ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

Who needs Valium when you’ve got Characterstation‘s Le Zee figures? Designer Series 001 follows Zee Series 001, created by Swiss artist PIX for URFabulous, which saw the pill-headed characters in an assemblage of solid colors reminiscent of traditional capsule meds. I just want to take a moment to commend URFabulous on some of the most lofty justification to produce/collect vinyl toys I’ve ever read. Their website briefly chronicles the historical relevance of figures from the Tolita-Tumaco culture, who lived on the southwestern coast of Colombia and on the northwestern coast of the Equator between the years 600 BC and 400 AD to 2007 when Urfabulous, a Swiss outfit based in Geneva, “renewed the genre by breathing new life into the world of urban vinyl, mixing high-end production techniques with ancestral beliefs, thus returning to the very essence of figure creation using a spiritual approach in accordance with the fundamental magic principles of figure representation.”

Of Le Zee, they say specifically:

Mirroring the know-how and specialization of Swiss pharma R&D, Zee figures turn art into remedy by addressing motivational and well-being issues through combinations of colors and energies. Going beyond personalities to develop specific effects, Zee figures act like beneficial designer drugs that fine-tune their owner’s attitude and state of mind, while restoring balance to their energetic flow…

So basically, the gist is quit your Prozac and buy some Zee! You can still find Zee Series 001 and the 10-inch DIY Zee figures scattered around online, but the latest development is the new 2.5-inch designer series. Designers include: Flying Förtress, Denis Hérisson, Gruko, Nathalie Oswald, Federico Massa (CRUZ), Geoffrey Baumbach, Sady and a secret figure by PIX. Each of the standard figures have a 1:9 ratio and the entire series is limited to 1111 pieces. The series boasts great authentic pharmaceutical packaging. If you find the secret figure, you can get an ultra-rare 10-inch Zee figure by PIX. Check out the dedicated mini-site to view figures like Femdom from all angles.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDiXvqEOgg4]

I am living on Channel Zee…