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Monster Art Rally Custom Plush and Vinyl Sneak Peeks
Custom plush and vinyl monsters are coming to G1988 in San Francisco TONIGHT. There will be an opening reception from 7-10PM with at least a handful of artists present. The furry frightfest is a global gallery from Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Germany, Australia and beyond. Monsters were created by Brandt Peters, Leecifer, Dan Goodsell, Tim Tsui, Kathie Olivas, kaNO, Jesse Hernandez...BE THERE!
Continue reading...Elfdoll and Charles Stephan’s Alice Cherry Blossom Qee Revealed!
3. October 2008
Holland’s renowned pig artist, Charles Stephan, Korea’s ball-jointed dollmakers, Elfdoll, and China’s collectible culture kings, Toy2R, have produced a collaboration of international implications with this month's line of Alice Cherry Blossom Qees. The Qee figure was retooled to create a brand new head that is incredibly faithful to the original Alice Cherry Blossom. And there's something special for the Qee body too--check out the new tail in the turnaround above. Toy2R sent me these pics that show the process of turning Alice Cherry Blossom from a $290 5.5-inch ball Elfdoll to an affordable 2.5-inch collectible Qee series.
Continue reading...Win the Toys Are Us: Director’s Cut DVD!
29. September 2008
Beyond seeing toys on your television and being able to call out, "I have that," Toys Are Us is interesting on a number of levels. For instance, the interviews with Frank Kozik and Brian Flynn are particularly educational, from their perspectives on who gets "O.G." credit for the designer vinyl movement (hint: it's not Michael Lau) to some choice words for and against extended colorways.
Continue reading...Death to Ugly Vinyl! (But Uglydoll Vinyl Lives On)
25. September 2008
A recent message board post by David Horvath seems to have thrown a bit of confusion in the air regarding the future of designer toys. David posted “…we can’t continue ‘designer toy’ projects unless the producers get each item, and each colorway of each item, safety tested and certified. It’s our own new personal policy.” Kidrobot [...]
Continue reading...MixtART Group Show: Urban Art For Your Mobile Phone
23. September 2008
This Saturday, San Francisco’s Giant Robot hosted an art exhibition spanning the genres of illustration, character design, street art, tattoo art, urban vinyl and indie comics sponsored by Hands-On Mobile. Some of the artists who showed work as part of the new mixtART service include: Alex Pardee, Buff Monster, Jon Burgerman, Patrick Ma, Patricio Oliver, [...]
Continue reading...Herb-n Art Toys
18. September 2008
Everything's going green these days, and the toy world is no exception. Perhaps appealing to our guilt at the amount of plastic we consume as toy fanatics, a growing crop of collectibles attempts to balance the extraneous and the ecological. Just because you live in the city doesn't mean you can't grow a garden. I hereby coin this photosynthetic phenomenon herb-n art toys.
Continue reading...Cypher13 Presents SOFT&FURRY
12. September 2008
I'm sure this is going to sound a little, uh, bromantic, but I totally love these guys. Taking head and chest hair DNA into consideration, I think Todd Berger might be my brother for real. TeeBee is one third of Cypher13, the design collective (comprised of Todd, Alex Henry and Lucian Foehr) responsible for one of my favorite blogs, JoyEngine. Their latest project, SOFT&FURRY™, is a global DIY collab. I've been watching the simply shaped woodland creatures evolve into colorful customs from around the world. ToyCyte has covered S&F™ since its onset, but for further insight, I went straight to Cypher13.
Continue reading...Buddha’s Delight by Mi2 Studios
10. September 2008
Once in a while an art toy comes along that is truly different from everything else out there. Mi2 Studios' Buddha's Delight is a remarkable piece in that it transcends just being a toy to provoke thought. It combines spirituality, technology and social commentary into a unique and beautiful figure. Between the afro, swastika and stylized amplifier, there's a lot to take in and talk about.
Continue reading...Exciting ToyCyte changes
8. September 2008
I’m pleased to announce that Jeremy Brautman has been promoted to Editor-in-Chief of ToyCyte. I first met Jeremy when I started ToyCyte, and he answered an ad for a freelance toy blogger, and it wasn’t long before I knew he was going to play a bigger part in ToyCyte. Jeremy has been a lifelong collector, beginning [...]
