The Bradys Alien Family : Toybox - 3D Print Your Own Toys

The Bradys Alien Family

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🛸 Meet the Bradys! (Not their real name, of course; they adopted it from a documentary on proper Earth family dynamics called “The Brady Bunch.”)

This lovable alien family crash-landed on Earth under a shrub in the quiet town of Bittybury and has been “trying” to blend in ever since.

There’s Jerry, the swashbuckling tinkerer dad with the crooked smile; Carol Ann, the upbeat mission mom-commander; their curious and determined daughter, Nebula Anne (Neb for short, unless she’s in trouble); and their cute little tornado-like son, Crash (he’s the one who got them stranded in the first place.)

The Bradys were sent to Earth to collect flora and fauna to bring back to their home planet. But upon landing, they were in for a shock. Due to a malfunction in their Earth Culture Training Module, they were surprised to discover that Earth life forms are much larger than expected, including a particular species they were supposed to collect: Mice. Now stranded under a shrub, the Bradys have made contact with a nice mouse family called the Fuzzlewhisks. (Print them here! https://www.make.toys/toys/the_fuzzlewhisks_mouse_family_0) They must somehow convince the mice to return to their home planet with them. That is, if Zorb… er… Jerry… manages to repair the ship.

To make matters even weirder, the last footage received by the Earth Culture Training Module was from the mid-'80s. So for the Brady’s, high fashion involves tracksuits, shoulder pads, and a variety of questionable choices inspired by Material Girl–era Madonna.

And then there’s Ernest. No one can pronounce his real name (not even Neb), so everyone just calls him Ernest. He crash-landed near the same hedge as the Fuzzlewhisks ages ago, possibly lured in by the odd magnetic field around Bittybury. Ernest is a quiet wanderer, showing up where and when he pleases. Pants are… optional, as far as he’s concerned – something that horrifies Carol, delights Crash, and earns him quite a bit of notoriety among the locals.

You may need to calibrate your printer to get the legs to work. I’ve included a quick “Test Piece” to get your calibration spot-on. You should be able to wiggle the center piece and then it should freely swing. If it doesn’t, move the head and bed further apart. On the Alpha, lefty on the back screw to lower the bed, and on the Comet, raise the head. As with any toys with connectors, the minute differences between calibrations can cause the connectors to be too loose or too tight. Use pliers to pinch the connector ends together if they’re too large or pry them apart if they’re too small.

All the Brady family clothes also fit their friends, the Fuzzlewhisks! You didn’t miss a piece — the tail port hole is for the Bradys’ invisible tails (essential for balance during teleportation!) and so that the clothing will fit the Fuzzlewhisks’ real tails. Adding details with paint is optional but fun! Use regular acrylic craft paint and a very small high-quality brush for the best results. Add a dot of white to pupils. To get realistic shadow details on the head and clothes, use a slightly darker paint and dab it off with a damp paper towel.

I’d love to see photos and hear your own Brady tales! Post to the Toybox 3D Printing Community Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/385099612328348 and ask any questions there. Give the Bradys a big heart, and check out my other designs by searching RCulbertson or clicking on RCulbertson below. Happy printing! Keep checking the Toybox catalog for more clothing and accessories to fit the Fuzzlewhisks and Bradys.

• Robin Culbertson