Skullhead Black Porcelain from Huck Gee x K Olin Tribu

   I have one experience with porcelain in my life and it involved high school ceramics class and a bad attitude.  We got to make whatever we wanted as long as there was no chance we could smoke something out of it.  The teacher had grown up in Philadelphia so he was wise to whenever some hillbilly kid thought they were being really slick.  I wasn't interested in smoking devices, but I was interested in being a weirdo so the first things I made were a set of loose teeth.  Having not fully filled my potential, nor having an adequate idea as to what I was going to do with them, I then turned my attention towards fashioning a toilet.  My methods were crude, so this was more abstract than the found and functional art of Duchamp, but it had character.  I decided it was an ash tray for the outlaw biker father I never had and a small drip of pride settled in at the bottom of my heart.  It was actually the second ash tray I had made in my life, the first being a rendition of Monstar's head from Silverhawks when I was in first grade.  The stranger thing about that is that no one I was related to ever smoke, so I have no idea why I decided everything had to be an ash tray.  Weird.

    You cannot as a matter of fact use this Skullhead figure as an ash tray because that would be dumb.  Huck Gee and K. Olin Tribu present their latest edition of this porcelain figure in all black, which is quite menacing looking.  Limited to an edition of only 50, and presented with a signed COA from the artist in a wooden box, you can order one of these now by visiting https://www.artandtoys.com/en/.

Tuxedo Kittypillar from Casey Weldon x 3A

    I used to be a serious germaphobe and would wash my hands after touching anything I thought could make me sick.  Even being in close proximity to something contaminated would make me feel like I was covered in sure fire death.  Living with five cats has all but cured me of the germ nightmare that I was trapped in.  Case in point: the other night I went to bed and I'm laying there a few minutes before I decide that a blanket is the way to go.  So I reach over and in the handful of microfiber luxury was a hairball.  It wasn't fresh, so the outside thankfully lacked that coating of slime that is their trademark, but not unlike a Twinkie, the inside was still filled with a gooey surprise.  Now old me would have happily thrown that blanket in a pile to be washed, gotten another one, and scrubbed my hand until the first layer of skin had been adequetly punished.  New me carefully walked to the bathroom, removed the rest of the hairball from the blanket WITH MY BARE HAND, washed my hands like it was no big deal, and returned to bed with said blanket.  I did flip it around so the filthy end was at my feet, but other than that I took no special action.

   Casey Weldon is one of my favorite artists, so much so that I have one of his prints hanging next to my tv, which is considered sacred space in my house.  3A has brought one of his most famous images to toy life with this outstanding rendition of Kittypillar.  I am thankful cats are limited to only four paws in real life, because they manage to transfer plenty of litter bits with their toes as it is.  Any more methods of carrying it and my floors would transform into the Atlantic City beach front of the late '90's.  Gross.

   This tuxedo version of the mighty Kittypillar stands 8 inches tall and is available for preorder right now at http://www.bambalandstore.com for $89.  The price includes shipping, which is scheduled to commence in November.

3DRetro Exclusive Releases for the Life is Beautiful Festival

   I've never been to Las Vegas, but I live about 15 minutes from Atlantic City so I feel I've gotten the Cliffs Notes version of it.  Casinos are a disorienting carnival of free drinks, flashing lights, and forgetting momentarily that the money you're feeding that slot machine is proportionate to the amount you have to bargain with the electric company to not cut your power off.  I can see the appeal, don't get me wrong, especially as easily distracted as I am by shiny things. And I don't know anyone who doesn't have a dream about being independently wealthy.  I had a dream last night that I lived in this massive house that kept getting bigger the more I explored it and I never had to leave because it had a grocery store and a doctor's office.

