Gallery1988 really lived up to its meta description of “the nation’s number one destination for pop-culture themed artwork” this past weekend by presenting a double dose of cult craziness across its two California galleries. In Los Angeles, the 3 G show featured 2D art inspired by Ghostbusters, Gremlins and Goonies. Up here in San Francisco, G1988 tasked artists with an extra dimension. Much like how The Cosby Show spun off A Different World, on Saturday night, the successful Crazy 4 Cult series gave birth to the first Crazy 4 Cult: Customs. When’s the last time you walked around a gallery and could identify the inspiration for a work of art and/or the artist? [Above, left to right: The Big Lebowski by Cristina Paulos, The Nightmare Before Christmas by Reactor-88 and Back to the Future by Task One.]

Crazy 4 Cult: Customs merges the usual suspects of the toy customizing scene with regulars on the gallery’s roster. As a result, we get treated to seeing a small, sword-wielding Kill Bill sculpture by Ken Keirns and a rather excellent forlorn Precious Moments version of Eraserhead by Paul Barnes.

The thinking outside the (TV) box award goes to textile artist, Ellen Schinderman, and her embroidered pillow triptych tribute to Heathers. Having a cushion cross-stitched with “corn nuts” or “mineral water” is like sending a secret signal that only a small percentage of people who sit on your couch will understand. The sheer joy of their recognition would completely outweigh all the furrowed brows, though. Seeing Heathers represented here made me wish another artist had tackled it figuratively, in addition. Ken Keirns is the obvious choice (I swear he’s painted Winona before for a G1988 show…). Because I just happen to know a talented toy artist who can recite the entire Heathers script, I hereby nominate Jon Knox to handle this matter in Crazy 4 Cult: Customs 2. (The show is expected to become an annual attraction!)

Working in 3D gave the artists freedom to create their works using the full 360 degrees. While Ellen’s pillows display different quotes on each side, Jen Rarey used the opportunity to give us “clean” and “blood-spattered” versions of Shawn of the Dead.

Jeremiah Ketner creatively used both sides of a DIY Mad*L toy to render distinct characters from The Professional. If art is an investment, this is two for the price of one!

One of my favorite aspects of these kinds of shows is seeing how different artists interpret the same subject.

Andrew Bell customized his own popular O-No Sushi toy in the form of Sloth from Goonies. (I’d love to see this as a production figure. Maybe STRANGEco will produce a Crazy 4 Cult toy series ala Vivisect Playset?) Because Daniel Elson has shown his 3D(-ish) mice in other G1988 shows, I immediately knew he was the artist behind this original Sloth.

I was pleasantly surprised to see several of my personal favorite movies represented. Yosiell Lorenzo cleverly decapitated a Dunny for Donnie Darko, while Peter Gronquist carved his Frank the Bunny out of concrete.

Two of the best Michaels in toyland were on the same wavelength. Art Army General Mike Leavitt and impeccable dresser Mikie Graham both took on Harold and Maude with terrific results.

Due to their bright orange faces, you can spot an Oompa Loompa from across a room. 64Colors and Eric Tan both drew inspiration from Willy Wonka.

Finally, what would a film/art hybrid show be without a Jaws piece or two? Dril One and Keith Poon each took Keith’s original Sharky toy in different directions. Both pieces sold opening night. Speaking of the non-artists, the steady crowd was a mix of art collectors, toy hoarders and film buffs. It’s nice to see the scenes integrated. Crazy 4 Cult: Customs (and all the red dots on the walls) is as a reminder that toys can hold their own in the larger art scene. You can purchase available pieces online here. The work will be on display through September 24th.

You know what’s not OK? Selling body organs on the black market. You know what’s totally OK? Selling dissected toys on the aftermarket. I should probably just come out already and say I’m gay for Jason Freeny. This is an awesome toy transformation (previously blogged here). It’s also a 3-inch toy originally priced under $10 that, after some skill with a scalpel, fetched over $1,100 on eBay. I think this speaks to both the cult of the Uglydoll and also the appreciation for art toys as small sculptures. I was wondering if the piece would get snatched up by a doctor of some kind, but it looks like it went to a fellow vinyl toy enthusiast (with one purchase of a “fixed blade knife” in his/her history as a clue…). Congrats to Freeny and the lucky buyer.

I can’t believe how awesome this is. Oh wait, yes I can. Jason Freeny is at it again. This time, the anatomical savant takes his scalpel to an Uglydoll action figure Ice Bat. I’ve snagged a few pics to illustrate the fantasticness (and show what an Ice Bat iron maiden or sarcophagus might look like), but you should check out all of Freeny’s photos, notes and tips in this Facebook photo album. The 3-inch custom figure is currently for sale on eBay here.

