Compo Results! (And a sort-of announcement...)

We at FireStar are appreciators of the arts. And thus it is that certain of us sit, decidedly not overcome by powerful waves of irritation, not torn between extreme annoyance at the pervading air of po-faced pretension, and boredom, at a multi-artist performance of the songs of gloomy Frenchman Jacques Brel. But, at least there’s ice cream at the interval– cut right through irritation, that will.

No, at FireStar we prefer more earthy pleasures. Like the satisfying, plastic embrace as you squeeze one half of a Lego-man onto the other. Mmm. Or, packing a flowing black LEGO cape in with each and every LEGO Batman. Or, the feel of the paintbrush in your hand as you put the finishing touches to one of our NEW SUPER SPECIAL CUSTOM STAR WARS HELMETS! (Sneak peeks coming soon for blog readers!) Or just, you know, watching Derek Acorah being ‘possessed’ by a succession of identically gruff-voiced spooks. That sort of thing.

Such was the pleasure to be garnered in reading and judging your entries for the Lord Halloween renaming competition! Many thanks to all who entered, we truly appreciate your efforts, and we would send you all Lord Halloweens if we could. But…we can’t.

That said, cheers for the winner, who is Joshua H!

Congratulations, Josh, your entry of ‘Pumpkin Punk’ really captured the certain je-ne-sais-quoi we saw sparkling in the depths of the be-pumpkin’d one’s hollow eyes.

Commiserations to the runners up, though special mention goes out to Kathryn, whose evocative imagery accompanying her ‘The Gatekeeper’ entry, was simply spellbinding! So neat was it, we decided to reproduce it here so that all might share in its spooky premise. Thanks, Kathryn!

A solitary figure, the Gatekeeper guards the path across the ever-dying plains. Although I can think of no reason why any man, animal or creature would wish to cross such a dark and infamously perilous place; if they do so, first they must pay the Gatekeeper his tax. Do not think money holds any value in this place, payment is entirely of the Gatekeepers choosing. Failure to pay will be fatal.

To all of you readers – we’re grateful you come here and we always look for your feedback, which we’ll be asking for more of in the coming weeks. There’ll be more competitions to enter coming up, so keep a look out!

Special Halloween Bumper Post!

With Halloween just round the corner, our thoughts naturally turn to what sort of costume we’ll be wearing come the festivities. But what will Lego Men be wearing at their tiny Lego parties? Well, pretty much anything they want. See, their heads are detachable. Here at FireStar, it’s our job to ponder such things. For instance, do Lego Batman and Robin turn up at spooky shindigs in their costumes, or do they wear butler digs for a change? Does Alfred get to wear the Batsuit? Would Lego Indiana Jones ever dress as Irina Spalko to get a laugh?

But the Lego mini-figures who really excel at Halloween preparations are those for whom Halloween isn’t just one sugar fuelled night, it’s a way of life. Yes, we’re talking about the very special Halloween Lego figures over at the main FireStar website. This fiendish cohort lives for October. In the days approaching the 31st, the normally rational and erudite atmosphere in their Pumpkin Hall reaches fever pitch, and the candy chandeliers shake with the hammering of decorative armour, the sharpening of scythes and the squelchy sounds of gourds being hollowed out ready for the carving.

We’re privileged to have secured an interview with prominent member of the shadow Halloween alliance, the Dark Lord.

FireStar: Dark Lord. Great to have you with us.
DL: It’s great to be here, Ken.
FireStar: That’s not our name.
DL: Sorry, I wasn’t really listening during the introductions. I was too busy polishing my luminous head.
FireStar: Yes! Your head. Would you mind telling us a bit about your look?
DL: Well, as we’ve already covered, my head is luminous. For those of you who haven’t been alive for millennia, following the development of language, that means it glows in the dark.
FireStar: There’s no need to be condescending.
DL: Right. Anyway, my look has changed very little over the thousands of years I’ve been a member of the Halloween family..
FireStar: How did you get into that line of work exactly?
DL: It’s a long story. Suffice to say, I was in the right grave at the right time.
FireStar: Grave! Because you’re a skeleton! Haha!
DL: Ha. Yes. Before you interrupted rather rudely I was telling you about my look…
FireStar: Yes, sorry. Please do continue.
DL: Well, obviously black never goes out of fashion. And my cape – I like to think it lends a certain air of suavity. It says, “Yes, I’m a creature of the utmost dread, but I still look in a mirror before I go out terrifying mortals”.
FireStar: And the staff? Where does that fit in?
DL: My staff is an item of terrible darkness and ancient power. It holds the skull of the foul demon Squa’roth, whose essence lives still within its calcified depths, and whose voice whispers to me of things to terrible to imagine.
FireStar: That sounds…nice?
DL: It’s really not. But we work well together. It’s important to have reliable employees.
FireStar: And what are your plans for the night of Halloween itself, Dark Lord?
DL: I already told you. I’ll be terrifying mortals with the rest of the shadow council. We prepare for this night all year long.
FireStar: Sounds great! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Dark Lord.
DL: No problem, Ken.

