What you’re looking at above is Scott Tolleson in a moment of reverie at SDCC ‘10. Comic-Con marked the debut of his new original figure series, Stolle’s Neighborhood.  This ain’t no “urban vinyl”.  It’s straight up nerdcore with four eyes and argyle sweaters. Or, to put it another way, it speaks to a collecting contingency more likely to get cranky than get crunk. I like this ‘hood. The wooden mini-figures are a bit of a departure for Tolleson, who is known for drawing pin-up girls and chasing down Tricycle Terrors in his hot rod. As luck would have it, Scott’s current show, Past the Cosmos at Portland’s Screaming Sky Gallery is a stollecopia of genres including the aforementioned Neighborhood, pin-up girls, custom Tricycle Terrors and even some resin Doc Von Blocks. You can check out available work here. Click through for a couple highlights and a photo of Scott with Dov from DKE. Stolle and Dov: sounds like a drink, no?

I’m about to go wire some money to the Ukraine. I know what you’re thinking: “Hey Jeremy, why don’t you give your bank account number to that exiled Nigerian guy, too, while you’re at it?” To you I say: we’ll talk when the Nigerian makes toys as interesting as this one. Last month, I got intrigued with Solya and Asha who sought to explore society’s adverse reaction to creatives and other misunderstood people through this psychiatric art toy prototype. I wasn’t alone in my fascination. Patient №6 also caught the eye of Frank Kozik, who commented: “This is really cool and interesting on every level.”

Flash forward to now. Patient №6 is all painted up and ready to be discharged! Alexandr sent word of two ways you can get this 5-inch acrylic on plastic figure:

• Version 1 The man (patient number 6), his toy car (ambulance), medical history and all this is packaged in a cardboard box – Priced at US$ 35
• Version2 The man (patient number 6), his chamber (wood room , bed, pillow, blanket), medical history and all this is packaged in a cardboard box – Priced at US$ 70

You can order through their website, but this may prove tricky for those of you outside the Ukraine. I recommend dropping a line to alexandr [dot] otsabera [at] dhl [dot] com. Shipping to the U.S. is $20. I love a toy that makes a statement, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. There’s already a discount listed for purchases of plush by anyone who can send proof of mental illness. Collecting is such a slippery slope to hoarding, isn’t it? So should we fax that, email it or snail mail then?

Photograph by Patrik Giardino

Mark Parker is on the cover of the current issue of Fast Company. With the publication of the magazine, the Nike CEO gets to add “World’s Most Creative CEO” to his collection of titles. You can read the full story on the FC website, but speaking of collections, here’s a glimpse of what happens when you combine a love for art, toys and sneakers with the ability to write blank checks.

What an assemblage! I see Michael Lau, Kaws, Rocketworld, Mark Nagata x Dead Presidents, Frank Kozik, Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen from the Tokion Neo-Graffiti Project…

More Michael Lau, more KAWS, Mars-1, Dave Kinsey, Tim Biskup, Doze Green, Rat Fink, Alfred E. Neuman, Gary Baseman Egg Qees…! He’s got great taste.

I’m sort of amazed by how relatively chaotic the collection looks. I guess I figured a CEO like Parker would have an assistant whose sole purpose was to curate and organize his collection. In a way, it’s more fun to see it in this way though–the chaos giving way to creativity. My own office is not unlike this. I keep squinting at the photos to pick out more toys I know or have. Incidentally, I, too, am a fan of the glass-top desk, useful for rotating a display of mini-figures, giclee prints, magazines, etc. for ultimate connection/distraction. You don’t need to be a CEO to get one either. I got mine from IKEA.

What other toys can you find in these photos?

In the spirit of our winning contest entry, Neon Monster presents a half dozen new toys that are “going green“. First up, we have a great green glitter Mummy Gator by Brian Flynn from Super7. Pair him with the 4-inch Monster Family green Steven the Bat by Bwana Spoons. Formerly an SDCC exclusive!

Speaking of SDCC exclusives, we’ve got another one: the blue-green Buff Monster “Tastes So Good” plush. Don’t forget about the Neon Monster exclusive, too. Collect them all!

Here’s the green GID version of John Kovalic’s My Little Cthulhu. 8 inches of glow-in-the-dark vinyl with two little GID victims!

We just blogged about these. Green, red and yellow on this mini kaiju Tripus from Max Toy Co…it’s like a Tripus traffic light. Go!