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!

When it comes to dissected toys, I think of Kaws and Jason Freeny. Now added to that list: L’amour Supreme. I spied the RxH set below (Mutant Evil, Mutant Head and Mutant Bigaro) a while back on Toybot Studios, but my eyes practically popped out of my head when I saw what the New Yorker otherwise known as Joel had done with this Garamon.

Kirkland of Toybot Studios told me that L’amour’s been dissecting toys for years now, and the RxH set was one he commissioned, perhaps after seeing this Be@rbrick. Both customizations are so skillfully executed, I can’t decide if it works better on the solid or transparent vinyl. It just WORKS. I’m amazed. And jealous. Here’s L’amour mugging for me at SDCC. And here’s Kirkland’s Flickr set of the RxH customs. Awesomesauce.

The party goes from 4:30-7PM on Thursday, August 19th. For full details, see this blog post. Don’t forget: anyone who stops by will also get to vote in our Dunny 2010 Case contest, and help pick the grand prize winner! And now, in no particular order:

5 Things You’ll Find at Neon Monster’s Dunny 2010 Trading Party:

1. Sket One’s Sweet Relish Dunny. Kidrobot has provided this rare 3-inch condiment complement to Sket’s Mustard and Sketchup Dunnys to retailers having trading parties. The Sweet Relish Dunny is a free gift to people who buy a full case of Dunny 2010. One per customer. First come, first served. [Photo via MPH Flickr]
2. Huck Gee. The man behind some of the most sought-after Dunnys in history will stop by sometime during the duration of our party, so stick around and maybe you’ll pull his figure.
3. Frank Kozik. Frank has TWO Dunnys in the 2010 series: a standard and a chase. He’ll put in an appearance sometime during the party, so bring your lucky Labbit and see what you can pull.
4. Easy parking. Though walkers may find their legs and glutes get a good workout on the Noe Valley hills, street parking is plentiful.
5. Beer. ‘Nuff said.

Who wants to win a free sealed case of Kidrobot’s Dunny 2010 series? When I was at Comic-Con, Kidrobot’s social media ambassador, Ryan the Wheelbarrow, asked me which artists I’d like to see get involved with KR. Now, Neon Monster is posing the question to YOU.

1. Name FIVE artists you’d want to see included in a future Dunny series.
2. Name ONE original concept for a Dunny series (ie. French, Azteca, etc.)

The answers to questions 1 and 2 can be related or unrelated, but to be eligible for the win, you must answer both. This contest is open to anyone in the world. You can enter as many times as you like, but we reserve the right to treat excessive and/or lame entries as spam. The Neon Monsters will choose THREE favorites out of all responses that come in by 11AM PST on Thursday, August 19th. The Dunny 2010 case winner will be chosen out of the three top answers by public voting during our Dunny Trading Party beginning at 4:30PM in San Francisco. Both runner-ups will receive a care package from Neon Monster. All will be revealed on Friday, August 20th.

Click below to enlarge the graphic, and remind yourself who is included (so far) in the 2010 series. Then, leave your answers to the two questions in the Comments section below. Inspire us, and maybe you’ll even inspire Kidrobot! Good luck! [And good karma for anyone who helps us spread the word on blogs and bulletin boards about this contest!]

THIS could be the Dunny series that we’ve been waiting for. Boasting both familiar names and new ones, the Kidrobot 2010 Dunny series plays with the platform in some fun ways. We’re excited to see the inclusion of three locals this round with Huck Gee, Frank Kozik and Jesse Hernandez repping for San Francisco.

We’ve never had a trading party before, so come on down and help us make it a blast. Full case buyers will be treated to party exclusives like a 3″ Relish Dunny by Sket-One, Dunny series 2010 tote bags and button packs. We’ll also be serving up some adult beverages for the 21+ in the crowd, so take in the scene among toys, comics, records, art and books in easy-to-park Noe Valley. Click here for directions.

The party goes from 4:30-7PM on Thursday, August 19th. Hope to see you there. If you’re outside the Bay Area: stay tuned to the blog for an announcement tomorrow on how you can interact from afar to win a FREE CASE OF DUNNY 2010!

This summer comes an unexpected visitor, Roller the Reindeer, the newest Bossy Bear friend. Created by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, Bossy Bear & Friends welcome the latest edition to the club. Standing 5 inches tall and window boxed, Roller the Reindeer is the fourth character in the Bossy Bear & Friends line produced by Toy2R. The neon green, blue and pink vinyl toy is available for $17.95 here.