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May 30, 2019
adFunture @ 5 Pts — Deez Nuts NY Editions by Crack
Deez Nuts from Crack and adFunture will make its debut in NYC atFive Points Fest (6.1 - 6.2) with a pair of stylish NY editions. First shown in unpainted proto form at STS in April, Deez Nuts—play it cool—continues the resurgence of urban vinyl (optimism is a powerful force) with a futuristic dose of style.
This one is all about the juxtaposition of the stylized, tech helmet with horns and snout-like design with the urban gear from the jacket to the Dunks. And yes, the helmet comes off to reveal a stark message in Chinese: 'kill'.
adFunture will release its 'Y' and 'S' (we think you can figure out the references) editions at their booth [#232] for $80/each. Both will be available in very limited advanced release quantities. They will also be available for $100 at adFunture.com with free shipping.
May 28, 2019
Pop Life Debuts New Art Toys at Sneaker Con Shanghai
For those wanting to stay on top of the newest art toys and trends, conventions in Asia are a must. At the recent Sneaker Con in Shangahi (5.17 - 5.19), Pop Life debuted several new art toys including three new We Bare Bears SFBI soft vinyl figures (Panda, Grizz and Ice Bear) from the Cartoon Network show, The Flash from the DC x Imperial Palace art toy series, and four new blindbox mini series.
Pop Life's SFBI brand debuted two new mini series based on their popular Soda Kats by Kenneth Tang and the Ice Kirin figures by Andy Chen. The Ice Kirin Minis (Baby) feature thirteen designs packaged in 'mystery cups' including several that feature translucent vinyl with embedded glitter. The Soda Kats minis also feature 13 new drink-flavored designs including popular Asian and Western soft drinks, childhood favorites and one inspired by the iconic Irish stout.
In addition to the new SFBI mini series, Pop Life also released Ron English's Delusionville minis featuring 13 designs and 12 original sculpts. The cast of characters includes a few appearances by Ron's classic Rabbbit, the brand-new Elefanka, and two smiley grins. Perhaps the metallic gold version is the chase?
Finally, Pop Life released its new Smurfs minis, part of its Collectormates collection. Having had the chance to see these in person, the new figures are an addictive mix of old and new. While your favorites are here including Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Jokey Smurf, Brainy Smurf and more, the noticeably larger size immediately clues you in that, yes, these are brand-new versions of the classic toys. It's like being a kid, all over again.
YoYo Yeung x Pop Mart — The Kenneth Fox Blindbox Series
The The Kenneth Fox blindbox series from Yoyo Yeung and Pop Mart tells the tale of the artist's Fennec Fox character from his beginnings as a little girl's plush toy to growing up and exploring his own parallel reality. Released on May 21st in China, the Kenneth Fox series features twelve standard designs in various poses and outfits (red ribbon and cloak). Keeping with the brand's blindbox approach, a case of twelve figures contains a full, standard set. A chase (hidden) figure? Absolutely, the 13th design in the series is the adorable Kenneth Plush figure.
Like many of Pop Mart's blindbox releases, each Kenneth Fox figure features a unique sculpt. The unique sculpts add to the sense of discovery with each opened blindbox. While colorways are fun in their own right, they can't really compare to unique sculpts.
The Kenneth Fox blindbox series is coming to the USA shortly from select retailers including myplasticheart.
Coarse : Jaws and Aura — Halcyon (6.4)
Coarse will release the Jaws and Aura — Halcyon vinyl set on Tuesday (6.4) at 8:59 AM PDT from the Coarse shop for $360. First available in Asia (STS and TTE), Halcyon is in stock and will ship out in June.
The Halcyon set features bright, Spring colors (pink, blue, white yellow) for both Jaws (10.4") and the amazing Aura (~14"). This smaller version of the classic Jaws figure features a removable Shark helmet for display flexibility. Halcyon follows the OG Half Moon edition which was released at the 2018 Beijing Toy Show.