While we can’t guarantee you’ll get a green Damarak the Destroyer chase Dunny, you can always try your luck with a blind-box 2010 Dunny. Good luck!

We’re stoked about these painted mini-kaijus from Max Toy Co. It’s tough to beat the previous neon pink colorway, but the color choices and paint app on these guys is pretty fantastic. Each figure is hand cast in Japan by Master Shimizu-san and hand painted by Master Goto-san, who have a combined 90+ years in the toy business. You can buy each mini-kaiju individually, but we think they work best as a set. The set includes: Captain Maxx, standing 3.25 inches tall, sculpted by Ichimiya-san of SunGuts; Kaiju Eyezon, standing 4 inches tall, sculpted by Makino-san of TTToy; Kaiju TriPus, standing 3.5 inches tall, sculpted by DxSxHx Toys; Drazoran, standing 4 inches tall, sculpted by Yamashita-san (Nakayoshi) and Alien Xam, standing 3.25 inches tall, sculpted by Doki-san (Yamo-Mark). Get ‘em at a discount when you purchase all 5 HERE or follow the individual links below. Got a moment? Take a look back at Mark Nagata Paints Kaiju.

Max Toy Co Painted Mini Eyezon

Get Mini Eyezon PAINTED here and PINKED here!

Max Toy Co Painted Mini Tripus

Get Mini Tripus PAINTED here and PINKED here!

Max Toy Co Painted Mini Drazoran

Get Mini Drazoran PAINTED here and PINKED here!

Max Toy Co Painted Mini Alien Xam

Get Mini Alien Xam PAINTED here and PINKED here!

Max Toy Co Painted Mini Captain Maxx

Get Mini Captain Maxx PAINTED here and PINKED here!

Argonaut Resins, Motorbot and Steven Erst

Saturday night witnessed many characters from the shadowy subforum called Resonators Romper Room step into the light of Toxic Catalyst at San Francisco’s Super7. Curated by Cliff Kirschner and Sean Blay of MONSTREHERO, the “resin invitational” showcased a wide range of toxic toy talent, crossing continents and highlighting resin’s diversity and appeal. All together along the marble countertop were Japanese toymakers like Ilanena and Nerd One, Pacific Northwest innovators Le Merde and Arbito and even a handful of Super7 debuts. Regarding the latter, as soon as I snapped the photo above, one of Argonaut Resins‘ neon pink ToxCat Tuttz and Steven Erst’s Black Metal Gus got snatched up. You gotta be quick with your pics when a show says “cash and carry”!

Resin figures by MONSTREHERO

Cliff and Sean have some of the wildest color theory ideas that just WORK. Here, Skullminion, Franken-Victim, Victim #4 and Lady Ape flank a three-headed logo trophy. Below them (not shown), troops of bright MONSTREHERO in My Pocket mini-figures stood at attention.

Mock Bats by Paul Kaiju

Paul Kaiju’s Mockbats took flight quickly and were gone. The little Fungus Boxer in the foreground was part of his Bad Trees trio, a resin set that could have made a cameo in a Tim Burton movie.

The Hobo (x2) and The Seeker by Arbito

Now armed with a new mold, Arbito sent two Hobo escorts to guide this new Seeker on his journey… Of course I’m digging the green Hobo.

Buff Monster in resin!

This one-off Buff Monster was impeccably fabricated by our friends at Pretty in Plastic. The chrome-bearing behemoth weighs over 10 pounds and looks like solid glass. Resin is such a chameleon.

Skulloctopus Rex by PlaSeeBo

It’s always good to see a Bob Conge/PlaSeeBo piece in person. Pictures don’t do them justice. You need to see the third dimension.

Monster Suit UAMOU by Ayako Takagi

Resin in a fuzzy outfit? Check. You can’t help but fall in love with UAMOU in a monster suit by Ayako Takagi. This was another piece that disappeared almost immediately after I got the shot.

Doji-San by LASH

Look at the face on this Doji-San figure by LASH. With two masks and killer spray, I’d be surprised if this piece is still available.

Musashinto Monks by Martin Osuna and SD Dokuwashis by Brian Flynn

I like this juxtaposition of Monks by Argentina’s Martin Osuna with SD Dokuwashi’s by Super7’s Brian Flynn.

Dillon by Hello, Brute

Jon Knox aka Hello, Brute sometimes turns off the music and watches cheesy-but-awesome movies. Naturally such proclivities can only lead to figures like Dillon, who is basically the next Justin Bieber.

