| “ | I'm bored. I love to play games but there's no-one to play against. The beings who call here have no minds, and so they become my toys. But you will become my perpetual opponent. We shall play endless games together, your brain against mine. | „ |
| ~ The Celestial Toymaker to the First Doctor and his companions. |
The Toymaker, also known as the Celestial Toymaker or the Mandarin, is a major antagonist in the Doctor Who franchise, serving as the main antagonist of the Fourteenth Doctor's Era.
He is a powerful cosmic entity from beyond the universe that ensnares sentient beings into seemingly childish games with their freedom at stake; however, he hates losing and the games are always rigged in his favor. If the victim succeeds in winning his games, he will destroy them and his entire domain, but is powerful enough to simply rebuild it and start the cycle anew.
He was portrayed by the late Michael Gough in the Classic Era, and is portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris in the 60th Anniversary Specials, who also portrayed Replay in Static Shock, Ray Thompson in Justice League, John Tagman in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Dr. Horrible in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Fairy Shoeperson in Sesame Street, DJ Veteran Child in the Saints Row video games, Music Meister in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Dr. Blowhole in The Penguins of Madagascar, Chester Creb in American Horror Story: Freak Show, Count Olaf in the 2017 A Series of Unfortunate Events television series, and The Analyst in The Matrix Resurrections. In the Big Finish audios stories, he was voiced by the late David Bailie.
Biography[]
"The Celestial Toymaker"[]
The Toymaker was already known to the First Doctor when he drew the Doctor and his companions, Steven and Dodo, into his realm. The Toymaker controlled a fantasy world to which he lured people to play his games. Those who lost became his toys, while defeat for the Toymaker would destroy his world, although the immortal Toymaker would be able to create a new one and always took those who defeated him with him. As he noted "I'm a bad loser, Doctor. I always destroy the destroyer." He challenged the Doctor to play the Trilogic Game, to be completed in exactly 1023 moves, while Steven and Dodo played a series of potentially deadly games against the Toymaker's playthings to recover the TARDIS. Both groups succeeded, but the Doctor knew making the last move of the Trilogic Game would destroy the Toymaker's world and them with it. He eventually got around the conundrum by setting the TARDIS to take off and then impersonating the Toymaker's voice to command the last piece to move, dematerializing as it did so.
Expanded Media[]
The novel Divided Loyalties acted as a combined prequel and interquel, depicting the Doctor's first meeting with the Toymaker, alongside his Time Lord friends Rallon and Millenia. The Toymaker possessed Rallon's body and the Doctor was forced to flee without his two friends. The Toymaker later tried to replace Rallon's body with that of the Fifth Doctor but was foiled by Rallon triggering a regeneration. The ending leads into "The Nightmare Fair" with the Toymaker heading to Blackpool. The Toymaker was intended to return some twenty years to menace the Sixth Doctor and Peri in "The Nightmare Fair", but the story was never produced thanks to the show being suspended, although it was later adapted as a novel and audio play. Here, the Toymaker uses the amusement arcades of Blackpool to abduct youngsters, but he is defeated when the Doctor imprisons him in a forcefield powered by his own mind.
The Toymaker starred in the DWM comic strip "The Greatest Gamble" and in the short story "Games", where he played four-dimensional chess with Fenric. In the strip "Endgame", he competed with the Eighth Doctor and his friend Izzy and Max, being left battling a duplicate of himself. The Toymaker would encounter the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex in the audio play "The Magic Mousetrap". Here, he was apparently trapped in a doll but turned the tables and converted his opponents into dolls, with only a few of them managing to escape as the Toymaker was left alone in his world again.
"The Giggle"[]
The Toymaker finally returned to the TV series after an absence of 57 years in "The Giggle", which indicates that the Doctor accidentally allowed him into the real world by invoking a superstition on the edge of the universe. The Toymaker infiltrates the first television broadcast in 1925 by providing the doll used by John Logan Baird to his assistant Charles Banerjee. The doll's giggle became hidden on every screen from then on, finally taking effect in 2023 when worldwide internet coverage is achieved for the first time. The giggle causes every human being to believe they are right, creating chaos. While this was occurring, the Toymaker briefly danced during the chaos, subtly waving at the Doctor.