May 27, 2019
Tenacious Toys 5 Pts Exclusive Brightstar Blue TEQ63 by QUICCS x The 3D Hero
Tenacious Toys continues its Five Points announcements with their very own Exclusive TEQ63—one of the most sought-after art toys around. The Brightstar Blue TEQ63 is an artist crossover edition between QUICCS and Tavvon, The 3D Hero. Produced by Martian Toys, Brightstar Blue leads the charge for the new Artist Series TEQ63 figures with some of the most elaborate deco to-date on QUICCS' signature figure.
Tenacious Toys will release 100 pieces of the Brightstar Blue TEQ63 at Five Points—60 on Saturday and 40 on Sunday. In an effort to avoid a large lineup in front of their booth, they will hand out wristbands at 11:30 AM sharp in the Beer Garden. The wristbands will specify the hour to go to the TT booth [#426] to purchase the figure. The wristband (worn on wrist) is required for purchase and limited to one per household. Tavvon, The 3D Hero, will be holding signing sessions, check his IG for the info. He will also be offering addition QUICCS collabs and his very own Brightstar resins from Booth 426. QUICCS will also be signing during the show.
Elevate in Pink from Louis De Guzman (5.31)
Louis De Guzman's dynamic take on everyone's favorite troublemaker is set to make a return with a new pink edition of his Elevate vinyl sculpture. A follow-up to the OG full-color edition which debuted at last year's ComplexCon, the new all-pink edition (8") is limited to 500 pieces and will be available this Friday (5.31) at 10 AM PDT for $275 each from the artist's web shop.
Precariously posed, Elevate is an excellent translation of the Chicago-based artist's geometric-abstraction aesthetic from 2D to 3D, with bits of the iconic skater coming apart before our eyes, perhaps just before he bails.
May 25, 2019
Junko Mizuno — Coloring Book Exhibition at Nucleus (5.25)
Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra will host SF-based artist Junko Mizuno for the opening of her Coloring Book Exhibition on Saturday (5.25) from 6 to 9 PM. The exhibition will feature the original drawings from her latest Coloring Book designed for adults, embellished with gold ink. In addition to the numerous original drawings from the book, Nucleus is also offering the book's original cover art via silent auction through Tuesday (5.28) at 2 PM PDT.Junko will present a slideshow of her work at 6 PM and will be signing the book afterwards.
Along with Junko's original artwork from the Coloring Book, the exhibition will also feature the release of her new Onna Bune giclee print (18"x24", Edition of 80, $120), the coloring book ($12.95) and a brand-new Skull Bunny enamel pin.
Junko Mizuno || Color Book Exhibition + Signing
Saturday May 25th 2019 (6-9 PM)
Nucleus
210 East Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
Mighty Jaxx x Abell Octovan — I Donut Care Champagne Edition
How do you follow-up on the traditional glazed donut capped off with rainbow sprinkles? Abell Octovan and Mighty Jaxx have dreamt up a new sophisticated take on last year's irreverent I Donut Care vinyl—recently shipped—one upping the traditional glaze with a most unexpected flavor, champagne. And it just happens to match the tried and true black + gold color combo collectors love. Who says junk food addicts can't be high class at the same time?
The I Donut Care Champagne Edition (8", $129) is available for pre-order now from Mighty Jaxx and scheduled to ship in Q4 2019.
May 24, 2019
Strangecat Toys @ 5 Points : Bakumbaa Yetis and Silver Rust
As you might know, Five Points Fest is next weekend in Brooklyn (6.1 - 6.2) and with it comes plenty of enticing exclusives and in-demand releases. Strangecat Toys continues to unveil its lineup for the convention including three editions of the adorably-cute prehistoric kid vinyl toys by Thai artist Bakumbaa. First up we have the Bakumbaa Yetis in both Orange and Brown editions [10 pcs each] A fun riff on the original character, these feature designs inspired by the wintery beasts with white 'fur' paint deco and woven beanies—a heart-warming touch. These were first offered as pre-orders at this year's Thailand Toy Expo.
Strangecat will also release the Bakumbaa Silver Rust [20 pieces] figures featuring a a nicely executed weathered/distressed design. All three Bakumbaa figures will be available exclusively from the Strangceat booth [#423]. As of this post, pricing is still to be determined.
