The Arcane Divination Dunny Series from Kidrobot

    While a rarity anymore, we still have a few fortune tellers at the Jersey Shore that set up in tiny shops on the boardwalk for the amusement of tourists.  Sandwiched in between stands offering temporary tattoos and cheaply bootlegged t-shirts, they are content to sit and wait for you to enter their business rather than applying their fellow merchants more aggressive tactics.  I've been to one once and while I can't say I was enlightened, it was an interesting experience.  Then her daughter tried to upsell me on all kinds of knick knacks and very expensive cleansing spells, which were supposed to remove a curse of someone had put on me.  Suddenly what was a weird try anything once moment turned into buying a used car.  I opted for a snow cone and a couple rounds on the crane machines instead, which I totally owned so obviously my curse had nothing to do with whooping the behind of carnival games.  

    I don't think I've declared anything "The Greatest Dunny Series of All Time" recently, so allow me to do that right now.  This is the greatest Dunny series of all time.  Based on the tarot, this series was curated by J*Ryu and features his work alongside that of Jon-Paul Kaiser, Godmachine, Tokyo Jesus, and Camilla d'Errico.  Certainly the darkest set produced to date, these feature a crazy amount of new sculpted shapes an intricately printed designs to give each figure the most otherworldly of feels.  Add a heavy dose of the supernatural to your collection when these release tomorrow (May 12th) at www.kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.  

The Blacksmith Resin Figure from Jon-Paul Kaiser

    Is there any profession that's more manly than being a blacksmith?  You bend metal to your will to make implements of death, like swords and axes, and its pretty much mandatory that you grow a killer beard that somehow is fireproof just out of respect.  I couldn't do it though, cause I'm a big fan of air conditioning, which seems like an impossibility when your surrounded by furnaces.  Modern luxuries have ruined me.

    The preorder window for Jon-Paul Kaiser's latest resin creation is now open for a mere 48 hours.  Visit http://jonpaulkaiser.bigcartel.com and live your medieval dreams vicariously through this 4 inch tall hand painted figure.

"King of Mischief" Sylvan from Jon-Paul Kaiser x Gary Ham x Pobber Toys

    When you don't live in the city you have experiences that people from a more urban area would have a hard time imagining.  Before you get jealous, most of them aren't what you would call pleasant.  Like the other day when the wife and I were out for a drive and we stop at a light by a large field.  Not far from the roadway we see a dead dear, which is not the most uncommon thing, but then it started moving.  It's dead body shook and jumped all over like a little project from Dr. Frankenstein.  Just before we thought the roadkill zombie apocalypse was upon us a little beagle backed it's way out of the deer's enlarged rear end and grinned at us like he had found an endless supply of beef jerky.  His little tail wagged a mile a minute as he pondered over his great discovery, before diving back in for seconds.  I'll admit, I was much less horrified by the fact that this puppy had gone head first into the rotting butt of a woodland creature than the idea of it being let back into the house and loved on by an unsuspecting family.  Filthy, filthy puppy dog kisses.

    Now this dude is more of what I would expect to find nibbling at the old Roadkill Cafe.  Hell, I don't think he's the kind of guy that would wait for a station wagon to provide his meals for him;  I bet he's more proactive in procuring his dead things.  Jon-Paul Kaiser has added a touch of evil to Gary Ham's Sylvan figure, and he will be making his debut at next weekend's Toy Con UK at The Hang Gang's booth.  Limited to 100 pieces worldwide, Pobber Toys will be giving the rest of us a chance at snagging one soon after.

   

"UnAmerican Activity" Custom Toy Show at Toy Art Gallery

    It's rare that I would ever open an email with a subject that involved the word "unAmerican" cause I am not trying to get on some government list or have the feds parked outside my house trying to see what I'm up to.  Not that I'm up to anything, but it just seems like a hassle.  I'd have to step up my style game if people are gonna be outside taking pictures all the time to go in my permanent file.  This is how their briefing on my case will play out:

 Boss:  "So, have you determined what the deal with this guy is?"

Cop:  "Sir, all we've been able to ascertain is that the house is filled with cats, and the subject looks FABULOUS!" (throws glitter in the air, much to the chagrin of his fellow officers)

    And that is how I will waste the taxpayer's money.  End scene.

