Spirit and Ether Legacy Labbits from Frank Kozik

 

     Doing this whole blog thing has been a way for me to consistently write outside of an academic setting about stuff that I liked. Each figure is a prompt where I can exercise my creativity and form narratives around objects that didn’t necessarily have them already. Even if they did I’d at minimum try and come up with some weird way in which I could tie an aspect of them to my life and tell a ridiculous story in the process. I’ve written about having to get rabies shots, drug use, medical procedures, and other wacky thing I could think of just for a cheap laugh and a modicum of recognition. Never would I have realized that Frank Kozik was paying attention to me. So much so, in fact, that when he took over as creative director of Kidrobot he asked me to write their blog posts.  I met with him at Toy Fair in New York, tried to act like I wasn’t a complete and utter idiot, and started on a journey that lasted nearly four years. I learned a lot about crafting stories to highlight products and nothing made me happier than when I wrote something that got his stamp of approval. I never told him that because I thought it would make me look uncool or like a fan who didn’t have any business doing what I was. But that was a mistake. I should have told him. I should have said exactly what I was thinking and how much the opportunity meant to me. I always figured I’d connect again with him sometime but of course that won’t happen. I know in the scheme of things my blogging was a blip on the radar of someone who stood larger than life itself, but it made me feel like I did something right. That I wasn’t just the weird kid who was always furiously writing down his ideas in a speckled notebook when he should have been taking notes in school. That the wads of scrap paper I cleaned out from my pockets everyday with random thoughts scribbled in messy script actually added up to something. Wherever his spirit may reside I’m sure they have internet access so I hope he sees it now.

    The influence of Frank Kozik will live on through the work he created and the people he inspired. It also lives through his wife Sharon, who has thankfully continued to make his iconic creations available for  all of us. This Friday will see the release of the Spirit and Legacy editions of the iconic Labbit. Each one is cast in solid resin with an ethereal smoke effect captured throughout their forms. They will retail for $500 each, are limited to one of each style per customer, and go on sale April 19th at noon Pacific time from https://store.kozik.tv/. 

In Memory of Frank Kozik

 

    I don’t really know how to process the news that the world has lost Frank Kozik. I thought of a thousand ways to write this, but anyone who knows his name already know all that he accomplished in the world of art, music, and toys. There are countless places that can tell you how he literally changed the landscape for creative folks today and I can assure you they are well worth reading. Instead, I am going to tell you my memories of Frank.

    I remember when my wife bought a Labbit from his website and had an issue with the shipping address. She called the phone number listed and Frank himself answers, which completely caught her off guard. After speaking with him she immediately called me at work so excited that she had the opportunity to talk to one of her favorite artists.

    I remember seeing Frank at New York Comic Con just roaming around and checking out various booths. I was beyond nervous to introduce myself and I’m sure he saw me waiting for him to finish a conversation he was having, looking like a complete dork. I approached him and gave him one of the business cards I had made for this very website and he told me that he enjoyed reading my posts. Thankfully, I didn’t squeal like a preteen at a Taylor Swift show. Well, not out loud anyway. 

    I remember when he took over as creative director of Kidrobot and a member of the marketing team reached out to me becausw he wanted to meet and discuss me writing their blog posts for new releases. My wife and I went to Toy Fair the day after a snow storm and that’s when he told me he had been fighting for me to take over the blog, but people were concerned my content was too…let’s say rated r. But he believed in me and I held that position for four years before the company shifted focus into more license-friendly products. 

    I remember emailing him weekly with my posts and he telling me when they were awesome and critiquing me when they needed some work. I learned to tailor what abilities I have beyond being creative and into something that would get people excited about an object. 

    I remember when I first posted a picture of my Nordic Lucky Cat figure online and he said it was “amazing”. 

    And I remember when he posted this picture to his Instagram, which made me feel I was doing something right.

      My heart breaks for his wife Sharon and his beloved cats.

