Bradley Ellison and the Homies, picking the pockets of little kiddies

April 6, 2015 11:21 AM

Bradley Ellison, a.k.a. Sugarman, is "one of coin-op's most colorful characters." Vice profiled Ellison on his vending machine empire (also on YouTube, both with NSFW language) and his most lucrative toys, Homies, which he brought to the East Coast from David Gonzales' Los Angeles-based line of miniature figures. In 2003, New York Times profiled the minifigs, which Ellison credits for the downfall of his main moneymaker. But Ellison keeps plugging on, and Homies are still around (warning: auto-playing music).
posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

oh, I love homies! my favorite is the delivery man wheeling in boxes.

boxes full of "homies".
posted by lkc at 11:56 AM on April 6, 2015 [2 favorites]

I had a whole shelf of Homies, mostly picked up while waiting for food at taquerias in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. But alas they were all stolen by a mischievous boy who pocketed them while his father was in my apt looking at a bike for sale. All I have left us the crabby grandpa in a chair. But I guess they went to a more deserving, if thieving, person.
posted by dis_integration at 12:10 PM on April 6, 2015

I have all the early Homies still. They are the right size to be in little Lego cars!
posted by geeklizzard at 5:36 PM on April 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

Thanks for this. I hadn't even realized I wanted to know more about this series.
posted by gusandrews at 6:34 PM on April 6, 2015