So, there you have it. Snap up the Dark Lord and his friends at the FireStar site before the big day! Convene your own shadow council! To celebrate the approach of the spooky season, we have exclusively for you another poem for you by darling of the rhyming establishment, 18th Century poetess Henrietta S Tweenote. Enjoy!

A Hallow’s eve, the shadows gloaming,
Cries echo from the naked trees,
And crows take flight. I shudder, closing
Fast my door, my fears to ease.

Yet suddenly the firelight flickers,
I feel the gasp catch in my throat,
The taste of that name, long unspoken
Shrieking in a high pitched note
Inside my skull.
But the skull of that which seeks me,
Keening in the autumn air,
Is under Earth – the dirt reclaiming
What was furred and now lies bare.

Yes, buried was it, months elapsing,
Thought of only now and then,
So why that sound; that haunted scratching
At my door? And there, again!
But now my thoughts are dizzy, rising,
Thinking on that friend of yore,
If it is he, and not some other
(By impious Satan’s dark accord)
Why should I fear he who has clawed?

“Is it you?” I whisper, breathless,
Tiptoeing across the floor,
Nearing what must be discovered –
The scratcher at the Hallow’s door.
With fingers stretching, trembling, paling,
I reach out for the lion’s head,
To meet the fate of Hell or Heaven
And turn it slowly; but instead-

My heart quails as the scratching quickens,
Outward grows a mournful wail,
At last I free the latch and sicken-
The scene which now my eye assails…
Is nothing. Save for night now pale.

Yes, morning’s fingers palely breaching
Night’s dark corners ever more,
No trace of ghouls or spectres creeping;
Banished by the light abhorred!

As dawn’s chill blush spreads o’er the fields,
I clutch my arms across my chest,
And wonder; was he truly wakened?
Yet my senses all attest;
That ‘eve the spirits found no rest.

IT Begins!

Welcome, welcome one and all to the launch of the brand new FireStar site!

Yes, the historic days has finally come, as was predicted by the oracles of antiquity. Indeed, just as they wrote it, the tides changed, the planets aligned very slightly, and most importantly of all, the old FireStartoys.com completed its transformation, exiting its cocoon a changed beast:

IT emerged, stumbling and blinking from its glowing, digital chrysalis, shielding ITS new-born eyes from the bright dawn of a new era in online toy retailing.

IT saw us, and after a long pause, IT spoke.
“What am I?” IT said, the words jerking uncertainly from a throat that had long forgotten how to talk, in a voice as deep as oceans and as old as the darkness that bathes the ancient stone.
“You are the new FireStar website,” we solemnly intoned, a hint of anxiety rising through a hairline crack in our confident façade.
IT appeared to take this in, and was silent for a while.
“Hungry,” IT said at last, dragging the word from the depths of memory. It was the right word.
“Hungry,” IT said again with more conviction.
We nodded, and held out something small, palm up, as if feeding a pony.
“What?” IT asked, eyeing the offering suspiciously.
“It’s a hard to find custom Lego mini-figure,” we said. “It’s very rare”.
The Beast stooped down and sniffed. IT lowered ITS colossal maw, very gently closed ITS jaws over the mini-figure, and ate it. Our hands were covered in viscous drool. IT gave a growl of satisfaction, shook out ITS fur and reared to ITS full height, eyes on us.
“More,” IT said.

So, that’s how the new site came into the world, a momentous occasion indeed.
If you haven’t had a look at the new site, go! It really has changed for the better, and like all new parents, we are very proud of it. The site's always changing at the moment - we're constantly adding stuff - so check back often, and while you're at it, join the Twitter feed why don't you? We hope you’ll enjoy it every bit as much as we do – feedback is always welcome.

To celebrate the Big Launch, we’re holding a giveaway! Yes, that’s right; a very special custom design figure from our Halloween range could be yours.

Currently this dapper fellow goes by the name of Lord Halloween. But he doesn’t particularly like it, and we’re beginning to agree. Doesn’t he look more, in every way, than a mere Lord Halloween? How can two such prosaic words capture such magnificence?
Well, we figured who better to capture the essence of this ghoulish chap than you! Our loyal customers and readers.
Tell us what you would name him (or her, we’re open minded here) in the comments, making sure to leave an email address where we can get hold of you. Telling us a bit about your figure’s history and what led them to this juncture in a life of devilish doings will get extra points.
The best entry, as judged by us, wins. Comments will close on the 18th of October, so good luck!

