Christopher Conte

Black Widow__sold

Microbiotic.org
Christopher Conte was born in Bergen, Norway where he began drawing at age 3. At 6, shortly after moving to New York, he began taking college art classes at Hofstra University following a recommendation from his first grade teacher.

While still in high school he attended St. John’s University and in the eleventh grade received a scholarship to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Once at Pratt, he also studied human anatomy at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital through a program sponsored by Columbia University.

After earning a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art (BFA) from Pratt Institute, he entered the prosthetics field and began making artificial limbs for amputees in New York. Combining an abiding love for sculpture, medical science and biomechanics, the field enables Chris to apply his natural talents to help others in less fortunate situations, which he still does to this day.

All along, creating sculpture never escaped his deepest passion. In 2007, Chris began offering these unique pieces for sale to the public for the first time. His work has been recently covered in Wired, Popular Science, Make Magazine, and used by The Discovery Channel and MTV Networks.


Battery Powered Microbiotic Insect

Steam Insect__sold

Articulated Singer Insect__sold

Steel Widow__sold

Antiquities
Robots and androids aren’t the sole property of science fiction. Christopher Conte’s sculptures are more like old-fashioned studies rendered with today’s materials: anatomical forms on the verge of motion. You can picture them crawling around the next Star Trek movie, or under a jar in a medical curiosities museum.

How did you begin making these types of sculptures?
I began making the transition from painting and drawing to three-dimensional work during my time at Pratt. While still an illustration major, I started building robotic-inspired sculptures in my free time. I then began to use this method for my assignments. My instructors were very supportive of this switch and saw no reason why sculpture couldn’t serve to illustrate an idea. With that support I was building only sculptures by my senior year.

Do you find yourself more inspired by natural forms or the materials you work with?
They both play a huge role. Without question, natural forms like those found in insects, for example, usually start the ball rolling for me. From there I set out to hunt down parts and materials which lend themselves well to that aesthetic.

For all their technical aspects, your sculptures have an older feeling for me—more antiquarian and mechanical than techno or Chris Cunningham. Do you see yourself working in a certain school or approach?
While I’m no stranger to Chris Cunningham’s work (I find it quite wonderful), my approach comes mainly from a natural love for antiquities. Hunting places like flea markets and antique shops helped me develop a great appreciation for these artifacts while wanting to capture their appeal in my own work.

Was Thomas Edison much of an artist?
Not in a traditional sense, no. But if you look at Edison’s philosophy, his approach captured what drives creative thinking. Take for example this quote by Edison, “Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress.” Or this, “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.” These are words artists like myself can live by.

Do all of your sculptures “work” in terms of operation?
Most of them do not actually move on their own. Many are articulated to some degree. What’s more important to me is expressing movement to the viewer without the physical need for movement.

What are you working on next?
I’ve been developing several insect prototypes which use programmable microprocessors to control their movement. This is something you might see more of in my work in the very near future.
__________________________________________



PLAYLIST
1. Smallest Mini Robot
Can 'turn on a dime and park on a nickel'.
2. Epson Mini Robots from Japan
Filmed at a robot expo in Yokohama
3. How to Make a Bristlebot
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories
4. Create Teeny Tiny Solar Insect Robots
Make Magazine
5. Photopopper Photovore Solar Robot
OhGizmo!
6. Miniature Robots on Make: television
John Park builds some lively and inexpensive miniature robots.
7. Rotundus Groundbot
A robotic mobile platform that hosts cameras and sensors.

BotJunkie

McFarlane Toys

McFarlane Toys, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is a company started by Todd McFarlane that makes highly detailed models of characters from movies, comics, musicians, video games, and sport figures. Founded in 1994, the company was originally dubbed "Todd Toys," but the name was changed in 1995 following pressure from Mattel (who feared the new company's name would be confused with that of Barbie's younger brother).
Exquisite attention to detail is the most defining feature in a McFarlane Toy. However, it is almost always at the expense of articulation, making them more akin to semi-poseable statues than action figures. Still, the line proves popular especially among young adults, and is arguably the most commercially successful toy line at the moment. It has also influenced many other toy lines to try and imitate McFarlane Toys' style.


