seen: Simone Legno – tokidoki @ KR LA (07.13.06)

Simone Legno of tokidoki

Simone Legno, the designer behind tokidoki, unveiled  new art posters and limited edition prints at Kidrobot LA this past Thursday night.   The crowd to get items signed by and chat with Simone was pretty unreal.  Even though I arrived at 7:30 the line in front of Simone’s table was
pretty long inside the store and stretched outside.  Pretty impressive for
1.5 hours after opening considering there were no exclusive toys. This has to have been the largest KR crowd for a non-toy event since the DJ Shadow / Shepard Fairey event. 

Serious tokidoki followers showed up en masse toting all sorts of tokidoki Lesportsac handbags, wearing all different types of his apparel, carrying decks they brought with them,  many with the tokidoki Playtimes issue in hand ready for signing.  Based on the crowd today, tokidoki’s popularity is off the charts. Without a doubt, the brand is a lifestyle smash hit.

Fans and collectors eagerly purchased  many of the three  new large tokidoki posters (believe they were $25) and also the three limited edition foam-core backed prints (believe they were $80). The prints have a sticker on the back listing the print edition and I believe serial number — a nice touch.   Both the posters and the prints are really nice — this is art that makes one want to stare, huge grin in place, drool running down the face. 

Simone signed a wide range of items for fans: the posters and prints, Playtimes Magazines, decks, handbags, shirts, and more.  Oh, and of course Munnys. The DIY munny craze for signings has hit full stride.  Apparently so
many people asked Simone to do a munny that the line ground to a halt.
Eventually, the KR staff had to put an end to DIY munnys at the
signing.

Props to KR and the tokidoki crew for a smooth event considering the large turnout. Oh, I have to mention the clever use of the tokidoki fans as ink drying devices 😉  Can’t wait to see what comes next from Simone.