Mmm, Autumn

With the Big Launch of the brand new Firestar website just around the corner (5 days to go!) Firestar Towers echoes with the sounds of frantic typing, order slips eagerly whooshing through printers, the fearsome roar of the tape-gun and the click-focus-snap of Lego photography. It’s true – the Lego mini-figs have their own brightly lit studio in miniature, where they preen and strut their stuff atop a stage of white cardboard, before being expertly manipulated by our resident photoshop expert and photographer of tiny plastic men, Lauren.
It’s at such times that our thoughts turn to the beautiful golden Autumn days. That we’re missing, what with toiling night and day at the hot fires of the nascent website. And, as luxurious as the Firestar Towers are (I can exclusively tell you they are a den of Bacchanalian delights and pleasure boating in one of our many moats), who wouldn’t rather be outside, perhaps skipping merrily, picking up shiny conkers and crunching russet leaves. This of course brings to mind that beloved song of childhood, the Conker Song:

Bright and lovely Chestnut tree,
Will’st thou deign to notice me?
Bless mine eyes as didst of old,
With thy shining countenance gold!
Speak, O Tree, with rustling voice,
Let Autumn’s angels guide your choice.
And now thou must pay Autumn’s Fee,
Oh! Drop a conker just for me!

Henrietta S Tweenote ~1786
(To the tune of ‘Beautiful Dreamer’)

But conkers aren’t the only thing about autumn, as I’m certain Ms.Tweenote would be at the front of the queue to acknowledge. No, what about Halloween? All Hallows Eve, Samhain, The Spooky Dressy-Uppy Night. Whatever you call it, it’s coming soon. And, what better way to get into the ghoulish spirit than indulging your macabre side with some custom, seasonal Lego designs?
Get them while they’re topical, at www.firestartoys.com

Halloween Mummy

In life this Mummy was either a Pharoah or a big fan or bandages.

Custom Design Vampire

Don't let this Vampire's playful looking face fool you, he has a slightly more terrifing one on the back of his head!

Dr Frankenstein’s Monster

This reanimated monster actually has no name himself - it's Dr Frankenstein who made him (he went a bit loopy studing medicine at university, so the story goes). So you get to name him yourself! How about Steve? Just a suggestion.

Custom Design Lord Halloween

Who rules the pumpkins? Lord Halloween rules the pumpkins! And other sundry halloween themed items. Yeah.

Halloween Werewolf

Pretty snazzy duds, eh? Does our Halloween Werewolf have a more human face when the moon's not so full? You get to decide! Personally, we think his alter ego is hollywood comedy actor, Ben Stiller. But that's just us.

Keep a look out for upcoming Halloween promotions here on the blog, and even a giveaway or two!

Any Takers?

Got 50 grand to spare?
Good! Then you could be the proud owner of a 2 storey Lego house built by semi-famous car-enthusiast, James May, and a team of a thousand volunteers for his upcoming series on toys.
The house is 20 foot high, and currently sitting in a vineyard in Dorking, Surrey, until Tuesday, when (please, look away if you’re of a sensitive disposition) if not removed by a new owner, it will be hacked to bits. Possibly with a chainsaw, sources are unclear. If you’re anything like the team here at Firestar, you’ll be stifling despairing sobs by now, afraid to look up incase concerned passers-by notice the tears brimming in your eyes. But, you’ll also be absolutely desperate to see the house on the inside.
Well, it would be callous of us to disappoint.
The house’s interior is indeed a joyful work of artistic wonderment, and to prove it here are some choice pictures (sourced from the Mail article here)

The bathroom. With working taps. Check out the adorable toothbrush! Possibly a bit harsh for sensitive gums, so be under advisement if you plan to recreate at home.

What Lego house would be complete without the devoted companionship of a Lego cat? Real cats are, admittedly, less breakable, but do tend to cost more in upkeep.

James May stares soulfully out of one of the windows, which are made from clear coloured bricks making a stained glass effect! That’s so clever! (Does anyone else think for bonus points they could have built an illustration into the pane?) We wonder if the coffee he's holding is Lego too...

So, we want to know – were any of you involved in the build? Share your stories in the comments! Has anyone out there build an item of Lego furniture/ ornaments/ working plumbed appliances? Send your pictures in to: Juliet@firestartoys.com. The best ones will be shared on the blog soon!