Legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock is known for many things – slow-burning suspense, frantic set pieces, witty repartee between characters. But one of his enduring trademarks is how he showed up in his own movies. Hitchcock appeared in 39 of his 52 movies in various guises.
In 1927’s “The Lady Vanishes,” he’s just an anonymous head in a crowd. In 1954’s “Rear Window,” he is seen through binoculars attending a party in a penthouse across the courtyard. His most ingenious cameo is perhaps in 1944’s “Lifeboat,” where he is only seen… well, see if you can spot him in the photo here.
John Ratzenberger is another Hollywood figure known for frequent appearances in a certain range of movies. Since 1995’s “Toy Story,” Ratzenberger (aka Cliff the Mailman from “Cheers”) has voiced a character in every single Pixar theatrical release. Some of these roles are fairly straight up versions of his own voice, such as Mack the truck in the “Cars” movies. A few, such as a French waiter in “Ratatouille,” are brief and barely recognizable. His cameo near the end of “The Incredibles” has fueled suggestions that his character may be a pivotal villain in the upcoming sequel.
There’s long been speculation that Pixar has a recording of Ratzenberger reading every word in the dictionary so they can piece together any possible line of dialogue to keep the streak alive long after he is gone.
Stan Lee (Pop Culture Hall of Fame 2015) is another frequent contributor to his own movies, showing up in most Marvel cinematic adaptations. Believe it or not, his earliest appearance goes back to 1989 with “Trial of the Incredible Hulk.” He shows up as a member of the jury in this largely forgotten made-for-TV movie. (And yes, he appears in many of the Marvel TV shows as well!)
But the modern streak began with 2000’s “X-Men,” which predates the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was a background hot dog vendor, something you could blink and miss. Same for his stirring role as “Man at Fair” in 2002’s “Spider-Man.” Both movies were made while Marvel had let the rights to those characters lapse to Sony. So even though he was the guy who basically built Marvel, Marvel was a long way from becoming the juggernaut is it today.
It took awhile before Marvel Studios figured out how to make compellling, action-packed blockbusters, but they really kicked it into gear with 2008’s “Iron Man.” (On one hand, has it really been a whole decade since Robert Downey, Jr. put on the metal suit? On the other, how is it possilble for Mavel to crank out so many memorable blockbusters in only 10 years?) Lee appeared as Hugh Hefner, possibly the only man having more fun on this earth than him.
The earliest MCU cameos were fairly non-obtrusive, in some cases easy to miss if you weren’t watching for it, But his roles increasingly have become more, well, roles. In Deadpool, he appears as a DJ in a strip club, an appearance you have to notice. By the time “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” hit theaters, he had several seconds in his own universe as himself, appearing in not one, but two windows during the film.
Including 2018’s “Black Panther,” he’s made well over 30 cameos. If you don’t have time to watch all of the MCU (and beyond) movies, here’s a clip of most of his appearances.
It’s hard to decide whether a subtle background appearance or a grand-standing speaking part is more fun for the moviegoer. A well-timed cameo can provide a bit of comic relief in an otherwise tense scene, so regardless of the extent of his appearances, Stan Lee makes Marvel movies memorable in more ways than one. Excelsior!
Mike Horn
NERF
Bright colors and smaller, kid-friendly sizes for the toys made the brand an instant hit. The NERF line expanded into heavier outdoor equipment in the 1970s with their new football. It was heavier and denser than the original foam toys, but still much less painful than a real football when hitting someone in the noggin.
Collectors envy someone who works in the toy industry for having what must be a dream job. 
“My brothers and I would look through the Sears catalogs. We had three different colors of pens and each of us would circle what we wanted,” he said. “I remember when the Mobile Support Vehicle and the Headquarters came out. All three of us had drawn big circles around them. Under the Christmas tree that year, we got THREE of each toy, because we couldn’t share, we were all jealous of each other.”
One of his early efforts was reviving the larger action figures for a 40th anniversary line in 2004. Hasbro produced a set of 24 figures in special retro packaging, and fans helped create outfits two more the Green Beret and Air Force Dress set. He is a regular attendee at JoeCon, the annual convention for fans of the brand, where he is regarded as a hero.
The sheer number of companies producing action figures can be astonishing. One might think collectors aren’t often concerned with who makes it as much as who it represents. But when a company achieves a legendary level of detail and thoughtful design, a name like 
Mezco made a splash in the early 2000s securing licenses for the “Hellboy” movie and “Family Guy” TV show. “Revolution Studios pitched “Hellboy” to me when it was available,” Mez said. “Trust me, it wasn’t like it was a hard sell on their end… I was real eager to get the license.
“For me, I want people to be able pose the figure how they want and then repose it – I’m not going for an articulation count, I’m going for articulation that counts.”
One of the most difficult and least understood elements of producing toys and collectibles is securing the proper licensing agreements that make sure everyone is properly credited and paid. It may seem obvious to fans that there should be action figures of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan from “The Walking Dead,” for example, but actually making that happen is an art unto itself.
Marc has worked on numerous popular franchises over the years, including The Walking Dead, Angry Birds, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Terminator, Street Fighter, Dark Stalkers, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider, Hitman, God of War, Assassin’s Creed, The Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games, Doctor Who, The Crow, Star Trek and so on and on. As a licensing exec, Mostman has been responsible for these and many other popular entertainment brands ending up on arcade games, roller coasters, and of course, toys and collectibles. 
“Robot Chicken” uses crude stop motion animation to put action figures, dolls, toys, and clay models through a variety of decidedly not-kid-friendly escapades. Speaking of crude, the show’s humor is definitely more suited to Adult Swim, which is what Cartoon Network becomes after kids go to bed.
When we think of people in the toy industry, we tend to think of the folks who work directly for a particular brand or license. 
Wonder Woman debuted in 1942, an Amazon Princess who is given the chance to return a U.S. Intelligence officer to “The Man’s World.” Her origin story has changed over time, from a mythical demigoddess using her powers for good, to one who surrenders her powers and learns to use more pedestrian martial arts skills to coming from another dimension to erase all the inconsistencies.
