TEASER: Toy2R Qee x Fifth Sun apparel line coming 2010

Just got word direct from Toy2RUSA that they're gonna be teaming up with apparel company Fifth Sun to create a line of Toy2R apparel. No further word on that. Frustrating but also very cool. I think as a retailer I am literally required by NY State law to rock some of that gear... can't wait to see what they come out with!

Dr. Brain 7.5-inch vinyl toy by RAJE coming mid-2010

DR. BRAIN, a 7.5-inch vinyl figure, will have a limited production run of only 500 units worldwide (that's 450 units regular colorway and 50 units of the chase). Coming in mid-2010, the retail price will be $59.95. It is the “brain-child” of ROBOTIC INDUSTRIES’, and RAJE partner, Jim Freckingham.
Borne out of a passion for the growing urban art and designer-toy sector, RAJE have created a business model that aims to introduce exciting, unknown talent to the market, as well as work with some of the greatest names in the designer-toy industry.
RAJE will be showcasing the DR. BRAIN figure at a special launch party (TBA) in the UK - a signing event for retailers and collectors alike. Retailers who would like to attend can contact RAJE TOYS via its website.
Shipping two months after DR BRAIN, in July 2010, will be the Victorian-cyber-punk-esque “G.N.O.M.E” – created by the hugely talented, DOKTOR A; renowned for his work with Kidrobot and Mindstyle’s Mechtorians. G.N.O.M.E will have a production run of 500 units, with a chase colour-way. (Find a good price on your hotel stay using this coupon.)
RAJE TOYS LTD was formed in November 2009 by Richard Emms, Adam Boreham, Jim Freckingham and Eddie Deighton -- a highly unique collaboration of retailers, designers and marketeers with over forty years collective experience between them.
Richard Emms has run and managed several successful retail stores over the past three decades. He is also co- owner of NYC-based Ardden Entertainment LLC - publishers of the new Flash Gordon and Casper the Friendly Ghost series.
Adam Boreham is the lead designer for Reaction Visual Media, a design agency based in North Hertfordshire, where he has worked for clients such as Red Stripe, G Casino, Gleneagles Hotel and Kelloggs amongst others. He spends most of his spare time hurting himself on his skateboard or training in mixed martial arts.
Jim Freckingham has over 10 years modelmaking experience, most of which was gained in the toy industry.
During that time, he has worked on licensed toy lines including The Muppets, Harry Potter, Dr Who and Lord of the Rings, to name but a few. As founder of Robotic Industries, Jim is always looking for ways to expand his toy robot collection.
Eddie Deighton is Founder and Creative Director of successful design and advertising agency, An.x. He is also co-owner of Com.x, one of the most prolific comic publishing companies to appear in the publishing sector over the last ten years. He brings a wealth of creative, management, screenwriting and IP creation skills to the company.

Check out RAJE TOYS on facebook & twitter.

Non-racist Black Skinhead Panthro bootleg non-action figure

Non-racist Black Skinhead Panthro bootleg non-action figure, made of resin by Tone Tank of Scumlife. 24 pieces made, $24 each. Buy one here.

Happiness for Haiti 2.5" Qee Bear

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we dohave” – Fredrick Koenig

We take for granted the things we have but being without everyday necessities, like water and shelter can be devastating, especially for children. Helping make a better tomorrow for the people of Haiti includes bringing happiness back to the children. Toy2R is collaborating with Artoyz in France and Apex in the US to release thisvery special edition 2.5” Happiness for Haiti Qee Bear.
Limited to 500 pieces – this Qee can be purchased directly from Toy2R, Artoyz and Toy2R-USA.
The proceeds from each sale will go directly to the American Red Cross to help their relief efforts in Haiti. Help bring the back smiles to the children of Haiti with the purchase of this limited edition Qee.
For more information contact:
Toy2R (Hong Kong) – info@toy2r.com
Toy2R USA – info@toy2rusa.com
Artoyz (France) – contact@artoyz.com
The Apex (USA) – theapex@apex-z.com

STAS Doom Cat artist multiple, edition of 10

The 28-year-old Austrian artist STAS releases his twisted version of a Maneki Neko sculpture in an edition of 10 handmade pieces. With an aesthetic rooted in do-it-yourself and punk and his main interest in transforming the meaning of existing characters and Objets Trouvés, STAS turns his attention to the Maneki Neko and transforms it into a symbol of fear. Doom Cat by STAS:

Modelling Paste, Acrylic Paint, Objet trouvé, Moving Arm, Batteries
Approximately 20,5 cm (8 inches) tall

Edition of 10 Price: 120 Euro (about $163)

Check out the video!

Available now at ARTOFSTAS.com

INSIDE TOY FAIR: Idolz Toys stackable figures

While I was hanging out with the guys from Elite Gudz in the designer toy aisle at Toy Fair, NEMO mentioned that down the aisle were some really cool stackable toys that he would love to get his hand on to customize, so I took a walk and here's what I found:

Idolz are a platform toy concept a little different than the rest: they do have articulated feet & arms, and they do have accessories, but what sets them apart from the rest is the fact that the apendages are removable and the Idolz can stack on top of one another. I think what got NEMO going was the endless totem-pole-esque opportunities this platform offered him as a customizer. Idolz are about 3 inches tall and cost $9.99 each.

