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Toy Wonders New Arrivals

September 19, 2008

Greetings!

A few shipments arrived this week. If you log into your account at www.toywonders.com, before clicking on any of the links below, approved wholesale accounts will see wholesale pricing.

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DIECAST Collectible Model Cars And More

Item# Description Stock Status
31500/4A Castline M2 Machines - Auto-Thentics 4 A (1:64, Asstd.) 31500/4A New
31500/4B Castline M2 Machines - Auto-Thentics 4 B (1:64, Asstd.) 31500/4B New
98640D Speedy Racer (Asstd.) 98640D New
2460/4D Welly - Volvo XC90 SUV (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2460/4D New
2461/4D Welly - Mini Cooper S Cabrio Convertible (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2461/4D New
2458/4D Welly - Volkswagen Golf V (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2458/4D New
2463/4D Welly - Ford Escape Limited SUV (2005, 1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2463/4D New
2473/4D Welly - Shelby Cobra GT500 Hard Top (2007, 1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2473/4D New
9384/4D Welly - Chevy Corvette Convertible (1995, 1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 9384/4D New
LR9396/4D Welly - Ford F-150 Flareside Supercab Pick Up (1999, 1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) LR9396/4D New
2083BK Welly - Chevrolet Fleetmaster (1948, 1:24 scale diecast model, Black) 2083BK New
2083GN Welly - Chevrolet Fleetmaster (1948, 1:24 scale diecast model, Green) 2083GN New
2083GY Welly - Chevrolet Fleetmaster (1948, 1:24 scale diecast model, Grey) 2083GY New
2083G Welly - Chevrolet Fleetmaster (1948, 1:24 scale diecast model, Gold) 2083G New
2077BK Welly - Land Rover Freelander (1:24 scale diecast model, Black) 2077BK New
2077R Welly - Land Rover Freelander (1:24 scale diecast model, Red) 2077R New
2077SV Welly - Land Rover Freelander (1:24 scale diecast model, Silver) 2077SV New
2431/4D Welly - Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2431/4D New
9388/4D Welly - Chevy Corvette Hart Top (1999, 1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 9388/4D New
2452/4D Welly - Volkswagen Touareg SUV (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2452/4D New
2081/4D Welly - Ford F350 Pickup (1999, 1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2081/4D
New
2457/4D Welly - BMW 645CI (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 2457/4D New
9374/4D Welly - Lamborghini Diablo (1:24 scale diecast model, Asstd.) 9374/4D New
2414C/4D Welly - Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (1953, 1:27, Asstd.) 2414C/4D New
2414H/4D Welly - Cadillac Eldorado Hard Top (1953, 1:27, Asstd.) 2414H/4D New
2422W Welly - Ford Deluxe Cabriolet Convertible (1936, 1:24 scale diecast model, White) 2422W New
2422R Welly - Ford Deluxe Cabriolet Convertible (1936, 1:24 scale diecast model, Red) 2422R New
2422BU Welly - Ford Deluxe Cabriolet Convertible (1936, 1:24 scale diecast model, Blue) 2422BU New
2097R Welly - Mercedes-Benz C-Class Hard Top (1:24 scale diecast model, Red) 2097R New
2097BK Welly - Mercedes-Benz C-Class Hard Top (1:24 scale diecast model, Black) 2097BK New
2097SV Welly - Mercedes-Benz C-Class Hard Top (1:24 scale diecast model, Silver) 2097SV New
9395SV Welly - BMW 328i Hard Top (1998, 1:24 scale diecast model, Silver) 9395SV New
9395R Welly - BMW 328i Hard Top (1998, 1:24 scale diecast model, Red) 9395R New
2412R Welly - Cadillac Escalade SUV (2002, 1:24 scale diecast model, Red) 2412R New
2412SV Welly - Cadillac Escalade SUV (2002, 1:24 scale diecast model, Silver) 2412SV New
9372BU Welly - BMW 850i Hard Top (1:24 scale diecast model, Blue) 9372BU New
2074SV Welly - BMW X5 SUV (1:24 scale diecast model, Silver) 2074SV New
2072GN Welly - Jaguar XK180 Convertible (1:24 scale diecast model, Green) 2072GN New
9393PK Welly - Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (1957, 1:24 scale diecast model, Pink) 9393PK New
2416W Welly - Chevrolet Impala Hard Top (2001, 1:24 scale diecast model, White) 2416W New

