Life In A Bungalo

Dot Dot Dash
by Robert Klanten (Editor), Matthias Hubner (Editor)
DGV

I Am Plastic
by Paul Budnitz
Harry N. Abrams

This is the year of the designer toy. Dozens of toy companies have been flooding the market, attempting to sell the coolest, most limited, and most expensive art toys. How massive is the vinyl toy scene? Case in point: Three years ago, the only real literature on the subject was courtesy of “Vinyl Will Kill,” a cohesive photo journal spotlighting the toys and artists that called this burgeoning scene home. The book was short and sweet, and what it lacked in substance, it made up for with decent interviews. Fast forward to 2006, and a few thousand toys later, and the latest documentation of vinyl art comes in the form of two monstrous tomes crammed with enough toys to make a vinyl fan drown in their own saliva.

On first glance, both books are insanely similar in page count, dimensions, and style. Both covers are stark white with a minimalist approach to design. While not exactly déjà vu, the guts of the books tell a similar tale. Both “Dot Dot Dash” and “ I Am Plastic” read like Sears catalogues for vinyl toys. “DDD” is a far bigger culprit, as many of the toys are shown in miniature in order to cram as many objects as possible. This choice of design is a cruel catch 22. Sure, the readers get a lot more toys to look it (hell, they even have the Gwins in here), but it’s at the cost of reducing Mr. Bunny to a two-inch by two-inch picture.

On the bright side, “DDD” has a few stellar interviews with artists scattered throughout its pages, and a wealth of custom designs. In addition, the photo art of McCarty Photoworks is spotlighted through out the book, adding a little more artistic merit to an often drab design.

When I first heard of “I Am Plastic” I assumed it was an autobiographical novel about Kid Robot, particularly because Bunditz had his name on the book as author. I thought, how cool would the story of one of the fastest growing DIY toy companies in America be? Alas, this is simply a photo album of the best of the best in designer toys. Not that that’s a bad thing. The focus is not on Kid Robot, which is a smart thing. Bunditz shares space between his competitors, choosing to show the vinyl toy movement as a scene, and not as a bunch of toy companies charging $100 for a chunk of vinyl.

Too bad, Bunditz put zero thought into reading material. Besides a mildly entertaining foreword, the only editorial in the book is a bunch of god-awful interviews in the back of the book, all featuring the same asinine questions.

So the big question now is which book to get? It’s really a toss up. Neither book provides a ton of new information, but both give a comprehensive view of the vinyl toy industry, and serve as a primer to new fans and a reference to long-time collectors. “DDD” and “I Am Plastic” should serve as bookends to the flood of vinyl books that are bound to be released as the scene gets even bigger in the coming years.