Life In A Bungalo

Dissected Companion
Kaws
Medicom

The hype on this bad boy crept out early. Like a bad rumor that wouldn’t die, Kaws fans started whispering about a new piece of vinyl that was half Companion and half dissected creature. Eventually, photos were leaked and the toy made its premiere the way a piece of art should–at an art exhibit in New York City. Talk swirled that this would be the supreme, must have toy and soon non-Kaws fans were drooling over the Dissected Companion. When it finally dropped on Kaws’ own Web store (with a very reasonable price tag), a legion of vinyl fans swarmed gobbling up every one and completely obliterating the Web site. Since then, the figure has spawned two additional (and rarer) colorways that aren’t garnering the attention the original received. Prices on the color version keep rising on eBay, and just about everyone wants to get their hands on one of these bad boys.

So what makes the Dissected Companion so awesome?

First things first, the figure is weighty in size, towering over most Qees and Dunnys. The quality on this bad boy is superb–Other than a few complaints of mild leaning, the Companion is flawless in color, design, and construction. Most importantly, in a year that saw urban vinyl toys stagger towards a hipper and cutesy demographic, the Kaws Dissected figure is both creepy and cool, recalling some of the early 8-inch Dunnys and Kaiju figures. Finally, this is a pure example of a toy as a piece of art. Anyone who sees this has to stop and pause. Is it a human? Is it a cartoon character? No, it’s the best vinyl toy of 2006.

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Andrew Bell
Zliks
WheatyWheat

The first public appearance of a Zlik was as a test piece at Bell’s art show at Kid Robot New York. Judging by the number of fans hovering over the counter, you could just tell the buzz was going to be deafening. Nearly a year later, Bell’s second toy is a reality, and the master behind The Creatures Inside My Head has released a fleet of badass colorways to entice his fans. So what is a Zlik. Well it kinda looks like a deformed worm with beady eyes, but just to be on the safe side, we bugged Bell for some more information.

What was your inspiration behind the Zliks platform?
The Zliks came directly from one of my ‘Creatures in my Head’ project illustrations from a few years back. The original (and admittedly crude) illustration of them first appeared on the site in March 2004 and then found it’s way to the back of the Groob standard edition boxes. I wanted to do something similarly fun and interactive. With Groob you could swap his faces to suit your mood or tastes, with my next toys I wanted to bring that concept to a whole new level.

How difficult was it to translate your creatures to a toy and hard was it to select one creature to become a toy?
I used to do a lot of 3D work, so I don’t have too hard a time translating my work into the real world. However some of my drawings are physically impossible, so that can lead to some problems! Picking one creature (or a set in this case) is always difficult and I knew picking this particular set would be a huge challenge. After putting them on the back of the Groob box and staring at it for a while I knew I had to bring them to vinyl.

It took forever to get these things out? What’s you reaction to the final product?
The biggest hurdles with the Zliks were mostly technical and not creative. I went through dozens of samples to determine the vinyl hardness, eyeball sizes and base construction. Toss in a few complicated wrap-around paint jobs, combine with two dangerously perfectionist project producers (myself and Richard VanOver of WheatyWheat), add a dash of insanity, and you have a product that took close to 2 years from initial concept design to final product.

Of all of the colorways, which one is your favorite and why?
This is always a hard question for me to answer, and my answer tends to change depending on the day of the week. That being said, my current favorite is the blue ‘Wandering Sky’ Nature variant, followed closely by the blue translucent Octane 3 ‘Ice’ Oil variant.

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Sours
Brendan Monroe
Android8

For as far back as I can remember, I have always had a connection nature and the outdoors. I grew up in a house that backed onto a forest and spent a lot of my childhood playing in it. As time went on I started to get into art and found that a lot of the artwork that struck me as beautiful was based around nature. About a year ago I came across the artwork of Brendan Monroe. Going through his website, I instantly fell in love with his sculptures and paintings. Although some of his work was bizarre, there was something about seeing people with plants growing out of them that really connected with me. A few months later I heard news about the release of Brendan’s “Sour” figures, based on his fruit-like evil creatures. These were a must have for me and over the next few months, I managed to get the full four piece set.

