ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

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.

Kicking things off, a pair of budding botanical Munny mashups. DJ Shiro first made this Pothead Munny (above left) back in 2006 as a limited run of 10. These are long gone, but you can find custom Munny planters (above right) from Greenmandesigns on Etsy here for $60 a piece. You can also make your own DIY giant planters with Kidrobot’s new Mega Munny figures.

The following is a roundup of herb-n art toys. A little cooler than your average Chia Pet, you can find these affordable items at urban novelty shops, designer toy stores, the Museum of Modern Art and even fashion-forward shops around the world like France’s Colette.

Crack-a-heads (above) are handmade egg-shaped characters containing basil, mint and lemon balm. Similar to Toy2R’s egg Qee in concept, Crack-a-heads are more than just decorative. By busting their noggins and watering them, they grow one of three wild herbs. Each egg-shaped Crack-a-head is handmade in Japan from white porous ceramic. Once the plant outgrows its head (about 3 to 5 months), you can crack it again and plant it directly in soil.

The mecha-meets-Chia igrobot (above) is a robot that sports a toupee of grass. Unpack the igrobot from its little red box, place its glazed ceramic body on its legs, fill it with the peat and seeds provided, water it and watch igrobot come alive. If your urban digs don’t provide you with the suburban bragging rights of a well-tamed lawn, rejoice in your igrobot: Its grass-head can be cut and will grow again and again. When the grass is finished growing, this clever planter can be replanted or used as a container for your office or home.

Taterpots (above) are spuds that sprout. Sold in cases just like mini-figures from Kidrobot, there’s a lot of personality in these potato-shaped pots. Available in “Slim” and “Shorty” styles, Taterpots sport friendly faces and funny legs. Each grows one of three herbs: basil, oregano or mint. Taterpots are made in Japan and come complete with seeds and peat pucks. They easily grow on any windowsill and can be transplanted after 4 to 8 weeks, or snipped for garnishing and cooking. Afterwards, the Taterpot can be used as an ornamental pot or replanted to grow again.

Like Taterpots, Egglings (above) also resemble boxed mini-figures. Like Crack-a-heads, you crack the top of the Eggling to discover a garden ready for sowing and growing. Extremely popular in Japan, where it originated, the Eggling is made of white bisque and comes complete with peat, seeds, a terra cotta tray and an extra seed pack. Several varieties of herbs and flowers are available including basil, mint, lavender, phlox, crysanthemum, thyme, petunia, wild strawberry, red pepper and cactus. Cultivation is easy: all the plants grow for up to five months in the Eggling’s fortified peat mixture, after which the Eggling can be planted directly in soil.

Nyokki (above) means grow in Japanese, and that’s where these charming characters originate. Handmade from glazed ceramic with fabric legs, Nyokki egg characters come in animal and holiday styles, making them cheerful pets for allergic kids and adults. Filled with a growing medium and rye grass seed, Nyokki are easy to grow. The seeds germinate and the grass/hair grows to full height in less than two weeks. Budding estheticians can cut and style Nyokki’s hair and watch it grow again Each Nyokki is packaged in a clear gift tube.

Plant-Me Pets are not unlike a lot of collectible mini-figures sold in toy shops. But if you can bear to bury them, they will reward you with pumpkins, melons and tomatoes. With seeds for eyes, a Plant-Me Pet forces one to decide between sentiment and function: love your pet or eat fresh fruits and vegetables? Created by design provocateur Martí Guixé, each pet is handmade in Spain of biodegradable latex. Plant-Me Pets are 4” to 6” tall and packaged in reusable cardboard tubes. Winner of a DesignPlus Award in 2004, they have sold well in European museums, home design shops and earth-conscious online retailers.

If it sounds like kaiju and looks like a chemistry set, it must be the amazing transparent gel called Globus. Using a nutritive and non-toxic gel created in collaboration with NASA scientists, Globus gel kits allow you to watch plants grow both above and below the surface. This is the most fun you’ve had with test tubes since those jello shots you did back in the day (and by “back in the day” I mean last Saturday.) The Plantarium Garden Lab expands on your Globus experiment by including seeds for basil, cucumber, and tomato plants plus three plastic greenhouses with Globus gel in different colorways. Mini-pots and peat pucks are also provided for transplanting when the seedling outgrows the container. An added bonus to the Plantarium Garden Lab is a gel refill kit, which makes fresh Globus gel so the entire process can be repeated.

Most of these Herb-n art toys are available at fine urban novelty stores and online at Brooklyn5and10 and Perpetual Kid. Wholesale inquiries should be directed to Notedco.