Sam and Twitch__Betrayal


Sam and Twitch


Detective Sam Burke

Sam and Twitch
The detectives from Spawn get their own series. This noirish crime series centers on the lives of New York City detectives Sam Burke and Twitch Williams and their adventures in the back alleys, deep nooks and dark crannies of the Big Apple. Todd McFarlane calls these thought-provoking stories "hard-boiled, true-crime cop tales."


Slash Slays


Evil Ash__Movie Maniacs 4


Dawn


Radioman


Hell


Wonderful Wizard of Oz


Mongroid__Clive Barker's Tortured Souls


The Creech


The Creech





Collectors Edition__Spawn Issue #138


Zombie Spawn

McFarlane Toys Group Pool
On The Money (CNBC)
McFarlane Toys is the 5th largest action figure manufacturer in the U.S.
In the News
I hope they learn that art can be a career - or that a career can be fun and enjoyable.
McFarlane Presents the Halo Odd Pods
Well, I guess it had to happen eventually. Every last toy company ever has given in to the ‘designer toy’ aesthetic. Everyone’s got a cute, chubby, rounded-off form that they’re slappin’ properties into now. Even McFarlane, who we used to be able to reliably turn to for a naked, tattooed chick hanging from hooks from an overcomplicated, ornate apparatus….
Nope. Now, we get Mighty Beanz with legs. Oh, what a world we live in.
McFarlane's Monsters Series 6: Six Faces of Madness



Spawn is a fictional comic book character created by Todd McFarlane. Spawn primarily appears in a comic of the same name, published by Image Comics, and his first appearance was in Spawn #1(May 1992).

The religion-heavy book began with a very superhero-like tone, much like McFarlane's previous work, but the title character evolved into a more flawed anti-hero. The current book has skewed significantly darker than early issues would suggest. McFarlane attributes this to being a necessary part of development. To introduce the book to readers it had to be slightly cleaner than he really wished it to be so that it read like a superhero tale. As the book took off and became more established he was able to alter the tone closer to his vision.

An African American CIA agent killed by his own boss for witnessing his corruption, Al Simmons was sent to hell. To see his wife one more time, he made a deal with the devil Malebolgia to become an undead "hellspawn". Spawn has tried to retain his own humanity while finding a way out of Malebolgia's control and battling a variety of enemies, both supernatural and criminal.

The series has spun off several other comics, including Angela, Curse of the Spawn, Sam & Twitch and the Japanese manga Shadows of Spawn. Spawn was adapted into a 1997 feature film, an HBO animated series lasting from 1997 until 1999 and a series of action figures whose high level of detail made McFarlane Toys known in the toy industry.

Spawn Movie Trailer



Todd McFarlane (born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, McFarlane became a comic book superstar due to his work on Marvel Comics' Spider-Man franchise. In 1992, he helped form Image Comics, pulling the occult anti-hero character Spawn from his high school portfolio and updating him for the 1990s. Spawn was one of America's most popular heroes in the 1990s and encouraged a trend in creator-owned comic book properties.

In recent years, McFarlane has illustrated comic books less often, focusing on entrepreneurial efforts, such as McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainment, a film and animation studio. In September, 2006, it was announced that McFarlane will be the Art Director of the newly formed 38 Studios, formerly Green Monster Games, founded by major league baseball pitcher Curt Schilling. McFarlane used to be co-owner of National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers but sold his shares to Daryl Katz. He's also a high-profile collector of history-making baseballs.

SuicideGirls Interview
Daniel Robert Epstein: You were one of the first people to bring good looking women into comics. What was your inspiration for that?
TM: That was easy. I was doing Spider-Man and in the storyline, Peter Parker was married to Mary Jane, who was a New York model. I've seen pictures of models and they're quite sexy. They were drawing Mary Jane with straight hair and she was wearing clothes from K-Mart. This isn't a lady from Alabama that's working in the factory. This is a New York model and she didn't even own a curling iron. My wife is pretty and she actually puts on makeup, curls her hair and puts on nice clothes. I'm sure if she were a model, she'd still do that. They hadn't updated Mary Jane since 1965 when John Romita drew her. I just thought it was time for somebody to do a new paintjob so I just decked her out.

