Tuesday Time Waster: Frank Kozik Twitter Contest

We thought toy king, Frank Kozik was not in the Cult of The Twitter, but as it turns out, he’s been quietly  tweeting about rainbows and farts for a couple months now. While Frank’s not (yet) fond of, as he puts it, “twatter,” he’s agreed to amp up the twittery so you can keep tabs on his whereabouts (and bathroom bouts) at SDCC. Now that glory-stealer LeBron James is done with his Twitter debut, we shine the light on Frank’s feed. If you’d like to know what Kozik’s thinking, follow him here: http://twitter.com/frank_kozik.

Now, for those of you who are not on Twitter (or even if you are), let’s get ready to waste some (more) time. In honor of our comment form’s new capability to accept your Twitter handle (for example, type in: @jeremyriad), we’ve got a contest just for you.

Leave a comment on THIS blog post with your answer to this question: What was the inspiration for Frank’s Labbit character?

The first correct answer will be noted and revealed on Frank’s Twitter account on Friday, July 16th. This astute person will receive a never-before-seen signed 10-inch SDCC exclusive Cubano Labbit sent directly from Kozik HQ. So get guessing, and as they say in the Twitterverse, “please RT”.

Mars-1 Stops By to Sign GID Observers

One of the best things about being in the Bay Area is we get visits from cool artists. Case in point: Mars-1 stopped by this afternoon. Just back from Canada where he opened his Infinite Tapestry show at the Meta Gallery, Mario chatted about the new direction (ChromaDepth) in which his work is going. He dropped off his book, Further, and signed our stash of glow-in-the-dark Observers by STRANGEco. The GID Observers hail from SDCC ‘08. They were limited to only 50 pieces, and ours have a fresh Mars-1 signature on the back of the box. About the photo below where you see Mario drawing on the actual Observer: sorry kids, that one’s mine. Neon Monster just added Further ($40) and the rest of the signed GID Observers ($75) to the online store.

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Wondercon Resin Showcase Photos and Prices

The Wondercon Resin Showcase intrigued and allured visitors to Neon Monster’s booth at the convention from April 2nd to April 4th. It’s safe to say we introduced a lot of new people to the concept of resin toy art. Thanks to everybody who came through to support the show, those of you who kept me on my toes by asking questions, the bloggers who wrote nice things and especially you wonderful people who took a little piece of the WRS home with you. The remaining figures are awaiting adoptive aesthetes at Neon Monster HQ at 901 Castro in San Francisco and the online shop. It’s going to take us a little time to recover from the Wondercon carnage, so WE’LL notify YOU through the blog, Twitter and Facebook when the figures are available and ready for you. Stay tuned, OK? [Note: This is not a catalog of what IS available, but rather the art that WAS available for the show. Don't worry: plenty of figures are still in the mix. We will update you when we've put them online!]

ARBITO (USA)

Arbito’s art tells the visual tale of a ragtag band of hippie vagabonds on a pop-psychedelic trip. With his resin figures, form and style meet vibrant, colorful, unique characters. His work has been shown in solo and group shows around the world, as well as at the Phillips de Pury Auction and Art Basel. He shares a studio in the Pacific Northwest with The Hobo, Seeker, Sammy, Patty Power and his wife, Snaggs.

1. Patty Power “Pink Special Sauce Edition” (resin, 6″ tall, 1/1) – $175
2. Sammy “Glow in the Dark Edition” (resin, 6″ tall, 1/1) – $150
3. Seeker “Purple with GID Body Edition” (resin, 8″ tall, 1/1) – $175
4. Seeker “Pink with GID Head Edition” (resin, 8″ tall, 1/1) – $175

BWANA SPOONS (USA)

Bwana Spoons is a painter and self-professed “half Jack of many trades.” His paint-soaked, rainbow-spewing characters exist in a special world where vampire bats play drums and then sit down for a knitting circle. Bwana started the Grass Hut Collective in Portland, and he still skateboards.

1. Pocket Killer (3″ tall, 1/1) – $100
2. Gary the Nerdasaurus 1 (resin, 4.5″ long, 1/1) – $100
3. Gary the Nerdasaurus 2 (resin, 4.5″ long, 1/1) – $100
4. Gary the Nerdasaurus 3 (resin, 4.5″ long, 1/1) – $100

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Toy Architects’ Urban Hamsters for Wondercon Resin Showcase

Neon Monster is proud to be an accomplice in sneaking a box full of German Hamsters into the United States! Toy Architects‘ special Neon Monster pink and grey colorway of Cavy the Urban Hamster left Edermunde and has safely reached San Francisco. It appears they multiplied to an edition of two dozen resin Hamsters while in transit. Each Hamster is 2.5 inches tall with articulated arms. These were handmade in Mathias’ lab, so each figure is unique. Notably, each pink Hamster is a slightly different hue. There may be a bit of residue here or a minor flaw there, but we think you’re going to love these guys. And at $15 each, it’s a great way to get an original art toy by an emerging international talent!

Toy Architects has also devised a packaging strategy that is as festive as it is practical (it keeps the Hamsters apart so no more breeding after you adopt them…), but you’ll have to wait for Wondercon to see it. Each Hamster comes in one of these special capsules with a customizable resin signpost. Seeing these Hamsters with their signs in San Francisco seems perfect–if ever there was a city that accepted people protesting just about anything, this is the place. I wonder what the Hamsters are protesting? Hmmm…I smell a contest Stay tuned. For the provenance of the Urban Hamster, check out this great story on SpankyStokes’ site.