May 23, 2019
myplasticheart @ 5 Points: Fortune Uamou Black Gold Liberty
As part of its lineup for the upcoming Five Points Festival (6.1 - 6.2) in Brooklyn, myplasticheart will release their Exclusive Fortune Uamou Black Gold Statue of Liberty edition ($30) from Uamou. A clever NYC-themed version of the figure, the Statue of Liberty variant has proven quite popular with an initial green edition (Five Points 2018), a sparkly green edition (NYCC 2018) and now this Black Gold edition. Each of the previous editions has sold out, so if you'd like to add the newest Fortune Uamou Statue of Liberty figure to your collection, you might want to put the myplasticheart booth [#336] at the top of your 5 Points shopping list.
May 21, 2019
DTA Dunny 2019 Show at Five Points Festival (6.1 - 6.2)
The DTA Dunny Show returns for 2019 at the Five Points Festival in Brooklyn (6.1 - 6.2). Clutter, Kidrobot and the Designer Toy Awards have teamed up once again to bring you custom Dunnys (5", 8" and 20") from a talented lineup. This year's DTA Dunny roster includes Battle Damage Dave, Beanie Bat, CZEE13, Fakir, Fer MG, Fluke, Frank Montano, Jared Flores, Jfury, Lisa Toms, Mr KumKum, Muju World, Mus Musculus, Muxxi, One-Eyed Girl, Owl Berry Lane, PJ Constable, Remjie, Sad Salesman, Travie McCoy, Vanessa Di Tullio and more. All proceeds from the DTA Dunny Show will be donated to support the DTA Dunny Show.
After its initial run at Five Points Fest, remaining pieces from the DTA Dunny Show will be on display at the Clutter Gallery in Beacon and available online from Clutter on 6.11.
Kidrobot — SDCC 2019 Exclusives Pre-Sale (3.22 - 3.24)
The wondrous, never-ending convention schedule rolls on. While we're mostly focused on Five Points Festival, SDCC is already on the board—just under two months out—as Kidrobot has just announced its four exclusives which they will offer via a three-day pre-sale starting on Wednesday (5.22) and running through Friday (5.25). KR's 2019 SDCC exclusives include the Buzzkill Chia Pet 5" Dunny [200 pieces, $40] by Kronk, Mecha Godzilla 8" Chrome vinyl art toy [500 pieces, $100], SpongeBob 20th Anniversary 8" Shellebration art toy[300 pieces, $50] and the Aggretsuko 6" Rage Red GID vinyl art toy [500 pieces. $40 each].
The Buzzkill Chia Pet Dunny continues KR's new Chia Dunny tradition which began with last year's Jeremyville's Grow Love Daily Chia Dunny. The stylish and shiny—thanks to an electroplating process—8" Mecha Godzilla arrives shortly after the new Godzilla: King of the Monsters film (5.31) and begs the question, of whether the character will make an appearance in the film. As you might know, we have a weakness for translucent and clear toys, so that SpongeBob 8" Shellebration figure is pretty tempting.
The best (safest) way to purchase KR's SDCC Exclusives is to get them through their pre-sale release (5.22 - 5.25) with limited quantities of each available at 9 AM PDT from Kidrobot.com. KR will ship pre-sale exclusives as week after SDCC. Limited quantities of the SDCC exclusives will be available at the show from the Kidrobot booth.
ToyQube x Tezuka Productions — Greeting Astro Boy Black on Black Edition (5.23)
U: Release is on Thursday (5.23), not Friday.
ToyQube will complete its Black on Black editions of its Astro Boy City series with the pre-order release of the Greeting Astro Boy—featuring the tradiitional Thai greeting—in the all-black colorway ($99.95) on Thursday (5.23) at 12 PM PDT from ToyQube.com. This one is slated to ship in July.
Officially licensed through Tezuka Productions, the Astro Boy city series celebrates New York City (Liberty design), Bangkok (Greeting design) and Los Angeles. While the NYC Black on Black is sold out, the Los Angles Black on Black is currently available from ToyQube ($145).
