Turmoil in the Toybox (1989), by Phil Phillips
While I was considering the logistics of recording my toy hoard, I was suddenly reminded of this product of the Satanic Panic of the 1980's. If good Christian parents were worried about demonic influences in rock videos, D&D, and Saturday morning cartoons, could these new developments in the toy industry be far behind? With 'the youth' being so enthusiastic about any innovations beyond sports equipment and tea sets, there must (so the logic went) be something sinisterly alluring behind it all. I was already an action figure enthusiast, and I bought this weird little book to see what possible reasoning could lie behind it, to revel in its inanity, and (strangely enough) to hear what it said about the toy industry itself. There seemed to be little or no literature on the subject yet. Anyway, my own efforts to take pictures of my figures reminded me of what Mr. Phillips said of his difficulties in obtaining clear photos for his illustration: he concluded that there was some sort of evil hexum on the toys themselves. I long ago got rid of my copy, I don't remember when or how. I only found out today that there was a sequel the next year in 1990, the creatively titled Turmoil in the Toybox II, by Joan Hake Robie. 
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