300, we also have Fred (the Robocop parody) and Mickey (the Sin City parody). Plus, Miller has done some work with the Spawn comic, and we even a version of Super Finger painted up to look like Spawn.

Leon is one of two new figures that came in a warrior-themed series -- the other being Mulungu. The remaining four in this particular series were re-releases: Aztec Bull, Aztec Cluckers, Henry the knight, and Erik the viking.

142 Mulungu

Mulungu is a representation of famed African warrior and king, Shaka kaSenzangakhona, also known as Shaka Zulu.

Shaka lived from 1787 until 1828 and revolutionized African warfare.

In 1986, there was a popular TV show about his life called Shaka Zulu.

"Mulungu" is a Bantu word that means creator or god. Bantu is a group of languages that include Swahili and Zulu.

Mulungu is one of only a handful of TDD characters based on actual people.  Of course, just like Leon, we get Mulungu because of a popular, fictionalized depiction.  We all love pop-culture. 

143 Coyne

Coyne is a parody of James Bond. 

I am not sure why the designers chose this name. Coyne is an Irish surname (last name).  Maybe they thought it was a Scottish name, and it refers to Scottish actor Sean Connery who is famous for portraying James Bond in the first five films (plus two more).

Sean Connery also provides the namesake for the zood of Henry.

Coyne was the only new figure in his movie-themed series of six.

The other five figures were all re-releases: Frank N. Finger, Finger Tut, Duke (the cowboy), Bull (the Indian), and Neal (the producer).

This was also the last series of six.  The Dudes released after Coyne came in series of eight.

Also, don't forget that we have Coyne's archenemy Stavron in the toyline too. 

144 Outrage

Outrage is the Marvel Comics character Onslaught.

Onslaught is an X-Men villain.  He is a sentient psionic entity created from the combined consciousness of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto.

Onslaught is capable of telepathy, telekinesis, energy projection, manipulating magnetic fields, and changing reality itself. Onslaught also has imposing physical size and strength.

On the other hand, Outrage can pretty much just ride a skateboard.

Also, in contrast to the likes of Lump (Hulk) and Mood (Dr. Doom) -- who came out in the same series -- Outrage represents a relatively obscure Marvel character.  I am guessing he was just a personal favorite of at least one TDD designer.

145 Mood

Mood is the Marvel Comics super-villain Dr. Doom.

MooD = DooM

Get it?

Dr. Doom is one of the greatest comic book super-villains of all time. He was also the main antagonist of the 2005 film The Fantastic Four and the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.  

This made Mood, at the time, a great choice for a parody figure. 

146 Aquamander Man

Aquamander Man is Christian Jacobs, the lead singer of the legendary ska-rock band The Aquabats.

In his band, he is called MC Bat Commander.  The Aquabats are known for their matching superhero-themed costumes, comedic songs, and energetic shows.

Christian Jacobs is also a graphic artist, toy collector, skateboarder, surfer, and co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba! 

He has even designed skateboards for Tony Hawk and had a bit part in the movie Gleaming The Cube (See Radd).  You can bet Christian was a good friend of and inspiration to the TDD designers, so they immortalized him with his own action figure!  How cool is that? 

147 Nate

Nate is an homage to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

I can't figure out why he is called Nate.  There is no artist involved with TMNT named Nate.  There is no minor character in the TMNT franchise named Nate. There is no other famous "turtle" named Nate.  There is not even an Italian Renaissance artist named Nathaniel or anything similar.

There is a dude called "Ninja Nate" on Youtube who makes martial arts and parkour videos -- but, he was not around back in 2008 (when this figure was released).  My guess is that it was more like: Hey, what should we call our Ninja Turtle parody?  I dunno, how about Nate? 

Good enough. I mean, since Nick was already taken.

If I were naming him, I would just look up a list of Renaissance painters, and pick a name that could be abbreviated to a somewhat common name.  Here is a list of top 10 Renaissance painters:

1 Leonardo DaVinci
2 Michelangelo
3 Rafael
4 Titian
5 Botticelli
6 Donatello
7 Brunelleschi
8 Giotto
9 Bellini
10 Tintoretto 

That's what I'd have done.  I would have gone with #7, and I would have named him Bruno.