DRE: Was there any resistance against it?
TM: Nah, it was one of those ones where they just went, "By God, now that you mention it Todd, you're right." I go, "You're out of your mind. You guys haven't seen this for the last 20 years? She's wearing the same clothes she's been wearing for 20 years, even though she's got a better lifestyle? Wow." With these moments somebody just might be looking out for Todd because if they had been updating Spider-Man every three or four years, the changes that I made to the book wouldn't have looked nearly as impressive. But the book was in status quo and everyone was too afraid to move so they just kept emulating what they did in the 60’s and the 70’s. But again, at that point we were pushing the 90’s and even Peter Parker was wearing the same clothes he wore in issue 27. I've been fortunate to come on places where the question isn't why did I do it? The question to me is always, why didn't anybody else do it before me? Those are the ones that I scratch my head about.

DRE: With the new Spawn trade paperback, how was it to go through the issues and look at them again?
TM: Every artist is going to torture himself, whether you're in music or in Hollywood or whatever else and comic book artists aren't that much different. To me, my best art is always in front of me so sometimes I look at the stuff and go, "Eh, I could have done better on this." You start looking at it too much and you want to redraw, rewrite it and you want to do the whole thing over again. You’ve got to let it go and say it was the best I could do at that time and place in my life. You hope that the thing you're doing next is a little bit better. Here is a fear for me, I never wanted to be one of those guys that was defined by a body of work 20 years old. In 1987 I used to go to conventions and people used to say Bernie "Swamp Thing" Wrightson. He did Swamp Thing in the 70’s! Let it go guys. John "X-Men" Byrne. Obviously, both were brilliant when they were doing it, but I just go, "Oh my God. I don't want kids standing in line going, "What you did nine years ago was the best stuff you ever drew. The last eight years have been mediocre to below mediocre." That was my fear, which is why when I was took over a book, I was always trying to tweak it a little bit so that it looked like I was trying to add something instead of keeping the status quo.

DRE: Did looking at these books remind you of when you were that brash, young guy who said, "Screw you Marvel, goodbye!”
TM: Yeah, that crazy guy. But again, I put in my time with Marvel and DC so there was that period of my life of trying to learn how to draw and tell stories in a proper fashion. That became a big time in comic books because it's when people were starting to break out into independent stuff, the market was getting choked with speculators and everybody was trying to do their own trick covers. A lot was happening, plus there were an enormous number of people in the industry that were going to conventions, so it was a pretty fun time. Also there was a lot of controversy and I was at the forefront of some of that. So if you're going to write a book about the history of comic books, the early 90’s would be a couple of interesting chapters.

DRE: think it'd be difficult to find a better monthly book on the racks than The Walking Dead.
TM: Yeah, it's cool. I know this is hard for people to understand but there are two different Todds at this point. There's Todd who's running his own empire, who's actually doing stuff to an agenda that's conducive to him. Also there’s Todd who's a co-founder of Image but is just one of four voices now. There was a time when there was a little bit of a dispute between [Brian Michael] Bendis and I when we were putting out Torso and Powers. So just because Todd doesn't want to do something with somebody it doesn't prevent that person from doing it with Image. If somebody wants to work for me or hates me, at no point did I ever say, "And they can't work for Image." Absolutely not. Image has to be its own fortress, in spite of the owners. People can't separate that or they don't comprehend that you can turn that on and off for each one of the different entities.

DRE: Besides the Image 10th Anniversary book, when are you going to draw something on paper that we can see?
TM: Wow, that's a good one. I still do some inking here and there and I’ve actually got a book that I’m going to ink entirely. Drawing? I don't know. If I ever do anything, it actually might be some fantasy elf thing or even some cute, funny thing. Just to do something a little bit out of the ordinary. I've done my superhero gig. A lot of the drawings that I do are just little noodle drawings that are not superhero stuff, but just to keep my hand moving. At some point I would like to put them in a book and let people go, "Todd did all that?" Some artists will take their artwork and modify it from time to time like Keith Giffen and Frank Miller. They both didn't rest on their laurels, they both advanced or digressed, depending on what your opinion is, but they moved their artwork ahead instead of doing the same style for 25 years.

