Integrally-formed poseable figure toy with suction cups

Abstract

An integrally-formed poseable figure toy having suction cups which in a preferred embodiment provides an immediate visual association with a human figure, the suction cups representing the head, hands and feet. The hands and feet suction cups are co-planar and the molding parting lines are located at the perimeters of the faces of the hands and feet suction cups. The toy is made of a flexible material having a rigidity such that it can be posed on a horizontal surface with substantial vertical span, even when in an oblique, i.e., non-upright, pose. The suction cups may have different sizes and produce different pitches when pulled from a surface. By having a first subset of the co-planar limb suction cups on shorter limbs extending from a first end of the body and a second subset of the co-planar limb suction cups on longer limbs extending from a second end of said body opposite said first end, and having the longer limbs being substantially flexible, centripetal forces generated when the toy is thrown and rotates about its center of mass move said second subset of suction cups away from the suction cup plane and facilitate the thrown toy attaching to a smooth surface upon impact.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A poseable toy with an immediate visual association to a figure, comprising:
 a head suction cup representing a head of the figure,   a body having a torso, said head connecting to said torso, and   a plurality of limbs extending from said torso, each of said limbs terminating in a limb suction cup, wherein said head suction cup, said body, said limbs and said limb suction cups are integrally formed and made of a flexible material.   
     
     
         2 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said limb suction cups face in substantially the same direction when said toy is not subject to outside forces. 
     
     
         3 . The poseable toy of  claim 2  wherein faces of said limb suction cups are substantially co-planar when said toy is not subject to outside forces. 
     
     
         4 . The poseable toy of  claim 3  wherein each of said limb suction cups has a molding parting line at the perimeter of the face of said limb suction cup. 
     
     
         5 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said figure roughly represents a human figure and said plurality of said limbs is four, two of said limbs extending from a head end of said torso and roughly representing arms and two of said limbs extending from a non-head end of said torso and roughly representing legs. 
     
     
         6 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said figure roughly represents a quadraped and said plurality of said limbs is four, two of said limbs roughly representing front legs and two of said limbs roughly representing back legs. 
     
     
         7 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said figure roughly represents a caterpillar and said plurality of said limbs is a number greater four, said limbs roughly representing legs. 
     
     
         8 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein a first size of one of said limb suction cups differs from a second size of said head suction cup. 
     
     
         9 . The poseable toy of  claim 8  wherein said first size of said one of said limb suction cups provides a first pitch on forced detachment of said one of said limb suction cups from a smooth surface and said second size of said head suction cup provides a second pitch on forced detachment of said head suction cup from said smooth surface. 
     
     
         10 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said flexible material has a rigidity such that when posed on a horizontal surface a maximum height to base width ratio α greater than 0.5 is achievable. 
     
     
         11 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said flexible material has a rigidity such that when posed on a horizontal surface a maximum height to base width aspect ratio α greater than 0.75 is achievable. 
     
     
         12 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said flexible material has a rigidity such that when posed on a horizontal surface a maximum height to base width aspect ratio α greater than 1.0 is achievable. 
     
     
         13 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said flexible material has a rigidity such that when posed on a vertical surface a maximum horizontal-offset to base width aspect ratio β greater than 0.5 is achievable. 
     
     
         14 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said flexible material has a rigidity such that when posed on a vertical surface a maximum horizontal-offset to base width aspect ratio β greater than 0.75 is achievable. 
     
     
         15 . The poseable toy of  claim 1  wherein said flexible material has a rigidity such that when posed on a vertical surface a maximum horizontal-offset to base width aspect ratio β greater than 1.0 is achievable. 
     
     
         16 . A poseable toy with an immediate visual association to a figure, comprising:
 a head of the figure,   a body, said head being connected to a top end of said body, and   a plurality of limbs extending from said body, each of said limbs terminating in a limb suction cup, and wherein said head, said body, said limbs and said limb suction cups are integrally formed and made of a flexible material.   
     
     
         17 . The poseable toy of  claim 16  wherein a first size of a first one of said limb suction cups differs from second size of a second one of said limb suction cups. 
     
     
         18 . The poseable toy of  claim 17  wherein a third size of a third one of said limb suction cups differs from said first size of said first one of said limb suction cups and from said second size of said second one of said limb suction cups, and wherein said first, second and third sizes of said first, second and third ones of said limb suction cups provides a first, second and third pitch on forced detachment of said first, second and third ones of said limb suction cups from a smooth surface, respectively, sequential forced detachment of said first, second and third ones of said limb suction cups from said smooth surface producing a scale or tune. 
     
     
         19 . The poseable toy of  claim 16  wherein faces of said limb suction cups are substantially co-planar when said toy is not subject to outside forces, and each of said limb suction cups has a molding parting line at the perimeter of the face. 
     
     
         20 . The poseable toy of  claim 16  wherein faces of a subset of said limb suction cups are substantially co-planar on a suction cup plane when said toy is not subject to outside forces, a first one of said subset of said limb suction cups is on a shorter limb extending from a first end of said body near said suction cup plane, and a second one of said subset of said limb suction cups is on a first longer limb extending from a second end of said body distant said suction cup plane, said first longer limb being flexible and centripetal forces generated when said toy is thrown and said toy rotates about a center of mass moving said second suction cup away from said suction cup plane. 
     
     
         21 . The poseable toy of  claim 16  wherein a third one of said subset of said limb suction cups is on a second longer limb extending from said second end of said body distant said suction cup plane, said first longer limb extending from said body on an azimuthally opposite side of said body from said second longer limb, said second longer limb being flexible and centripetal forces generated when said toy is thrown and said toy rotates about a center of mass moving said third suction cup away from said suction cup plane. 
     
     
         22 . The poseable toy of  claim 20  wherein said subset is said entirety of said set.