Mega Construx Labbit from Frank Kozik x Mattel Creations

 

    My cat Wednesday has decided in the past two weeks that she would start sitting in my lap.  I was completely charmed, as I have been her caretaker for eleven years and she has never done this.  Then I remembered reading about a cat in a nursing home that used to go around sitting on all the people right before they died.  The cat was completely accurate in predicting who was next to cross over; either as some grand gesture of comfort at that person's time of need or as a way to exploit his psychic abilities to win cash from the staff.  So of course now I'm worried that my demise is imminent because this is 2020 and that is in no way the most irrational thought I've had this year.  I will not be sharing with you what currently holds that number one position.  

    While I sit here and wait to become a corpse I could pass my time putting together one of these new Mega Construx Labbits.  Frank Kozik's creation has had a lot of different iterations over the years, but never one that required so much involvement from collectors.  Now you can be a small part of the history of the Labbit by building your own, which I'm sure will turn out way differently than anything you've ever attempted to build from IKEA.  The joy I felt when I finally broke apart our entertainment center and threw it in a dumpster should be bottled and sold on every corner in America.  

    This construction set was designed and produced by the toy geniuses from Mattel Creations and will be available beginning today (Friday, November 13th) at noon eastern time only at https://creations.mattel.com/.

Lil Alex Mini Sofubi from Frank Kozik x Blackbook Toy

 
    During this pandemic we have all had to adjust our lives significantly to stay healthy.  For my wife and I, that means if they're not paying us or it doesn't involve buying groceries, we're not going.  In turn, that's amplified our interests in other things.  We've gotten really good at gardening and we take walks around our neighborhood every night.  Seeing a squirrel or rabbit now has us Crocodile Hunter-level excited and we will watch the most common animals like we just landed on Madagascar.  I can't tell if we've hit the adorable phase of middle age or if we've taken a sharp turn into weirdo territory.

 On our walks all of the rabbits we encounter seem to have much better attitudes than Lil Alex.  Frank Kozik's A Clockwork Orange inspired figure has been shrunken down but is still chock full of the ultra violence.  Blackbook Toy made the popular sofubi smaller, added a ton more articulation for maximum posing ability, and also made it ultra affordable for all of us ballers on a budget.  The first versions are being offered in either black or clear, with an option to purchase a set.  They're accepting lottery entries until July 12th, so if you find yourself unable to live without em, here's what you need to do:

Please send email to 

info at blackbooktoy.com

(Please change at to @)

*Email Title: mini Alex Lottery entry

*Name

*Address(Don't forget to include your country and zip code)

*Tel

*Item name (You can enter only once per item. You can enter all items in a mail)

*Instagram, Facebook, Twitter(if you have. If we can't contact you through email, we would contact you through these SNS, so preferable.)

1person/household can order 1pc for each item at maximum.

Only winner would be a receiving email and PayPal payment request on July 16th(JP time).

Payment must be made in 72hours.

If we couldn't confirm payment by deadline, you would be banned from our online shop and lottery forever

"Let Us Prey" Vinyl Art Sculpture from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    If the United States government was held to the same truth standards as any consumer product advertised on television, this would rise ten stories tall in New York Harbor, beckoning the rich, evangelical, and the gullible to their promised land.  I have no problem with religion or God and in fact I wholly believe that he cringes just as much as I do with each broadcast of the evening news.  But I find myself more and more mentally trudging though life, bogged down in the endless swamp that is Kanye West, and televangelists, and politicians vomiting their rhetoric all over the internet knowing that so many will sop it up with ultra absorbent dollar bills and miss informed ballots.  I guess I can't really find anything funny to say about this vinyl sculpture from Frank Kozik, but I don't feel the sentiment that it invokes is really conducive to my normal shtick.  It kinda makes me mad because I feel that it is sniper-accurate in it's portrayal of what's wrong with America right now; a plastic representation of how I feel any time someone dares equate our Idiot in Chief with divine provenance.  Surely if his coming is anything Biblical it is most certainly written about in the book of Revelations.   So yeah, I'm gonna tell you that its manufactured by Kidrobot and I'm gonna tell you that it comes in two different versions that both will be available on Friday, December 6th at 10 mst.  But I'm not telling you because it inspired me to retell a story about how my favorite picture of me as a kid involves one arm around a goat and the other holding a can of Pepsi as I grinned like an All American paid spokesperson.  I'm writing about this because you can look at it as just another toy that will remind you how bad you are at dusting your house every few months, or you can look at it as scathing protest art that would look equally as good plastered on brick walls faster than the secret police could have them removed.