148 Stuart

Stuart is the TDD werewolf.

He was made to resemble Scott Howard (played by Michael J. Fox), who is the main character from the 1985 movie Teen Wolf. In this comedy, Scott finds himself turning into a werewolf -- a condition he inherited from his father.

In 1987, a sequel was made called Teen Wolf Too. The main werewolf character in this film is Scott's cousin Todd (played by Jason Bateman). Todd's best friend is named "Stiles" and this character is played by actor Stuart Fratkin. So, maybe this is why the Tech Deck Dude was named Stuart.

Or, better yet, the TDD was named after the middle name of the main character from the 1941 film The Wolf Man, Lawrence Stuart Talbot. Even though this is the classic Universal Monster, the TDD figure is definitely modeled after Teen Wolf.

Three years after this figure was released, MTV re-booted Teen Wolf as a TV series. It has been on for five years and still going.

Even though he is a parody of a particular 1980's werewolf, Stuart is the last TDD to round out the line-up of what we think of as classic horror movie monsters. The others are Frankenstein (Frank), The Mummy (Phinger Tut), Dracula (Simon), and Gill-man (Sturgeon). I also tend to include The Zombie (Adam) among these classic creatures.

149 Murry

Murry is a Ghostbuster!

Specifically, we can call him a parody of Peter Venkman, the street-smart leader of the Ghostbusters team.  In both films, Peter is portrayed by actor Bill Murray.  Though, for one reason or another, the TDD is named "Murry" and not "Murray."

One cool thing is that Murry comes with a small translucent ghost figure.  You may consider this a zood based on the earlier series, but it is worth noting that the ghost is not named, nor is "zood" anywhere on the packaging.  Still, Murry and his ghost make one of the coolest Tech Deck Dude combos.

150 Lucasberg

Lucasberg is George Lucas plus Steven Spielberg.

Tech Deck combined these two individuals in the same year (2008) that they came together to create Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

This is considered one of the worst films to ever come from either individual.

So, let's just blame Lucasberg for "nuking the fridge."

151 Stavron

Stavron is a parody of the character Ernst Stavro Blofeld from the James Bond series of movies and books.  He is the arch-nemesis of James Bond.

You may think that Stavron is a parody of Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers films, but you have to realize that even Dr. Evil is a parody of Blofeld.

Plus, we have a great James Bond parody figure already in the Tech Deck Dude toyline, and that is Coyne.  

152 Ventura

Ventura is a parody of the alien species from the Predator movie and franchise.

First introduced in 1987, as the main antagonist of the film, this alien is characterized by its trophy hunting of humans for sport.  Likewise, the cardback for Ventura says that his hobby is "hunting and gathering hearts... and skulls."

The name "Ventura" comes from Jesse Ventura -- one of the stars in the film (along with Arnold Schwarzenegger).

The cardback for this figure says that his occupation is as an "alien governor."  This is amusing because both stars of this movie -- Arnold Scwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura -- became governors of US states.

Arnold Scwarzenegger has his own TDD homage: Arnie. 

153 Dylon

Dylon is a parody of a cylon from the Battlestar Galactica franchise.  The cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the human race.

Cylon stands for Cybernetic Lifeform Node.

Dylon stands for Dude, You Love Our Nuts!

Anyway, he is one of three new TDD characters introduced in this space-themed series.  The other two new characters are Katsuji and Ziggie. The five re-releases are Rozz Cow, Boog Rogers, Space Eric, Cosmo, and Mort.

154 Katsuji

Katsuji is a pastiche of the 1986 animated TV show G-Force: Guardians of Space, which was a re-working of the 1978 show Battle of Planets, which itself was the American adaptation of the 1972 Japanese property Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.

Katsuji is a nod to the character Keyop from these shows. Being the youngest and the smallest, Keyop often turned out to be the comic relief among the group of heroes. Though he looks human, he is actually an artificial life-form that was experimentally manufactured from a single embryonic cell.

155 Ziggie

Ziggie is based on Ziggy Stardust, a 1970s stage persona of singer and performer David Bowie. 