Shoko Nakazawa — Beasts In The Lower East at myplasticheart (5.31)
Shoko Nakazawa will open Beasts in the Lower East, her first NYC solo show, at myplasticheart on Friday (5.31) from 7 to 10 PM. Byron is front and center as the star of the show with paintings, customs, production editions, exclusives and more all featuring Shoko's signature character. In fact, look for a Byron retrospective showcasing his production editions from 2014 to 2018.
Shoko will be making the trip all the way from Japan and will be live painting (8-9 PM) during the opening and signing from 9 to 10 PM. mph will be handing out numbered line tickets starting at 1 PM EDT at the store to determine the order for the line which will start forming at 6:30 PM. As they say, the early bird gets the Byron.
Her solo is a great way to kick off the Five Points Festival weekend (6.1 - 6.2) where she will be signing and sketching at the Little Hut [#334] on Saturday (6.1) from 2 to 3 PM and at myplasticheart [#336] on Sunday (6.2) from 2 to 3 PM.
Shoko Nakazawa || Beasts In The Lower East
Opening: Friday, May 31st 2019 (7 to 10 PM)
myplasticheart
210 Forsyth St.
New York NY 10002
646.290.6866
Law Sun-Yeung x adFunture — Space Woody New York Edition for Five Points Fest (6.1 - 6.2)
adFunture is returning to NYC for its first appearance at Five Points Festival (6.1 - 6.2) and they are bringing along some brand new drops. The New York Edition of Space Woody by Law Sun-Yeung is a fun word association riff. Quick, what movie do does 'Woody' make you think of ? Space Woody features the purple + green colors worn proudly by a courageous cosmic toy to 'Infinity and Beyond'. adFunture will release Space Woody and the rest of their 5 Points lineup at their booth [#232].
Strangecat Toys @ Five Points Fest — Exclusive Daydream Nimbus Fawn
With Five Points Festival just a few weeks away (6.1 -6.2), Strangecat Toys is starting to reveal what's in store for collectors. First up is their Exclusive Daydream Nimbus Fawn vinyl toy, part of Kurobokan's AKC series. Fawn features an adorable light brown version of the pup with a mouth and pink ears. Limited to 150 pieces, Fawn (3.5" L x 2.5" H) will be available for $45 from Strangecat's booth [#423] at 5 Points. Any remaining stock will be available online at a later date.
May 17, 2019
Pop Life Global x Imperial Palace x DC Comics Art Toys
As part of its newly announced collaboration with the Beijing Imperial Court Cultural Development Company, Pop Life Global introduced an initial catalog of collectibles and products at a press conference held at the historic Summer Palace in late April. The brand-new Imperial Palace x DC Comics art toy series is one of the highlights of the new collection. Echoing the rich 600-year tradition of the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), the new line features DC's iconic heroes and villains in traditional armor and garb.
The large-format vinyl series is loaded with a heroic cast including Superman, Batman, Robin, Flash, Green Arrow and Nightwing. The rogue's gallery includes Joker, Deathstroke, and Harley Quinn. While exact release dates are not available at this point, the first release, Flash, is debuting this weekend at SneakerCon in Shanghai. The new Imperial Palace x DC collectibles are tentatively scheduled for a stateside release in June 2019.
May 15, 2019
Unboxing 'Little Voyagers' from Coasre x Pop Mart
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Coarse's Los Angeles Studio to unbox all of the brand-new Little Voyagers blindbox figures produced by Pop Mart. Despite some slight (ahem) technical difficulties, I had a blast opening both Little Voyagers 'chapters' (series): Let's Go! (daytime) and Sweet Dreams! (nighttime). Give it a watch on Youtube or below.
The twelve sculpts—two each for Cactus, Cat, Hamster, Frog, Fish & Raccoon—highlight Coarse's signature aesthetic and emotive storytelling. In addition to character cards—fairly rare these days—Coarse has also gone the extra mile by including fold-out pamphlets in each blindbox featuring a story detailing each character's journey (12 in all) and a full-color illustration on the flip side.
Little Voyagers are available now direct from Coarse in full cases (six figures each) for $98/case.