www.kidrobot.com

Kidrobot's Polyphony Exclusives Now Available at Rotofugi

 

    Being a completist is one of the hardest aspects of collecting, especially when it comes to designer toys.  There's so many exclusives that it can be hard to even keep track and then there's the ones only available at conventions in other countries that become nearly impossible to obtain without mortgaging your house.  Rotofugi is coming to the rescue by offering a slew of Beijing-based Polyphony's recent Kidrobot exclusives.  There's 2 different version of the Quiccs and Hello Kitty collaboration, two of the new Labbiters from Frank Kozik, and Scott Tolleson's Designer Con mascot 3 inch Dunny in an exclusive colorway.  These are available in their Chicago location now and will be offered up online beginning this Thursday, June 27, at 11am cdt.  Check out www.rotofugi.com for pricing info as well as limits of each figure Per customer.  

Five Points Fest Booth Visit: The Sucklord

    You can't have a convention in New York without having The Sucklord there.  The man runs the resin syndicate of Chinatown and he was there slingin his insane creations all weekend long.  He had new figures, old figures, and even a bin of discarded bits and pieces that was so popular I barely could take a picture of it.  I give him credit though, because once I elbowed my way through it was kind of fun digging through the archive of miscasts and trying to make your own mash up.

    Check out more of my photos at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking and see what The Sucklord has left over for you to buy at www.suckadelic.com.

   Oh and if you have an hour to kill, like your in the middle of surgery and that crap is just getting boring, check out The Suckhour featuring Frank Kozik.  I watched some of it last night and if you're a creative type who wants to make a living at it the first half hour will smack you across the face with some valuable knowledge and hard truths.

Celebrate Labbit Appreciation Week with Kidrobot

    Ooooooooooooooooooh the greatest week long holiday is back suckas!!!!!!   It's Labbit Appreciation Week and Kidrobot is helping you celebrate the most responsible way by offering sweet discounts on your favorite bun buns.  Check out blog.kidrobot.com every day to see expertly written posts by a man that has been called "the H. P. Lovecraft of our time, but with more poop jokes" and get a discount code to beef up your Labbit collection.  You can also share your favorite Labbits on social media with the hashtag #labbitweek.  

Band Camp 3000 Labbits from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

   

    You know what genre of music I just can't abide?  That no matter how much of it comes out I just can't find anything remotely listenable?  New music.  New music is the absolute worst.  New country music, new rap music, new rock music, it doesn't matter because I have hit the age in which it all sucks.  What's really bad is if you try and listen to the radio it's either new terrible stuff or the same five bands over and over again until you begin to hate that too.  Sometimes I'll be driving around and I turn it to whatever station is playing commercials.  What is wrong with me?

    These Labbits are going to fix it all though, I can just tell.  They're going to make me revert to my teenage self when music was new and adventurous (no pressure at all there, guys).  They're getting a heavy does of practice in at Band Camp 3000 and they've certainly got their work cut out for them to bring me out of my old man funk.  I'm thinking the alien dudes are gonna have the most success.

    This blind boxed series from Kidrobot is available right now from www.kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.
  

