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Mar 11, 2019
Kennyswork x Instinctoy — Erosion Molly March Lottery
Instinctoy's March Lottery is underway and features the last two editions of the wildly popular—nearing 50k entries— Erosion Molly figures created in collaboration with Kennyswork. The Premium Silver (9th) and VIP Gold (10th) feature 'aurora' glitter that has a prismatic, rainbow-like effect. This is the last time Molly and Liquid will come together in the full-sized Erosion sculpt.
As with pervious recent editions, the two new Molly Erosions feature moveable eyes and multipart crowns featuring separate liquid creature and crown ball components. These features are a testament to Inctinctoy's renown quality and also a means of deterring would-be bootleggers.
The Erosion Mollys are available via lottery for ¥23,000 yen each (~$206). For a chance to purchase, enter the lottery by adding the items to your cart from the Instinctoy International Online store or the Japan Store if you live in Japan. The deadline to enter is 7:59 AM PST on Wednesday (3.13). Winners will receive email notification on March 16th with instructions on completing the sale using Paypal.
KAWS : Holiday Hong Kong (3.22 - 3.29)
The next stop for the giant, inflated Companion (37m/~121ft) is Hong Kong. KAWS: Holiday Hong Kong runs from March 22nd through the 29th. While the previous stops in Korea and Taipei showcased a massive Brown Companion, the HK stop will unveil a gray version in a relaxed, 'floating' prone position.
As with previous Holiday Stops, All Rights Reserved has created a capsule collection of limited-edition merchandise for the event. The international drop for the Kaws : Holiday Hong Kong collectibles is Thursday, March 21st 2019 at 6 PM PDT via the DDT Store (Ding Dong Takuhaibin). The collection includes a Limited Bath Toy (above, $150), Limited Floating Bed ($120), Limited Cushion ($100), Limited Tote Bag ($49) and Limited Tees ($49).
Takashi Murakami x Instinct Toy — Mr. DOB
Takashi Murakami has been slowly exploring vinyl art toys, most notably the ComplexCon exclusives released over the past year three years. Now it appears that his art toy adventure is about to accelerate with his just announced collaboration with Instinctoy.
As he mentions in his IG announcement, Murakami was drawn in by Instinctoy Founder Hiroto Ohkubo's sparkling reputation for creating top quality art toys. First up is Mr. DOB—no warm ups here--inspired by the artist's large-format sculpture of anthropomorphic version of his signature character.
As seen in the preview shots of the master sculpt, upcoming Mr. DOB vinyl looks to be an exacting recreation of the original sculpture down to minute details including the intricate eye assembly which appears to involve nine separate parts.
Look for the new Takashi Murakami x Instinctoy Mr.Dob this summer.
Mar 09, 2019
Flawtoys — Smokey Strangers: Red Sea and Purple Whirl (3.14)
Flawtoys is back with new versions of their stylish, minimalist Stranger resin figure. Dropping on Thursday (3.14) at 5 PM PST are two Smokey Stranger editions—Red Sea and Purple Whirl—each featuring a smoky, wispy swirl effect within the translucent figures. Editions of 15 each, the new Smokey Strangers stand 7" tall and will be available for €95 each (~$106) or €180 for both (~$202).
The Stranger is a delightful anomaly that adheres to the less is more philosophy. The simple shape allows space for contemplation and reflection, while the high-quality casts with appealing, yet seemingly simple textural effects add a stylish flair.
Infectachu In Yellow and Blue by Scott Wilkowski
Gotta Infect 'em all! Scott Wilkowski works his infectious magic on the beloved electric pocket monster. Standing 2" tall, the wee Infectachu features the artist's signature figure within a figure design in either translucent blue or yellow over his new skeletal sculpt. If you've been collecting all the versions of the shocking, charming mon, Infectachu is a perfect way to have fellow collectors do a double-take and maybe turn green with envy.
Infectachu is available for $40 direct from Scott Wilkowski. Allow four weeks for delivery.
Mar 08, 2019
Jason Freeny x Mighty Jaxx — XXRAY Plus Wonder Woman Metallic Edition
Mighty Jaxx released their new XXRAY Plus Wonder Woman Metallic edition (10") by Jason Freeny on Friday (3.8), International Women's Day. The choice is a fitting one as the 2017 film broke ground as the first major motion superhero picture with a lead female character.
As the name suggests, the new edition of the dissected XXRAY rendition of Diana Prince features silver + gold metallic accents on her crown, chest plate, boots and more. This new 10" edition appears to be based on the Golden Age design rather than the initial XXRAY edition. The XXRAY Plus Wonder Woman Metallic Edition is available for pre-order for $99 direct from Mighty Jaxx.
