Earth Shattering Toy Review Extravaganza Featuring "Bitch" from Luke Chueh x Munky King

    

    You're gonna wanna go ahead and click on that video you see there to set the proper mood for this toy review baaaaaaaaaaaaaby.  That's right, just move your cursor over to the play button, press it, and let the smooth sounds of Marvin Gaye prepare you for what it sure to be the greatest, and I mean greatest, thing you will see all day.  Are you ready?  Is your soul in the mood for love?  If you said "yes" then I'm gonna need you to scroll down a little further so the festivities can begin....

    Oh dang,  you didn't see that coming did you?  But to each his own I suppose, cause these wolves shouldn't be ashamed of how they express their love, even if it's more Lil Wayne than Marvin Gaye.  You've never seen a toy like the one that Luke Chueh and Munky King have created here.  Provocative is the first word that comes to mind, which is not a bad thing by any means, because most of the time good art is exactly that.  And being that this toy is taken directly form one of Luke's paintings (you can kind of see it on the box in the back round) it captures all of the meaning that the original work had.  Now, what that meaning is I have no idea, but that's not gonna stop me from sharing the one's I came up with:

 - The larger wolf could be the IRS while the smallest one represents my disappointment at my refund this year

-  Or he could be the government in general, who has labeled us all as sheep and who takes great pleasure in metaphorically screwing us at every turn 

- They could be a perfectly normal couple who have decided to spice up their relationship by playing dress up (I always try to get my wife to dress up as Margaret Thatcher when she cooks dinner.  That's probably more to do with a head injury I suffered as a youth football player though)

    What I dig about this toy is that it pushes boundaries of what a designer toy should be.  It's kinda cool to have to think a little bit beyond whether or not something is cute while at the same time having to look past whatever awkwardness we may feel about our in-laws knowing there are two plastic wolves makin puppies on our entertainment centers.  The term "art multiple" gets thrown around a lot when describing designer toys but there are very few that I could expect to see for sale in the gift shop of a modern art museum.  I think this one fits that bill, from the toy itself to the slim packaging.   

   Now I know some of you may want to buy this toy cause you like it but fear having to explain to your young children exactly what's going on here.  I get that your house may be more Disney than National Geographic, so I have taken the liberty of utilizing the convenient 3 piece construction to create two alternate scenes you can use to avoid all birds and bees talk:

   In this scenario, two wolf friends are attending comic con.  One has chosen to dress up as his favorite character Super Sheep, while the other has just complained the whole time about waiting in line.  While  rushing to get to the next long line the crabby wolf trips over someone's fake sword and falls on his face, much to the hilarity of his costumed friend.  End scene.

    In this next one, the two wolves and the sheep are enjoying a festive spring break at the Jersey Shore, when all of a sudden one of them makes eye contact with some meathead's girlfriend.  Having just downed a protein shake and 13 shots, the meathead delivers a brutal uppercut to the one wolf, while his friends get ready to do battle.  So many spray tans were ruined that night.  End scene.  

    Those are just two quick ones for you, but the possibilities are endless!  And they're also interchangeable with all of the other editions, so you can mix and match em however you like.  This original version (that takes its color scheme directly from the painting) will be available early in March from www.munkyking.com.  They are limited to 500 pieces and will retail for $69 (I see what you did there you cheeky little monkeys).  

    

Yellow and Black Marbled Nadsat Boy from Kenth Toy Works x Toy Art Gallery

    I love the look of marbled vinyl.  It's all trippy looking like one of those Bill Graham posters from the 1960's.  Couldn't you see this guy on a sign outside the Fillmore, with Jefferson Airplane's name all distorted as it filled in the space around him?  

I'm just gonna leave this right here.

    Speaking of all things psychedelic, I worked with a guy who had a friend who decided he wanted to expand his mind by taking acid.  He ended up kicked out of college after he tore all of the drywall down in his dorm room and ate the insulation because he thought it was cotton candy.  I don't think a trip to the emergency room was the kind of trip he had in mind.

   Back to that beautiful toy specimen.  Nadsat Boy is the creation of Kenth Toy Works and Toy Art Gallery and will be available today at noon pacific time over at http://www.toyartgallery.com/.  And kids, don't do drugs.  They're a waste of good toy money.  

Tenacious Toys Exclusive Blue "Inner Child" from Nerviswr3k x Suburban Vinyl

    Why so blue panda bear?  Cause he's a Tenacious Toys exclusive, duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh.  It's kind of their thing, which I'm all about because I like consistency.  I like to know that I will never get a full night's sleep because one of the cats will knock something over, scare the others into a feline stampede, and ensure that I nearly have a heart attack.  I like to wake up in the morning and know that I have a delicious box of Cap'n Crunch waiting for me.  I like to think that if I mention how delicious Cap'n Crunch is two sentences in a row that maybe they'll send me some free cereal cause that stuff ain't cheap.  I'd like free cereal to become a consistency.

