It's a Draw: Coloring Books

Remember playing cowboys with the Johnny West figurines.  Local artist Mykol Blackwell has (along with a partner) just released a tribute to the them—a coloring book of those old characters.  Mykol has also been working on some realistic buildings for the action figures.  These are the kind of toys that make you want to get down on the rug and play with your kids for hours.

It’s time to open a new box of crayons and experience some retro fun. Or pull out the action figures, put up the sets, and hang out with your kid.

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You can order the coloring book here.

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Slow Learner
Guest
Slow Learner
13 years ago

Cool!
Will Mykol be making buildings for sale?

Mykol Blackwell
Guest
Mykol Blackwell
13 years ago
Reply to  Slow Learner

Howdy Slowlearner! To answer yer question,,, YES! If you’d like to see some of the dozens of buildings I’ve built & sold, (to collectors around the country) friend request me on FB; & you’ll then be able to check them out, in an album! Give me a holler, if ya have somethin’ in mind!!

Dave
Guest
13 years ago

Blast from the past! I sure remember ol Johnny West.

I liked cowboys and proudly wore my two-holster gun belt, with White (plastic) handles, everywhere. I never got a Johnny West action figurine though, because it appeared to be too close to playing with a doll! I worried my buddies would tease me. None of them had action figures – unless you call those tiny little Army men they sold in bags action figures. They were different somehow. We would set them up – step back a distance – then pelt them until the last one went down!

The same went for GI Action figures. No one on our block had them despite the ads on TV and in the stores. Maybe it was just like that where I lived in Southern California. I can’t speak for the whole country at the time.

It would take another generation (or two) for young boys to play with action figures without turning a head.

Dave
Guest
13 years ago

Blast from the past! I sure remember ol Johnny West.

I liked cowboys and proudly wore my two-holster gun belt, with White (plastic) handles, everywhere. I never got a Johnny West action figurine though, because it appeared to be too close to playing with a doll! I worried my buddies would tease me. None of them had action figures – unless you call those tiny little Army men they sold in bags action figures. They were different somehow. We would set them up – step back a distance – then pelt them until the last one went down!

The same went for GI Action figures. No one on our block had them despite the ads on TV and in the stores. Maybe it was just like that where I lived in Southern California. I can’t speak for the whole country at the time.

It would take another generation (or two) for young boys to play with action figures without turning a head.

Staff
Member
13 years ago

Mykol is doing the sets for sale I think. I’m trying to get hold of him and find out the details.

I remember some playing with action figures when I was a kid but it is true that boys now don’t hesitate like they used to.

Mykol Blackwell
Guest
Mykol Blackwell
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

