Mini Plasma Seated Boo and Kuma from Kathie Olivas x Brandt Peters

    My Christmas gift giving philosophy is this: I never buy people stuff they need, only things I don't think they'd buy for themselves but would totally want.  Right now we need to get our washing machine fixed, but I'm not gonna be surprise my wife with a trip to the basement to show her the new agitator wrapped up with a bow on it.  That's dumb, and a sure fire way to being forced to sleep underneath the porch with the family of chipmunks that reside there.  Though it has been unseasonably warm as of late, and the idea of chipmunks sleeping next to me is reeeeeeaaaaallllly cute, I'd probably die.  

     For the toy/art lover in your life things couldn't be any easier when it comes to gift giving.  They practically smack you over the head with everything they love.   How about this nice set of figures from Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters?  These resin guys are cast in a dark, see through resin and feature hand painted faces.  You can buy them individually for $65 each or as a set for $120 (which saves you some money for those of you playing along at home).  Only 50 of each were produced and they're available right now from www.circusposterus.com.  

TKOM's Hibiscus Pink Doublethink Lottery from Toy Art Gallery

    Call me crazy (what are you, my therapist?) but I equate the price of a toy to how big it is.  My brain refuses to take into account how rare it may be, whether or not the Pope blessed it, or anything else that could drive the cost up.  I am unable to justify buying something for a ton of money that could fit inside one of those plastic eggs in a 25 cent machine.   I refuse to partake in trinkets that the average child could shove into their nose unless they're priced accordingly.  

   Standing at 10 and 1/2 inches tall this Doublethink figure from TKOM is a lot of toy for your money.  And it even has two heads, so it's kinda like getting two different toys that have been melted together by science.  That's called value.  Toy Art Gallery is running a lottery right now for this unpainted dude cast in hibiscus pink vinyl.  But guess what? The lottery ends Monday, at noon pacific time, so follow these instructions on how to win the opportunity to buy one:

Email sales@toyartgallery.com with “Doublethink Lottery” as the subject along with your paypal address and shipping info. If selected you will be sent an invoice for payment. Please allow 24 hours for a response after the closing time (Monday 12PM PST). Winners will be chosen at random, one entry per participant please (if you submit more than once you will be disqualified). Good luck!    

10 Inch Stache Labbits from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot Available Now

    The best performance in the history of film by a mustache would have to have been the stellar acting job featured in Smokey and the Bandit.  Not that Burt Reynold's furry little buddy is mentioned in the cast list on IMDB, or was rewarded for his hard work during award season, but the entire plot of the film could not have advanced to such stellar heights without his subtle, yet strong presence.  At the end of filming Mr. Reynolds should have shaved him off and had him bronzed like a pair of baby's first shoes.  The he could have been enshrined at some worthy museum, most likely a branch of the Smithsonian, where his fans could gather to pay respect to Hollywood's most important facial hair.  God bless you Burt Reynolds for continuing to inspire my follicles to reach for greatness. 

    Look at these Labbits,  with mustaches so glorious they could run for public office.  It's impossible not to trust a face accented in such a beautiful way in what can only be described as art.  They would embarrass a lesser man, bringing shame to the wispy little baby hairs that plague the upper lips of some folks from adolescence through death.  The fact that they are not left in the woods to fend for themselves is a testament to their family's compassion.

    Frank Kozik has finally made some more giant sized big ol Labbits for me to line my entertainment center with.  You can choose from back or white, but I say in the spirit of plastic bunny racial harmony you get em both and set a good example for the rest of the world.  They are available right now at www.kidrobot.com for $49.99 each.   

The Holiday Hunt is on with Argonaut Resins

   "Damn, we have a lot of cats."