Speaking of groundbreaking female super heroes, Disney highlighted the significance of Captain Marvel—the first MCU title to feature a female lead character—and celebrated the heroic efforts of women everywhere with the film's opening on International Women's Day.
Enamel Market Comes to Frank & Son (3.9)
If you live in or around LA, you've almost certainly been to Frank & Son in City of Industry—a twice a week, permanent mini comic-con in a dedicated warehouse. It's the perfect place for comics, cards, toys and this weekend…pins.
Enamel Market is coming to LA's favorite collectible show this Saturday (3.9) from 9 AM to 5 PM. Located within the Frank and Son venue, Enamel Market features 45 artists + pin makers and their wearable art. The event features free admission, free parking, and a free Sket One x Enamel Market pin for the first 100 attendees with the special free ticket. Head on over to Event Brite to get the free pin ticket and show up early to be one of the first 100 to claim the Sket One pin.
Enamel Market
Saturday, March 9th 2019 (9AM to 5 PM)
Frank & Son Collectible Show
19649 San Jose Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91748
Suicidal Tendencies x Blackbook Toy — Hologram Skum-kun on Hell Ride
From Suicidal Tendencies and Blackbook Toy comes the latest evolution of Skum-kun. The punk sofubi figure frequently sets trends from mini New Era caps to stylish woven hair styles. Now comes his very own Hell Ride. His new intimidating set of wheels features a skull 'n bones grill and extra large rear tires.
The debut of Skum-kun and Hell Ride arrives in BBT's new favorite Hologram edition featuring translucent light blue vinyl. If you hurry, you still have time to pick up the Hell Ride set for 11,000 (~$99) direct from BBT.
Mar 07, 2019
Gary Card x Unbox Industries — Breakfast Boys
It seems that the wait for the new Breakfast Boys toys from set designer Gary Card and Unbox Industries is almost over. Smudge and Nemesis look great as do their chock full of art boxes as seen in these photographs by Katie Bagley. Featuring wild textures and a riot of alternating colors, these toys—the artist's first—were cast directly from his original sculptures.
Per Unbox, each of the Breakfast Boys is hand-cast, assembled and painted. We'll be sure to keep you updated on these distinctive toys. To learn more about Gary Card, The Breakfast Boys and the small world we live in, check out a nice feature over on It's Nice That.
Mar 06, 2019
Toy Geeks Behind the Counter With Unruly Industries
Rejoice! Toy Geeks Behind the Counter is back with another geek-tastic half-hour for you to enjoy. On this episode, Kevin Ellis and Erik Scoggan of Unruly Industries dropped by to show us prototypes of four of the original art toys coming from Sideshow's brand-new designer toy label. Watch on Youtube or below for the inside scoop on Unruly Industries and to find out what truly creeps Ben Goretsky out.
James Jarvis x Case Studyo — Teapot (3.7)
Case Studyo will release James Jarvis' Teapot on Thursday March 7th at 6 AM PST from their online store. The fun new piece features Jarvis' signature ball character as a stout (but maybe not so short) Teapot in a playfully at-your-service pose. Per High Snobiety, Teapot is limited to 250 signed/numbered porcelain pieces, stands 18 CM tall (~7") and comes with two teacups. As seen in an action shot,the Teapot is both fun and functional.
Mar 05, 2019
New Hikari Shimoda Sculpture from Apportfolio
Hikari Shimoda and Apportfolio continue their collaborative efforts with brand-new sculpture coming 'soon'. As seen in the teaser shot, the new piece features one of the Japanese artist's signature ethereal child characters. This debut wood edition showcases her distinctive eye treatment—a window to the character's otherworldly origins. From this initial image, it looks this piece may be closely tied to her previous Children of This Planet sculpture (2017), also from Apportfolio.
Kasing Lung x Pop Mart — Forest Concert Labubu Minis
Next up from Pop Mart is the new Forest Concert Labubu Minis from Kasing Lung. As the title suggests the new series features the artist's characters as woodland musicians. From the available promo photos, Labubu, Zimomo and Tyococo (skull) are featured playing all manners of musical instruments including pianos, tuba, piano, guitars (acoustic and electric), maracas and more.
Interestingly Labubu and Zimomo are quite similar in this series with the distinction appearing to be the fur treatment around the face. While Labubu normally has a more squared off face relative to Zimomo's rounder head, that does not appear to be the case for this new series.
The Forest Concert Labubu series will be available in April, perhaps debuting at Shanghai Toy Show (4.12 - 4.14). They are available for pre-order from stateside retailers including myplasticheart ($10.99/blind-box).
