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Oct 31, 2006
Urban Art Experiments Vol. 1 (11.18.06)
Chris Ramos of The Banana Lab has put together the Urban Art Experiments Volume 1 as a way of showcasing the designer toy culture in Detroit. The show will feature customs of Jamungo's 9" BUDS and Nades from some of the motor city's top artists including Glen Barr, Adam Battestilli, Christina Gibbs,
Mark Heggie, Dennis Jones, Nicole MacDonald, Dave Roberts, Shades, Scotty Agee,
Jason Shram, Gilda Snowden, Tom Thewes, Ron Zakrin, and Ziam. Urban Art Experiments Volume 1 opens on November 18th at 2000 Brooklyn in Detroit.
Skwak and KOA - World of SK (11.02.06)
The World of SK, the first joint show from talented french artists Skwak and Koa opens at Artoyz Gallery in Paris on November 2nd. The show will feature paintings, toy prototypes, digital prints, toy customs, and a wall installation. For more details checkout the flier (french). We'll have pictures of the opening shortly ;-)
Artoyz
45 rue de l'arbre Sec
75001 Paris
France
Artoyz x Secret Base: Skull Bee and Obake Ghost (10.31.06)
Artoyz and Secret Base have put their heads together and the results are stunning. Artoyz will drop exclusive versions of Secret Base's Skull Bee and Obake Ghost figure today (10.31.06). The Artoyz Skullbee has a surprise under wraps. The head can be removed to reveal a golden Artoyz Mascot Head. This sweet looking figure is limited to just 100 pieces and will retail for 55 euros (~ $70). The Artoyz Obake Ghost will run 45 euros (~ $57) and is also limited to 100 pieces. Each figure comes with a header card designed by French graff artist Koa. State side? No worries, Super7 will also be releasing a small number of each figure in the coming weeks.
Oct 30, 2006
Yoshii Hand-Made Figures (11.03.06)
We previously reported on Hiroshi Yoshii's plans to create hand-made figures based on his colorful 2.5D illustrations. It's now on ;-) He emailed us today to announce that three of his character figures (20 of each were made) will go on sale on November 3rd in Japan. Hiroshi has been documenting the whole process on his blog -- check out the archive for a motherlode of development pics.
Kumacco stands 7cm
(2.75 inches) high and will sell for 3390 yen (~ $34.00). The
multi-eyed Roppon-Guy is also 7cm high (2.75 inches) and retails for
7140 yen (~ $61.00). Measuring 8 cm high (3.15 inches), Blink has his
eye on you and can be yours for 5040 yen (~ $43.00). Each of these three hand-made figures will are available (pre-order) at both One-Up and Splash and Sammy. I'm not sure if Splash and Sammy accepts overseas orders, but One Up does, to order email them with a list of items and your location. If you want to pick these up, don't delay -- hand-made toys are rare, and those done by the creator of the character are even harder to come by.
Itokin Park - Wax Robo Casts
Itokin Park's Robo figure previously released in several hand-made resin editions is in development as a vinyl figure from Japanese retailer, One Up. Production of the vinyl Robo is moving along well with an anticipated release in December of this year. Kazuhiko and Ken from One Up recently toured the Japanese factory producing the vinyl Robo. They brought back pics of the wax casts of Robo which will be used in the tooling process. We're amped about this project -- the figure should be awesome and we're happy Kazuhiko's talent is being fully recognized.
MAD - Lost Marbles @ Rotofugi (11.03.06)
Lost Marbles, MAD's first solo show, opens on Friday, November 3rd from 7 to 11 PM at Rotofugi. MAD's been working full-tilt in preparation for the show which will feature numerous original paintings of his characters (some never seen before), ink and pen drawings,limited-edition prints, special hand-made plushes, a first look at his upcoming jewelry line, and toy customs such as his roaring 16" Ape Qee. And if you're not drooling yet, Lost Marbles will also offer a retrospective of MAD's production figures and a preview of his upcoming vinyl goodness. So if you're lucky enough to live in Chicago (or anywhere close), drop by Rotofugi this Friday to check out the show, meet MAD and kick off the weekend right.
Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery
1953 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
312.491.9501
Oct 29, 2006
Baby Treeson
Can't get enough of the adorable Treeson? Wish you could grab him and take him with you everywhere you go? You're in luck! Baby Treeson will drop shortly (november-december '06) from Crazy Label. This miniature version packs the magic of the original design into a new 3" form factor and comes with a strap and protective cloth bag.
