Record vinyls
When limited-edition meets the obscure, you have a sale
By Tina Benitez -- Playthings, 7/1/2006
Miniature circus punks (the kind you hit with a ball at carnivals), a turtle sporting a giant skull instead of a shell, and neon characters in prickly cactus suits? Only in vinyl! It's this kind of staggering variety that makes these original figures so sought after, says Kristen Rask, owner of Schmancy, a Seattle-based toy store filled with collectible vinyl figures nestled among its other, more traditional playthings.
Vinyls are growing in popularity because they give collectors something out of the ordinary to display, with items often transcending the status of toy for something closer to “art.” And talk about rare—sometimes only 499 or 999 other people in the world will own the exact same model!
Popular vinyls at the moment include Dunny figures (rabbit-like characters covered in funky patterns that are designed by different artists) and artist Gary Baseman's 12-inch Dunces (which look exactly like their names imply). “There are a lot of new, exciting toys coming out from Kidrobot, including more Dunnys, which are one of my favorites,” says Rask. She also notes, “Munnys, which are DIY toys, are doing very well right now.”
Kidrobot's latest Dunnys, which are made in limited quantities—sometimes as low as 600 pieces—include new designs like Lenin, Hard Day's Knight (a knighted Dunny in hot pink and yellow), a Dunnynaut and a cell phone series in silver and gold.
Meanwhile, the first series of 8000-count Blow Up Dolls from Jamungo, the Los Angeles company behind the Mini Circus Punks, will be out this summer and the rest of the year.
Dark Horse Comics also expands its vinyl line this year with Patrick McDonnell's Mutts. The Milwaukie, Ore.-based distributor and manufacturer will release two 8-inch vinyl figures of the classic comic's Mooch and Earl, this October. PVC figures of the characters will be available this summer.
StrangeCo, San Francisco, will release several new vinyl figures throughout this year, including Mini Treehouse, a collection of 2-inch, tree-like vinyl creatures with branches and other limbs sticking out of them. Each named character will come packaged with multiple accessories to create two different outfits. StrangeCo also will be offering Polpettina, a pink Cactus Friend, bristles and all. She's the girlfriend of Bastardino, a green prickly pooch from the new vinyl line by artist Tokidoki. Additional characters Sandy and Sabochan are expected to be available this summer and fall.
Rask says that the Tokidoki figures are also popular in her newly expanded store. “There are so many toys now that it's kind of crazy,” she says. “And when I tell people that most of my major customers are 20 to 30 years old or older, [they] are surprised.”
