The Vinyl Toys Mod-URBAN VINYL:ART OR TOY?
From Mod Mania
Urban Vinyl:Art or Toys?
Figure 1. : Urban Vinyl Collection
"It's a blend of art and toys and it's struck a chord with toy collectors and art lovers alike." Millionaire Playboy (www.millionaireplayboy.com)
Art Toys, are also known as Urban Vinyl or Designer Toys. Some have classified it as a movement of independent toy manufacturers and artists producing uniquely designed original toys This movement has transformed toys, from cheap disposal plastic that markets the latest summer blockbuster or the cash cow for cartoon series into a collectable 3D piece of art. Emerging in the late ‘90s, they exploded into worldwide recognition, springing from a collective of subcultures; urban art, street fashion, US and Japanese toy collecting, alternative comics, music, contemporary art and design and of course, internet and its’ massive forums. It is said that they have made the bridge between art and commerce.
Its growing popularity is evident at Comic Con in San Diego, whereby urban vinyl has nearly taken over half of the convention center and is the busiest section at the Con with many fans lining up for hours just to snag an exclusive release.
Toy Story
Figure 2. : Four of Michael Lau’s famed Gardener collection that spawned the designer toy craze
Urban Vinyl continues to grow, as more and more artists from various subculture art genres - graffiti art, underground comics, skateboard graphics, illustrations, contemporary ‘low brow’ art have jumped on the opportunity to transform their 2D art into 3D vinyl toys. One of the most prolific and popular toy artist is Frank Kozik who not only is a graphic designer and a record label owner, he created several collectible toys such as Smorkin' Labbits, the Hate Dunny, Dr. Bomb, Mongers and Chump.
The origins can be traced to Tokyo and Hong Kong. Beginning in Harajuku district of Tokyo, streetwear clothing brands i.e. A Bathing Ape, created original toys as promotional items. Concurrently, toy collectors, retailers and artists like Michael Lau joined the convention to showcase their own original toys. Michael Lau used bodies ripped from toys like G.I. Joe and moulded parts to create toys that reflected and resonated with the urban youth culture of the world such as skateboarders, hip-hop artists and graffiti artists. It must be also noted that his use of vinyl transformed the designer-toy movement into something commercially viable. They are the cheapest and easier method to produce. Because the mold is less expensive, designers can reconfigure the entire shape.
Cult Figurines
Figure 3. : Private urban vinyl collection of Tatsuhiko Akashi, founder of Medicom Toys who are renowned for their Kubrick toys
Young men in their 20's and 30's are the core group of devoted fans who are ready to plunk down in excess of USD100 for a toy. I believe that they are willing to do so as the figures stirs the nostalgic emotions of their childhood i.e.where toys were created using their imagination mashed up with the simple toys of the day. There is also the association to being cool as urban trendsetters in music, sports and fashion e.g Kanye West are urban vinyl collectors and hip street brands like Stussy stock these figurines.
Typically issued in limited editions of a few hundred, these toys are meant not for play but for display. They are valuable enough that many buyers leave a new purchase untouched in its box, hoping to preserve its resale value, which for a sought-after toy can quickly double or triple on eBay.
At one of the main outlets for these limited-edition figures, Kidrobot, which has several retail stores in America, toys often sell out in a few days and even in a few hours. Limited editions in different colors, typically in runs of 100 to 500 units, can be made for particular countries or specific stores. The perception of scarcity fuels the designer-toy market.
Sizes of the toys vary e.g. some toys come in 2" high, 8" and 16" figures and others are designed in 3", 8", and 20" figures. Blank version are often produced to encourage collectors to express themselves and discover the next hot new designer. Pricing also varies from as cheap as AUD10. This low price point makes it accessible for newcomers to start collection and if they are hooked on move up the exclusivity scale. I estimate a typical collection can easily grow to hundreds in a matter of months.
To keep track of this exclusive and increasingly expensive hobby, one has to religiously visit sites such as vinylabuse.com, vinylpulse.com and myplasticheart.com which constantly updates on work-in-process one of customs, new limited releases and competitions.
In Australia alone, one has to turn to specialised shops like The Outre Gallery (Melbourne, Sydney and Perth) and online sites like www.designertoys.com.au and www.popcultcha.com.au.
Copycats
With the growing popularity of such toys, comes counterfeits. While imitations may have been made with a low-grade quality, and may or may not include a packaging box, these products have flooded the market, disabling many collectors’ ability from distinguishing between the real deal and the fake.
Figure 4. : A creation of a Mighty Muggs storm trooper by me (used Magic Clay and Texta), and a blank Mighty Muggs.
Mainstream toy companies have also attempted to cash in on the vinyl toys boom. One example is the Mighty Muggs. A vinyl–plastic collectible toy series made by giant toy company, Hasbro, retailing from USD$10.99 to USD$15.99. The popularity of the Muggs has been powered by Hasbro using popular franchises such as Transformers, Star Wars and Marvel Comics. Even though the Muggs are sold in big retail outlets like ToysRUs, young kids (3-9) are unable to play with them, as they would with small green plastic soldiers. It is again, the serious toy collectors, who would collect them for their artistic purpose. This level of appreciation is heighten further with the customisation of the Muggs. Such Muggs come in complete white, giving the artist/collector, a free hand on what they wanted to create (eg : www.custommightymuggs.net).
Standing Out The playing field has become crowded, as every comic-book illustrator, graphic designer and ad-agency artist hoping to make it big, start to make their own figures. Hence to distinguish themselves, modification has become an increasingly popular approach. The method involves the artist to strip off the paint of the original vinyl toy and re-paint, print or draw over it. With the broad variety of materials and media available,they also add and create extra parts to manipulate the original form. The range of materials used in this process can be anything found within a household, for example, simple coloured texta, spray paints, or using magic clay to create new limbs/extensions.
Figure 5. : The blank Jouwe vinyl toy along side a customised/modified one created by an amateur artist
Conclusion
With its cultural mashing of academic and street, high and low, art and commerce, Vinyl toys represent an art form that is both vibrant, affordable, contemporary and yet, diverse.
However, its future direction is a balancing act between art, toy and commerce. It started out as an art, as the artist desired to communicate their feelings through these toys but to continue to design such toys, they must be commercially viable. However, with commercialisation, creative expression and experimentation would be curtailed to ensure the toys appeal to a mass market.
References
Lau, M (2009), 10th Gardener Tenth - Los Angeles, MINDstyle International, Dong Guan, China.
Strangeco (2005), Toys : New Design from the Art Toy Revolution, Universe Publishing, New York, USA.
(August 2007), Toys are Us: A Revolution in Plastic Video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQlAD-hbdEM,
(August 2004) , Cult Figures, Arthur Lubow, New York TImes, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/magazine/cult-figures.html,
Image References 1.streetlevel.com 2.jeffpidgeon.com 3.worldfamousdesigjunkies.com 4.Glen Tay Cheung Ning 5.streething.com
