All Posts tagged robots

Robots + Surfers = SUPbots by Mike Slobot

The latest robot art of my brosef, Mike Slobot, pairs his signature Bots with an unlikely, but kamikaze, accessory: a surfboard. Mike made the first board out of wood, and then cast the second one, which means that maybe in the future, you’ll be able to hang ten with this tribe. Whether you’re a cuccini crusher or a highway surfer (or, like me, the only thing you’ve ever surfed is the Internet), you’ve got to admit these Bots are coolaphonic. [Fun with surf lingo courtesy of here.]

Last year, I said “2010 will be the year of the Slobot.” I was totally right. As the story goes:

The SUPbots are part of an elite team of slobots who travel the oceans of the world on their trusty Stand Up Paddleboards, setting dolphins free from fishermen’s nets and stopping the hunting of seals. They seek peace through education and force (if necessary,) while always being careful not to endanger humans or animals. A unique breed of slobot, the SUPbots are fluent in most dialects of dolphin and seal. They are also capable of speaking with sea animals telepathically.

These SUPbots were commissioned by a collector, so you can’t take a slowdive with one, but in case you want to ask Mike to make you a SHOEGAZEbot, here’s where you do it. Great stuff, as usual.

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.

Exciting David Choe and Giant Robot News

Giant Robot, known for their excellent periodical, pop culture shops and art shows dedicated to “Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture [since] 1994″ will be debuting two awesome toys at SDCC 2010 booth #1729. Gotta love a good mascot toy, and Giant Robot finally gets theirs with a mini-figure series of Big Boss. The Big Boss specs are as follows:

Sculpture-quality casted in tactile material with fully rotating arms, legs, and head

11 vibrant shades and 1 camouflage pattern, blind-boxed packaged with one full set in each case of 12

Fully detachable and interchangeable limbs, encouraging customization and sharing with friends

Customers who purchase complete sets will receive a special, limited-edition printed gift bag

Next up is David Choe’s Munko. Fans of Choe will find the character a familiar one, and if you’re over the age of 18, I encourage you to click this most seriously NSFW link to see further photos of the toys. Points from the press release are as follows:

Based on the whale paintings of David Choe, whose work was first published in Giant Robot and has gone on to become an international fixture in the worlds of street art, indie comics, and high-end galleries

Loving, artist-supervised translation from two-dimensional painting art to three-dimensional pieces

Several unique molds with distinct appendages and unique accessories

Radically different paint jobs, textures, and hues

Blind-box packaged with one full set in each case of 12

Both Munko and Big Boss are manufactured in Japan by Good Smile Company, and GR is taking the cool tack of selling complete sets by the case. I also must admit, I’m intrigued by the bullet point “several unique molds with distinct appendages and unique accessories.” After SDCC, you’ll be able to find the toys at Giant Robot stores in SF, LA and NY as well as at GR resellers.

There’s more good news for Choe fans, too. His book is about to come out, and he’s coming home to San Francisco for a pair of signings.

After SDCC, David Choe will be at SFMOMA on Thursday July 29th from 6-8PM to sign books. Maybe you can even sneak a Munko or a CHOEGAL into the venerable museum. Either way, be sure to hit up GRSF on Friday, July 30th from 6-8PM for even more autographs and antics.  See YOU there.

The Decadence of Decay Resin Robots by Cris Rose

You know you’ve got something good when you’re viewing a show’s preview on your iPhone and the images compel you to get out of bed on a rainy day and run to your computer to see the details. As you may have guessed from these pictures, I’m talking about the newest range of resin robots created by Cris Rose for the The Decadence of Decay show at Rivet, beginning March 6th. The show marks the debut of Rummage and Rumble, two entirely original robots that diverge from the trend of enhancing a pre-existing platform toy. Not that a few old stand-bys won’t be making an appearance: You’ll find a few Qees as part of the Pet Recovery Service and families of Observation Drones who were formerly Dunnys.

TOYSREVIL has a nice interview with Cris about his latest work and its relevance to decadence and decay here. A quote:

Decay is an interesting issue with regards to the robots I create, because it has very different connotations to people or animals and that’s something I like to explore. For us, when we age and are damaged, it can be extremely detrimental and often signals our impending end – thusly we prize youth and a lack of imperfections within society. With regards to the objects we consume, we’re moving away from the “mend and make do” attitude of my grandfather’s generation and increasingly throwing away perfectly good things just because they’re a little scuffed at the edged or because a new one just came out. I find a lot of pleasure in objects with a history, cuts and chips that tell a story.

You can check out a full preview of both Cris’ Bots and Ohio native Amanda Louise Spayd’s mixed-media fabric creatures here. Act quick on pre-orders, as Cris Rose robots don’t stick around long. Not to be a tease, but a little Bot told me to tell you to keep your eyes open for a Bay Area appearance of Rummage and Rumble…hmmm…

Lucky 13 Toys From Frank Kozik

Frank Kozik invited us over to visit his studio next month, and we’re excited to go check out his toys and music and talk to The Man himself. Frank has said his interests have a way of turning into money, and that the whole toy thing began by being a customer of Kidrobot back in the day. I guess you could call that the best rationalization to go spend some money on toys?! Our shop is currently stocked full of Frankephemera, from vinyl to plush to paper. Here’s 13.

Up above, there’s five 5-6-inch Big Mongers by Frank Kozik and Kidrobot. That’s Ramirez, Lorenzo, Magistrate Wu, Sarge and Booger all in a lineup for $24.95 each.

Here we’ve got Kozik’s latest Labbit, the Corspman. Five inches of army green, stenciling and smork for $29.95.

Let’s say you’re on the fence about bringing a grenade into your house. Maybe the vinyl Monger is a bit too…hard? Frank’s newest version of Sarge is 14 inches tall and sports a mustache and a body of super-soft plush for $29.95.

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