Resin figures by Mondocoyote

These one-offs by Mondocoyote looked great as a group.

Zino Camlock Goo Goo Ghandi by Spencer Hibert

I’m a big fan of the Goo Goo Ghandi sculpt by Spencer Hibert. Definitely another one you need to touch to really grasp (sorry for the pun, no I’m not). Spencer created three colorways of the GGG for Toxic Catalyst, with not a drop or spray of paint involved.

Persimmon Gammy by Leecifer

Local turtle aficionado Leecifer sculpted and painted a trio of Persimmon Gammys. Their eyes follow you…

Metamorphed Larvoid by The God Beast

Check out the details in this Metamorphed Larvoid and ArthroGod by The God Beast.

Iyashi by Uh Oh Toys

I’ve known Uh Oh Toys‘ Aaron Arel since my ToyCyte days, so it was cool to finally meet him in person. Aaron had several original sculpts on display. This Iyashi figure looks like a stalactite with shoes.

Resin figures by WeKillYou!

Canada’s WeKillYou! sent four figures to the show. When I left Super7, there was only one left. All are sold out now. Congrats, Justin!

Cliff and Sean of MONSTREHERO, curators for Toxic Catalyst

This is what MONSTREHERO looks like. MONSTREHAIRY is more like it. Heh. Congrats on and thanks for an excellent show. Always good to see you. For more Toxic Catalyst, check out a pile of photos on Flickr,  another perspective on the show from Robot Loves Monster, and available work in New Arrivals at the  Super7 store.

Toxic Catalyst at Super7

Winners from the In-Store Raffle

1. Grand Prize Winner: Tracy Inn. We’ll be sending you a 3-inch Sket One Relish Dunny, a grey Neon Monster Mitch plush and a sticker pack.
2. 2nd Prize Winner: Kristina Kim. We’ll be sending you a grey Neon Monster Mitch plush and a sticker pack.
3. 3rd Prize Winner: Alex Storman. We’ll be sending you a Neon Monster exclusive Buff Monster plush and a sticker pack.

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for our first Dunny trading party! We actually had some sorta-summery (for San Francisco) weather. Perhaps that good fortune carried over into the first several case purchases, which each seemed to include at least one rarity (like figures by Jesse Hernandez, Triclops Studio and a surprise alternate colorway by Damarak the Destroyer). It’s always good seeing local artists Frank Kozik and Huck Gee who stopped by to sign toys and have a beer. Everyone who came out got to vote on our Dunny Contest, and we’ll be announcing the winner(s) for that and our local raffle shortly. Click through for a few snaps of the action.

Here’s who the Neon Monsters picked out of the 300 responses that came in for a fantasy future Dunny series. It was really great to see all the ideas, and we’ll announce an additional couple honorable mentions tomorrow. But for now, while the party’s going on here, we wanted to invite the rest of you to participate in our contest. Click the photo above to see the picks, and leave the number 1, 2 or 3 in the comments section below. One vote per person please! (IP addresses will be checked if anything looks fishy…) We’ll tally the online votes that come in before 12PM PST Friday, August 20th and add ‘em to the votes folks cast during the party. We’ll announce who wins the grand prize and who gets 2nd and 3rd place before the end of the day tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest. You’re all winners to us…except for the person who is really the winner.

It’s been a while since I’ve had particularly glowing remarks for a new range of Qees, but Designer Qee Series 6 represents a return to what got me into collecting artist-made toys at the beginning of this decade…right down to the Doink! In a move sure to please longtime Qee collectors, Toy2R has brought back the designers behind one of many Qee fans’ favorite pieces for a trilogy in red, blue and GID. They’ve also tapped the talents of Cameron Tiede, Peskimo, DGPH, Daniel Jarrett, Saucernauts, Lisa Petrucci, Frank Kozik and Qee-creator, Raymond Choy for some interesting designs with a variety of heads. Perhaps most notably, Series 6 introduces the first production toys for Jon-Paul Kaiser and local customizer Dril One. Congrats!

With tomorrow’s release of Dunny 2010, it’s important not to forget the other white platform, the Qee. Get ‘em by the case here. Get ‘em individually blind-boxed here. Get ‘em in store in San Francisco, and you can always swap your blind pull for a display figure. For further insight, click on the artist links to see some of the chase figure reveals.