Gary Card x Unbox – Breakfast Boys Art Toys

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Unbox is busy translating Gary Card’s wild Breakfast Boys characters into what promises to be a remarkable series of art toys. The toys are based on characters from his Happy Breakfast exhibition (September ‘17, Golborne Gallery) which featured a collection of neon-colored paintings as well as a trio of painted prototypes including the stylized child, Smudge, and two others featuring characters riding eclectic beasts.  As you can see in the concept illustration below, the series is inspired, in part, by cereals filled with brightly colored sugary marshmallows and other sugary bits.

At the time we wondered if these protos were in fact the toys in the works from Unbox.  Thankfully, the answer is yes!  Unbox has recently shared images of two unpainted protos – one of which is clearly Smudge and the other matches up with one of the ‘mounted’ September protos.  Beyond the  strong character designs and vibrant color combinations, the rough organic texture—resembling paper mache—is what sets Card’s work apart and is what should make these some of the most memorable releases of the year.