DRE: What'd you think of the Sin City movie?
TM: It's cool. But as a fan of the comic book I go "They were so faithful, there weren't too many surprises for me." I even knew some of the dialogue but it was definitely cool to look at. We always argue that the movies should be loyal but in this case I could argue that it might have been too loyal.

Maxim Earns Geek Cred with Todd McFarlane
It's not the reality of who they are, but if that's what they think they look like when they close their eyes at night then that's what gets our approval.
Todd on Entrepreneurship
A 20-year-old buying for himself is a lot more discriminating than a 5-year-old being bought something by his mom.
Comics on Comics Interview
I'm not trying to reinvent it - I'm just trying to polish it.

Designer Toys

Designer Toys is a term used to describe toys and other collectibles that are produced in limited editions (as few as 50 or as many as 2000 pieces) and created by artists and designers. Designer toys are made of a variety of materials; plastic and vinyl are most common, although wood and metal are occasionally used. The term also encompasses plush, cloth and latex dolls. Creators of designer toys usually have backgrounds in graphic design, illustration or self-described low brow art; some are classically trained in art and design, while others are self-taught. Designer toys first appeared in the 1990s and are still in production today.

Spring TWEET by Julie West__$24__[Ningyoushi.com]
Featuring a new vinyl character series by artist, Julie West. TWEET features a bird’s nest bonnet and two magnetic birds. This special Spring edition features a soft green colorway. Packaged in a clear tube. Produced by Strangeco.


CHAOS Monkey by BUNKA__$30__[ningyoushi.com]
A puzzle for zoologists, this monkey has been seen through the ages on every continent but his origin is still a mystery. Based on scientific analysis, CHAOS MONKEY may be one of the first gene mutations ever. With large eyeballs, this hungry creature has escaped from his ancestral slammer in order to devour all human beings on this planet. Born with short legs and enormous arms, he's able to move faster than any other ape without any hope of escape for their casualties. They'll eventually eat you raw. From the largeness of his eyes, billions of monkeys are watching us, waiting for a bloody vengeance. Now forever as a vinyl statue, his hypnotic look and his little sharp teeth will keep you scared to death.
CHAOS MONKEY is the first vinyl toy created by French illustrator BUNKA. It's the second release on the French label ARTOYZ ORIGINALS created by ARTOYZ. Vinyl. This USA White colorway is limited to 500!


Tsuchi by DGPH__$50__[Munky King]

In 2005 Martin Lowenstein and Diego Vaisberg created DGPH, one of the leading Argentinian design houses that blends art, illustration and animation. Here's what they have to say about Tsuchi:
"Tsuchi is Father Earth, the oldest god and wisest being that has ever lived. Seated on his throne in the planet's core, he rules the seas and the land, surrounded by his little minions.
His upper half controls all the nice good things that happen in the world, while his bottom half rules the mysterioius dark side. The energy caused by the friction of his internal struggle keeps the planet on its rotation. As long as both sides keep up the fight, life will continue its natural course."

Gardener Series: Brian 004 by Michael Lau__$90__[ningyoushi.com]

Michael Lau is an artist from Hong Kong who is known for his illustration and designer toy figures. Lau is widely credited as the founder of the urban vinyl style within the designer toy movement. His work has had a significant effect on toy manufacturers, as well as street culture, including artists and musicians, throughout the world. His style is particularly influential to Asian and American hip-hop and skateboarding culture. Lau has won several awards for his work, including four from the Hong Kong-based Philippe Charriol Foundation.

Lau began his career when he graduated from Design First Institute in Hong Kong in 1992. While some of his art was on display in small galleries in Hong Kong, Lau began work as a window display designer, before finding employment in the advertising industry. In 1997, Lau was hired to illustrate the cover art for the Anodize electronic music album. In 1998, he began the Gardener comic strip in East Touch magazine for which he is best known. The characters featured in this comic strip were the basis for his first series of vinyl collectible figures.

In 1999, his work became popular enough to attract the attention of the Sony corporation, who exclusively distributed a selection of his Gardener pieces in Asia. Lau signed a contract with Sony which lasted until 2003. During this time, Lau continued to work steadily, creating illustrations and vinyl figures in a graffiti-influenced style.

