Toymaker creates custom figures with a 2020 edge and last updated 2020-12-17 13:53:58-05 NILES, IL â Most would agree 2020 has been a tough year. For one custom toymaker, though, it has been fueling his niche business. Part Santaâs elf, part satirist and a kid at heart, Dan Polydoris' home in Niles, Illinois is a shrine to toys. But for the avid toy collector, it wasnât enough to just collect. A decade ago, he decided to create. âMost of the time, for figures, I start with some kind of existing figure,â he explained. âI have parts upon parts.â Death by Toys was born out of that need. But his re-purposed action figures and throwback novelties arenât just toys, theyâre often imbued with scathing social commentary.