    It feels like just last week that I wrote a pretty baller review of Nerviswr3k's "Inner Child" figure.  Actually, it was just last week, so if you missed it you won't have to scroll too far back in the archives to bask in it's glory.  But before you bask, or afterwards if you promise to come back, you should know that this little monster is limited to only 125 pieces and will be on sale starting February 28th at noon eastern time only from http://www.tenacioustoys.com/.  They will have the red version available as well.  This toy was produced by the fine folks at Suburban Vinyl. 

Ferg x Grody Shogun x Scott Wilkowski "Infected Young Gohst" Preorder

 
    Did you know the yuck that causes pink eye can live on a surface for a month?  I only know this because it's an occupational hazard where I work; one which I've been fortunate enough to avoid.  Of course, pink eye is not the worst thing you can contract from another person, but it's pretty gross.  No wants to wake up with their eye crusted shut and looking like the weeping dead.

    I don't know what would cause something like this to happen to you, but I'm sure Jenny McCarthy will tell you not to vaccinate against it.  Who would have thought some idiot television personality wasn't in fact the utmost authority when it came to infectious diseases?  Crazy.

    Ferg and Grody Shogun's Young Gohst is looking like he may need a trip to ye old apothecary to get a tube of ointment.  Anything you need a tube of ointment for just sounds like the grossest thing possible doesn't it?  I don't know what ails him, but it looks contagious.  This resin figure has been given the "infected" treatment from Scott Wilkowski and is available for preorder right now from Lulubell Toy Bodega.  You have until March 1st at 9am pacific time to secure yourself one for $70.  Maybe if you lick it you'll build up your immune system.

http://www.lulubelltoys.com/

Toy Art Gallery Presents: "Dichotomy" This Saturday

    Have you ever heard the saying " two heads are better than one"?  I can guarantee you they weren't talking about someone with an unborn calcified fetal twin.  Not that I've even met anyone that has suffered from that condition, which is probably for the best.  I don't really know how to behave myself when I find out something like that.  I would totally turn into Larry King and grill the person like they were testifying before congress.  I can't help it because medical anomalies fascinates me and I want to know everything I can find out.  And then there's the whole question of how well you have to know a person before you try to buy the thing from them. I've said too much.

    Having two heads doesn't necessarily mean you'll be undergoing a surgical procedure or relegated to a life of sideshow performances.  It could just be the main feature of a awesome toy, like Doublethink from artist Takahiro Komuro and Toy Art Gallery.  Some of the best toy customizers in the world have come together to offer their unique interpretations to this hunk of vinyl, and you can see the results tomorrow night when Dichotomy opens from 7-10pm.   Here's a list of the participating artists:

Seen at Toy Fair: The Loyal Subjects

    It's pretty nuts to see where The Loyal Subjects started and where they are today.  Their toys are all over the place and even made their way into a Super Bowl commercial.  I love visiting their booth at Toy Fair because it's like a melding of my childhood interests with my obsession with collecting toys now.  Wave 3 of their stylized Transformers line was on display, and it seems that with every incarnation they get more complex.

    Turtles fans will also have plenty of new figures to buy as the second series will be released soon.  There were also a few exclusive sets on display with different color ways of the original Turtle figures.  I believe the grey will be Hastings exclusives, while the black and the glow will be available at this year's San Diego Comic Con.  By the time I made it to their booth I was malnourished and going through withdrawal from not being able to buy anything, so I may have misheard.  Don't kill me.

    You can see more of our Toy Fair pictures by visiting www.facebook.com/TheToyViking

Metallic Blue Bad Knight from Peter Kato

    How come all the bad knights in film wear black?  It's a dead giveaway that they're up to no good.  Take the black knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  If he had been wearing any other color of armor he could have used the element of surprise to overwhelm his opponent.  Instead, he lost his limbs, bled all over the place, and was made to look a fool.  If you wanna be a black knight, you should be black in spirit and deed, not in your clothing choices.

    Peter Kato totally gets the importance of stealth because his Bad Knights are decked out in metallic  blue.  Who's gonna feel threatened by someone so sparkly?  The good guys are gonna show up, think they have the wrong castle cause these dudes can't be the jerks they were looking for, and then WHAM...the bad guys win.

    You can build your own army of unassuming evil doers when these go on sale tonight at 8pm eastern time at http://peterkatoshop.com/.  Limited to only 8 pieces, each one will cost $40.