These pieces have become more than just toys to me and I see them as pieces of art by one of my favorite artists. They are subtle looking yet very intriguing. They are an excellent representation of Brendan’s artwork and even though the four different coloured figures are made from the same sculpt, each on has its own feeling. Brendan has taken that love for nature, and transformed it into beautiful little sculptures. The “Sours” will be talked about for a while and I believe that they will go down as pieces that everyone will remember for years and years to come. –WeKillYou

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Pushead
Kaws X Pushead
Medicom

Out of all of Kaws’s collaborations in 2006, the most surprising (and the most intriguing) was his work with Pushead–known best for his corpse-style drawings on hundreds of skateboards, Thrasher covers, and Metallica t-shirts. Pushead took Kaws’s simple companion design and turned it into this mutilated, pock-ridden creature that draws looks of both shock and disgust.

Originally released in 2005 as a Japanese-only bronze edition, the figure went worldwide in 2006 with two solid colorways (silver and black) and a glow in the dark version. The crème de la crème, however came in the Fall, when Kaws released one last hand-painted green version with dark green ooze painted over a matte black figure. The effect is awesome and the figure was devoured by vinyl fans.

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Sam Flores
Fatima
Ningyoushi

Sam Flores’s visually stunning piece of three-dimensional art was the wild card in this year’s list. While some might write Fatima off as an articulated doll, the figure became so popular that it sold out in all its multiple colorways. Fatima perfectly captures Flores’s artwork, but surprisingly, numerous toy customizers ranging from Dok A to Dear Earthling have reimagined the vinyl girl. One would think that retooling such a beautiful creation would be sacrilege, but Flores only seems to inspire.

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Frank Kozik
Mao Bust
“Bird is the Word”

When word got out that Frank Kozik was creating a multi-colorway bust of Mao with Mickey Mouse ears, fan interest was peaked. When the $200 price point was announced, fans wondered if the man had gone nuts. Looks like Kozik’s the one laughing now as his massive tribute to pop-art took center stage at the Cooper Hewitt design triennial.

According to Kozik, this Mao is his first attempt at truly classic pop art. And one would be hard pressed to call this figure a vinyl toy. “The Mickey ears just seemed perfect given that Mao is now basically a commercial product even in China,” Kozik told Life In A Bungalo.

Kozik scores another honorable mention on this list with his rendition of Tequila, aptly named El Brujo Narco Satanico. While the original luchadore figure wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the Kozik version was so evil looking that it shut up all the naysayers who felt that vinyl toys were getting too cute in 2006.

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Deph
8″ Big Mouth Dunny
Kid Robot

You asked for it; you got it. The 8-inch version of Deph’s Big Mouth Dunny is the only design in Kid Robot’s classic platform series to make the list this year, largely due to KR flooding the market with crappy ABS plastic figures, poor quality control, and less-than stellar designs. The Deph Dunny, however, is a true work of art. From its popping green color to its custom made wings, this Dunny is a jewel for any vinyl collection.

The best part is that the Dunny was created for the fans. After months of petitioning and begging, Kid Robot bowed down before the vinyl freaks and gave in. The result is a flawless design. The toy was priced higher than most Dunnys, but the box was equally magnificent and each figure was signed. Sadly, the company proceeded to milk the fans a little more by releasing a second blue colorway with GID accents at Comic Con. While a quick sell out, the new color doesn’t hold a candle to the original.

Your Dunny was the first and probably only Dunny to ever be made into a larger edition due primarily to an outcry from the fans. What’s your reaction to all of the support?
Words can’t some up the feelings I have for this. These fans have just put me over the top in gratitude. I never was shooting to make the best toy or a chase. I’ve just been very lucky to have all of this happen to me. I’m not big on hype, but when someone puts in a lot of work to create a product based off the look of the product itself and not just buying it because of the artists name really feels accomplishing and allows me to feel they have gotten a true piece of art.

