ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

30 CUSTOMS BY 30 ARTISTS: Munny Auction for the Children of Cambodia

Friday, April 17, 2009

It’s nice to have talented friends, and it’s even nicer to use artistic output as a medium to raise money for people who need it. Kidrobot’s Toy Baroness, Nichole, tasked 30 friends with transforming Munnys into clothes, books and bikes for the children of Cambodia. No, not literally (although Sket One did turn vinyl into [...]

Kidrobot Ye Olde English Dunny Series Pics and Ratios

Thursday, January 22, 2009

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Kidrobot Ye Olde English Dunny Series Pics and Ratios

Here they are! 17 blind boxed, new Kidrobot Dunnys by UK artists including Clutter, Doktor A, Frames, HiCalorie x Julie West, ilovedust, Jon Burgerman, Keanan Duffty, McFaul, Mimic, Peskimo, Shok 1, Tado, Triclops and UAMOU. The series drops January 22nd for $7.95 each. Thanks to great photos by Future Plastik!

United Nations of Cupco Global Plush Party Tonight

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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United Nations of Cupco Global Plush Party Tonight

The all-star lineup includes: the Grass Hut Corp (see image above), Jon Burgerman, TADO, Shawnimals, Dehara, Reach, Abe Lincoln Jr., Peskimo, MCA, Nakanari, Stephan Britt, Nanospore, KOA, Jeremyville, DGPH and many more.

Kidrobot’s Ye Olde English Dunny Series and UK Pop-up Store

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

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I think this is the most exciting Dunny series for me in the history of Kidrobot. The upcoming “proper nice” set features 17 blind boxed, 3-inch figures by the likes of Clutter, Doktor A, Frames, HiCalorie x Julie West, ilovedust, Jon Burgerman, Keanan Duffty, McFaul, Mimic, Peskimo, Shok 1, Tado, Triclops and UAMOU. The series [...]

Letter Pressed Ensures Vinyl Toy Artists Leave a Lasting Impression

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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Letter Pressed Ensures Vinyl Toy Artists Leave a Lasting Impression

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...

Kidrobot Insider Trading

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

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As we all know, a lot of insider trading happens on Wall Street. Not one to miss out on a little hanky panky, the kids at Kidrobot are offering a special deal for their “most loyal robots”, which I must be one of since I got the email. They are offering 60% off some super [...]

Tada! It’s TADO Bags for Kidrobot

Monday, November 3, 2008

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Brand spanking new to the ever-growing bag/purse/carry-all category on Kidrobot.com is the new TADO line. This collection was designed and inspired by the dynamic UK design duo Mike and Katie, who simply go by the name of TADO. This salmon-pink hued line includes an oversized duffle, backpack, messenger bag, tote, pouch and pencil case. But [...]

Tado, Thomas Han and Gargamel Circus Punks Up For Auction

Thursday, October 23, 2008

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Tado, Thomas Han and Gargamel Circus Punks Up For Auction

Customized plush has completely taken off in recent years, but some might credit Circus Punks with starting the craze. Circus Punks refer back 150 years to their Americana predecessors–the knock down dolls. Carnival booth proprietors handpainted the dolls, which were then battered by baseballs in the quest to win large, deformed stuffed animal prizes. Paul [...]

Junko Mizuno and Jon Burgerman for My Little Pony

Thursday, September 18, 2008

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They say history repeats itself. If so, that’s a lucky break for Give Kids The World Village, the charity recipient of the My Little Pony Project. Junko Mizuno’s customized MLP (above) is now part of the MLP Project’s gallery, and if I was a betting man, I’d bet on her horse to reprise the 2005 [...]

Lily: The Littlest Cannibal by TADO

Monday, September 8, 2008

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Artwork from TADO’s solo exhibition is currently available for viewing and purchase at Magic Pony. Called “Lily: the Littlest Cannibal,” the launched their Cannibal FunFair series. The exhibit included paintings, prints, sculptures, and plushies. The wooden sculpture pictured above is titled Lily and the moon. The super-adorable piece is still available if you have an [...]