    The casinos are pretty much all Atlantic City has going for it so I am extremely jealous of events such as this that are absent from our little seaside den of sin.  The Life is Beautiful Festival promises attendees a weekend of music and art, and while most of the bands aren't my cup of tea, the art alone is worth the trip.  M Modern Gallery has a lineup for their Crime on Canvas exhibit that is beyond drool worthy, and 3DRetro will be there selling some exclusive vinyl toys.  There will be new releases from personal favorites Gary Baseman and Shag, as well as a glow in the dark edition of KRK Ryden's Moe Hawk figure.  Check out the pictures and if you're in the Las Vegas area this weekend and an art fan, you have no excuse not to be a part of this.

Bullet Edition Crimson Ghost from The Misfits x Super7

    The Misfits are one of my all time favorite bands and I was finally able to see them with Danzig when they played in New Jersey this past May.  Of course I had to catch a stomach bug the day of the show, so the drive to Newark involved more than one pit stop and a lot of praying in between each.  Had it been any other show I might have turned around to be sick in the comfort of my own home, but there was no guarantee they would ever play together again after this one.  I manned up harder than I ever had before and made it through.  As I'm rereading this it sounds like one of those "how I spent my summer vacation" essays they make you write in school.  Deal with it.

    Super7 continues their awesome collaboration with The Misfits with the Bullet edition of their Crimson Ghost mascot.  He comes blood spattered to mimic what I'm sure was a controversial cover at the time and what most likely will be when people see this (it's actually already started on a post made to Super7's Instagram). Last time I checked we as human being had much more important things to worry about, but why bother solving bigger issues when we can be outraged on the internet about things that don't really matter?  We are so easily distracted.

    Releasing next Wednesday, September 19th, you can add this to your collection by visiting www.super7.com.

Danger Dog Vinyl Figure from Tenacious Toys

    All work places should have dogs.  That is legislation that could really impact everyone's lives in a positive fashion.  Whenever someone brings a dog in where I work it instantly downgrades what is usually a fecal hurricane into a mild tropical storm.  Dealing with the public is not the unicorns and rainbows anyone would make it out to be, but a visit form a little doggie makes it so much better.

    The blue dog in the Tenacious Toys logo is like the Colonial Sanders of the designer toy world, minus the fancy white suit and all the chicken parts.  What I'm trying to say is he's instantly recognizable and just like I did with my Colonial Sanders plastic bank from the 1970's, you can add him to your ever growing collection.  Available in a painted edition, or as a blank in either blue or white, pick em up now at www.tenacioustoys.com.  Sculpted by Mike Nemo Mendez based on the art of Playful Gorilla.

Hyper Orange Semi Korosiya from Cop A Squat Toys x Science Patrols

    Good lord is that not the brightest orange you have ever seen?  No amount of adjusting your computer's display will bring that sucker into focus.  The Semi Korosiya figure from Cop A Squat Toys was thought to be a thing of the past, as the molds were seemingly "lost" and forced this dude into an early retirement.  Enter Science Patrols, who retrieved the original iron needed to make these suckers and subsequently produced the orangiest orange I have ever seen.  I feel like I should be looking at this thing through those eclipse glasses to protect my retinas.  

    You'll be able to snag one of these blank figures tomorrow from http://sciencepatrol.storenvy.com when they go on sale at 12:00 pm jst.  There will also be an orange version of Husk, which is the cute little cicada pictured below.  I'm actually assuming it's a cicada based on it's name as they leave those little husks of their former selves attached to trees, but I could be wrong.  

The Diver Resin Figure from Pocket Watch Toys

    The octopus is smarter than most of the people you work with.  They're great problem solvers unlike some people we know who surprise us every day that their lungs continue to inhale and exhale without you having to assist and who skate by oblivious to the fact that every day feels like their first day to fellow employees.  Not that I speak from such experience, but if any aquarium is interested in loaning me an octopus to test a theory, please shoot me an email.  

    Until I am able to replace a few people with cephalopods, I will continue to dream about what awesome coworkers they would make.  Check this one out from Pocket Watch Toys,  who has found himself a cool diving helmet to up his selfie game on Instagram.  This dude is limited to 15 pieces, features a removable helmet, and can be obtained right now at http://pocketwatchtoys.co.uk/shop/.