Mighty Jaxx Exclusive Kyuubi 8" Dunny by Candie Bolton x Kidrobot (3.9)
The new Kyuubi 8" Dunny from Candie Bolton and Kidrobot brings us an unexpected, 'I can't remember when' surprise. In addition to the standard and KR-exclusive editions, Mighty Jaxx will release its own Exclusive Kyuubi in a dramatic fiery edition. This third colorway features an orange, yellow and red design complimented by a red,blue,white human-form design on the back.
The Mighty Jaxx Exclusive Kyuubi 8" Dunny will be released on Saturday (3.9) at 6 AM PST from their web shop. While pricing has yet to be announced, the OG and KR Black editions (3.8) are each $75.
Mar 04, 2019
It's Almost Time for Shanghai Toy Show 2019 (4.12 - 4.14)
Pop Mart will present the second annual Shanghai Toy Show on April 12th - 14th 2019 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center. STS and sister show Beijing Toy Show are the premiere art toy shows in China with an exciting mix of Asian brands and artists, many of whom do not show nor sell outside of Asia.
The visual style for this year's show was designed by HK-based artist Pucky. Her cheerful, mystical characters will be seen throughout the show on fliers, signage, badges, the official catalog and more. An excellent choice, Pucky's popularity in China has grown tremendously with the release of four blind-box series from Pop Mart in the span of less than a year.
QUICCS x Martian Toys — TEQ63 Ravager Ai Yori Aoshi (3.8)
The TEQ63 Ravager returns with the new Ai Yori Aoshi edition from QUICCS x Martian Toys. The follow-up to the OG black and white editions, Ai Yori Aoshi which translates from Japanese as 'Bluer than Indigo' features a vibrant blue/indigo + white design with a copper-colored spray can. The Ravager bust delivers a dramatic, hard-edged vision of QUICCS's signature TEQ63 character.
Limited to 63 pieces, the TEQ63 Ravager Ai Yori Aoshi bust will be released on Friday (3.8) at 7 AM PST for $150 each direct from Martian Toys.
KAWS — Along The Way (3.5)
KAWS will release Along The Way, his newest Companion vinyl set, on Tuesday (3.5) at 9 AM PST from KAWSONE. Based on the giant sculpture featured in his 2016 show at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the set features one Companion helping another through a tough time. Along the Way will be available in three colorways: Brown, Gray and Black. Pricing is rumored to be ~$400/set.
Along the Way follows Clean Slate which dropped back in December. Both pieces explore human emotion and caring for others through the artist's signature character. Much as with 2D prints, the recent drops serve as relatively affordable versions of KAWS' epic, large-scale one-off sculptures.
Mar 01, 2019
Yoyo Yeung x Unbox Industries — Pocket Raby Lilac Marble Edition (3.2)
Yoyo Yeung dropped the first editions of her new mini-sized Pocket Raby (2.6") vinyls at Toy Soul back in December. With a sly wink and cute seated pose, the smaller Rabby just might be more adorable than the OG figure. While it's been a bit of a wait, we have news of a Pocket Raby online release. Unbox Industries is set to release the Pocket Raby Lilac Marble edition from its online store this Saturday (3.2) at 7 AM PST for $28.
While we're not positive, we believe the Lilac edition is new and not one of the Toy Soul Drops (red, yellow, blue and pink). At any rate, the vivid contrast between the deep purple and the white works really well.
Kyuubi Shapeshifts into 8" Dunny (3.8) from Candie Bolton and Kidrobot
Candie Bolton's Kyuubi Dunny from The City Cryptid Dunny series (2018) from Kidrobot proved to be quite popular with collectors. So much so that her vision of the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox has harnessed its mystical energy to transform from 3" mini into a full-size 8" Dunny.
The first thing we noticed in the pictures Kidrobot kindly sent over was the brand-new Kidrobot Exclusive Black/Blue colorway which joins the OG White/Blue edition. Yin to the OG's Yang, the new black edition offers a compelling, darker vision of the shape-shifting mystical creature, steeped in ancient Asian lore.
At first glance, the 8" Kyuubi seems nearly identical to the 3" version. However, staring at photos as obsessive bloggers have been known to do, reveals that the new 8" editions offer increased detail, most notably on the rear image featuring Kyuubi's beguiling alternate human appearance. While the printing on the smaller version was impressive, the 8" offers a sharper rendering of Bolton's design. The red clouds' negative space details are crisp and defined as opposed to their fuzzy appearance on the 3" design. As well, the blue energy elements have a crisper look, thanks in part to opting for a thin, colored outline instead of the color accents on the smaller Dunny. To our (old) eyes, the 8" makes good use of the larger canvas with a sharper rendition of Bolton's art.
The 8" Kyuubi Dunnys from Candie Bolton and Kidrobot will be released on Friday, March 8th 2019 for $75 each. The standard white edition will be available at select retailers and Kidrobot.com, while the KR Exclusive Black edition (200 pieces) will be available only on Kidrobot.com.