Scott Tolleson's Pipken Labbit from Kidrobot

    I haven't been wearing glasses for very long and actually I see ok without them, or so I thought.  For years I've just had an astigmatism in my right eye and a meager prescription in my left, but I wanted to be able to see as clearly as possible and they do make a noticeable difference.  Then a few weeks ago I had an eye exam and I learned I have a VERTICAL IMBALANCE!!!!!!  I'm completely flawed!  One eye has just gone and done his own thing and decided to see things higher than the other one does, like they totally have never heard my talk about teamwork that I give the cats every so often.  And I never noticed it, but I tilt my head slightly to the right as some unconscious hillbilly fix to try and correct the problem.  I still haven't gotten my new glasses yet, so who knows if the entire world has been a visual lie my whole life or not.  I'm about to go and emotionally eat lunch like I'm main eventing Wrestlemania.

    Speaking of glasses, look what we have here!  A couple of brand new Labbits from the folks at Kidrobot.  This time Scott Tolleson has worked his argyle magic on Frank Kozik's little bunny friends and turned them into a couple of nerds, which is not a derogatory term at all, unless being incredibly smart and making tons of money and having good fashion sense is something to be frowned upon.  I do prefer a good flannel to a sweater, but I'm open to new ideas.  

    Both are available right now at www.kidrobot.com, with the pink one being their online exclusive.  

   

Rise of Rudolph 3 Inch Dunny from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    I wrote an entire children's story about this new Dunny from Frank Kozik and Kidrobotwww.kidrobot.com for their website at blog.kidrobot.com so I was just going to tell you to go read that, which you should do anyway.  Seriously, your children will want you to read it to them before they go to bed each night because they deserve to hear the real truth about the North Pole industrial machine.  But then I just kept typing and now this has become more than just a post about a post; it has become it's own, standalone post that merely references a post, so in a sense it's like three posts yet only two.  No, seriously this all makes sense because I thought about it a lot.  And it's Guy Fawkes day, where British folks celebrate the dude who tried to blow up Parliament.  Did his moment of rebellion inspire more than plastic masks and a graphic novel and also light the fuse in everyone's favorite reindeer to stop taking Santa's crap?  Do you see how easy it is to connect all of these events and drive yourself mad with conspiracy theories?  Why are my cats starring at me like they're recording all of this?

    Celebrate Christmas the way it was intended by picking up this 3 inch Dunny now from Kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.  

Death Dealer Labbit from Frank Frazetta x Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

   This is the most metal designer toy to ever exist.  Not like basic girls giving the metal horns because pumpkin spice is back in season; I'm talking men in an ancient world battling the onslaught of demons as they spill forth from a great chasm in the Earth.  I'm talking about reading Lord of the Rings and wishing that it was real life and how much better it would be to raise an army against evil rather than stocking another damn shelf at the Wal Mart only to have people not control their little heathens as they tear the place apart.  Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.  You've already got the power chord heavy soundtrack playing in your mind and the thunder in your heart and you're ready to set a fire, roast a mythological creature, and feast at a table made from the bones of your enemies.  I just got myself way too hyped.  I always do that, then I have to go about my day pretending I'm not thinking about cleaving punks in half with a broad sword.  My therapist is gonna have fun with this one.

    Worship at the feet of Frank Kozik's interpretation of Frank Frazetta's legendary Death Dealer.  He is mounted on his mighty Labbit steed and is ready to send any and everyone on a nasty trip to the afterlife.  Open your home to the darkness when this beauty is released on Friday, September 30th from Kidrobot.  We are not worthy.

Produced by Bigshot Toyworks.  

Hooverville Labbits from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    You need proof that times are still tough?  I made a joke in a post once about selling a kidney and I got legitimate solicitations from a dude in Africa willing to act as the surgeon/middle man.  He sent me a link to his clinic's website which had a surprising number of goats wandering around outside of what was termed "the operating room."  Now call me a germaphobe if you will, but one goat inside a hospital is really one too many if you think about it.  And I love goats and would be excited to see one just about anywhere else that didn't involve putting a gaping wound in my body.  Plus airplanes are uncomfortable enough as it is without trying to recover from major surgery on one, unless they started stocking those little drink carts with morphine when I wasn't looking, but I doubt it.  They won't even give you the full can of soda, like that extra bit is gonna bankrupt them.