Howdy Kym!!!! Thanx so much for the superb write up!!!! I’m really digging it!! To answer your question about the Western Building Facades; yes, I built them to start with, for my diorama photo shoots!! I belong to a Johnny West online forum called the Circle X Ranch,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/circlexranch/ as well as a few others!! At the Ranch you can post pix, as well as take part in conversations, get into trivia contests etc., etc.!!!! Once I started building the Old West Building Facades, which are basically, 1/6th scale Facades, like they used in the Old Silver Screen Westerns, of yesteryear; folks/collectors, started to contact me about building some buildings for them!!! In fact a handful of collectors, have sent me lists of entire towns!! Their plan being; to turn there basement into Johnny West land, & turn on their children & grandchildren onto theses classic toys, which inspire the imagination!!! I’m all for that, so my wood shop, where I had been building Castles to scale for the 6″ Knights Marx produced in the 60’s; as well as other contemporary companies, like Papo, Schleich, etc.;; has basically become a toyshop,,, now all I need is some elves!!!!! At the Ranch, there’s links to the Marxman Bros. Creations website http://www.marxmanbros.com/ ;; modern day makers, of all things Johnny West,as well as many others like Tom Heaton’s Vintage Toy Room; Tom is the creator of the series of Marx Action Figures Encyclopedias,http://www.vintagetoyroom.com/index.shtml,,,, as well as Scott Stewarts’ Best of the West, website! http://www.stewartsattic.com/Marx/index.cfm ;;;;
Yep , I remember my Dad’s attitude about my Johnny West & G.I. Joe collections,,, he was certainly glad when I turned 12, & he thought it the appropriate time to say,” Uh Mykol, don’t ya think you’re a little old, to still be playing with your dolls!!!” By the time my little sister & I turned 8 & 10, we had the entire collection; I also had G.I. Joes as did several kids in the hood/woods!! Hasbro did by the way make Japanese, & German G.I. Joes,,, I had them!! I had a younger brother who they all got passed down to, as well as a bunch of cousins!!!
For my little sister’s 47th B-day, I scored her a Covered Wagon with the horse Thunderbolt, & a Jane West, & the 2 daughters, Janice, & Josie, on eBay!! She was so psyched, she built a shelf in her home office/computer room, & raved about them for months after! I decided, why should she have all the fun, & began to regain on eBay ;my childhood collection,,, along the way I found Scott Stewart’s website, and sent him a pix of the few figures I had, which needed repair; asking him for tips! He emailed me back asking me to do some illustrations that he possibly would use, on his site; after seeing a few illustrations on the wall behind the figures in the pix! I sent him a half dozen sketches, which he unbeknownst to me, forwarded to Terri, & Noah Coop, owners of Marxman Bros. Creations!! A few weeks later, a get an email from Terri,,,, with the idea of doing a Coloring Book!!!! Don’t ya love how the universe spins sometimes!!!! :>)!!
The rest is history, in the making,,, I hope ya’ll will check it out, & maybe even get a few to share with kids in your worlds!!!
If any one is interested in the Old West Building Facades,,, I’ve got a bunch of pix posted on FaceBook in an album, my website is near completion; but until it’s done, this is a good way to see more pix of the buildings I’ve built so far, which include Sheriff’s Offices, Hotel Saloons, Gunsmith Shops, Blacksmith Shops, Pony Express Offices/ Post Offices, Mercantiles, Medicine Wagons, Chuck Wagons, etc.!!! So if yer FB friends with Kym,,, you can find me on her friends list, and friend request me, & check out the pix! Or if you’re a collector, or a wanna be collector, you can join the Circle X Ranch,,,, I’ve got a ton of photos posted there!!! Sorry, I know it’s the long way around the barn,,, as my Grampa used to say; I guess if yer interested in seeing pix, you could email me at [email protected], & I’ll send ya pix!!

Thanx again Kym,,,, you Rock!!!! Mykol Blackwell

06em
Guest
06em
13 years ago

I also had G.I. Joes as did several kids in the hood/woods!! Hasbro did by the way make Japanese, & German G.I. Joes,,, I had them!!

I had no idea the foreign joes existed. That’s really cool. But wouldn’t they have been GI Hiro and GI Johannes? 😉

Mykol Blackwell
Guest
Mykol Blackwell
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

Howdy once again Kym!!! I just wanted to alert everyone that this week Terri has posted a selection of pix posted in an album of mine, at The Circle X Ranch, as puzzles, on a puzzle blog she created a while back!!! Each pix is broken up into puzzles of the day!!! Be sure & check them out,,,, while yer waitin’ fer yer Coloring Book to arrive!!!!!! Have FUN!!!! http://www.johnnywestadventure.blogspot.com/

Staff
Member
13 years ago

Mykol is doing the sets for sale I think. I’m trying to get hold of him and find out the details.

I remember some playing with action figures when I was a kid but it is true that boys now don’t hesitate like they used to.

Mykol Blackwell
Guest
Mykol Blackwell
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