Tin Signs

Item# Description Stock Status
T581 Tin Sign: Pontiac GTO Convertible sign T581 Restock
T637 Tin Sign: Ford Mustang Parking sign T637 Restock
TD26 Tin Sign: Mc Cormick Deering Farmall H Tractor sign TD26 Restock
TD603 Tin Sign: Indian Roadmaster Motorcycle TD603 Restock
TD667 Tin Sign: John Deere Farm Tractor TD667 Restock
TD668 Tin Sign: John Deere "GP" Model Tractor sign TD668 Restock
TD680 Tin Sign: Titanic Sign TD680 Restock
TD699 Tin Sign: Ford Tractor TD699 Restock
TD869 Tin Sign: Oldsmobile 442 nostalgic tin sign TD869 Restock
TD1134 Tin Sign: Allis Chalmers Farm Tractor Sign TD1134 Restock
TD1232 Tin Sign: John Deere FarmTractor TD1232 Restock
TD1270 Tin Sign: Indian Motorcycle TD1270 Restock
C261 Tin Sign: Navy Lady Sign C261 New
CG516 Tin Sign: No Trespassing CG516 Restock
BD1281 Tin Sign: Budweiser Clydesdale Horses Sign BD1281 Restock
PD1357 Tin Sign: Batman Retro PD1357 Restock
PD1429 Tin Sign: John Wayne Courage Sign PD1429 Restock

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Lu Su
Toy Wonders, In
c.
www.toywonders.com
201-229-1700

Lu Su

God and the Art of Toy and Diecast Marketing
You meant it for Evil, but God meant it for Good
(Holy Cow part II)
By Lu Su

Dedicated to my brother Chuck; a renewable source of inspiration, sushi chef, and one heck of a bocce ball opponent.

In the past few weeks I had the opportunity to reflect on how so many of us get caught up in the worship of false gods. So many of us will sacrifice their best part of our lives (when we are young, strong, and industrious) to this deity called "success". I think because man seems to have difficulty in engaging in worship without some type of symbol or icon, this particular god has yet again reared its head up in the form of a bull. As mentioned before, I am fairly certain that bull or cow, you know that animal that eats grass and walks on four legs, is the most worshipped animal of all time.

In America, there has been much excitement this week concerning bulls. So it seems fitting that this picture made the front page of my local newspaper this week:

pray to the bull for help

This picture reminded me of my favorite story involving bulls and a contest between two gods. It was Elijah and God versus hundreds of prophets of Baal and their god.

 

Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."

Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."

"Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!" -1 Kings 18: 22 - 39

The above incident occurred about 2500 years ago. During that time bulls were to be used as a sacrifice, but man perverted this practice and started worshipping them. So man's reverence to the bull manifest itself in casting sculptures of this beast and physically placing it into prominent places; but man probably realized the limitation and expense involved in placing these cows in physical locations so he devised a more cost effective solution. How can we put the bull in even more prominant locations? The bull interesting enough was given the most prominent place in our alphabet. The source of following information was gathered from Wikipedia and www.hebrew4christians.com.

origin of aleph

The letter Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet. The origin of the word alphabet is very interesting in itself, because it is derived from the the Hebrew alphabet "Aleph" and "Bet" -the first two in their alphabet. The original pictograph of the word Aleph represented an ox, strength, and leader. It’s numerical value is one (also 1,000). Now here is some really advanced stuff. From the Ktav Ivri, which is Phoenician in origin went East and this letter morphed into the Greek letter Alpha lu, from which came the Latin A:

alephhist

So now we see that man's reverence to the four legged creature not only transcended all different types of cultures and generations, it entered our alphabet. So great! Man's reverence to the bull has now resulted in its appearance on every keyboard in the world and use in practically every sentence. That is prominence! This quote come to my mind.

 

"Do not be angry, my lord," Aaron answered. "You know how prone these people are to evil." -Exodus 32:22

So back to title of the essay, "You meant it for Evil, but God mean it for Good". I think a handful of readers, upon reading the title of this essay, knew exactly where the quotation comes from. The famous quote is from Joseph (the guy with the coat of many colors) who was almost murdered by his own brothers but instead sold into slavery. Years later Joseph rose from slavery to one of the highest and most powerful positions in Egypt (A world power back then). Now do you remember what was the lynch pin that caused him to rise to power? It was the interpretation of Pharaoh's dream on cows:

<Pharaoh's dream>

 

"When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up." -Genesis 41:1-4

God's orchestration is all over this. First, it's in the appearance of cows in a dream. Since cows were such revered creatures in that culture, it definitely caught Pharaoh's attention (you too would be troubled if you had a dream where another dog came out of a stream and gobbled up your dog). Another sign that clues me into the fact God was involved in all of this is because he left his signature seven mark on it.

