As the founder of Death by Toys, Dan admits he's more comfortable with his toys than people.
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His passion for his craft is underscored by a house literally filled with toys, from his bedroom to the living room to the "Bat Room": a room filled from top to bottom with Batman memorabilia. It's no wonder his environment inspires him!
And the toys he makes are "unique," to say the least. There's a "Karen" figurine modeled off the internet meme, a flaming garbage can he packaged as "Year 2020," and clown pubes. He has something a little different (and maybe a little dark) for everyone.
For example, when Dan lost his mother recently he paid tribute to her with a "dead mom" action figure, which he posted on Mother's Day. He recalled it didn't go over very well with some customers, but nonetheless sold out.
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Dan gave us a tour of his favorite mega-toy store in Chicago, SMASH, where he rummaged through drawers and boxes of toys for cast-offs to decapitate and use to breathe life into his next creation.
Back at the ranch, Dan chops up an existing figures, makes a mold with silicone, then a copy of the original, and finally sprays, mounts and packages it all at home.
Dan can poke fun at everything, including himself, and knows what he loves - toys - but even that can be mixed with a little self-doubt. He insists he loves making toys and doing good work, but at the same time said," I hate everything I make too and just want to get it out of the house."