The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna travelled back to 1925, where the Toymaker tormented them in his domain, with him personally tormenting the Doctor with a puppet of Banerjee. Afterwards, the Toymaker played out a puppet show for Donna to show the fates of the Doctor's companions after her, painting them in the worst light possible, which the Doctor tried to rationalise to Donna and himself that the companions did achieve some sort of happiness despite their tragedies, although the Toymaker sarcastically retorts, "Well, that's all right, then!" each time. The Toymaker is eventually interrupted by the Doctor, who challenges him to a simple card game.
While shuffling the cards, the Toymaker boasted about his twisted accomplishments, claiming he played with supernovas, turned galaxies into spinning tops, turned God into a jack-in-the-box, met the Master who crawled to him on the brink of death, but lost a game and now resides in Toymaker's gold tooth, and then he suggests that he made a jigsaw out of the Doctor's own history. The Toymaker mentions that he saw an opponent that he described as the One Who Waits, which he confessed he was too frightened to challenge; the Doctor asks for clarification, but he only refused, considering it "someone else's game." After one round of the card game, the Toymaker won but the Doctor pointed out he had beaten the Toymaker before and thus suggested a best of three. The Toymaker declared the final game would be played back in 2023, where he invaded UNIT HQ through the medium of a musical number - teleporting with his toy shop door, and changing his facade each time to unsettle the UNIT forces even more - Kate orders her troops to fire on the invader, but their shots emerge as flower petals; after vanishing into his store door again, Toymaker manifests to gain control of the UNIT galvanic cannon on the exterior landing pad.
The Doctor goes outside to confront him, warning his allies to remain indoors, but the Toymaker demands that they stay outside, too, since he declares that games need an audience; when they seem to refuse, he fires warning shots at the windows above and the floor below, thus all stay present. The Doctor criticizes the Toymaker for being so petty, exclaiming about how the deity has such amazing powers, such as turning bullets into harmless petals, yet chooses such meaningless actions of cruelty. The Doctor then invites the Toymaker to join him on his travels, enjoying the universe, without causing pain or mayhem, therefore becoming truly celestial. Toymaker appears to consider the offer, but ultimately refuses, explaining that he has become enthralled by 21st Century humanity; he finds delight in mankind's "games," like politics, dating, gaslighting, social media, and even video games - admiring video games for the perceived power of hypnotising the players, keeping them trapped inside and isolated by their own choice.
Recounting that his first game was against one Doctor, and the second was versus another, therefore he announces his final game would be against yet another Doctor, so he shot him with the cannon. However, instead of regenerating, the Doctor bi-generated, with his fifteenth self emerging from the intact fourteenth. The Toymaker expresses delight at the phenomenon, gleefully noting that he will cover fields with countless dying and dead Doctors. However, the two Doctors challenged the Toymaker to a ball game, with the loser being the first to drop the ball. After numerous volleys, the Toymaker failed to catch a throw from the Fifteenth Doctor, and the Doctors banished him. He was transformed into a two-dimensional fold-up card, which was sealed in his own toy chest, but giving his final remark towards the Doctor about his legion's arrival. With his banishment, the giggle faded, releasing humanity from the throes of madness. The only thing that was left of The Toymaker after this was his gold tooth, which contained The Doctor's longtime rival The Master (who lost a game to The Toymaker sometime prior to "The Giggle"). This tooth was picked up by an unseen person, who wore red nail polish, whilst no one was not looking.
"The Devil's Chord"[]
The first of the Toymaker's legions appears in his child, who takes the form of an adult drag queen, called the Maestro, who is an embodiment of music. The Maestro uses their son Harbinger in 1925 to deceive a jaded music teacher, who had failed to be appreciated for their own talent, into bringing the Maestro into their universe. They proceed to feed off humans' musical talent and inner music, which by 1963 threatens to leave humanity to self-destruction due to loss of joy and expression.
