Hello, welcome and salutations! We've prepared a little background info for your reading amusement. Have fun :) - Kris
Why GeekMan? Where did he come from?
What type of a Geek are you?
Where do toys come in?
Isn't GeekMan stereotypical?
What's the difference between a geek and a nerd?
Final thoughts...
Why GeekMan? Where did he come from?
We first came up with the idea for a geek superhero in early 2002, when our friends and colleagues were struggling to survive the tech downturn. In the midst of the chaos and dotcom depression, I felt we should look to server rooms and cube farms to find our heroes - those brave individuals who would fight for our digital survival.
I passed the idea by a few people, and after they realized I was serious they agreed to help out <grin>. With Shirley's help, and the artistic skillz of some web heads (Kyle and Justin) and the rest of our gaggle of geeks we began to formulate the concept. After a ton of revisions and several rounds of feedback from geeks and non-geeks alike, we finalized the GeekMan illustration and blueprints, and began to make a fun action figure (thanks Robert, Greg and Suzanne).
Without the rest of our business team (Rod and Jason), and the contributions and support of a ton of people, our crazy idea would not have become a reality. For more info:
Making Of GeekMan
GeekMan credits & thank-you's
I was lucky to have access to geek tools at an early age - my father was one of the first computer teachers in town. My brother and I spent most of our young lives in computer rooms, where we played around on the latest machines, beginning with the Apple II and IIe. Besides all the hours mastering video games, I remember the thrill when we first connected to a BBS (at the time, it didn't matter that we were only doing 300 baud...), coded simple BASIC programs, composed multi-harmony musical performances in Logo, and created a few fun HyperCard diversions.
An aside: of course, being a teacher's son has its downsides... my dad was the only teacher to give me detention. He always knew when my homework wasn't done!
As years wore on, I evolved into more of a science geek, and while I continued to take some compu-sci courses I majored in biochemistry in university. In 1997 I returned to my computing roots and joined the Internet field. Over the next 5 years I filled almost every position imaginable at small web firms and large ISPs, in both technical and later in business / product management roles. I got to play around with new technologies when they were in their infancy, met great people, and had a blast!
Am I a 'geek' by all definitions? No. As with most things, there are different definitions and degrees of geekiness (see below). As the years have passed my simple coding skills have faded, and my *NIX skills are sub-par. But, you're welcome to buy me a beer, and make the determination yourself <grin>.
When I wasn't on the computer, I was playing with toys or games. I was a fun addict, and was always looking for my next hit. As a young whipper-snapper, I used to create new toys out of existing ones. My favorites were my marble tracks made of lego.
I've always thinking up new toy ideas, and over the years developed several of them to different stages. In 2002, I realized that the only way to get some of my ideas out there was to enter the toy business full time.
Isn't GeekMan stereotypical - who wears pocket protectors these days?
We're sometimes asked why we chose to promote certain geeky stereotypes, such as the pocket protectors, or the various other features of GeekMan. There are several reasons.
First, honest geeks seem to agree - GeekMan is a reasonably accurate portrayal of the geek species. If you don't agree, it's possible that you're one of the rare un-geeky geeks. Or, you could be delusional <grin>. Either way, we've done our best to create a fun superhero that geeky types can relate to.
Secondly, in coming up with the final concepts we went through a ton of different drafts. Some of our early illustrations were of 'hip' geeks - that is, no pocket protectors, trendy clothing, etc. When we passed these concepts by 'true' geeks, the response was overwhelming: he wasn't geeky or nerdy enough! Geeks told us to add a pocket protector, geeky glasses, etc. - they wanted to have fun with the stereotypes, to celebrate them and call them their own.
What's the difference between a geek and a nerd? Or a geek and a _______?
Such questions can be a hot button in the geek community, rivaling OS religious wars and philosophical coding debates. If you do a search on this topic, you'll find that as with most things there's as many opinions as there are sources.
Some argue there is a distinct difference between a 'nerd' and a 'geek'. In a nutshell, their view is that geeks have more computer expertise, better social skills and a broader range of interests. I have three comments.
First, when I was growing up computer types were known as 'nerds' and it was only later that 'geek' became widely used. Second, the general public and layperson make no distinction between a geek and a nerd. Finally, Slashdot, the cornerstone of the geek community, proudly proclaims 'News for Nerds' in their banner.
No, go out and make your own decision :).
A word about other geek classifications... some geeks believe in stratifying the compuphile culture into various categories which define specific degrees and modes of geekness. (some categories...) However, I've always felt that an important aspect of the community is to be open and inclusive. Rather than building barriers between geeks we should celebrate our differences and diversity, which make our society a lot more interesting! (One of the fun, older methods that I still hold dear is Geek Code by Robert Hayden.)
An aside: Of course, it's my opinion that only those that bite the heads off live chickens can truly consider themselves geeks! Before you contact the SPCA, check out an entertaining, but entirely factual definition of 'geek'! (More on the etymology of 'geek')
From me and the rest of the Happy Worker gang - thanks for dropping by and sharing a little of our journey.
We've worked hard (and had a blast!) creating our 6-inch plastic geek superhero. We hope you have fun, and many years of geeky happiness ahead!
Geekily yours,
- Kris & the Happy Worker team
