ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

Letter Pressed Ensures Vinyl Toy Artists Leave a Lasting Impression

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I've been expounding the virtues of Letter Pressed for a while. Their Artist Series reads like a Who's Who of the vinyl toy community: Joe Ledbetter, Jon Burgerman, Nathan Jurevicius, Bwana Spoons... In theory, every one of us should own something letterpressed. In practice, as with paint colors and Venetian blinds, you need to see a sample. I'm holding some such items. While I want my words to convey the elegance of the paper and the clean, vibrant impression of the art, you need to touch these for yourself. To that end, Letter Pressed's Mark Begley will provide one lucky reader with a pack of hand-numbered Cool It letterpressed cards by Le Merde. To win it...

If You Were Born in the 70s or 80s, Click Here

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

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If You Were Born in the 70s or 80s, Click Here

Cover Band and Crazy 4 Cult help illustrate part of the appeal of designer toys and urban art for those of us born in the 70s and 80s: the artists are inspired by the same things as the fans. It's not just the style of art that's great; it's the cultural iconography that makes it enduring: Devo, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, Radiohead, The Ramones...

Metal For Monsters Launch Date

Thursday, September 11, 2008

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Vivian of Blend Creations just sent word that the Metal For Monsters project has an official launch date: October 1st. Since my last post, they’ve added two of their own designs to the already stellar roster of S.britt, Stefan G. Bucher, Jon Burgerman, Anna Chambers, Justin Hillgrove, Adam Koford, John Martz, Jay Stephens and Brian Taylor. Starting [...]

Metal For Monsters

Thursday, August 14, 2008

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Vivian Cheng and Eric Jean-Louis (Blend Creations) are married designers who make necklaces. The story goes that one day they were struggling to reconcile their family’s own relative privilege with the fate of children in war-torn countries. Without money, power or the ability to heal the wounded, what can we do? It’s a question I’ve [...]

Candykiller’s Coney Plush

Thursday, August 14, 2008

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This is an update on older news. Last year Bigshot Toyworks announced they were going to produce Coney, a plush designed by Brian “Candykiller” Taylor. Candykiller fans will be happy to know that Coney is currently in production. I love plushies, and this looks like a great one. Candykiller’s artwork is amazing, and I just [...]

Blind Art Project Opens Eyes, Wallets

Friday, May 23, 2008

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I read about this great project [via Clutter in the UK] too late to get in on it. Selling was to start today at 9PM, and I thought, great I’ve got several hours to scrape up £25. Too bad that’s 9PM GMT. Everything was gone by 9AM PST (when I checked), if not much earlier. However, [...]

BEYOND TOYS: Candykiller Gets Letter Pressed

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

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Now up for pre-order is Lost in Slumberland, the third of six prints by Brian Taylor (aka Candykiller) for Letter Pressed, a small California outfit dedicated to bringing you “simple, modern” (and I’m going to throw in “handsomely crafted”) cards. The letterpress process leaves an indentation filled with ink just below the surface of the [...]

BEYOND TOYS: Moo.com Promo Code for Free Stickers

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

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I heart Moo.com. In the parlance of Wired Magazine: Hallmark = Expired E-cards = Tired Moo cards = Wired What are Moo cards? With a clean and user-friendly interface, UK-based Moo.com lets you make your own mini business cards, greeting cards, note cards, postcards and sticker books. They offer a selection of readymade products by urban designers, as well [...]