      I opened that email anyway and instead of finding something that would send me to Guantanimo, I found out about a killer toy show this weekend.  It's called "UnAmerican Activity" because the artists involved aren't from America.  Oooooooooooooh, that makes much more sense than what I was worried about.  The show opens this Friday, November 14th, at Toy Art Gallery and features the work of Jon-Paul Kaiser, Doktor A, and Seymour Art.  Check out this little preview of what you can see live and in person:

Exclusive Releases from Suburban Vinyl at Designer Con

    Wait a second, are you telling me the guys from Suburban Vinyl are actually allowed to leave the state?  California is in for it as the Robs will be making the journey to set up at this weekend's Designer Con.  But they won't be showing up empty handed, as they will be bringing with them many quality wares for to peruse at booth # 515.  Let's get to it.  

    This Brent Nolasco figure looks like a pretty chill bro.  I'm sure he scares visitors to his swamp when they see him coming towards them, but all he really wants is someone to talk with about the new episode of American Horror Story.  He thinks they should drop the musical numbers and reign their wacky story telling in just a tad to make a more concise experience for the viewers.  He's got a lot of opinions about shows.  Only 3 of these in this color scheme exist in the world and you can be one of the proud owners for $120.  

    Look, I get it, you think that if you hang Starry Night on your living room wall that naked chicks are just gonna fall out of the wood work for how artistic and sensitive you are.  It's a load of crap, in fact women should beware of any man who tries to use this ploy, cause it means they don't like art enough to explore it beyond a picture that is offered by Capital One as an option for their first credit card.  And if it's hanging next to a Bob Marley poster or one of "beers of the world" you need to get out of that house immediately before you needs years of counseling to undo whats about to go down.  The Toy Viking is nothing if not a resource for keeping women safe.  

    Now if you're at someone's house and they have a picture like this one from Jon-Paul Kaiser, then you've got the green light to have all of their babies.  For $70 you can up your art game with one of these prints that are signed and numbered to 50.  

    If the power happens to go out in Pasadena don't worry, because they will have enough glow in the dark toys at booth 515 to light the bathroom up so you don't pee on yourself.  Like these Bio Buds from Manny Romero or these Primordial Ooze Munny heads from artisdead with little ninja turtles trapped inside.  They will be priced at $40 and $21 respectively. 

    Or get yourself a mini Ice Scream Man from Brutherford Industries to light your way during those dark moments.  Get one for $20, but please don't lick it cause people will stare.  

More NYCC Exclusives from Clutter Magazine

    New York Comic Con just opened it's doors, and while I won't be there until tomorrow, there is plenty to see and do right this instant.  Clutter Magazine sent me an email filled with all kinds of nutty stuff you're gonna want so let's get to it shall we.

   Fact:  Bears have skulls the same shape as human beings do.  It's on the internet, so it must be true.  Luke Chueh only made 15 of these Dissected Bear Heads in Kenner prototype blue, with 5 being released each day via an 11am lottery system.  The lottery last 15 minutes, after which time the winners will be announced and then they get to buy this dude.  No lottery today, only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so you have time to plan accordingly.  

    Tim Clarke is a legend.  The day he followed me on Instagram I almost pooped my britches.  This dude not only created Boglins and Sectaurs, but he worked on The Dark Crystal with Jim Henson.  We're talking about things that defined people's childhoods.  He's got a new toy series out called Totims and he will have a bunch of those and those prints you see above.  He'll be hanging around Saturday starting at noon and if you're gonna shake anyone's hand during the show, his would be a good one.  Maybe some of the magic will rub off.  

    Ron English is obviously not as big a fan of breakfast cereal as I am.  And I love Cap'n Crunch, even though it shreds the rook of your mouth like you were chewing razor blades.  This is the latest edition of his obese faux pirate, and it will be released Saturday at 1pm and Ron will be there to sign em and tell you the dangers of high fructose corn syrup.  

    I've been in a few fights in my day.  Most of those involved dust ups in my high school cafeteria and certainly never with anyone that looked like this.  Who would fight this guy?  I don't care how bad you think you are, when you see a guy dressed like this and with such an unpleasant look on his face, you need to move along.  Restore made this glow in the dark Neo Japan in such uber limited quantities (10) that he will be sold through a lottery system on Saturday at 2pm with the drawing taking place 15 minutes later.  

    Saturday is gonna be busy for whoever is manning booth # 504, cause at 3pm Jon-Paul Kaiser and UME Toys will be present to release their Buford Mandrake figure.  He comes with two masks, though which one is more disturbing is open to debate.  Meet those fine English gents and pick up this collaboration piece that is sure to be a hit, cause I said so.

    Ok, this is pretty killer.  We've never seen Jeff Lamm's Greasebat figure so...so...cuddly.  Lana Crooks hand made five of these stunning plush toys and I hope there is one left just so I can see it in person.  

