Die-hard collectors and casual fans alike showed up at Gallery 1988 on Thursday for the LA Dunny Release Party. While the line was pretty modest when the doors opened at 7PM, the gallery filled quickly and remained so past 10PM. LA Dunnys were of course on sale both by case and individual blind-boxes.
Series Artists trickled in over the course of the night including Thomas Han, Joe Ledbetter, Shepard Fairey, Michael Motorcycle, Tim Biskup,Nic Cowan, Gary Baseman, Greg "Crayola" Simkins, Blaine Fontana and Chad Phillips. Each artist was quickly surrounded by fans seeking signatures and improptu lines formed for the superstars. Outside of SDCC, this was probably one of the largest group of toy artists attending a single event. Beyond the Series artists, other well-known faces included: Paul Budnitz, Luke Chueh, Gaston of Meltdown Comics, and George and Ayleen of October Toys.
While the LA Dunnys and the Artists were the main draw, the show also featured custom Dunnys including Blaine Fontana’s sublime 20" Dunny complete with it’s own "nest" base, 8" Dunnys from Michael Motorcyle, Joe Ledbetter, and Thomas Han, and a hand-painted 3" original of Tim Biskup’s series design. Finally, the gallery walls were lined with some excellent art from many of the LA Dunny artists.
The release party was by any measure a nice success — all of the Dunnys alloted for the event sold out, the turnout was quite impressive, and by the looks of people eagerly opening all their Dunnys and lining up for signature after signature, people had a great time. I know I certainly did! It was great talking with the artists, collectors and even a few Vinyl Pulse fans (thanks guys!). Props to the entire KR Crew, Gallery 1988, the Series Artists, and Amy Duran for her efforts in organizing and managing the LA Dunny Project.
Nice coverage! It’s good to finally know that it is Coop as the special artist!! I’ve been waiting to see that side of the golden ticket! Wish I had one of those!
Thanks for the props, BTW! We love this site!