    How many times can you have an epiphany before people start worrying that you have early onset dementia?  There I was, trying to help my wife appreciate the beauty of mid eighties professional wrestling promos while watching the WWE Network, and it struck me.  Everywhere I turn, a kitty sits, and once you have a certain number people are always trying to sneak more in.  Just this past week my wife was approached twice about taking in new cats.  Don't get me wrong, I love the little buggers, but I'm worried that the next one is what's gonna push it over the line to where all of my clothes smell like stale pee.  As far as I know my only scent is a mixture of Irish Spring and Old Spice and I'm trying to keep it that way.

    For the time being the only cats I'm looking to adopt are made of plastic and don't just decide one day that they've always wanted to see what was up with the front porch and give me a heart attack trying to catch the.  Argonaut Resins in smack dab in the midst of his Holiday Hunt, in which Tuttz OG kitties are randomly popping up in his web shop.  They stand 6 and 1/2 inches tall and there's 25 of them in the series, so keep your peepers on http://argonautresins.bigcartel.com.
   

"Play" New Works by Erika Sanada and Calvin Ma at myplasticheart

    If I had a ton of money lying around I would totally start my own toy company and the first person I would contact about making a figure would be Erika Sanada.  Mind you I would have already purchased a herd of alpacas, a Harley, and an El Camino for my wife, but producing toys would happen soon after.  How Erika has not been approached about making the jump from ceramic to plastic baffles me, because her work would translate perfectly.  Who wouldn't want a little puppy with blank eyes and devil horns on their shelf?  I'll take one of those any day of the week.  Somebody give me some money and let's convince her how awesome of an idea it is.  

    You can see Erika's work in person beginning this Saturday at myplasticheart in New York.  She will have new work on display along with Calvin Ma, who has an interesting take on some very familiar characters.  If you still haven't gotten me anything for Christmas this would be a great way to remedy that.  

Looney Tunes Capsule Collection from Kidrobot Dropping This Week

     I love it when people claim how much more violent tv is now than whenever "back in the day" happened to be.  Yeah, things are much more explicit now and really don't require the use of the viewer's imagination, but the undertones have always been there.  Let's look at The Looney Tunes for example.  Elmer Fudd was always trying to eat Bugs Bunny, Wyle E. Coyote was using every bit of hillbilly ingenuity he could muster to feast on Roadrunner, and Sylvester was not about to let a minute go by without tormenting poor Tweety Bird with his desires to chomp his bones.  The entirety of the show was about murder!  Oh and then you have Pepe Le Pew who could use a restraining order, the Tazmanian Devil who seemed to struggle with substance abuse, and Yosemite Sam who was a Republican.  No wonder I liked this show so much as a kid.

    Kidrobot is giving everyone's favorite characters a modern makeover via their capsule collection.  There's blind boxed key chains and mini figures, and a big ol Tweety designed my Mark Dean Veca which makes me kinda want to bbq the little cutie myself.  Not that I would, cause he's all skull and would be hardly worth firing up the grill.  How damaged am I that I would even think this way?

   These will all be available some time this week from www.kidrobot.com.  

Weedian "Leaf" Edition from Sleep x Arik Roper x Unbox Industries

    There's some music out there that demands to be played in a room filled with black light posters and pot smoke.  It was most likely conceived that way and will only make sense to someone who considers that a staple of their lifestyle.  Sleep's "Dopesmoker" album's title track is over an hour long  journey into the recesses of space and time and is the sort of thing you would listen to when you are contemplating the existential crisis you are currently faced with in your line of work.  Or when you just want to get stoned out of your mind and pretend you're a space wizard.  Same difference.

    What I picture when I hear it is a soundtrack to these Tusken Raider-like dudes trekking through the desert, searching for some far off destination they will never quite reach.  Are they putting their anger fueled past behind them, journeying through a metaphysical wasteland on their way to a higher (pun intended) existence or are they just trying to get away from crazy old dudes wielding laser swords?  

    Arik Roper created the art behind this stoner rock classic and Unbox Industries has brought it to life in 3D form.  This guy will be available for sale starting tonight from http://store.unboxindustries.info for $85 each.