What was your inspiration when you first design the 3″ Big Mouth Dunny?
Well looking at toys in general they usually always have the same looks to them weather it be a smile, a grin, a smirk, or this creepy Chucky look that makes you feel eerie inside that maybe this toy has a hidden agenda on its list. Hahaha. What would it be like to have this tiny 3-inch piece of vinyl screaming at you from the top of its lungs, “Get me out of this box” or “Get me away from the rest of these 3-inch midgets.” Now that would be amazing. So I decided to add the overwhelming detail like I always do and add some wing accessories. Give this toy its chance to become one of us.

How difficult was it translating the smaller Dunny to a larger platform? Were the wings a bitch?
Actually I think it was much easier. It’s like working on bigger canvas. Much more area to be covered. Working with a 3-inch is already hard just to hold on to. Plus you have so many limitations on what you can do at this size. So stepping up to 8-inch knocks down almost all the barriers of limitations. With the wings on the 3-inch I wasn’t too hyped about them but I know the limitations are there and we can only do what we can. As for the 8-inch I had a lot of fun with them. I got to pull off any details I wanted plus Make them GID. So this was a task in itself.

How does it feel seeing this Dunny being used all of the promotional material for the Cooper Hewitt Triennial?
Feels really good just to be hand picked by such a huge gallery. Feels even more gratifying once you get all the actual printed material in your hand and you know that its for real. Especially out of all the toys that Kid Robot makes. I’m very thankful for this.

While the Deph’s Dunny is truly the king of all Dunnys this year, a nod needs to be given to new 8-inch designs by Tim Biskup (Acidhead) and Kozik (Lenin) for also creating some stellar Dunnys in 2006.

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Ferg
Squbes
Jamungo

Is it a toy? Is it a coffee table? While many vinyl figures blur the line between art and toys, The Sqube poses the question as to whether or not a toy can also be furniture. Earlier this year, Jamungo released a handful of large-scale Squbes that actually double as end tables. These massive chunks of vinyl look somewhat like square skulls, and are endlessly stackable. The four-inch versions come in a variety of colors, and so far, the buzz has been quite positive.

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Jeff Soto
Terrarium Keeper Egg Qee
Toy2R

Toy fans have been waiting ages for a vinyl version of Jeff Soto’s classic Walker design, and from the looks of it, they’re going to be waiting a lot longer. Luckily, Toys2R appeased Soto’s diehard following in early spring by releasing a Qee rendition of the Terrarium Keeper on the company’s latest platform, the Egg Qee.

The Egg Qee’s smooth curves served as a perfect canvas for Soto’s robotic creature and the figure easily trumped the more traditional Baseman and Biskup Egg Qees that also were released in 2006. Limited to 500, the Keeper received extra love from Soto, as the artist signed every box. An alternate blue color way was later released, but the coloring was nowhere near as cool as the original.

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Brian Taylor
Rustboy
Android 8

Rustboy is the brainchild of Brian Taylor. Rustboy began in its infancy as a simple 2D image, which Brian had created for a proposed short story. This initial sketch of the Rustboy character has spurred multiple projects including a series of children’s story/picture books, an ambitious short film project, and of course the beautifully designed and constructed Rustboy Collectible Vinyl Toy.

The Rustboy Collectible Vinyl Toy is a case study in design excellence. Several features set Rustboy at the forefront of the best toys of 2006; first of which are the individual paint jobs on each figure. Not only are there two color ways, but each individual toy is sprayed with minor differentiation so when closely examined the “rusting” effect is different on each figure. The second outstanding feature would have to be the seven points of articulation, which allow for multiple posing capabilities. In addition to the seven points of articulation, each figure has one movable lazy eye. The combination of these three features allows for multiple Rustboys with their own unique look and pseudo personalities to be arranged together creating a sense of a futuristic Gepeto’s workshop. I have personally purchased three, and have plans to buy many more in the coming months. –Lil J NYC