Howdy Kym!!!! Thanx so much for the superb write up!!!! I’m really digging it!! To answer your question about the Western Building Facades; yes, I built them to start with, for my diorama photo shoots!! I belong to a Johnny West online forum called the Circle X Ranch,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/circlexranch/ as well as a few others!! At the Ranch you can post pix, as well as take part in conversations, get into trivia contests etc., etc.!!!! Once I started building the Old West Building Facades, which are basically, 1/6th scale Facades, like they used in the Old Silver Screen Westerns, of yesteryear; folks/collectors, started to contact me about building some buildings for them!!! In fact a handful of collectors, have sent me lists of entire towns!! Their plan being; to turn there basement into Johnny West land, & turn on their children & grandchildren onto theses classic toys, which inspire the imagination!!! I’m all for that, so my wood shop, where I had been building Castles to scale for the 6″ Knights Marx produced in the 60’s; as well as other contemporary companies, like Papo, Schleich, etc.;; has basically become a toyshop,,, now all I need is some elves!!!!! At the Ranch, there’s links to the Marxman Bros. Creations website http://www.marxmanbros.com/ ;; modern day makers, of all things Johnny West,as well as many others like Tom Heaton’s Vintage Toy Room; Tom is the creator of the series of Marx Action Figures Encyclopedias,http://www.vintagetoyroom.com/index.shtml,,,, as well as Scott Stewarts’ Best of the West, website! http://www.stewartsattic.com/Marx/index.cfm ;;;;
Yep , I remember my Dad’s attitude about my Johnny West & G.I. Joe collections,,, he was certainly glad when I turned 12, & he thought it the appropriate time to say,” Uh Mykol, don’t ya think you’re a little old, to still be playing with your dolls!!!” By the time my little sister & I turned 8 & 10, we had the entire collection; I also had G.I. Joes as did several kids in the hood/woods!! Hasbro did by the way make Japanese, & German G.I. Joes,,, I had them!! I had a younger brother who they all got passed down to, as well as a bunch of cousins!!!
For my little sister’s 47th B-day, I scored her a Covered Wagon with the horse Thunderbolt, & a Jane West, & the 2 daughters, Janice, & Josie, on eBay!! She was so psyched, she built a shelf in her home office/computer room, & raved about them for months after! I decided, why should she have all the fun, & began to regain on eBay ;my childhood collection,,, along the way I found Scott Stewart’s website, and sent him a pix of the few figures I had, which needed repair; asking him for tips! He emailed me back asking me to do some illustrations that he possibly would use, on his site; after seeing a few illustrations on the wall behind the figures in the pix! I sent him a half dozen sketches, which he unbeknownst to me, forwarded to Terri, & Noah Coop, owners of Marxman Bros. Creations!! A few weeks later, a get an email from Terri,,,, with the idea of doing a Coloring Book!!!! Don’t ya love how the universe spins sometimes!!!! :>)!!
The rest is history, in the making,,, I hope ya’ll will check it out, & maybe even get a few to share with kids in your worlds!!!
If any one is interested in the Old West Building Facades,,, I’ve got a bunch of pix posted on FaceBook in an album, my website is near completion; but until it’s done, this is a good way to see more pix of the buildings I’ve built so far, which include Sheriff’s Offices, Hotel Saloons, Gunsmith Shops, Blacksmith Shops, Pony Express Offices/ Post Offices, Mercantiles, Medicine Wagons, Chuck Wagons, etc.!!! So if yer FB friends with Kym,,, you can find me on her friends list, and friend request me, & check out the pix! Or if you’re a collector, or a wanna be collector, you can join the Circle X Ranch,,,, I’ve got a ton of photos posted there!!! Sorry, I know it’s the long way around the barn,,, as my Grampa used to say; I guess if yer interested in seeing pix, you could email me at [email protected], & I’ll send ya pix!!

Thanx again Kym,,,, you Rock!!!! Mykol Blackwell

06em
Guest
06em
13 years ago

I also had G.I. Joes as did several kids in the hood/woods!! Hasbro did by the way make Japanese, & German G.I. Joes,,, I had them!!

I had no idea the foreign joes existed. That’s really cool. But wouldn’t they have been GI Hiro and GI Johannes? 😉

Mykol Blackwell
Guest
Mykol Blackwell
13 years ago
Reply to  Staff

Howdy once again Kym!!! I just wanted to alert everyone that this week Terri has posted a selection of pix posted in an album of mine, at The Circle X Ranch, as puzzles, on a puzzle blog she created a while back!!! Each pix is broken up into puzzles of the day!!! Be sure & check them out,,,, while yer waitin’ fer yer Coloring Book to arrive!!!!!! Have FUN!!!! http://www.johnnywestadventure.blogspot.com/

jendocino
Guest
13 years ago

I absolutely adored toys like this when I was a kid. My sister and I collected Breyer horse figures, and we would play with them for hours, making up horse scandals in our imaginary horse societies. Thanks for the smiles!

jendocino
Guest
13 years ago

I absolutely adored toys like this when I was a kid. My sister and I collected Breyer horse figures, and we would play with them for hours, making up horse scandals in our imaginary horse societies. Thanks for the smiles!