    Being broke doesn't mean you have to be depressed all the time.  Just check out this Hooverville Labbit from Frank Kozik and Kidrobot.  Dude may be traveling down a rough path but he's just happy to be alive and doing his best to keep a positive outlook on his future.  He's available right now in a vintage colorway and in blazing Technicolor orange that can be found exclusively on www.kidrobot.com.

Frank Kozik x Frank Frazetta "Labbit The Barbarian" Print from Kidrobot

    You know who doesn't decorate their walls?  Weirdos.  I bet Ted Bundy never put so much as a Jimi Hendrix poster on his wall and look where that got him.  Luckily for you I am here to help you avoid traveling down that same dark road by telling you about this killer (no pun intended) poster from Frank Kozik.  This is of course inspired by his epic "Labbit the Barbarian" collaboration with the late great Frank Frazetta, which is the most manly piece of vinyl this side of a Manowar record.

Old Spice has taken it too far. 

    Increase your property value when this print goes on sale later today through www.kidrobot.com.  

Four New Flavors of Frank Kozik X Rotofugi's Jerome for SDCC

 

    There are some aspects in life that are way different from what I know having lived in America my whole life.   For instance, did you know that in Taiwan the garbage trucks come around playing ice cream truck music to let you know when to bring your trash out?  Then you have to chase the truck down and throw the bags in the back yourself.  Now, I know you think I may be a dang gone liar, so here's video proof that even Agent Scully would have to accept:

    I just knocked your teeth straight outta your mouth with that truth slap.

    My wife and her family lived over there for a bit and were pretty confused the first time they witnessed it, and I had only seen it online after one of her friends recorded and posted it.  Technically there is probably ice cream somewhere buried in there, but that's better left to the rats.  They also have strippers that you can hire for funerals but that's a topic for another day.

    When it comes to ice cream choice is the key and Rotofugi is giving you plenty of it courtesy of Frank Kozik's Jerome.  There are four new flavors to choose from and because they're not jerks and realize everyone can't be at comic con, they're making them available online as well.  If you're not in San Diego you can get em starting Wednesday, July 20th, at 8pm central time at www.rotofugi.com.
   

"Rocket Pop" Edition Jerome from Frank Kozik X Rotofugi X Squibbles Ink

    Would you be so brave as to doubt that I have a story involving a rocket pop?  Ok, I'll admit, I really don't except for the time that I was little and we went to Washington DC in the summer and I got one from a food cart.  And it was delicious.  That's still a better love story than anything that turd Nicholas Sparks has ever written.

   So while my rocket pop story may not have got you feeling those sweet summer vibes, Frank Kozik's nicotine addicted ice cream Jerome will do the trick.  I'm so ashamed of myself for using the phrase "sweet summer vibes".   This dude, produced by Rotofugi and Squibbles Ink is decked out in red, white, and blue and is arriving just in time to crash your weekend BBQ.  Limited to only 75 pieces, snap yourself up one on July 1st at 10am central time only from www.rotofugi.com.

"Labbit the Barbarian" From Frank Frazetta x Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

   Good Lord have mercy, did you see that Game of Thrones finale last night?  That is easily one of the best episodes of any show I have ever seen.  Don't worry, I won't spoil any of it for you, but if you recorded it you may want to try and leave work early or cancel any other plans you have to watch it.  HBO aired the season finale of Silicon Valley right after it and Sharon and I missed most of it because we were talking about Game of Thrones.  All tv stations should have gone black for an hour afterwards out of respect for the conversations that would take place.  Speaking of which, the one person I work with who has good taste enough to watch the show is off today, so I literally have no one to talk to about it.  Whatever my next job happens to be I'll be sure I ask different questions in the interview process to avoid such a situation again.  "Oh, everyone here only talks about their favorite Seinfeld episodes over and over?  Yeah, I just forgot how much I enjoy unemployment."