    The Flyers lost last night and I'm kinda bummed about that, but they did play pretty well.  And I love the orange and black no matter what and this lizard bro makes me thankful that there's another game tonight with which they can redeem themselves.  Chris Ryniak's Snybora has long been a favorite of mine and this paint job from Squibbles Ink and Kirby Kerr makes it even closer to my heart.  Only 25 folks can own one though, so you better be quick if you wanna play with him on the ride home.  

    Visit the Clutter folks at booth #504 for all that you see and more.  That kinda sounded like something a game show announcer would say.  I need some sleep.  

The Greatest Custom Dunny I Have Ever Seen Courtesy of Jon-Paul Kaiser

    I don't feature a lot of custom toys on this site and it's not because I don't like them.  I have a limited amount of time to work on this thing each day and there's just way too much out there for me to keep track of.  But there was no way I was gonna let this one pass by without me worshipping at it's little plastic feet.  This Moby Dick inspired Dunny is the creation of Jon-Paul Kaiser and is, and I'm not exaggerating this, the best one I've ever seen.  If I worked at Kidrobot I would be scrambling to make this a production figure so I can buy it.  And I can't be the only one who would throw down some cash for the chance at owning this stunning figure.  Make it so!!!!!!!

The Latest Custom Work of Jon-Paul Kaiser

    Jon-Paul Kaiser is a one man factory.  It seems like every week he churns out a new amazing custom figure that is better than the last one he did.  These are a few of his latest creations on various platform figures.  Be amazed and then hit him up to make something cool for your toy shelf.  

http://www.jonpaulkaiser.com/

Kidrobot at New York Comic Con

    Do you remember when Kidrobot caused such a commotion at last year's New York Comic Con with the release of that RSIN Dunny that they pretty much brought their entire side of the convention center to a halt?  I do cause I was there, knee deep in it man.  Those are the kinda risks I take to have awesome stories to tell you.  Actually, when the whole thing went down I was in line at the bathroom, but I was totally in the proximity of people that had been there and were talking about it and I listened in.  I really really had to pee.  

    Kidrobot will be there once again and they are bringing two new releases along with a couple that are gonna look mighty familiar to folks.  The two new ones are the black version of Day of the Dead Homer and a gold Ryu figure from their Street Fighter Series.  

    And here are the other two.  They are the exclusives that they had with them in San Diego.  Hmmmmmmmmmmm.  I bought both retailer versions of these guys already, so I don't feel the need to buy these, but some people are kinda mad about it.  I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed that there won't be another 3 inch release like last year that caused so much fuss.  I know they're focusing a lot of energy on the Dunny Evolved series which comes out the day the convention starts, but it's always nice to have something that's special and just for the people that were able to go.  I do love both of these designs, and I own the Labbit (in a different color scheme) and the Dunny (the elephant version) but that being said their lack of freshness doesn't make me clamor to get them.  Certainly if I had never seen them before I would have to own them both, but I'm not feeling that sense of urgency.  Completists will be excited, but I have to stretch my cash as far as possible these days, so I don't really buy the different colorways of the same figure anymore.  Maybe this is more of a statement about where my collecting habits have shifted than the decision of a company to utilize the same figures (on their two most popular platforms) as exclusives at two conventions.  I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.  

    They will have a butt ton of signings though that will make even the most jaded collector happy.  Check out the list below:

Judge Dredd Customs from Jon-Paul Kaiser

 

I just watched the new Judge Dredd movie the other night and it wasn't that bad. Most of it was pretty entertaining, except for the fact of how ugly they made Lena Headey. I didn't think that was possible and whoever it was that did her makeup should win a Nobel Prize or something. Or be put to death, cause they totally managed to ruin the excitement I felt when I found out she was in it. She's a stone cold fox.

 

Jon-Paul Kaiser just made these Judge Dredd customs for a lucky collector and the amount of detail in them is unreal. Take a gander at them and then hit him up to make you a toy that will put the rest of your collection to shame.

 

Red Panda Edition of BearAll from RhymeSquare

    Oh snap son, I can see your kibbles and bits!  Good thing this isn't a family website, or I may get letters from upset parents.  But since this website is viewed mostly in prison libraries, I think I'll be ok.  Plus, I'm not big on apologies anyway.  I hate it when celebrities act badly and then they go on tv and whine about how sorry they are.  What they should do is start to apologize, then say something offensive and kick over the camera.  If I were ever famous that's what I'd do.  Or just read a Wikipedia article about ferret breeding as my "prepared statement." 