Go Incognito with 'Blue Moon Hooligans Hideout Skull' by Bwana Spoons
For his newest sofubi Bwana Spoons changes things up. Instead of a quirky or cute character figure, Hooligans Hideout Skull is Bwana's take on the vinyl skull. While the subject might be conventional, the new piece is anything but with a stylized shape with a wide, pronounced jaw, mushroom spores and an erupted-volcano top.
The debut Blue Moon Hooligans Hideout Skull is available now for $55 direct from Gravy Toys. This unpainted edition features translucent 'Blue Moon' vinyl which has a richer, deeper look than the 'rainy day' translucent blue that many collectors are familiar with.
From the front or 3/4 perspective, the figure definitely reads as a skull. From the side profile shot (above), the Blue Moon edition presents a more challenging read with a slight shape shift. The translucent blue cast visually softens details such that the unusual shape comes to the fore, becoming an undulating landscape of sorts. And… what's that at the rear? What is described by Bwana as a 'window into the back of your soul' looks like it might be a blown-out wound.
May 14, 2019
Go Back to The DBZ Future with BTTFool by Fools Paradise
Fools Paradise is now taking pre-orders for its latest pop-culture mash-up, BTTFool. Limited to 498 pieces and available for $328 direct from their online store, the new vinyl release is a clever mix of Back To The Future and Dragon Ball-Z. In addition to the Marty and Doc Brown relationship, BTTFools also plays with the fact that the 'future' versions of Trunks (Marty) and Vegeta (Doc Brown) are in fact, father and son. The other clever aspect of this design, is that it seamlessly incorporates their previous coin-op ride series via the Delorean ride with the brand's recent focus on stylized re-interpretation of not one, but two pop culture universes at once (Super Mario + The Professional & Super Mario + Forest Gump).
Having had a chance to see the prototypes in person, one thing that stands out is their impressive size. Doc Fool stands almost 14" tall and due to Fools Paradise's exaggerated, muscular style, is quite bulky. In fact, most of the recent Fools Paradise releases have a surprisingly large scale that really needs to be seen to be appreciated. Their oversized profiles add considerably to the over-the-top nature of Fools Paradise's recent releases. So much, fun.
BlackBook Toy x Mishka x Lamour Supreme — Hallucination Kong Micro-Run by Kenth Toy Works
BlackBook Toy is set to release the first painted edition of Kong, the latest evolution of their ongoing collaboration with Mishka and Lamour Supreme, with the Hallucination micro-run (edition of 7 pieces) from Kenth Toy Works. The ideal choice for the honor, as he sculpted both The Beast (Kong's body) and the Kong head, Kenth Toy Works brings his signature Hallucination paint scheme to the imposing ape sofubi. With a mottled purple, green and blue pattern, Hallucination Kong draws out the beast's ferocity and visceral anger.
Limited to just 7 pieces, the Hallucination Kong micro-run sofubi (12.6") will be released via email lottery for ¥27,000 (~$246) from Thursday, May 16th at 8 AM PDT through Sunday, May 19th at 7:59 AM PDT. Check BBT's Kong lottery page for full information and complete lottery directions.
Greg 'Craola' Simkins To Open 'Let The Outside In' at KP Projects (5.18)
Greg 'Craola' Simkins returns to KP Projects for his new solo, Let The Outside In, opening on Saturday May 18th from 7 to 10 PM. The cleverly named show, plays on the artist's imaginary world known as The Outside, home to all manners of fantastical creatures whose very existence challenges that which most of us accept as reality. Rather than be trapped by our everyday existence, Simkins encourages us to let the boundless fascination and imagination of our childhoods back inside.
From the expansive and immersive title piece, Let the Outside In, which truly is a window into Simkins' wondrous world at a gaze-filling 60 x 96 inches to Six the artist's latest still life—a particular passion of his—the new collection highlights the pop surreal creativity, imagination and tremendous painting talent that we all have been spoiled by and come to expect. A definite 'add' to your SoCal calendar, the gallery requires an RSVP by email to [email protected] to attend the opening. Be sure to mention you're RSVPing for the Craola opening.