Lau worked with the Hong Kong hip-hop group LMF, creating a series of figures based on them. He has created other series of urban vinyl figures, such as Crazychildren and Lamdog, in addition to stand-alone pieces. His work is highly collectible and is predominantly collected by adults; his figures are almost exclusively available from designer toys retailers.

In 2004, he opened his own gallery, called michael, in Hong Kong. [Wikipedia]

The Art of Michael Lau - Gardener Comics
Discovery Short Film by Michael Lau



Michael Lau Set

Uglydog by Uglydoll Plush__$20__[Rotofugi]

Uglydolls are taking the world by storm! The limited edition plush collectables emerged from the minds of two star crossed artists Sun-Min Kim and David Horvath who met at Parsons School of Design in New York City and based on the doodles David drew at the end of their love letters.
That Christmas, after moving back home to Korea. Sun-Min suprised David with a plush, hand sewn version of the first character he drew, Wage. He showed it to his friend Eric Nakamura who owns Giant Robot in LA. Eric thought he was pitching a product and promptly ordered 20. The rest, as they say is history.


Jello Fox__$85__[munkyking.com or $70 @ Rotofugi]
Jellofox came from the creative mind of Chinese contempory artist Tong Yan. The ceramic version of Jellofox was exhibited in various art exhibitions in Mainland, and this vinyl version was exhibited at China Design Now Exhibit at V&A Museum in London as well. The 10" (25 cm) tall vinyl sculpture is a signed and numbered edition of 500 pieces.


Benny the Barb by Stash__$55__[ningyoushi.com]

One of New York's graffiti legends, Stash played a role in the pivotal East Village Scene of the early 1980s, exhibiting his first canvases at the famous Fun Gallery alongside pop art pioneers Keith Haring and Jean-Michael Basquiat when he was only 17. While his contemporaries turned to Pop Art, Stash stayed true to the subway, working on trains until 1987 when he created his last underground piece alongside Zephyr. His early works on canvas demonstrate a loyalty to his early career in the use of subway map-collages and signature bold outlines and clean shapes. By the late-1990s, Stash had pioneered the use of graphic elements of graffiti on streetwear through high-profile collaborations with companies such as Nike and Bathing Ape. The move ensured his work reached a much wider audience than the gallery crowd and played a key role in the widespread understanding of graffiti, which in turn led to its public acceptance and the shift in its perception from vandalism to art form. Stash is now firmly established as an innovator and influencer in the world of urban design, and his fascination with the urban environment is also evident in his perfectly-executed photographic work, which features a combination of city motifs alongside the latest lighting and printing techniques.

Europe's popular Flying Fortress graffiti artist continues to spread their army of Teddy Troops with their latest blind box mini figure artist series:

Teddy Troops Series 3__designed by Joe Ledbetter__$15__[ningyoushi.com]


Flying Pigs
The Art of Joe Ledbetter


Cluster II by Joe Ledbetter__$14.95__[gelaskins.com]

Known for his popular paintings of cute cartoon ruckus and innovative toy designs, Joe Ledbetter's career has rapidly accelerated in only a few short years. A 30-year-old Los Angeles native, Ledbetter studied Sociology at Humboldt State University, before returning to his hometown where he worked as a graphic apparel artist for 3 years.

He also became involved in the LA underground art scene showing in small group shows as well as Cannibal Flower's monthly art extravaganzas. By the summer of 2004, Ledbetter was able to quit his day job and focus entirely on his art career. His unmistakable style can be characterized by an amazing combination of vibrant colors, shadows, character expressions, and thick black lines. Utilizing imagination and the subversive with a light-hearted approach Ledbetter's work often illustrates the harsh realities of everyday life, but also reminds us not to take things so seriously sometimes.

Joe Ledbetter Official Site
The Vinyl Frontier Spotlight


Teddy Troops 3__designed by PARSKID__$11

PARSKID Interview by CrownDozen.com
Parskid might be a man of few words but his work speaks loudly. From the Pacific Northwest, Parskid brings beauty to the damned and all their friends. With many products under his belt, shows always in the works and collaborations continuing, I am suprised he has any time left to "vandalise" the city. I am always pleased to see Parskid's work in a gallery or on a street in my local hood. I am sure he will leave a strong impression on you as well.