Continue reading...The Truth about Thomas Han
3. September 2008
Elusive is a word that Thomas Han uses to describe his artwork. It can also be used to describe him as an artist. He doesn’t do a lot of interviews, and he mostly stays out of the spotlight. If you believe everything you read on the internet, you wouldn’t know how to describe Thomas Han. [...]
Continue reading...Sharky Customs Gallery
2. September 2008
Check out the nearly 60 Sharky customs including art by Brent Nolasco, Duncan Poon, KaNo, Banana Virus, Jeremiah Ketner, DrilOne, NEMO, Mr. Shane Jessup, Touma, MCA, Phu!, Heidi Kenney, Marka27, Jesse Hernandez, Shawnimals, Huck Gee, Annie Owens, Betso...
Continue reading...LOST Kubricks, Ratios and Mystery Figures
25. August 2008
LOST has many secrets, but no longer included in the mysteries of the TV island are the identities of the LOST Kubrick chase toys… Click to see which members of the Oceanic Six have made the Kubrick Nine. You might be surprised...
Continue reading...Camilla d’Errico Gives ToyCyte First Peek
19. August 2008
Most of you know her work by sight, and if you don't yet, then by this time next year you will. Well on her way to being the hardest working woman in the art biz, Camilla d’Errico doesn’t stop at a couple toy designs and a comic book. Check out our exclusive interview with this rising star.
Continue reading...Huck Gee Gets The Third Degree
15. August 2008
Rather than write another post on Huck Gee's customs with a snarky title or a hypothetical question, I decided to just ask him, as respectfully as possible, why $800? You might be surprised to find out Huck's answer. Read on as we tread the taboo topic of money and discuss lowbrow art with high art price tags.
Continue reading...Interview: Keith Poon of ToyQube Talks Sharkys, Hammerheads and Artist Proofs
14. August 2008
One of the things I love about the San Diego Comic Con, and no it’s not all the guys dressed up as Storm Troopers (although that is a close second) is the unparalleled access you have to so many of the artists, designers and toy producers, all in one crazy, cramped and chaotic place. At [...]
Continue reading...Punk Rock Munnys Go Rancid…But Not Bad
12. August 2008
Phoebe says: "I had the accessories out of the boxes before I'd even signed my receipt. I got a fedora and a mohawk and immediately yelled, "Oh my god, I need two more!" I know it's not like every person who bought two mini-munnys and got those accessories immediately thought "RANCID!" but there was nothing else I even could have thought of."
Continue reading...Be ToyCyte’s MySpace Friend!
10. August 2008
Hey boys and girls: ToyCyte has made the leap into the stratosphere of social networking. Won’t you be our friend so we don’t feel A) lonely or B) like one of those child predators in an afterschool special? CLICK TO JOIN TOYCYTE ON MYSPACE! I’ve been sending out some requests, but between those damn CAPTCHA riddles and [...]
Continue reading...Interview: Super7 EXCLUSIVE Jumbo Stormtrooper
4. August 2008
Shogun Warrior and Star Wars geeks alike gawked in awe as Super7's Jumbo Machinder inspired Stormtrooper made appearances at Comic Con and at Tokyo's Star Wars Celebration. The two foot tall toy was the main topic of conversation at Comic Con. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Super7 master designer (just call him the MCP) to discuss Lucas Films, Mazinger, and Homer Simpson's car designs.
Continue reading...Toy2R’s Bart Simpson Customized Qee Auction for Red Cross
30. July 2008
Now back from a globe-trotting exhibition, The wait is over. Toy2R has unveiled most of the 10-inch Bart Simpson Qee customs on the Toy2R forums. But if you’ve got ADD, anticipatory anxiety, high blood pressure, something in the oven or a slow Internet connection, you’ll feel like you’re still waiting (for the pages to load; [...]
Continue reading...San Diego Comic Con -Surviving Day Two
26. July 2008
Day one of the comic con for me was spent ogling the toys. Twenty four hours, after my drool had been wiped clean from the many glass enclosures, I could actually take a moment to talk to some of the geniuses behind all this great work and be envious of the peeps in line for [...]
Continue reading...Upcoming Events
8. October 2008
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