The Doctor briefly annuls the Maestro's powers by using the sonic screwdriver to create silence throughout a large area; the Doctor takes Ruby to hide in a cellar, as the Maestro is shortly able to disable the mute dome. Doctor takes Ruby back to 2024 to prove that Earth is doomed if music isn't returned, the world having been reduced to a wasteland from a war. The Maestro arrives to taunt the duo while thanking the Doctor for sealing away their father (who Maestro claimed was mean to them), using their sound manipulation to nearly destroy the TARDIS as the Doctor hotwires it back to 1963.
When fighting the Doctor and Ruby, the Maestro detects another essence in Ruby's soul similar to someone they fear. The Doctor attempts to banish the Maestro, but fails as he and Ruby are trapped in separate musical instruments. John Lennon and Paul McCartney play the Abbey Road piano, unknowingly completing the song that robs the Maestro of their power, and imprisons them in a dimension within the piano. Like their father, Maestro cryptically threatens about "The One Who Waits," before they are trapped in an instrument of both music and their power. Musical talent, love of music, and music itself is restored to the world.
As the eventually known Abbey Roads Studios burst into joyous, and organized chaos of musical song and dance, Harbinger lurks in a doorway, hinting at Maestro's possible return.
"The Legend of Ruby Sunday"[]
The Toymaker is one of the members of the Pantheon of Discord mentioned by Harriet Arbinger in her speech introducing Sutekh, the true identity of the One Who Waits, who she proclaims is "the mother and the father and the other" of all other members of the Pantheon, presumably including the Toymaker.
Quotes[]
| “ | I can not die. If this shop contracts into oblivion, do you know what would happen to me? Nothing. Nothing at all. A brief interlude of silence, and then I return. Different perhaps, a new face, voice, personality, it all depends on how bored I am of this - the essence remains. | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker boasts of how he is eternal, Solitare. |
| “ | De ball is de first game ever being invented. Stone Age man, he picked up a rock. He said, "Oh, das ist ein ball!" He throwed it, und he killed a man. He said, "Oh, vhat fun." Und now everybody loves the balls! Until the year five billion, when the very last human picks up the skull of his enemy und says, "Das ist de final ball of all." Ja? | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker introduces himself to The Doctor and Donna Noble, The Giggle. |
| “ | The Doctor: Donna, go back to the TARDIS. Donna Noble: What? The Doctor: Go back to the TARDIS! Donna Noble: You never tell me to do that. The Toymaker: Oh, but he is recognizing me. Are you not ge-pleased, Herr Doctor, to see me again after so many years? Donna Noble: Who is he? The Doctor: The Toymaker. The Toymaker: We meet again, Doctor. |
„ |
| ~ The Toymaker reveals his identity to the Doctor and Donna Noble, The Giggle. |
| “ | Do you like my puppets, Doctor? Do you like my fun? All of them have played and lost, but here's my favorite one. | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker taunting The Doctor with a puppet that resembles him. |
| “ | Well, that's all right then! | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker mocking the Doctor over the fates of Amy Pond, Clara Oswald and Bill Potts, The Giggle. |
| “ | The Toymaker: I came to this universe with such delight. And I played them all, Doctor. I toyed with supernovas, turned galaxies into spin tops. I gambled with God and made him a jack-in-the-box. I made a jigsaw out of your history. Did you like it? The Master was dying and begged for his life with one final game, and when he lost, I sealed him for all eternity inside my gold tooth. There's only one player I didn't dare face. The One Who Waits. The Doctor: Who's that? The Toymaker: I saw it hiding, and I ran. The Doctor: What do you mean? The Toymaker: Hmm. That's someone else's game. |
„ |
| ~ The Toymaker and The Doctor talk about The One Who Waits, as they prepare for their rematch, The Giggle. |
| “ | The Toymaker: Und now, meine kleine Doctor, ve vill see vhat is my prize. The Doctor: One... all. I won the game many years ago, you've won today, which leaves us equal. And you know two players are bound by one inviolable rule. The Toymaker: Best of three. The Doctor: Best of three. The Toymaker: Then let's make it 2023. |
„ |
| ~ The Toymaker escapes from The Doctor and Donna and teleports to the present, The Giggle. |