CrownDozen.com: I am not sure if you are a man of very little words or what but I had a very hard time finding information on you. So I thought we could start at the beginning. Can you tell the readers of C12 a little bit about your life up until now?
Parskid: I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve had a love for drawing and creating ever since I was youngster and had a lot of artistic people around me growing up. I went to a little bit of art school and worked as a designer for a bit but realized that wasn’t really for me. Meanwhile, I got into graffiti in my late teens/early twenties and it had a pretty big influence on my art and way of life. From there I pretty much have just been focusing on creating and distributing my ideas everywhere I can. And I’ve always been a man of few words.

CD: Do you think growing up in the Pacific Northwest, where it is often pretty dark and dismal, has influenced your art?
P: I think the climate here has definitely influenced my art quite a bit. Not only has the overcast weather been an influence but the landscape as well. And not in a negative way at all… the dark clouds, the rain, the rivers and lakes, the hills, the forests and trees, all inspire me immensely.

CD: The themes of your work often seem to portray subjects such as death, life and rebirth with a certain element of light that makes each piece less menacing and more serene. Can you talk about your process?
P: My process in coming up with my ideas is very free-form I think, in the sense where I just start working and see what comes out. Usually very little pre-planning is done. I just try to explore my subconscious thoughts and places that I wouldn’t normally think about in day to day life. There are definitely moments of darkness there, as well as moments of serenity.

CD: Do you believe in ghosts or spirits?
P: I think I do, whether as just an idea in a story or something physical that can be seen by the living. I think it’s just the belief that there is more to our lives than just the period between birth and death, and that there is more to us than our physical selves.

CD: As one of your favorite past times is still vandalism, how do you feel about the occasional bad wrap that graffiti artists receive?
P: Graffiti will always receive a bad wrap and I don’t necessarily disagree with that. That’s part of the appeal of doing it. It’s illegal and will affect most everyone who sees it, either in a positive or negative way. I think graffiti is best when it’s intrusive and not pretty to look at. If I was making everyone happy, I would really question whether I should be doing anything at all.

CD: You do a lot of collaborations with galleries, other artists, etc. Do you have any favorite projects that you would like to do more of?
P: I love making products. It’s great to see the project from start to finish and see the final product in quantities and then distribute those to people. I also like doing installations and working with other artists on shows. I have a couple shows where I’m collaborating with another artist coming up next year (2008) that I’m really looking forward to.


Wiggs of Vortigern's Machine by James Jarvis__$41.27__[Designer Toy Store]
Rusty's trusted companion William Ignacius Guthrum, aka Wiggs, will be available complete with his precious front door keys. These keys, as insignificant as they may seem, are paramount to the plot and the very reason for their great adventure. Wiggs will come with extended index figure from which the keys can hang safely forever.

Vortigern's Machine is a cutting edge study of today's youth. Rusty and Wiggs roam the sub-urban/semi-rural mean streets of a fictional town looking for answers to the conundrums that life throws their way. On their quests they seek the help of the mystic visionary Mr Vortigern. Through his magic they are dramatically sucked into a psychedelic vortex and transported to different lands and dimensions where they meet fantastic characters and embark on epic adventures.
All this and a magic slide machine.


Wrestling Elves by James Jarvis__[amostoys.com]

James Jarvis created the Wrestling Elves as a depiction of the struggle between good and bad. These characters were designed for the special CD box set packaging of Hong Kong artist Juno’s fifth LP, 'Chapel of Dawn'. The Wrestling Elves appeared throughout the CD box, the enclosed booklet and the accompanying marketing campaign. Amos were then commissioned by Hong Kong lifestyle brand, Silly Thing, to produce a three dimensional, soft vinyl rendition of the two characters locked in their eternal battle.

Amos was set up in 2002 by James Jarvis, Sofia Prantera and Russell Waterman. James had previously designed toys for fashion brand Silas, beginning with the now legendary Martin figure, released back in 1998. Along with Bounty Hunter in Japan, Silas unwittingly became one of the pioneers of the soft vinyl designer toy revolution. With help from Bounty Hunter, who had already released two figures, Martin was unleashed on an unsuspecting world and the work of James Jarvis reached a whole new audience.