Tan-Ki’s KiClear Inclusions for Wondercon Resin Showcase

The DIY spirit and creativity of today’s resin toy artists is truly inspiring, and France’s Tan-Ki is no exception. Tan-Ki makes resin figures that resemble glass sculptures. They’re striking as standalone pieces, but then he went and upped the ante by designing them from the inside out. While many artists take a platform toy and customize its exterior, Tan-Ki transforms the original toy into a new toy, but also creates the best damn “display case” for the platform in the process.

Tan-Ki puts vinyl toys in clear resin toys. (To that extent, he shares company with the spectacular Ayako Takagi.) I’ve been a fan of Tan-Ki’s KiClear Inclusions for a while. He has a knack for making art sculptures that are beautiful, yet also playful. We’ll have 9 original KiClear figures available for purchase at Neon Monster’s Wondercon Resin Showcase. Each piece comes with a custom Wonder-Ki header card featuring 2D art of the 3D bagged piece. Can you name all the vinyl toys that have been suspended inside the resin figures? (The mini-Qees and tiny sushis are already spoken for…) Very, very cool.

You can see close-ups of these guys on Tan-Ki’s Flickr. Click through for a few more pictures, and hope to see you April 2nd-4th at Wondercon Booth 944 & 946.

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MONSTREHERO’s Victim Trio for Wondercon

MONSTREHERO has added a third Victim to their roster of terrorized resin humanoids. The shorts are shorter and the stakes are higher. The new guy, Victim #3, features a head-covering of sludgey garbage. Unlike the images of a swirlie that sentence conjures up, the sludge is removable, and the fate is Victim #3’s alone.

MONSTREHERO will debut Victim #3 as part of a Neon Monster Victim trio for our Wondercon Resin Showcase. Sean Blay and Cliff Kirschner have never shied away from using color in extreme and unique ways. We asked them to victimize their characters with pink and grey sprays, and here’s the awesome result. Can’t wait to see these Victims in person. Speaking of “in person,” Sean will be around for Wondercon, so lookout San Francisco! Some classic MONSTREHERO figures for your viewing pleasure…

Neon Monster Goes to Wondercon

We decided it was time to spill some info about what we’ve been cooking up for Wondercon. Neon Monster’s double-wide booth will feature:

Awesome Resin Figures!

I can’t tell you how stoked we are about this. We asked a handful of our favorite artists to create exclusive resin figures and/or special colorways just for Neon Monster and Wondercon. I think my head might explode being near a table packed with so much greatness from:

• Arbito
• Bwana Spoons
• Cris Rose
• Hello, Brute
• MONSTREHERO
• Spencer Hibert
• Tan-Ki
• Toy Architects
• 2PetalRose
• Sergey Safonov [Just added!]

Exciting Warehouse Finds!

We got together with our friends at STRANGEco to unearth some serious vinyl treasures carbon-dated back to the early-mid 2000s. We’ve got the goods from Nathan Jurevicius, James Jarvis, Mars-1, Tokidoki, Jeremy Fish, Jermaine Rogers, Rocketworld and more.

Mitch in Many Forms!

Local designer Lauren Venell is creating a 6-foot plush Mitch for you to hug up and have your picture taken with. Meanwhile, you can adopt a 14-inch plush Mitch and have it signed by Reuben Rude. Don’t forget to grab a Mitch T-shirt or some free Mitch stickers while you’re there!

Signed Stuff!

• In addition to 3 great rare colorways of Mars-1’s Observer, we’ll have a small amount of signed GID Observers.
• Matt Furie will present a signed special edition print.
• Last, but not least, Frank Kozik will be signing Labbits from 12-2PM on Saturday, April 3rd. More info on that to come!

Free Stuff!

We’ve got Mini Circus Punks from STRANGEco and mini-Miigiis from Spencer Hibert to give away while supplies last.

Toys, Art Multiples and Comics!

We’ll have plenty of production toys, DIY toys and art multiples on hand, as well as comic sets and special variants.

Details to Follow!

All week long, we’ll be posting more details and teasers. If you thought you knew the score at Wondercon, take a fresh look at this year’s exhibitors. More toys than ever! We want to give priority to fans who make it out to Wondercon, but we’re keeping those of you in distant locales in mind as well. Check the blog for online ordering info and contests! If you have a blog of your own, please help us spread the word. And come back tomorrow to see the first reveal from the Neon Monster x Wondercon Resin Spotlight.

More Mitch in the Media

We love the toy scene to death, but it’s supercool to see Mitch on The Hundreds Feed!

More Mitch in the Media after the jump…

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STRANGEco Likes Mitch!

Mitch was conjured (Isaac and Jacob Pritzker), drawn up (Reuben Rude) and three-dimensionalized (Lauren Venell) right here in San Francisco, and so, in the local vernacular, we must say we were “hella stoked” to see STRANGEco tweet that they “love it!” STRANGEco was here in SF at the beginning of it all, and their toys were, and continue to remain, ART. In the language of our web designers (and miscellaneous English friends), we’re “dead chuffed” that they featured Mitch on their site. Thanks!

Mitch in the Media

Mitch really lit up the blogosphere yesterday! Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to pen a post. Here are some spots that picked up the story.

Read more at Vinyl Pulse.

Read more at Plastic and Plush.

See the rest after the jump!

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