Source: Andy Woo's Flickr via Toytastic.nl
Bwana Spoons - Steven the Bat Candy Corn Edition
Bwana Spoons and Super7 have cooked up a Halloween treat for vinyl fans -- Steven the Bat figure, Candy Corn aka Trick-or-Treat edition. To add that extra spooky touch, this edition comes with a removable ghost sheet. Limited to 98 pieces, 70 pieces of Candy Corn Steven the Bat will go on sale at Noon on Halloween (10.31) at the Super7 store in SF. The remaining 28 pieces will be released on November 3rd for the reopening of Bwana's Grass Hut store in Portland. See the flier for full details.
Super7 Store
1630 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.409.4700
Ringo Bear by Joe Ledbetter
Updated: Corrected Brown edition size to 300 (from 210) per WWS.
The eagerly awaited Ringo Bear figures designed by Joe Ledbetter and produced by Wheaty Wheat Studios are indeed in development and are expected to drop in late spring '07. In an effort to make Ringo slightly easier to acquire than Mr. Bunny and Firecat, there will be five numbered editions this time around: Orange (600 pieces), Polar Bear (210), Brown (300), mystery 3D Retro exclusive (100) and mystery 5 & A Dime exclusive (60). Quick math: 1270 total retail pieces. While that in itself is great news, things get even better with the news that Wheaty Wheat will also be readying other JLed products for late '07.
Starry Kanser by Keith Poon
First shown at this year's SDCC, Keith Poon's Kanser Starry Edition has just dropped from Toy Qube. Kanser is a hermit crab complete with a removable shell which can be displayed partially raised for a cool look IMO. Limited to 120 numbered pieces, the 6" Starry Kanser is available for $44.99 @ Toy Qube.
Oct 28, 2006
Apexplorers: Jungle - Accessories Galore
Winson Ma's first 1:6 Apexplorer, Jungle - Ice Edition, is hyper-detailed and that's before you get to the enormous number of accessories. In case you're overwhelmed and left wondering how all the accessories attach to Jungle, here's a handy reference sheet ;-) Does the SLR accessory really have a removable lens? Looks like it. Photo courtesy of Winson Classic Creation.
Oct 27, 2006
Shikito by Superdeux
Superdeux's Shikito is the mascot for his new B*Shit line. The clean and dirty Shikito vinyl figure is dropping shortly from STRANGEco . Squatting at 4" tall, Shikito will be available in two standard colorways [Brown, and "The Real Bad" (black)] as well as several exclusive colorways from Superdeux, Rotofugi, Toy Tokyo and Lunohod. Lauda Shikito Salvatorem.
Munny Shot (03.04.07)
Born out of a desire to see a huge smashing custom show in the UK, Ryan Coyle of Iksentrik has worked closely with Kidrobot on Munny Shot -- a monster of a Munny show to be held in Bristol, UK on March 4th 2007. Munny Shot is organized as a contest with prizes for the top entires and a charity auction of show pieces to benefit Baggator which works to assist wayward Bristol youth. If you'd like to participate in Munny Shot, please drop some e-mail to munny_shot@iksentrik.co.uk. Vinyl Pulse is proud to be a media sponsor of Munny Shot.
OPERATION.KOZIK.4
OPERATION: KOZIK
October 27, 2006
Further investigation has revealed that these Kozik Operatives are being
referred to as “Comandante Rojos” and/or “Ediciones Anarchista Por Kozik” by
a devoted group of followers. This discrete community has paid a specific
dollar amount in exchange to providing shelter for a few of these Comandante
Rojos.
Are these Kozik Operatives more charming than initially thought? Is some
form of Communist-based Group Think mind-control at work? What in the world
does “Anarchy” have to do with Communist Military Action?!
:Operative MPB
muttpop.blogspot.com
info@muttpop.com
Oct 26, 2006
Hi-Fructose Volume 4
Volume Four of the excellent Hi-Fructose magazine is coming your way this winter loaded with a cover interview with Ray Caesar and all the goodness editors Annie Owens and Attaboy can possibly fit into the 100-page perfect bound volume. Other highlights include the tiled street abduction of Space Invader,the doe-eyed-sweet art of Fawn Gehweiler, Ragnar's hobos and vixens, and an interview with Gary Taxali! Not enough? Kozkik's Mickey Maos, Leslie Reppeteaux, Sauer Kids, Sam Buxton, Wilfred Wood, Longo Land, A Gorillaz photo spread by Brian McCarty, and more round out what's bound to be another great read.
S7 x SB: Halloween GID Skullbee
Super7 and Secret Base continue their Ghoul's Night Out set with week two's figure (of 5), a halloween themed GID Skullbee. This one will drop for $65 this Saturday, October 28th @ 11 AM Pacific at the Super7 store (SF) followed quickly by phone and online orders. Peep the flier for full details.