    This is BearAll, the company mascot of RhymeSquare.  For those of you without your ears to the street, RhymeSquare is a clothing company started by toy artist extraordinaire Jon-Paul Kaiser and Chris from Great Scott.  This resin Red Panda edition will go on sale tonight at midnight GMT and will be on sale through Saturday at midnight or until they sell out.  And they always sell every one, so be quick or be left without a naked bear.  

http://www.rhymesquare.co.uk/

My Top 10 Things I Want from SDCC

    It seems the popular thing to do on blogs is to create lists.  Fearing criminal prosecution from most of the lists I would like to post, I instead decided to make a list of 10 things I would like to own from San Diego Comic Con.  These are in no particular order.

    Anytime someone around me is complaining of any physical ailment I always tell them that their symptoms are consistent with that of a tapeworm living in their gut.  Thus far, I have only been successful at getting one person to actually go to the doctor with this concern, but I keep trying.  

    Ferg x Grody Shogun made this Young Gohst with a major parasitic issue for Lulubell Toy Bodega's booth #5045.  Get one on Saturday for $45.

    Ferg also made this big ol suicidal cat for Rotofugi's booth #5248 starting tonight for $120.

    I pretty much want everything Frank Kozik makes, but I narrowed it down to two things I really really really want.  First up is the hand painted Mr. Monsanto.  This releases tomorrow at 2pm at his booth #5051 for $100.

    The second thing is this Mishka collaboration Labbit from Kidrobot.  I haven't even seen what it looks like but I know it's a must have.  These will be $99.99 at booth # 4995 on Saturday at noon. 

    It all of a sudden got real cute in here.  Balance is the key to life my friends, so I've gotta balance out the blood and guts with some sugar and spice.  Brandi Milne's Sugar Lamb, Go! fits the bill.  For $90 you can get this at 3DRetro's booth #5051.  

    Also from 3DRetro comes this little ice cream dude from Gary Baseman.  He's only $55, which I think is a deal.  

    Retro Outlaw has given the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter a new mission:  jump over Snake Canyon on your motorcycle, while on fire, while watching Breaking Bad on Netflix.  Piece of cake, dummies.  Visit booth #929, give 'em $120, and live forever in glory! 

    Classic He-Man figures with Charles Manson heads and custom paint jobs from Skinner? Yeah, I'll take one of those.  DKE will be selling 50 of these, each one unique, for $150.  Get one Friday at 11am.  

    Speaking of Skinner, look at these guys.  He designed the one on the left while Paul Kaiju designed the one on the right and sculpted them booth.  Get the set for $55 from Lulubell Toy Bodega booth #5045 on Friday.  

Last, but certainly not least, is this 8 inch Dunny from Jon-Paul Kaiser x Kidrobot.  Again, who knows what it looks like, but who cares!  It's not gonna suck.  Get one Friday at noon from booth #4945.

Well there you have it.  I'm sure I forgot some stuff.  As always, presents are always appreciated and tax deductible.***

***Probably not though

SDCC Release and Signing Schedule from Kidrobot

    Well, looks like my work here is pretty much done.  Kidrobot has just released this handy guide to their releases and signings at next week's San Diego Comic Con.  I saw the mock ups for the Marvel Labbits at Toy Fair and they look pretty killer.  They are definitely the coolest licensed items Kidrobot has released thus far.  There are, however, two releases that I really, really, really, really want.  The first one being the Locondonta 8" Dunny from Jon-Paul Kaiser.  This one is supposed to be different from the smaller version that just came out in the 2013 series but no matter what it's going to be on my wish list until I can track one down.  The second is the Keep Watch Labbit from Frank Kozik x Mishka.  Even without seeing it you know it has to be amazing.  The last two artist series Labbits that were convention exclusives were made into retail releases using different colors, so I'm hoping something similar happens with this one.  Ditto on the Dunny.  

New Tees from Jon-Paul Kaiser x Outsmart Originals

    If I had it my way I would wear black all year round.  If I had it my way it would also never get warmer than 70 degrees so that I wouldn't sweat like a disgusting pig.  While I still am working on spells to control the weather, I do sometimes have to change my normal black attire and wear lighter colors that won't make me die of heat stroke.

    Outsmart Originals had my warm weather comfort in mind when they decided to make these white versions of Jon-Paul Kaiser's tees.  Now I can look fashionable on the boardwalk without the risk of passing out and being picked apart by seagulls.  And if that wasn't enough, there are even incentives for all of us to buy these shirts.  For everyone we order we will be entered into a drawing to win a test pull of a JPK toy that was never released!  And if you buy 2, you get 1 free!  And if you buy 3 in the month of May you get 1 free!  I'm not the best at math, but these sound like deals to me!   Make sure you order by June 2nd to be eligible to win the toy.

http://outsmartoriginals.storenvy.com/