All Posts tagged diy

Tuesday Time Waster: Regretsy

Whenever I need a laugh (preferably at someone else’s expense), I turn to Regretsy. Reading Regretsy recalls the good old days of watching Mystery Science Theater 3000. While Joel Hodgson and his ‘bots turned their comedic riffing toward a screen showing science fiction and B-movies, Helen Killer updates this by being on the other side of the screen and directing her etsy-generated snark back at you. Regretsy serves up a warning signal for those about to buy it now. It’s a moment of pause, which all of us about to embark on the journey to SDCC could stand to contemplate.

How many of you haven’t had a “WTF” moment when looking at a DIY toy? Regretsy is an aggregator of “WTF meets DIY”. And it is HILARIOUS. Whether they’re taking aim at the gall of a $170 Roofies body pillow or a horrifying diorama lovingly made safe for kids with the use of lead-free paint, Helen and co are always on target.

And it’s with such elegant brevity that she can turn a “Stunning Natural Wood Wand – Apple – for Working with Faeries or Unicorns” into  “a fucking stick”. Before you go thinking Regretsy is the work of a cruel complainer, many artists are in on the joke. Months back, while talking to toy customizer Amybean, she said of the opportunity to have a piece of her work exposed on Regretsy, “I should be so lucky!” We’re rooting for you, Amy. Regretsy is updated daily, and there’s a book, too.

Smash Tokyo Toys’ Seismic Ace Unboxed

We unboxed one of these bad boys because truth is more exciting than stock photos. Look at him shine!

This is the premiere release from Smash Tokyo Toys. Seismic Ace stands at 9″ tall, has 360 degree rotating, magnetically attached arms and enough weight to smash your Crispy Creme. Billed as a DIY toy, this piece has enough character to stand on it own. This Robot has a one piece head-torso-and-legs with removable arms for easy customisation.

Can’t wait to see what artists do with these. Edition of 470. We’ve got some in stock here.

A Good Excuse For A List of Green Toys By Artists

Green isn’t the most popular color, but those of us who love it will defend it to the death. Although Kermit had a public struggle with it, being green is now easier than ever. Nobody ever says, “The grass is always yellower on the other side.” The Enlightened adore green’s many hues and shades (which is more than I can give to purple). Green tells people to GO! It’s the only color with its own political party. It factored heavily into the urban planning of Emerald City. With a green screen, you can go anywhere. If you really need to get away, you can camouflage yourself with green. There’s a reason why people chill out in the green room. It’s a super-great color, and it’s presence in the world brings me happiness.  Soylent Pink just isn’t people, you know?

DISCLAIMER: There’s a nice amount of green toys in the Neon Monster shop right now, and much like how The Man in Black dispatched Jacob on LOST, I only needed a loophole to tell you about them. This post has absolutely nothing to do with Saint Patrick’s Day, although I wish our Irish and green-loving friends a terrific time today!

We recently came into possession of a small batch of 2005 Observers. The classic figure from San Francisco’s own Mars-1 has seen its way to something like ten production colorways, but in my opinion, this green edition is one of the best. We’ll be putting the remaining few green, red and grey Observers online this week. (Watch the blog and the Twitter for the notice.) Oh, and don’t forget: We’ll have signed glow-in-the-dark Observers at Wondercon.

Andrew Bell always delivers on two things: buttcracks and green. We hope the widespread embrace of his Google Android toys (a series which sports several green figures), brought Andrew some serious greenbacks. For the rest of us, there’s  O-No Sushi in Green and Giver of Disease.

Jim Woodring is another artist who brings the green. Yes, I know that Big Egypt Parlor Sphinx is a new toy and it’s a green frog, but it seems so…obvious. By contrast,  Mr. Bumper and LORBO are mixing it up psychedelic-style.

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Big Box Stores Set Their Designs on DIY Toys

Well, this was bound to happen. RoseArt, a name no doubt familiar to those of you with kids, has added a line of “Color Blanks” to its range of “family-friendly value” art products. As I’m not often in ToysRUs (where the Color Blanks retail for $5.99 single and $10.99 double with markers), I credit Eric Nocella Diaz and Kill! for the head’s up via Twitter.

Painting on blank anthropomorphic forms is nothing new. Places with clever names like “Puttin’ on the Bisque” have been providing ceramics for children to uglify since I was a kid.

In the last few years, there’s been an inundation of DIY toys on the market. Due to smart marketing, versatility, crossover placement and celebrity adoption (Rosie, Martha), Kidrobot’s Munny emerged as the leader of this genre. Unfortunately, KR violated two rules with their recent introduction of Munnyworld:

1. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
2. Lessons learned from CSI: Nobody gave a shit about CSI NY and everybody hates David Caruso. Or, to say it in other words: Don’t be greedy; it weakens your core product.

Now there’s a new Cat in town. Are Color Blanks competition for DIY art toys? This depends on your perspective. Here’s mine: There are things I will buy generically (cotton balls) and things I will not (Band Aids). I know that some people wear Levis and some people wear Diesel, but I can’t always tell the difference.  I will pay more for certain brands of T-shirts than others because I prefer the fit. I like the idea of patronizing mom and pop shops and independent companies. I also see the appeal of a good deal at a big box store that saves me some money.

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Sold Out Kidrobot Toys In Stock at Neon Monster

16" Love Bunny Plush by Jeremyville

Some of our customers have recently told us they struck out at finding the Jeremyville Love Bunny Plush (and other items) at Kidrobot on Haight Street and online. We wanted to highlight some of the toys that are sold out at Kidrobot that we currently have in stock. If you’re looking for any of these, check the website for availability, give us a call or come on in and say hi!

10" Vinyl 1984 and Polka Dot Smorkin' Labbits by Frank Kozik

Lots of Labbits by Frank Kozik here.

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Neon Monster Loves You Sale

Shout it from the rowhouses and rooftops: Neon Monster loves you! Funny how collecting toys can be both an addiction and a medicine. These days, everyone is cutting back on their indulgences. Here’s a little pick-me-up: This weekend, take 15% off all items in Neon Monster’s inventory with the discount coupon code: “LOVE GIFT.” Just enter “LOVE GIFT” into the promo code field upon checkout to reduce your invoice by 15% on everything we’ve got. Yes, this even includes the limited edition resin psnails everyone’s talking about and our exclusive art prints from Art Basel.

Neon Monster also boasts the largest selection of Qees from Toy2R in the United States. We’ve got the rare 16-inch DIY Qees in black, white, GID and hot pink. We’ve also got 8-inch DIY Qees in 5 shapes and 5 neon colors. Each figure comes with acrylic paint. DIY toys make great gifts that indulge imagination and creativity. Check out all the customizable blank figures (and don’t forget to take 15% off your order this weekend only) right here.