According to wikipedia, "Ziggy is the human manifestation of an alien being who is attempting to present humanity with a message of hope in the last five years of its existence. Ziggy Stardust represents the definitive rock star: sexually promiscuous, wild in drug intake but with a message, ultimately, of peace and love. He is destroyed both by his own consumptions, and by the fans he inspired."

David Bowie died from cancer just a couple of days ago on 1-10-16.  He was 69 years old.

His spirit lives on through his music, this parody figure, and all the young dudes. 

156 Bob

Bob is legendary painter and art-instructor Bob Ross!

He hosted a TV show called The Joy of Painting from 1983 until 1994.  He died in 1995 of lymphoma, having completed over 30,000 paintings in his lifetime.

Bob was one of three new TDD characters introduced in a fantasy-themed series of eight.  The other two new characters are Archeveld and Perry.  The other five figures were re-releases (Draco, Willy, Henry, Art, and Theodore).

It may seem odd that real-person Bob Ross would be included in fantasy series. But, if you grew up watching Bob Ross on TV, then you know why he fits.  Bob Ross came across as this way-too-happy guy as he painted his fantastic landscapes with mountains, trees, and "happy little clouds." Everything about him suggested that he was in his own little fantasy-land.

157 Archerveld

Archerveld is a parody of Legolas from The Lord of the Rings. 

The elf Legolas (portrayed by Orlando Bloom in the movies) is an incredible archer.  That's all I can tell you -- he is a blond elf who is badass with a bow and arrow!

158 Perry

Perry is a parody of Harry Potter.

But you didn't need me to tell you that!

I bet his full name is Perry Hotter.

You know, like Matt Hadder.

159 Momona

The second to the last series of Tech Deck Dudes came out in late 2008.  This series had an aquatic theme and featured characters relating to the beach and ocean. There were two brand new figures in this series of eight: Momona and Kip. The five re-released were Sven, Tiki, Woody, Rasta, Rick, and Splinter.

Momona is a laid-back looking figure. Everything about him has this relaxed Hawaiian vibe. His packaging bio calls him a "Luau band leader." Notice that he has a ukulele too.

The most famous Hawaiian ukulele musician is Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. You probably have heard his rendition of "Over the Rainbow." This song is in a lot of movies, and it is probably the most famous ukulele song of all time. 

"Momona" is Hawaiian for "sweet."  Like the sweet ukulele music of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

Dude. Sweet. Momona. 

160 Kip

Kip is a parody of the main character from the 2000 movie Cast Away. 

The movie is about Chuck (played by Tom Hanks) who becomes stranded on an uninhabited island.  In the movie, Chuck finds a bloody volleyball that he talks to as a companion.  The volleyball is named "Wilson" because it is a product of the Wilson sporting goods company.

Here is a picture of Chuck and Wilson.

As you can see, TDD did a great job with Kip in this parody.

The name Kip was certainly chosen because of this little bit of trivia:  Tom Hanks' very first role was as Kip Wilson on the TV show Bosom Buddies. So there you go, Kip + Wilson!

161 Mickey

Mickey is a parody of the Sin City comic book and movie character called Marv.  He is the main character.  In the movie, he is played by Mickey Rourke -- hence the TDD name.  Sin City was written by Frank Miller, and the 2005 movie was directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez.

This was certainly a bold choice for TDD to put in the toyline.  After all, Marv is an anti-hero who has no trouble murdering those who have wronged him.  Plus the movie is rated R.  It is certainly strange to see toys that are (supposedly) marketed to children mimicking characters from R-rated films.  (There are probably ten TDD that fit this description, with Evan and Cheeze being among the most egregious.) 

Still, Mickey is a great late-series fourth generation figure.  I love how they gave him the scars and bandages to mimic how beat up Marv was in the movie.  Plus they painted the figure in greyscale to mimic the black-and-white style of both the graphic novel and movie.  

Mickey was part of the very last series of Tech Deck Dudes -- the only series to come out in 2009.  There were eight figures total in the series.  Three were slight repaints of characters and sculpts that already existed.  The other five were brand new.  You can tell this series was a bit of a "burn-off" since five of eight figures were completely new.  Most series had an average of only two new figures per eight, with the rest being either repaints or just repacks.

On the other hand, they kinda wrapped up the toyline on a high note.  There are some really great parodies that made it into this series.