Gruntor (the green camo design in the front of the pic below) is the first design that Idolz made, but I bet you could contact them and inquire about DIY blanks. I know for a fact that Damien, the president of Idolz Toys, has a few blanks in his office. If he runs out and there are enough requests, I think he could be convinced to make another run of DIY blank white versions to sell alongside the future colorways. The future colorways are detailed on the Idolz website here.

If you want to find out more about the Idolz, check out their website, read Gruntor's blog, and friend him on Facebook! Gruntor even sends out the occasional tweet. His username is gruntor, of course.

INSIDE TOY FAIR: Band Mates plushes shaped like instruments

One of the standout new lines of plushes I found at Toy Fair were these super-soft Band Mates plushies in the shape of musical instruments. From left to right, they are: DJ MC, Mike, Tom & Axe-L. They retail between $14.99 and $19.99 each and you can read their backstories, check out the web comic, download wallpapers, and find out more about the cool people behind this line of plushes on their website.

I'm digging DJ MC the most, I think. Which one do you like best? Drop us an email or leave comment!

NEMO's Mannequin, executed live @ Toy Fair 2010

Check out more pics of this amazing piece on NEMO's blog.

I believe Toy Fair will be auctioning this piece off for charity.

INSIDE TOY FAIR: Domo Qee Series 2 coming March

It is no secret that I love Domo. We've stocked all kinds of Domo stuff: paper goods, vinyl toys, plush toys...

We have a plush 6" Domo that lives above our microwave in our kitchen!

Every morning I am greeted by a Domo as I make my coffee.

So of course one of my first stops at Toy Fair was the Dark Horse booth where they were exhibiting the upcoming Domo mini figure series!

Domo 2" Qee Series 2 is a series of 15 different blind-boxed mystery figures. There will be 5 flocked colorways, and also a beautiful tear-drop design that reminds me of the Triclops Rainy figure from the UK Dunny series. There's one that looks like metal plates, one that looks like a turtle shell, one that looks like a circuit board, and one that looks like a skeleton, in addition to several others. In short, a whole mess of interesting designs!

As a supplement to the Domo Qee Series 2 figures, they also created 5 limited edition Domo Qee designs that are will be available individually on blister cards. With the exception of the Flocked Classic Brown Domo Qee, the 4 other new designs will not be available in the Series 2 blind-boxed Display Case. The blister packaging looks like this:

I believe the blind-box Domos will sell for $7.99 and the blister-carded Domo figures will sell for $8.99, although I'm not 100% certain. Of course we will happily sell open box series 2 Domo Qees at reasonable prices if you like buying that way.

Also on display in the Dark Horse both were the upcoming 7" Domo Qee figures, most notably the Skeleton, Grass and Wood Grain colorways, which will retail for $79.99 each.

Lil'G Boombox appears alongside the Mini Beachcomber at Canadian Auto Show

Jason Dollin shares with us some exciting news about his Lil'G Boombox project and his trip to the Canadian International Auto Show:

Jason was contacted for this opportunity by Candice & Alison:

I'll let Jason take it from here:

"Candice & Alison were commissioned by MINI to design and produce the Canadian launch of the MINI Beachcomber concept car at the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS).

The theme concept was a 1950's Beach Tailgate Party which included Pin up style models with era inspired costumes. Adding to the beach party theme, Candice & Alison approached me to have Lil'G accompany the models showcasing the display area. Everything went amazing, the MINI Beachcomber - concept car was very well received. The models (Jon, Vlada and Caitlyn) were all decked out in their beach wear and looked the part of 50s beach babes and dude. With Lil'G at their side as they showed off the new car from MINI.

Getting ready for the event took a lot of work. The Lil'G prototype wasn't fully ready for the event, so I had to have new parts rapid prototyped for the back section. Creating the slot for the MP3 players to be inserted into. Industrial Designer Jason Nip (DesigNet) was a large part of getting Lil'G up to speed, together we brought Lil'G to what it would be on store shelves. MINI/Candice & Alison requested that it be a full working model as it would look at retail.

Industrial Designer Jason Nip (DesigNet):

It's really wonderful that MINI/Candice & Alison would recognize a designer product such as mine. It shows that designer toys are ready to break into other markets and be accepted by the consuming market, and not just by collectors and enthusiasts. I hope this event inspires other to push for amazing possibilities such as this. Put your work out there, be unique, positive, creative and see what happens!"

You can visit Jason Dollin's website here, find out more about the Lil'G Boombox here, follow him on Facebook here.

Custom Steam-Punk 3" Trexi by Daniel Yu

From Daniel Yu:

"Inspired by the steampunk and punk-rebel culture, this piece is entitled steam-punk. A representation of flamboyance and rebellion, the piece explores the underlying need for approval and acceptance that is shelled within attention-seekers."

Title: steam-punk

By: Daniel Yu

Medium: DIY Trexi, epoxy sculpt, acrylic paints
3 inches tall
More pics can be found at his blog and on his flickr.

Playge Misfortune Cat Black drops Monday Feb 22nd

PLAYGE MISFORTUNE CAT 'BLACK'

Release Info:
The release date is set for Monday, FEB 22, 12:00 noon - Central Daylight Time

The webstore for this release is located here.

Additional info:

- 9" rotocast vinyl.

- Includes velvet bag.

- 150 pieces produced.

Price: $85 USD - includes worldwide shipping via FEDEX