Friday, September 11, 2009

Toy of the Week Monday, Sept 7, 2009

Twenty years ago no one could imagine that there would be a world where wealthy urban hipsters would wander in to galleries that display action figures like fine pieces of art.  They would scrutinize them carefully and select the toy that best suited their aesthetic sensibilities.  Welcome to the world of Designer Toys.  Designer Toys first appeared in the late 1990's.  Professional artists and designers began creating the pieces, which are then put into production.  Typically, production is limited to as few as 2, or as many as 2000 pieces.    The toys are made from a variety of materials such as resin, wood and metal-- but vinyl is the most common.  This spawned the term Urban Vinyl, which many use interchangeably with the term Designer Toys.

There are many Designer Toys that will ultimately make their way into the Cabinet of Curious Frivolities.  Today I bring you Hazmapo Tri-Yella, an example created by a pair of Oregon based artists in 2004.  Tri-Yella is inspired by Cold War era radiation suits.  There were three basic sculptures in the first series and two repaints of each, for a total of six styles.  You can visit the artists website and veiw the styles that are currently available.  

To take a closer look, suit up and stroll into the Figures gallery and peruse the pics of Hazmapo Tri-Yella.

Full steam ahead...

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