James Jarvis Interview by Design Museum
Inspired by classic cartoons like Tintin and Popeye, the British illustrator JAMES JARVIS (1970-) has created his own three-dimensional casts of characters as the World of Pain and In-Crowd plastic toys. He also invents imaginary worlds for his characters each of whom has their own role and personality.

When James Jarvis dreamed up a group of bikers as a new collection of the plastic In-Crowd characters he designs for the toy company Amos, he pictured them as “reasonable, sound, sane, wise, balanced, rational, sagacious, prudent, judicious and level-headed”. He even invented a club for these do-gooding bikers – the Forever Sensible Motorcycle Club.

The members of the Forever Sensible Motorcycle Club, like the musicians in Ages of Metal, his next In-Crowd characters, stem from the drawings that Jarvis has created since childhood. He was inspired to start drawing by his love of illustrated books such as Tintin, Rupert the Bear and The Tale of Peter the Rabbit. Born in London in 1970, Jarvis went on to study illustration at the University of Brighton and then at the Royal College of Art in London.

A Japanese friend suggested that Jarvis should turn the characters drawn in simple, sparing strokes in his illustrations into toys which he did by creating the engagingly raffish Martin, a moulded plastic model, for the London-based fashion company Silas. Jarvis then developed equally engaging characters to live with Martin in the World of Pain, the imaginary world inspired by Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings which he invented for them and depicted in a book and website. Eager to create different characters, who would not necessarily fit in to the World of Pain, he then invented the In-Crowd series of figures.

James Jarvis Feature by Ika Zcha
A short film I made about the illustrator James Jarvis. Its main focus is his drawing and the thought processes behind his work. Filmed over 2 days on location in Amos offices.


Smorkin' Labbit by Frank Kozik__$72.39__[designertoystore.co.uk]

Kidrobot is a producer and retailer of designer toys founded in 2002 by Paul Budnitz, specializing in artist-created toys and imports from Japan, Hong Kong, and Europe. Kidrobot has a commercial website, as well operating retail stores in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami Beach, and Toronto, Canada. Most items are produced in limited numbers and are, or become, collector's items. Each of the three retail stores features a gallery of designer toys and related art, and often host artist signings to commemorate the release of limited-edition figures, such as the Bondage Labbit by Frank Kozik.


Bunch of Dunnys by various artists__[flickr.com]

Munny is a do-it-yourself toy from the American designer toy company Kidrobot.
Munny is primarily a "Do-it-Yourself" type action figure which the owner can decorate using pens, pencils, markers, paint, and supposedly, ketchup. The action figure is made out of vinyl and has moveable joints. The first Munny action figure was white, and has since been available in other colors such as black, pink, blue, and glow in the dark green. The figure is housed in a box which includes 4 random accessories that vary from a different series (1 through 4, 4 being the latest) and can be many things, such as a carrot or a hat. The doll also includes one out of a series of collectable coloring books which have been designed by a variety of people.

The Dunny character is similar to the Munny character. According to Kidrobot "DUNNY is an action figure made of soft, smooth vinyl. DUNNY was created to be customized in a broad variety of styles by diverse artists working in different mediums."
Unlike the Munny, Dunny is not sold blank. Instead, Dunny's are designed by artists and released in 8" versions almost every month. Typically, two blind boxed series of 3" Dunny figures are released a year.

Designer Toys
Awesome Designer Toys Gallery

Japanese Toys

Revoltech action figure
Revoltech is an action figure line from the Japanese company Kaiyodo. The main selling point of the line is the 'Revolver' joint, which all of the figures utilize. This gives the figures a high degree of articulation, allowing for many dynamic and varied poses.
The subject matter for the Revoltech line can be broadly split into 3 categories—Real Robot, Super Robot and Humanoid, with the Real Robot line being the best served at present. Thus far, only mecha/characters from anime, video games and manga have been covered.

Yotsuba&! is an ongoing Japanese comedy manga series by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of Azumanga Daioh. It is published in Japan by MediaWorks, now ASCII Media Works, in the monthly magazine Dengeki Daioh and collected in eight tankobon volumes as of August 2008. It depicts the everyday adventures of a young girl named Yotsuba as she learns about the world around her. Several characters in Yotsuba&! were previously featured in a one-shot manga called "Try! Try! Try!" The phrase Yotsuba& means "Yotsuba and," a fact reflected in the chapter titles, most of which take the form "Yotsuba and something."

