Bai Lan the Unyielding from Otto Bjornik x Stranger Factory

    When I was younger vampires would have never been a concern of mine because we kept the same hours.  No blood sucking pasty dude was a threat because I'd be wide awake and able to defend myself against any attack.  Now I'm vulnerable due to the fact that the only way I'm conscious at midnight is because I woke up and had to pee. My safety from those pointy fangs hinges on the hope that they can't enter my house unless they are invited in.  I am relying heavily on this tidbit of folklore and my highly trained battle kitten army who freak out any time someone new comes in the house and could raise the dead with the commotion they make.  So far the ability to retreat is their favorite of all the military tactics I've taught them.

    This little lady from Otto Bjornik may be tiny, but she is our best defense against the hordes of undead, or more specifically her childhood sweetheart, the previously released tiny vampire, Bai Chu.  You can take your chances with garlic and holy  water, or you can pick up this resin figure when she goes on sale this Friday, May 18th, exclusively from Stranger Factory.  Limited to only 30 pieces, each 5 inch toy comes signed and numbered from the artist and can be obtained by visiting www.strangerfactory.com.    

Otto Bjornik's Shah Mat Dunny Series from Kidrobot

    This Dunny set from Otto Bjornik and Kidrobot gives me major anxiety.  The designs are beautiful, the idea is brilliant, and I love the fact that I have the option to buy a complete set of figures in one fell swoop if I choose to.  What makes me anxious is the fact that in order to utilize them as a fully functioning chess set I would have to allow someone to touch them.  I get twitchy when people look at my stuff too long, so now I'm being asked to allow them to touch them with greasy fingers?  I wish you could experience me hyperventilate through the magic of the written word.  The obvious solution is that I would have to maintain the game board in a safe spot in my house, set up a webcam, and only play versus people living in foreign countries.  I am a genius.

    Of course, most of you are not weirdos (maybe) so you'll have no problem inviting your friends over for a friendly game of chess.  And this is way better than that "Heroes of the Civil War" set your pa-pa got from buying those Time Life books (though if you don't want yours I'll be happy to give it a home).

    You have two different options for obtaining these beautiful figures.  You can be sensible and buy the entire set, including game board, all at once. Or you can live dangerously and buy them as two packs in blind box form, which will include four tiles of the board.  Either way, you need these in your life, and that can happen when they are released on Friday, June 10th at www.kidrobot.com or wherever you procure your designer toys.

Bai Chu (Li Fu Edition) from Otto Bjornik X Stranger Factory

    When you think about traditional American horror films, the terror is usually confined to one specific area.  It could be a town, or an abandoned camp, or a haunted house, but generally if you can remove yourself from the scene you will live to see the sequel.  Not so much with Asian horror, as those bad dudes follow you around like they attached a GPS to your behind.  No matter where you go once you've come into contact with something that wants to kill you it's too late.   Kind of like shaking hands with a Juggalo.

     Stranger Factory will be unleashing these adorable yet somewhat deadly vampire figures from Otto Bjornik on Friday, May 20th in this exclusive colorway.  He comes with a removable magnetic talisman that helps calm his thirst for blood, is limited to only 35 pieces, and there's a special 1 in 7 gold chase figure as seen below.  Snatch one up when they go on sale through http://www.circusposterus.com.

   

Seen at Toy Fair: Kidrobot

    Toy Fair is a weird experience for a website such as ours.  Most of it is filled with stuff for kids and doesn't really cater to the adult collector.  In the days leading up to it we get bombarded with emails from different companies wanting to show us the latest in technology for entertaining toddlers, which if they'd ever seen what we write about they wouldn't want us anywhere near them.  But Toy Fair can still be insightful and a good time for those of us that collect designer toys and my favorite booth to visit every year is the one manned by Kidrobot.

    Unlike past years where everything was a surprise when I got there, I had some ideas about what they would be showcasing because of the various teasers that have popped up on Instagram.  Lest you think that diminished my excitement level at all, because two toys in particular had planted their images in my head and I just had to see them in person.  

    Gaze upon the glory that is the collaboration between Franks: Kozik x Frazetta.  I feel like these two vinyl titans should come with their own fog machine and Norwegian black metal band.  These were the prototypes on display and we should be expecting at least one of them to be available this Summer.  I already have a space ready.

   Now for something a bit more on the precious side.  These vinyl renditions of Horrible Adorables felt sculptures are going to be must-own figures for me.  Not only will they look great in any toy collection, but they look like they could be used as accent pieces in some fancy home decor magazine shoot.  

   I believe these will be sold in window boxes so you can pick the ones you want, which is obviously all of them.  

    Jason Freeny is a man of curiosity, which is mainly focused on the inner workings of some of the world's most beloved characters.  Soon you'll be able to own this anatomical representation of Bugs Bunny and marvel at all the bits and pieces that make him tick.  I've got a cabinet of curiosities just begging for a bit of humor, and this would look lovely next to the electro shock machine.

(By the way, all of these toys were expertly produced by Klim and his team at Bigshot Toyworks, who are on point when it comes to making cool stuff.)

    Ok, if you don't own a really nice table top display case yet, let me give you a great excuse to buy one.  This Dunny Chess set from Otto Bjornik is truly a work of art and when you're not busy owning your friends in the classic game you're going to want to make sure it has a place of distinction in your house.  You will be able to buy the pieces in packs of two or you could just skip all that and get an entire set.  Either way, the figures come with squares that form the game board and buying them will probably impress your mom with how much culture you have.  

   Of course these are not all the new things Kidrobot had on display, these just happen to be my favorites.  There's new stuff coming from The Simpsons, Street Fighter, TMNT and more Labbits and Dunnys than you can shake a stick at.  Have you actually ever seen anyone shake a stick at a group of things?  That whole saying would be way more effective if you saw people doing that.  

    See more pictures at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking 

Mayari Dunnys from Otto Bjornik x Kidrobot

    File this under things that are long overdue.  Anyone who has even a remote interest in designer toys has seen the work of Otto Bjornik.  His stunning customs have collectors all around the world drooling on their keyboards every time he posts a new one up.  Kidrobot will finally be making his work available to us all with these 3 inch production Dunnys.  The black version will be available at your favorite retailer, while the red one will only be available through Kidrobot's website and their stores.  Get em both (like I will be) when they are released on March 27th.