| “ | Achtung, achtung! Backen Sie. Oh, how I am liking this, the gun mit the laser und the bang und the boom. | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker takes control of UNIT's Galvanic Beam, The Giggle. |
| “ | You know full well this is merely a face concealing a vastness that will never cease, because your good and bad are nothing to me. All that exists is to win or lose. | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker, The Giggle. |
| “ | I played the first game with one Doctor. I played the second game with this Doctor. Therefore, your own rules have decreed I play the third game with the next Doctor!'' | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker fires the Galvanic Beam on The Doctor, triggering his regeneration, The Giggle. |
| “ | Vhat?! | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker witnesses The Doctor's bi-generation. |
| “ | The Toymaker: If I can interrupt... Behold the game of the Time Lords. A dummy who dies and doubles and dies and doubles. I could play this for hundreds of years. I'll have vast meadows of Doctors dying over and over again, and I'll never get bored, because... Fourteenth Doctor: I challenge you to a game! Fifteenth Doctor: I challenge you to a game! |
„ |
| ~ The Toymaker revealing his joy about doubling and killing The Doctor, only to be interrupted by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors. |
| “ | The Toymaker: Name your challenge, Doctor. Fifteenth Doctor: You said it. The first game ever. Fourteenth Doctor: The ball. The Toymaker: Catch. Of course, before we begin, there is one thing to remember. It's a simple game, really, but I think... if you drop it, you lose. |
„ |
| ~ The Toymaker and the two Doctors prepare for their final showdown, The Giggle. |
| “ | My legions are coming. | „ |
| ~ The Toymaker's last words before being banished from existence, The Giggle. |
Powers and Abilities[]
- Reality Warping
- Teleportation
- Instantaneous Time Travel
- Immortality
- Invulnerability
- Shape-shifting
- Talented at Every Game
Weakness[]
- Rules of the Game: The Toymaker's only weakness is that he must obey the rules of any game he plays, thus he can't cheat, albeit can bend the rules slightly. While he can exploit loopholes, similarly his challenger can exploit them too, thus enabling the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors to play against him simultaneously, since they are both technically the same person, thereby count as one challenger. Should the Toymaker lose, he is helpless to break free from the consequences, and he can't use his usually limitless powers.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The Toymaker is mentioned by Zellin in the Series 12 episode "Can You Hear Me?"
- While the original version of the Toymaker is depicted as wearing the clothes of a Chinese Mandarin, the Revival version's vary according to the Toymaker's whims, such as a German shopkeeper, a French Ballroom dancer, a circus ringmaster while invading UNIT, and a gunner when using the Galvanic Beam.
- The Toymaker comes off as slightly racist, for being a white man in Chinese garb. RTD explains in his take on the Toymaker, that the entity doesn't have a concept of insulting race; in fact, the Toymaker just sees the pettiness of racism as just another game humanity created.
- Although, while wearing Chinese attire, he spoke in an English accent, implying he might not have been attempting a racist caricature; the outfit is likely merely an indication of his flamboyance, since he seems to choose *loud* fashion to befit his personas and to create a sense of anachronism, as in "The Giggle", he dresses as a 18th-19th Century German toymaker in the 1920's, which he uses again in 2023, along with a French vaudevillian outfit, a circus ringmaster costume, and WWII era gunner uniform.
- The Toymaker sees 21st century Earth as the ultimate playground; everything in human life a game in some way. Even indirectly admitting a fondness for Tetris, a classic game beloved over years despite its simplicity.
- Much like their father, the Toymaker's child, Maestro, is highly flamboyant, and changes outfits numerous times, starting with a coat-dress hybrid with piano key decorations along the lapels, as well as high heeled boots; then they wear a flowing gown; then they dress as a band leader.
- The Maestro created a boy called Henry Arbinger, a Harbinger who allows their entrance into reality. It isn't clear whether or not Harbinger is Maestro's child like they are the Toymaker's, or merely a puppet. After the Maestro is imprisoned, Harbinger is still free, which implied that he holds some sense of autonomy, and may be Toymaker's grandson.
External Links[]
- The Celestial Toymaker on the Doctor Who Wiki