06em
Guest
06em
13 years ago

Mid to late 60’s this boy sure was playing with dolls … as long as they had guns and knives and cool outfits. And I used to play cowboys and indians, not cowboys. I had Johnny West and Geronimo and Johnny’s horse. I switched allegiances to the gi joe line when another kid got a joe because of the accessories. The joes were also more fully articulating instead of being stiff-footed and limited motion like Johnny and his crew. The marx accessories were made of either hard or flexible plastic and everything from a gun to a saddle to a strong box to a head dress was colored brown. The gi joes came with more realistically colored accessories made of plastic and various woven materials. The mess kit was silver plastic and it went into an olive drab real cloth pouch and the sandbags for the machine gun nest (my best accesory kit) were made out of burlap. Too cool.

In those days my cowboys and indians fought each other but then usually reconciled in some way because, in my 9 year old logic, I owned a cowboy and an indian and they both had to live to fight another day. With the joes, my enemies tended to be invisible since they didn’t make enemy combatants for gi joe. And I (we) called the enemies japs and krauts and always repulsed their dastardly attacks. It was the tail end of the long hate hangover from world war two.

The marx toys had a short popularity span and the gi joes morphed into these little half sized dolls with character names, I think one was called Snake Eyes. Not my cup of tea, but I’ve known several people who loved those pint-sized replacements.

06em
Guest
06em
13 years ago

Mid to late 60’s this boy sure was playing with dolls … as long as they had guns and knives and cool outfits. And I used to play cowboys and indians, not cowboys. I had Johnny West and Geronimo and Johnny’s horse. I switched allegiances to the gi joe line when another kid got a joe because of the accessories. The joes were also more fully articulating instead of being stiff-footed and limited motion like Johnny and his crew. The marx accessories were made of either hard or flexible plastic and everything from a gun to a saddle to a strong box to a head dress was colored brown. The gi joes came with more realistically colored accessories made of plastic and various woven materials. The mess kit was silver plastic and it went into an olive drab real cloth pouch and the sandbags for the machine gun nest (my best accesory kit) were made out of burlap. Too cool.

In those days my cowboys and indians fought each other but then usually reconciled in some way because, in my 9 year old logic, I owned a cowboy and an indian and they both had to live to fight another day. With the joes, my enemies tended to be invisible since they didn’t make enemy combatants for gi joe. And I (we) called the enemies japs and krauts and always repulsed their dastardly attacks. It was the tail end of the long hate hangover from world war two.

The marx toys had a short popularity span and the gi joes morphed into these little half sized dolls with character names, I think one was called Snake Eyes. Not my cup of tea, but I’ve known several people who loved those pint-sized replacements.

Scott Stewart
Guest
13 years ago

Great Book dedicated to the best toys! Thanks Mykol!

Scott Stewart
Guest
13 years ago

Great Book dedicated to the best toys! Thanks Mykol!

Tom Heaton
Guest
13 years ago

Great idea! Looks great! Congrats to you guys for getting it done! Compliments the encyclopedia and modules perfectly. The kiddies should enjoy it.

Tom Heaton
Guest
13 years ago

Great idea! Looks great! Congrats to you guys for getting it done! Compliments the encyclopedia and modules perfectly. The kiddies should enjoy it.

amy jones
Guest
13 years ago

I got my 2 coloring books Sat. They are great! I loved coloring as a kid and did a lot of drawing as an adult. Now my artistic outlet has gone into the 1/6 scale hobby!
Mykol hopefuly will make all us Johnny fans a backdrop poster next!

Kay Coop (Noah's Mom)
Guest
13 years ago

I want to say that the Coloring Book cover is TERRIFIC!!!! I can hardly wait to see the illustrations inside. This is quite an achievement……Congratulations !!!! I am so proud of everyone that is making sure Johnny West collections will continue from generation to generation. As Noah’s Mother, I want to thank everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued loyalty. You are a wonderful and caring group of collectors.

Kay Coop (Noah's Mom)
Guest
13 years ago

I want to say that the Coloring Book cover is TERRIFIC!!!! I can hardly wait to see the illustrations inside. This is quite an achievement……Congratulations !!!! I am so proud of everyone that is making sure Johnny West collections will continue from generation to generation. As Noah’s Mother, I want to thank everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued loyalty. You are a wonderful and caring group of collectors.