162 Mad Freak

Mad Freak is a parody of the comic book character called Madman by Image Comics.

Madman was created in 1990 by Mike Allred.  In 2009, when this figure was released, there was some buzz surrounding the creation of a film adaptation of the Madman comic.  This would have allowed Mad Freak to fit in perfectly with the other comic-turned-movie parodies in this particular series.

However, to date, this adaptation has not happened.

163 Nightwatchman

The Nightwatchman is a parody of the character Nite Owl from the comic and movie, The Watchmen. He is definitely one of the most blatant parodies of all of the Dudes. 

164 Mite

Mite is a parody of The Tick.

He is the last officially numbered Tech Deck Dude.  He is the last of the toyline.

165 Ultimate Zero

Ultimate Zero is technically numbered #000, which is a bit of that Tech Deck brand of humor.  To more conveniently document all TDD, we are going to call him #165.

He is basically a parody of the Marvel character called the Forbush Man, with a bit of Captain Underpants thrown in too.

Like The Tick, the Forbush Man is an absurdist take on the idea of superheroes.  I am sure the TDD designers got a kick out of making spoofs of spoofs.

Ultimate Zero came out in 2009 in the very last series of Tech Deck Dudes ever sold. 

However, he had previously made an appearance at San Diego Comic Con in 2007 as a promotional figure.  The two figures have the exact same paint job (though it stands to reason that the promo figure has magnetic feet).

The box-art for the SDCC figure reveals that Shadow is the arch-nemesis of Ultimate Zero.

166 Metal Man

Metal Man is one of two Tech Deck Dudes that were never given any sort of number whatsoever.
I am calling him #166 for convenience.

At the very end of their lifespan, Spin Master made eight gimmick-based Trick Dudes. This was a brand-new design concept for any TDD.  Seven of the eight figures were representations of existing characters.  Metal Man was the sole new addition, which they decided to neither give a number nor release in the main toyline.  Both the Trick Dudes and the very last wave of the main-line figures came out in 2009.

I wish, at the very least, they would have made Metal Man into a regular figure.

Regardless, what we have here is a an obvious Iron Man parody.  The first Iron Man movie was the blockbuster hit of 2008, so it makes sense that Spin Master would try to get some mileage out of this figure. They obviously changed the coloration, as to not appear too similar.

Unfortunately, the Trick Dudes are completely stupid.  They are made of hard plastic, come attached to their boards, and do "tricks" that no one asked for or wanted.  Most of all, they throw out all the consistent features that give the Dudes their charm and collectibility.



360 Shov-It
1. Crash (#009)
2. Dr. Digit (#007)
3. Jack (#055)

Kick-Flip
4. Duke (#047)
5. Turbo (#096)
6. Matt Hadder (#137)

Front-Flip
7. Robo Supreme (#140)
8. Metal Man (no number)

167 Tag

Tag is the "forgotten, but not gone" Tech Deck Dude. He does not appear on the poster, in the trading cards, or on their website (when it was active).

He was never given a number. #167 is just something that I added for convenience.

Tag is among the first generation of TDD made by X-Concepts.  He was released in 2001 as part of Crew 4. The numbering-system was not created until Crew 10, and Tag was not given a number when the numbers were introduced.  He was never re-released in any form.

I think Tag was dropped from the roster quite intentionally.  Because of both his characteristics and his name, this figure was ripe for controversy.  He is clearly a graffiti writer.  He carriers a spray-paint can on his back and wears a respirator (as many graffiti writers do, so that they do not inhale the aerosol paint).  In typical Tech Deck humor, his occupation is described as being an "exterminator." We can assume that this means a practitioner of pest control, but the term certainly can have darker meanings.

Regardless, we have a figure wearing a gas mask, who looks to be ready to "tag" his name on a wall in graffiti -- a typically subversive and illegal activity.  So long, Tag!

He was released in two paint schemes.  There is possibly a third, but I have not encountered it.

He is not particularly rare, showing up quite frequently in eBay lots. However, he might be a bit of a puzzle for collectors to identify, since he has no release number molded into the figure.  This post (or my post showing all the G1 Crews) should solve that problem for anyone hoping to identify this figure.