Do you know the 15 most famous art toys?
Nov 16, 2023
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1. BE@RBRICK
The first Be@rbrick, created by Medicom, was released as a free gift to attendees of the 12th World Character Convention in Tokyo in 2001. The standard Be@rbrick size is 7 centimeters high and is usually referred to as 100%. Other Be@rbricks are named 50%, 70%, 400%, and 1000% based on the standard. 100% Be@rbricks typically runs in series, with each series featuring 18 of his characters with different themes that are consistent across series. These topics are: Basic, Jelly Bean, Pattern, Flag, Horror, Sci-Fi, Cute, Animal, Artist, Hero. 100% figures are often sold in blind box assortments, where they are packaged in a small box without identifying the specific figure. Instead, the number of times each character appears in the series is expressed as a percentage. A staple in every creative office or bedroom, Be@brick boasts notable collaborations with Coco Chanel, Swarovski, Colette, and more.
2. KAWS COMPANION
After leaving school, artist Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS, took a fateful trip to Japan, where he met members of Hectic, Stash, Futura, Nigo and Hiroshi Fujiwara. Shortly after that, in 1999, KAWS contacted Hikaru Iwanaga, the founder of Bounty His Hunter, and it was suggested that they create a toy. From paintings to advertising posters, he wanted to create derivative works in 3D that were meaningful and recognizable alongside the work he was already producing. While watching the animation, he recognized similar body shape patterns, such as boots and gloves, and concluded that Mickey, with his distinctive skull and crossbones, was the most recognizable character he could recreate. The first Companion was born in his edition of 500 copies in three color variations. Since then, the characters have evolved into larger-than-life sculptures, and smaller characters are sometimes sold at prestigious galleries such as MoMA and Perrotin.
3. MICHAEL LAU
Hong Kong artist Michael Lau is best known as the founder of the urban vinyl toy movement. His work is heavily influenced by graffiti and skating and is frequently exhibited in small galleries in Hong Kong. He worked as a window designer, then looked for work in the advertising industry, and in 1998 he began serializing the comic "Gardener" in East Touch magazine. The character created for this comic first formed the basis of his 12-inch vinyl figure series, and subsequently became the vehicle for Carhartt's collaborations with companies such as WIP, Porter, Marharishi, and Nike.
4. AGENT NIGO
Released by Medicom in 1998 and limited to 1000 pieces, the Agent Nigo figure is every BAPE/NIGO fan's plastic dream. Representative A.P.E. (Agency Preventive Evil) appears in full Bape regalia, expressing his Nigo love for the Planet of the Apes franchise. A removable monkey mask is also included, revealing a somewhat suspicious likeness of NIGO. Nevertheless, this is definitely something you should be lucky enough to get your hands on.
5. VCD MICKEY
Disney's iconic characters have gone through countless variations over the years, from clothing to food, with the everyone-knowing Mouse and everyone-knowing Love appearing on everything at least twice. I am. So how can Medicom change that?With the VCD Mickey series, the Big Show from Mickey and the Fables ranges from the hard rock version that controversially appeared on Ian Connor's Instagram a few years ago. He appears in various versions, up to his NEIGHBORHOOD collaboration, which is unique to both Bad Wolf.
6. CHRIST UNLIMITED
Originally designed by artist Herman Mackink, Christ Unlimited figures are best known as Alex DeLarge's bedroom props in the cult film A Clockwork Orange. These statues were inspired by a statuette of the Crucified Christ that Mackinck found and recreated in the pose above. As you can imagine, Mr. Medicom, the 52cm statue has been reinvented many times. These come in pairs. To recreate his set of four from the movie, you'll need two more.
7. MR.DOB
Mr. DOB is a quirky and edgy work by Japanese visual artist Takashi Murakami. Its name comes from the Japanese slang word "dobojite" or "why?". And it's literally written all over his face, allowing us to recognize him despite his ever-changing appearance.
8. POINTMAN
British electronica collective UNKLE, founded in 1992 by James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy, teamed up with Futura, who asked them to design the cover art for their debut album Psyence Fiction. With the success of the UNKLE album, Point Man's success also followed. Point Man was acquired by Medicom, who collaborated with Ape, Nike, and Levi's to produce Point Man toys, to name a few. In Futura's words, "If it wasn't for the UNKLE experience, I don't think anyone would have ever heard of Pointman."
9. LUKE CHUEH
Luke Chueh uses a minimal color scheme, simple animal characters, and a seemingly endless list of unfortunate situations. Stylistically, it balances cuteness and brutality, often walking a fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chueh's toys are usually direct interpretations of his paintings and feature unnamed characters.
10. MR.A.BALL
In 1992, a young Andre Saraiva appeared on television and answered questions from a journalist who had been following his tag at the Louvre metro station. Two years later, he began drawing the iconic character Mr. A. The distinctive cartoon character, identified by his "X" and "O" eyes and wide grin, eventually became a vinyl collectible late last year.
11. STUSSY X PAY JAY FIGURE
Jay Dilla's legacy will undoubtedly live on forever. Dilla's Pay-J Productions has partnered with Detroit artist Syntex, Seoul-based toy artist P2PL, and Stussy to release a playful re-imagining of this influential producer. Limited to just 2,000 pieces, his figure stands 7.5 inches tall and features a removable hat, sampler, chain, and movable arm.
12. SEXY ROBOT
In the late 1990s, Hajime Sorayama began drawing a series of anatomically correct female robot figures after being commissioned by Sony Corporation to design the organic robot shape that would become the famous Aibo dog. I coined the term "sexy robot" to describe it. . Mr. Sorayama created this collector's figure of him in a limited edition of 100 pieces worldwide, and each piece comes with a guarantee card autographed by Mr. Sorayama. cute.
13. MARTIN
The first James Jarvis toy, Martin, was released in 1998 for the skate company Cyrus. As the story goes, Jarvis joined London's slum city skating scene and created illustrations for their in-house clothing brand, Holmes. When Russell Waterman and Sofia Plantella (the women now behind Aries Arise) founded Cyrus, they invited him to collaborate with them. Cyrus' distributor, which was very popular in Japan, had a partnership with Bounty Hunter, Inc., which launched an artist-run designer toy marketplace. The idea to create a toy came to Jarvis and the rest was history.
14. SMORKIN' LABBIT
Spanish-born Frank Kozik is often credited with single-handedly reviving the lost art of concert posters. His career grew primarily from his enthusiasm for Austin's ever-growing underground punk scene in the early '80s. In 1981, he began designing flyers for his friend's band and posting them on telephone poles. His work has quickly become a visually arresting and culturally compelling artist. He is currently working closely with Kidrobot and many other toy companies to create creations including various versions of his iconic character Smokin' His Rabbit. To date, he has designed over 500 limited edition figures.
15. RON ENGLISH
As one of today's most prolific and celebrated artists, Ron English has given the world unforgettable images. On the streets, in museums, in movies, in books, on TV. He also produced a plethora of art toys that any collector would be proud to have in their archives. From the Teletubbies to Mario, English created toys by inverting many characters and adding his signature skull grin.Products Description