Super7 Store
1630 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.409.4700
Super7 x Ugly Dolls Halloween Ice Bat
Just in time for the cavity-inducing holiday, Super7 has teamed up with Ugly Dolls creators David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim on this exclusive Halloween Ice-Bat Ugly Doll plush. Halloween Ice-Bat is limited to 75 pieces @ $35 each and will go on sale Saturday, October 28th starting at 11 AM at the Super7 store in SF, followed quickly by phone and online orders (super7store.com). See the flier for full details.
Super7 Store
1630 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.409.4700
36" Joe Ledbetter Toxic Swamp Qee
Toy2R is readying their new 36" Toxic Swamp Qee by Joe Ledbetter. This is definitely an ambitious piece -- giant designer toys are few and far between. 36" is cool by itself, but a large-scale artist piece really trumps the simple (albeit classic) solid white or black. This one is made-to-order for $1500 + significant shipping costs and is limited to 36 pieces. Given the price and the number, this feels like an attempt to transform the platform into a fine-art multiple type sculpture. Put a dedicated design on one of these and then we'd really be moving into new territory.
Oct 25, 2006
KillerZero Proto by PlaysKewl
KillerZero is PlaysKewl's upcoming take-no-prisoners vinyl figure from Red Magic's ambitious Love Original Project. The in-progress proto is interesting, a fairly innocent looking shape coupled with a really wicked knife. Of course, I have a feeling the painted design will really make this figure. So overlay PlaysKewl's signature white-red-black palette with some blood splatters and ... Darn it, I want to see the design ;-)
Sancho Production Update
[Here's the latest news on the production of the first Angels and Gringos figure, Sancho, directly from Daniel and Johnny Monahan]
As we have been eagerly awaiting the Sancho prototype to ship to the US we apologize for the delay. Unfortunately, manufacturing setbacks have caused us to push back the release date from November 2nd to a future date. We are, however, excited to announce a bi-costal release of a limited edition colorway, Marigold, when the figure hits the US. Daniel will be signing 25 limited Marigold editions at the Munky King release party in LA while Johnny will be holding down the NYC front at Toy Tokyo with another 25 pieces (limited to 50!). We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Oct 24, 2006
New Treesons: Firefly and Urban
Crazy Label has partnered with Treeson Creator Bubi Au Yeung on two new Treesons dropping shortly in Late November or Early December, the Firefly (GID) and th Urban (black edition). As with the original, the two new editions are based on the continuing comic adventures of Treeson and his human friend, Ren.
Treeson Firefly is a glowing reminder of why it's a bad idea to leave your mouth open in a swarm of Fireflies. The Firefly edition has embedded fireflys, glows in the dark, is limited to 500 pieces and will retail for $29.99.
Treeson is a creature of the natural world. Urban sprawl often has damaging effects on nature as is the case with Urban Treeson, a victim of chemical pollutants. Urban Treeson is limited to 1500 pieces and will retail for a very reasonable $20.00.
Teeter by Joe Ledbetter
Joe Ledbetter's Teeter vinyl figure from Kidrobot has mastered the art of balance -- standing easily one just one arm or leg. Teeter stands 6" tall, is limited to just 400 pieces @ $49.95 each, and will be released at Joe's Balancing Act show at Magic Pony (Toronto, Canada) on November 9th (100 pieces) and at Kidrobot's retail locations and website (300 pieces) on November 9th.
Cathy Cowgirl by Ron English
Ron English is well-known for his subversive billboard art and paintings which are critical of the food industry from fast food to the dairy industry. His new Cathy Cowgirl limited-edition vinyl figures are based on his art work calling attention to the use of bovine growth hormones. Complete with a faux wood-base of the Lone Star state, Cathy Cowgirl will be available for the holiday season from STRANGEco in three colorways: Brown (450 pieces), Black and White (450 pieces) and Gold (100 pieces).
Touma - Return of the Knuckle Bear @ mixi-bang! (11.04.06)
One year after his last solo show, Touma is returning to LA ;-) Return of the Knuckle Bear featuring limited-edition exclusive figures, customs, and a signing by Touma opens on Saturday November 4th from 7 PM @ mixi-bang! in Pasadena, CA.
mixi-bang!
36 W. Colorado Blvd. #5
Pasadena, CA 90015
626.507.8095
Attila Adorjany -- Toy2R DIY Qees
For the upcoming set of Toy2R DIY Tour stops, Attila Adorjany has created three custom Qees. While all three carry a refined artistic style and sport really clean execution, the Tusker design which repurposes the new Bunee Qee shape is spot-on.
Kit-e-pus
Gorbo
Tusker