Greg 'Craola' Simkins || Let The Outside In
Opening: Saturday, May 18th (7 to 10 PM)
RSVP Required
KP Projects
633 N. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.933.4408
May 13, 2019
Designer Toy Awards Voting Ends on Thursday (5.16)
It's that golden time of the year again, when the art community comes together for the 9th Annual Designer Toy Awards to recognize those who have excelled in the past year across numerous categories including Best Artist, Toy of the Year, Best Store, Best Media Outlet and more. The nomination committees have carefully reviewed the submitted nominations, added overlooked yet deserving candidates, engaged in passionate back and forth discussions and finally come up with a list of deserving finalists for each category.
If you haven't already cast your votes, the clock is ticking to beat the Thursday (5.16) at 9 AM PDT deadline. It's just takes a few minutes and a few clicks to support your favorite artists, brands, toys and more.
Having had the privilege of serving on the nomination committee this year, I can say that each and every member deserves the community's thanks and a drink or two (not me, more than one is way past my list) for the hard work, passion, and attention to detail to make the DTAs the best they can be. Props to Dov Kelmer, Benny Kline, Travis Lykins, Gary Rozanski, Vincent Yu, Keegan Rooney, Kyle Kirwan, Don Kratzer, Cory Rutter, Jason Freeny, Jeff Rawson, Yaniv Brick, Steve Braun, Sarah Churchill, Czee, Nick Curtis, Justin Cheah, Lee Funai, Rob Lumino, Katherine Park, Kevin Philips, Craig Spalding, and Trevor McIntosh.
The DTA Awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with Five Points Festival on Saturday, June 1st 2019 in NYC. Want to be there? Unless you're a nominee or an invited guest, the only way to attend is purchase a 5 Points VIP pass ($125) which includes a DTA ticket, Exclusive DTA Sparkle Gold MicroTEQ63 3" resin figure from Quiccs and Martian Toys, early admission to 5 Points each day and more.
Finally, Vinyl Pulse pleased to be a finalist for Best Media Outlet. If you've enjoyed our coverage over the year, please consider voting for us.
May 12, 2019
Ron English and Friends Build The 'Welcome Wall'
'The Wall' seems to be a persistent constant, from news outlets to everyday conversation—it's a nearly unavoidable topic in the USA. As he's been known to do, Ron English is turning the polarizing concept on its head with the Welcome Wall, a planned 2000-foot long, 15-foot high wall beginning on the property of the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas which is situated near the Mexico-USA border. The center is scheduled to be the site of a proposed section of the actual border wall which would split the preserve into two. As the name suggests, this new plywood wall features art from Ron and fellow artists welcoming visitors from both sides of the border. Emphasizing the new wall's welcoming nature, the structure features at least one door and a climbing wall.
Ron's contributions to the wall include many of his popular characters as well as panels that are satirical and political in nature— some mocking President Trump, the #1 proponent of the actual border wall. The first section of completed wall also features the art of Anat Ronen, Jessica Monroe, Helena Martin, The Ghost, Federico Archuleta, The Deathhead, Jose Ramirez, and Jason Perez. Funds to complete the the Welcome Wall were raised via a now completed Indiegogo campaign.
May 10, 2019
Coarse x Pop Mart — 'Little Voyagers'
The brand-new Little Voyagers mini-ish figures from Coarse and Pop Mart continues the storyline set out in the Cold Ways illustrated book. The six travelers include three drawn from the pages of the story—Raccoon, Fish and Cat— and three newcomers to the saga—Hamster, Frog and Cactus.
Coarse's first blind-boxed figures are available in two smaller 'chapters' (series). Let's Go! (chapter 1) features on-the-move sculpts of each of the six series characters while Sweet Dreams! (chapter 2) features sleepy, restful versions of each voyager.Having seen these in person, the Little Voyagers impress with sculpts full of life and personality as well as their unexpectedly large size relative to typical blind-boxed figures.
First released in April at Shanghai Toy Show, Little Voyagers - Let's Go! and Little Voyagers - Sweet Dreams! are available direct from Coarse's online shop in cases of six figures for $98/case. Each case features a full and complete set of that chapter's figures. Coarse is not offering individual blind boxes.