Super7 Spotlight - Aaron Eiland / The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror

With the launch of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror ReAction Figures we spoke with 2D Creative Director Aaron Eiland about working on the project. 

How long have you been at Super7 and were you familiar with Super7 before you started here?

I started working at Super7 in 2016. I was familiar with Super7 and had been to the old Haight Street store in San Francisco several years before I was an employee.

What was your first Super7 project?

The packaging of the Heavy Metal Magazine - Lord of Light ReAction Figures. It's still one of my favorite ReAction projects.

This Lord of Light ReAction Figure was a New York Comic Con 2018 exclusive.

What was your favorite part about working on The Treehouse of Horror?

An excuse to rewatch some classic episodes and research horror comics.

How were The Treehouse of Horror characters selected?

We felt like these were some of the greatest Treehouse hits as well as some of the most interesting versions of the characters that would work as toys. There are some other Treehouse episodes that may be more iconic, like The Shinning, but they may not produce a character design that is as fun as Skeleton Marge with a cat in her chest.

Are there different challenges with creating the packaging for something like Treehouse of Horror?

Making sure the character art had an appropriate mix of Simpsons and classic Horror styling while still immediately reading Simpsons. I think the packaging team pulled it off perfectly.

Are there specific characters that Super7 focuses on with The Simpsons?

The Simpson family themselves is what fans really want the most of but we love the side characters just as much. Kang-Dole has never been made by any other toy company that I am aware of and it's my favorite in the wave.

How much do vintage Simpsons toys inspire the Super7 Simpsons figures?

Not that much, we tried our best to give customers something new or at least present a character in the most complete way it had ever been done. Our only references are the Simpsons episodes themselves.

What has been your favorite Super7 project?

Working on the various San Diego Comic-Con pop-ups, especially the most recent G.I. Joe Cobra Recruitment Center. Creating product combined with a fan experience is where I think Super7 shines the most.

What is your dream Simpsons project?

Simpsons x Stars Wars "I bent my Wookie" ReAction collection. Planet of the Apes Troy McClure is a close second.

Is there something I didn’t ask you that you would like to add?

I would love the opportunity to work on other Simpsons product categories like apparel one day. For now, I look forward to making many more Simpsons toys.

Visit the Super7 x The Simpsons Collection HERE.