ToyCyte believes that collectors can often be as enigmatic and interesting as the artists with whom they’re obsessed. Have you ever marveled at a high bidder on eBay and thought “Who IS that?” In this series, I’ll be interviewing some of those people. If we pick you and you share your story, ToyCyte will give you a $25 gift certificate to ebay to help fuel your fixation. Consider it community service. First read about Jeff’s Ledbetter collection, and then head over to our new forums and start posting your collection pics in “SuperFans”.
I stumbled upon Jeff Tucker (Jtukka) on the Kidrobot Show-off forum. My inner fanboy geeked out at the sheer quantity of his Joe Ledbetter collection. My inner aesthete was won over by his careful, colorful arrangement and presentation of the figures. Jeff and his collection are so memorable that when I saw Joe at his Unspeakable show on Friday and mentioned this interview, Joe automatically knew I was talking about Jeff, whom he’d met in Japan. A jet-set collector, I caught up with Jeff over email while he was in India. Jeff’s friendly nature and fast acquisition makes accruing this collection seem easy. However, I assure you that for me, choosing just 15 images from his awesome 200+ picture Flickr photo-stream was not easy at all.
So…Why Joe Ledbetter?
Where other artists pull at various emotions like my anger, sadness or curiosity, Joe’s art and toys are a physical representation of my happy side. I like to exist in that emotional state as much as possible. There’s also the short answer my wife gives: “They’re fun to look at.”
When did you start seriously collecting?
Around the beginning of 2007. My gateway drug to the vinyl toy world came in the form of Joe’s LA Dunny, which a friend gave me. I liked the lines and style of the Mr. Bunny Dunny so I went to the Ledbetter site. The more I looked, the more I liked. By the time the next major toy was released, I was hooked and had to have everything.
What are your 5 favorite pieces in your collection?
This is a tough question. I really dig all the toys I have, so narrowing it down to 5 took some thought. In no particular order they are:
- Lava Bunny - Until I can get my hands on a hand-painted Ledbetter toy, this will be the pièce de résistance of the collection. Not only does it look great, but the rarity and iconic Joe Ledbetter style make it a favorite.
- Mr. Bunny Dunny - The toy that started it all for me.
- 3-Foot Toxic Swamp Bear - This is a special one because it’s the first toy my wife bought for me. Plus its freaking huge.
- Stay Puft Marshmallow Teeter - My first custom toy commission. DLux made this for me and its always been a crowd pleaser.
- Firecat - I think its the best translation of Joe’s artwork into a 3D object so far. It still has such a strong two dimensional feel to it. I’m also not really sure why, but the first Firecat I got has THE STRONGEST vinyl smell to it
What is the craziest amount of $$ you’ve dropped and/or farthest destination you’ve traveled to pick up a piece?
Lava Bunny was by far the most expensive so far. I didn’t start collecting until years after it’s release, so you can get an idea of what I had to pay to get him! As far as the farthest I’ve traveled for a piece, I was lucky enough recently to go to Joe’s show in Japan, where I picked up several toys and my first original pieces of art.
When people ask you to explain/justify your interest in JLED’s work, what do you tell them?
I usually just say that I like it…and I’m an addict. If people don’t get that, I don’t really stress over it too much.
How do you decide which figures to remove from their boxes?
I’ll take every toy out of its box… eventually. Usually they only stay in the box until I can find a place to put them. I’m not really into maintaining the aftermarket value or worried about these toys as an investment, so I like to get them out and on display.
JLED figures look great in bulk, but your collection in particular is really nicely presented. Do you do the arranging yourself?
Yeah, I do it all myself. It’s part of the fun! Early on I just had everything stacked up on my mantle, but I like changing it up.
Who does the dusting???
Unfortunately that’s all me too… My wife PUTS up with the collection, but she doesn’t CLEAN up after it!
How old are you and what do you do for a living?
I’m 27 years old, and I work for an online company managing teams of identity theft and internet fraud investigators. It’s a job that has me online like 18 hours a day so it comes in handy for staying on top of new toy releases and online sales
Do you collect anything else?
I collect toys from a few other artists. I’ve got a pretty decent Luke Chueh toy collection, and I really like Gary Baseman’s Hot Cha Cha Cha figures. I definitely see my collection expanding to other artists eventually as well. I really like the Dumb Lucks by Baseman, and I’m just waiting for a good excuse to collect some of the older Kaws pieces.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
You know what impressed me the most? The fact that Jeff dusts all his toys. Vinyl toys are such dust-magnets. I don’t blame his wife for not doing that chore.