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Homies are a series of two-inch plastic collectible figurines representing various Chicano Mexican American characters. The line of toys was created by David Gonzales and based on a comic strip that Gonzales created featuring a cast of characters from his youth.〔 Introduced in 1998, Homies were initially sold in supermarket vending machines. Homies have become a highly collectible item among fans, and have spawned many imitation toys. == Background == Gonzales began drawing comics while he was in high school. His amateur comic strip was called ''The Adventures of Chico Loco,'' and the characters were based on "barrio guys," as Gonzales grew up on the tough streets of a poverty-ridden Mexican-American neighborhood.〔Bir, Sara. ("Where the Heart Is: With Homies, gangsta is in the eye of the beholder," ) ''Metroactive'' (Apr. 10, 2003).〕 The main character, based on Gonzales himself, was called "Hollywood." The strip, which later changed its title to ''The Adventures of Hollywood,''〔 was picked up by ''Lowrider'' magazine and published monthly. More and more barrio characters from Gonzales' experiences were introduced to the public through the ''Hollywood'' strip — these became "Homies." (The word "homie" ("homeboy" ) is an African-American slang from the southern United States, meaning someone from "back home". In use in the West Coast Latino community for decades, the word "homie" has crossed over into the mainstream culture.) Gonzales began drawing his humorous characters on T-shirts and other products, which he and his wife sold on local beach stands, swap meets, liquor stores, and eventually urban clothing stores.〔Mendoza, Beto. ("David Gonzales Art - Creator of the Homies: Lowrider Draw the Line," ) ''Lowrider'' (June 18, 2013).〕〔Fischer, Zane. ("Homie Sweet Homie: Sexy urban icons have New Mexico roots," ) ''Santa Fe Reporter'' (February 4, 2009).〕 In 1998, Gonzales released the first set of Homies figurines, initially sold in supermarket vending machines located in Chicano communities.〔 The first series featured the male characters Eight Ball, Smiley, Big Loco, Droopy, Sapo, and Mr. Raza.〔 The toys were widely popular, with the first series selling a million Homies figures in four months.〔 The figures caused controversy after their initial release as members of the Los Angeles Police Department argued that the "urban, inner-city Latino"〔 figures glorified gang life. Law enforcement entities pressured retailers to stop selling Homies;〔 as a result, many mainstream stores, such as Walmart and Safeway Inc., stopped selling the toys.〔 In response, Gonzales repeatedly explained that he “did not create Homies to glamorize gang life”.〔 He created stories for each characters on the Homies website,〔 with each one embodying a positive trait.〔 Stores quickly returned the Homies to their shelves;〔 the resulting media coverage of the controversy helped Homies gain ever more popularity.〔 According to Gonzales, he has received orders from countries in Europe, South America, and Africa requesting Homies characters representing people from those continents.〔 By 2005, the Homies line featured female characters, as well as characters with Puerto Rican, Filipino, and Japanese backgrounds. There have been 12 series of Homies, with more than 200 characters.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Homies」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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