    Watching Game of Thrones always makes me want to sword fight afterwards and build an empire upon the broken bodies of my enemies.  It's the same feeling I get when I look at the artwork of Frank Frazetta, which transports you to a world where men were men and it was totally acceptable to crush an orc's skull without fear of arrest.  Now that world has merged with that of Frank Kozik's Labbit and the results are begging to be airbrushed on the side of a van.

    Available as a San Diego Comic Con prerelease, this beast of a figure (artfully produced by Bigshot Toyworks) is ready to stand as the centerpiece of your collection.  Just don't be surprised if it also beheads your other toys and tries to make out with your mom.

    If you're going to the aforementioned comic con you can preorder it for pickup from Kidrobot's booth.  If not, you can preorder it from wherever you normally buy toys and have that sucker shipped to the door of your mead hall/condo.

Kibbles and Labbits Blind Box Series from Kidrobot

    Kibbles and Lab-bits, get it?  Oh, you gotta love a good pun.  And who doesn't love puppies?  Sickos, that's who.  The only thing that could make puppies better, besides them being able to train themselves, would be to also make them Labbits.  So Kidrobot has done some genetic wizardry and combined your favorite breeds with Frank Kozik's little bunny dude and the result is this blind box series.  They will be available starting Friday, June 3rd at www.kidrobot.com or wherever else you buy your toys.

General Tso's Nightmare Release Party at 3DRetro

 
    Oh my goodness you know I need one of these fancy chicken dudes from Frank Kozik and Kidrobot.  It would look so good next to my Colonel plastic bank that I got at the end of last summer. There he was, shining like a plastic beacon of amazing in an antique shop in Washington State, and I knew I had to have him.  The dude is an icon of deliciousness and deserves to be celebrated for his achievement.  I also bought a metal wall hanging that depicts two elk that some dude with a torch carved out, but that's not really relevant to anything or I would have brought that up sooner.

    Is this an homage to secret herbs and spices, a depiction of what eating too much chicken will do to you, or the penance that a southern gentleman now faces who built an empire on the backs of genetically enhanced poultry?  Why don't you ask Frank himself when he appears at 3DRetro in Glendale, California on Friday April 29th to celebrate this toy's release.  They'll have both the regular white version and some of the black and gold Kidrobot exclusive editions for sale and if you ask real nice maybe Frank will draw you a smorkin chicken on the bucket-shaped packaging.  Or maybe he'll be mad at me for suggesting that and having to draw farm foul all night long.  Oops.

   The whole shindig starts at 7pm and lasts till the fun runs out (or some predetermined time I don't know about).  Supposedly there will be actual fried chicken there as well, which is the sign of a good party if you ask me.

Stealth Mecha Dunny from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    Where I live we have a national landmark named Lucy the Elephant that is exactly what it sounds like: a really big elephant.  I think there used to be a hotel in it or something and I know there's a window you can look out of right in the giant elephant butt, which was either bad planning or a work of genius; I have yet to decide.  I guess it's cool but how much better would it be if it was some hyped up weapon ready to protect our shores at any cost?  Imagine this: the enemy lands on the beaches of Atlantic City, ready to destroy all the monuments of grandeur that President Trump (cringe) has built in his name and suddenly the giant elephant comes to life, annihilating all that dare invade this nation.  Missed opportunity.

No, those tusks aren't actually hiding an array of missiles.

    If Frank Kozik was our president I'm sure our country would be filled with these Mecha Dunnys, ready to be deployed at a moments notice to vanquish all threats.  Or Amazon could use them to deliver books to you faster than a pizza.  Or both, which would be a real efficient use of resources and probably mean he wouldn't have to raise taxes.  Corporations should sponsor everything.

    Kidrobot is unleashing this color way of the popular 8 inch figure on Friday, March 18th.  Protect your homestead for only $74.99.