Play Imaginative’s Dooperdoo T-shirts

Friday, August 15, 2008

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Sunny posted news of Dooperdoo in June, and finally, Play Imaginative’s t-shirt shop is open for business. Dooperdoo is offering mens and womens shirts and jackets by Cupco, Devilrobots, Happy Tree Friends, Jon Burgerman, KOA, Shin Tanaka, Tik Ka, TADO and Kenny B. They haven’t spared the flourishes, and each item includes fine details like [...]

“Lily the Littlest Cannibal” Show

Thursday, July 31, 2008

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This is the cutest art show flyer I’ve ever seen. Artist-duo TADO will have a solo exhibition at Magic Pony in Toronto. “Lily the Littlest Cannibal” is a special exhibition and exclusive toy release. TADO will show paintings, prints, wooden sculptures, and two new toy releases: the Cannibal Funfair mini-figures and the Tulip figure. From [...]

My Little Pony Goes Urban Vinyl With the Help of Designers

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

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My Little Pony Goes Urban Vinyl With the Help of Designers

Last week, Sunny wished for a My Little Pony custom show, and when girls wish for ponies, well, sometimes Rainbow Brite and Punky Brewster materialize in a cloud of glitter and make their dreams come true. Er, or Hasbro has your back. Per their press release: Titled “The MY LITTLE PONY Project: 25 Ponies for 25 [...]

Clutter Magazine’s Ode to Action Man

Friday, July 18, 2008

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Don’t hold your breath for the paper version of Clutter Magazine’s special AM4040 Edition. Due to a truckload of production issues they’ve opted to save some trees and have the ode to the Action Man 40 year celebration be available via download. The AM4040 show included forty top notch designers and awe inspiring artists from [...]

TADO Cannibal Funfair Minis & Tulip from Kidrobot

Thursday, July 17, 2008

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TADO Cannibal Funfair Minis & Tulip from Kidrobot

Tada! Time for some TADO! Mike and Katie have created some crazy creatures to add to your collection. Coming this August 28th (so mark your calendars), Kidrobot will release the TADO Cannibal Funfair mini series based on their print series of the same name. There will be seventeen blind boxed figures and there will be [...]

Kidrobot’s Fall Clothing Line Coming Soon

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

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One hundred and seventy five dollars is indeed a lot to spend on a hoodie. You could do your grocery shopping for a couple weeks, fly roundtrip to lands nearby, or buy a plethora of vinyl and plastic goodies. But when a hoodie is this cool, it’s hard not to forgo food, vacations and toys. [...]

Immature Miniatures: Jon Burgerman X TADO Collabs For Sale

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

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I’m a big fan of collabs (for a great collab compendium, pick up Jeremyville Sessions), and a good collab is all the more awesome when you’re a fan of both artists involved. Case in point: Immature Miniatures–a print, toy and doodle collaboration by Jon Burgerman and TADO that happened last April in Paris. For [...]

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, [...]

3 Bears Dunnys

Thursday, May 22, 2008

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KidRobot’s 3 Bears Dunnys are finally here. If I could afford to, I would buy them all. It’s been a while since I’ve been so enamored by Dunnys. My budget says I should just pick one, but I don’t know which one I like the most. They’re all cute, and I love the simple colorway. [...]

PT.1: Art & Artifice: Examining Copyright: Pirated Works

Thursday, May 15, 2008

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Artifice (noun): A deceptive maneuver usually intended to deceive or defraud Last month, the Internet illustration community was abuzz with an enormous breach in copyright. A coffee table art book called Colorful Illustrations 93°C was supplied by a person named Zhao Jun to a company called Sendpoint who then turned it over to a publisher [...]

ilovedust, TADO, and 3 Bears

Friday, May 9, 2008

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Kidrobot’s 3 Bears Dunny will be released on May 22, and there will be two separate signings. On May 22, the ilovedust team will be in Kidrobot NY to sign their Zulu Mong (left). On May 23, TADO will be at Kidrobot Miami to sign Uncle Bucky (right). At the Kidrobot NY signing, ilovedust will also [...]

Neighborwood DIY Wood Figure Finally Shipping!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

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Just blogged by Scott Wetterschneider at Bigshot Toyworks: The Neighborwood D.I.Y. Blank Wooden Toy Sculpture is shipping. And they said it couldn’t be done. This design, conceptualized by Mike Burnett, has been around for a while now. A 2006 custom show in Portland, OR brought out international customizers the likes of Apak!, Luke Chueh, Bwana Spoons, Tado, [...]