<Joseph's words of prophesy>
Now many years later, Joseph's treacherous brothers show up hungry at Joseph's doorstep. This would have been an opportune time for Joseph to extract revenge, but he actually does the opposite. He blesses his brothers, despite of their despicable act.

 

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." -Genesis 50:20

Did you catch the last part of the quote? It's key. God orchestrated all these events in order to preserve many people. Note that it does NOT say "in order to preserve ALL the people", but the preservation of "MANY people". I believe this quote foreshadowed an even greater event to occur.

<Aleph the first>
Now here is some really advanced stuff. I think less than 1% of 1% of the world's population will know this. Now although the Ktav Ivri symbol for bull morphed its way to our letter A, the classical Hebrew script (ketav Ashurit) used for writing Torah scrolls morphed its way into the Ktav Ashunit which is constructed with two Yods (see below). Note that the Ketav Ashurit was the script that Jesus would have read (ketav Ivri was an older script, similar to ancient Phoenician. Ketav Ivri is also sometimes called the Temple Script because samples of it are extant dated to the time of Solomon’s Temple). Now if you ask a person familiar with Hebrew on what Aleph means, most will still say bull or ox.

yod aleph

But the parts that make up the symbol of Aleph, which is two Yods (comma like symbol) and the diagonal line called Vav (the 6th letter of the Hebrew Alphabet) is often given a deeper interpretation. Yod is the first letter of the Divine Name yhvh (YHVH) and the name of the Savior of the world, yeshua (yeshua), thus indicating its preeminence. Since Vav represents the number six, it has long been associated as the number of man in the Jewish tradition (i.e. man was created on the 6th day, man is work 6 days). So the etymology of the word originally came from bull, but the written form and the symbols (or the letters that comprise Aleph) has this God-Man unity symbolism.

<The Word and the letter>
Now try to stay with me here. If you can, I believe you will get a glimpse of God's wonderful design that he manifested through all these events. Here is a key part to understanding this mystery. For me, I have accepted that this is True:

 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." -John 1:1-3

Kind of bizarre to talk and equate God to the concept of the Word. But if you take some time to reflect on it, it starts to makes sense. I would dare say that everything man has made involves words -either in constructing it or conveying it to others. Want to build an extension on your house? Try getting the town to issue permits without using any words. The clever operating system and application program that allows you to read this essay required millions of words. Our DNA is understood by a series of letter in a particular sequence. Letters in a particular sequence and order? I think there is a name for that term, it's called a word. So without him (God / Word) nothing can be made is something that is certainly comprehendible -and kind of cool at the same time. Now if words play an integral part in the creation of complex objects and concepts, certainly the letters must play an integral part too. Now hold that thought, I need to introduce some additional concepts.

<Sacrifice of bulls>
Even if you are only semi familiar with the scriptures, most people know that Old Testament is full of the worship ritual of sacrificing animals (particularly bulls, rams, goats & lambs) for the atonement of sin. Wow, that last sentence is laced with so many deep theologically expressions. Let me try put it in simpler terms. Before Christ, the shedding of blood of specific animals (like the bull) was done in order to bring reconciliation (make things right) God and man. But because man kept on doing evil, the offer of sacrifices had to keep occurring.

 

"Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD". -Exodus 24:5. "Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it." -Exodus 29:36. "When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, for a special vow or a fellowship offering to the LORD," -Numbers 15:8."When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf." -2 Samuel 6:13. "So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves." -Job 42:8. "Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar." -Psalm 51:19

Christians believe that salvation comes only through faith in Jesus Christ who was sacrificed on a cross for our sins. I think today, the cross is probably the number one symbol man has adopted to remember such a life changing event. So it seems fitting that God would set in motion that the last letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet would be the word Tav. It's origin comes from the symbol of a cross.

scripts tav

So then God ties all this together (i.e. bull, cross, sacrifice, letters, preservation of many people, and the Word) and reveals all of this to us in the last book of the Bible called Revelations.:

 

I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." -Revelations 1:8

Notice that God uses key letters which have become words in order to reveal more of himself to us. Because the New Testament was written in Greek, Alpha and Omega is their first and last letter of their alphabet. But God in his infinite wisdom chose a specific nation to represent him, so that "...all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" -Genesis 12:3 (God said in his first book). So in tongue of this nation that is to represent God, you would say "I am the Aleph and the Tav" (God said in his last book).

 

 

 

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