Manga are comics and print cartoons in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art.

Unazukin are a brand of toys designed by Bandai. According to the official Bandai webpage, the toy is no longer in production. An Unazukin looks like a small "angel" averaging 5 cms (2 inches) high. They are reminiscent of a nesting Matryoshka doll, and have a retro/popart style decoration. Some models are voice activated and react to voice, nodding and shaking their head. Battery powered with an on/off switch, they have four different movements, shaking head back and forth once or twice; and nodding once or twice.

From the toy-maker: "Unazukin is a special friend who is always ready to listen to you and give advice. She loves to hear your stories and for you to share your thoughts with her. She is very wise and knowledgeable and loves nothing more than for you to ask her questions. What will be her reply? A simple 'Yes' or 'No'. or something more definite?"

napping... by CherrySoda
Pullip is a collectible fashion doll. It was created by the Korean company Cheonsang Cheonha and marketed by JUN Planning of Japan. Since the release in 2003, other types of dolls were added to the Pullip line: the male doll Namu, male doll Taeyang, younger girl Dal, and miniature versions of Pullips called Little Pullip.
Pullip dolls are released on a monthly basis, and there are additional limited release exclusives sold occasionally. Each edition has a unique name with distinct face make-up, hair, outfit, accessories, and box.
The Pullip has a unique eye mechanism that allows the eyes to move back and forth and wink, using levers on the back of the head. Pullips are highly articulated and can be personalized or customized. They are about 12 inches tall with oversized heads. The body is about 9 inches tall (1:6 scale), the size of many fashion dolls such as Barbie and Jenny.

Spacewarp 5000
The classic Spacewarp toy from the 80's has been recreated in Japan and imported by ThinkGeek for your rolling pleasure. What is it that fascinates us about rolling steel balls on a roller coaster style track? Perhaps it's the mesmerizing perpetual motion as the balls zoom around loops and curves, only to be cranked corkscrew style up to the top for another go-round. Or maybe it's the hours of assembly time spent tweaking each section of track to get the perfect run without the balls flying across the room. Of course you can build the exact structure shown here, or design your own crazy track with only the laws of physics as your limitation.__$49.99

The Moofia Mozzarella__$30__[ningyoushi.com]
Mozzarella is the leader of the Moofia, a gang assembled to extort milk from the lunchboxes of schoolyard bullies. Mozzarella is loving and kind to good kids, but ruthless and feared by those who harass the innocent.
Mozzarella packs tommy gun heat, and comes with a 2.5 inch smiling bullet companion. Designed by Tokidoki.

Susuwatari (lit. meaning "travelling soot") are the "dust bunnies" or "soot sprites" that appear in two Studio Ghibli anime movies, My Neighbour Totoro (1988) and Spirited Away (2001). They are shy, slightly frightful creatures that live in abandoned buildings such as old houses.

My Little Toys

Revoltech action figure: Toro
toy

Panda toy
*toys*

DomoAdventures
Domo is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station, appearing in several 30 second stop-motion sketches shown as station identification during shows.
The name "Domo" was acquired during the second episode of his show in which a TV announcer said, "dōmo, konnichiwa", which is a greeting meaning something along the lines of, "Well, hello there!", but which can also be interpreted as "Hello, Domo!", and thus is a convenient pun (dajare). The kun suffix on "Domo-kun," the name used to describe the character in the Japanese versions, is a Japanese honorific often used with young males.

[pics - uncredited: (flickr.com)]

Weird Japanese Toy
Automated Face Bank

Japanorama - Urban Vinyl
Until about 5 years ago, if you were a collector of toys like this, you were regarded as a bit weird, if not a pervert.

Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World
Plastic toys based on Japanese comics, movies and TV shows from Astro Boy, Godzilla and Gatchaman, to Power Rangers, Sailor Moon and Pokemon, have had a powerful effect on the imaginations and the markets of the West, and have kick-started trends in design and pop culture that have crossed from Japan to the West and back East again. Lavish full-color photographs of cult, limited-edition, and "designer" toys take us through the postwar period and right up into the present, with a fascinating look at the current vogue for "urban vinyl" and "art" toys.