Buffalo Rising Online

Oct 21st 2008, 12:00am By Chao Li

Artwork above by Thomas Rooney of Pavlov's Togs.

Hero Design Studio and Boutique is known for their fusion of art and limited edition designer vinyl toys. On October 24th, Hero is bringing the underground vinyl toy scene to the main stage with a two-month long custom toy show. “All the toys in our store that are limited edition…we really wanted to take that to the next level with the custom show,” explained Hero co-owner, Beth Manos Brickey. The show is a culmination of the work of several artists who started with white vinyl toys known as Blow Up Dolls (B.U.D.) and imbued them with very unique artistic embellishments. (See B.U.D. Blank inset.)

"Those who are not familiar with vinyl toys might see these strange little creatures and not know what to think of them. 'Oh! They're Japanese!' they'll say. And we explain that while some are Japanese, most of what we carry is produced by American companies, by artists from all over the world, who are simply influenced by traditional Japanese toys of the past.”

The vinyl toy scene is big in NY and LA, with larger shops like Kid Robot. "It's hard to explain the concept of these toys to most people, because, sure, on the surface they are toys," Beth says, "but most all of them are intended for adults [13 and up]. And they really aren't toys in the traditional sense; they don't do anything, they don't move or make sounds, they really are a collectible art piece to put on display in your home or office." Beth paused before saying, “People either love it, or they don’t get it at all.”

Beth is hoping that this custom toy show will be successful in giving people more of an understanding of vinyl toys are all about. “We have a growing fan base here in Buffalo,” She explained. “But we are really excited about showing off the art aspect of these toys.”

The show took a few months to plan. “We kept on going back and forth on whether we were going to have people do Munnys or B.U.D.” These two are both D.I.Y. vinyl toys. Basically, these are blank vinyl plastic figures, 9 inches in height. Most people get stuck on the fact that these are ‘toys.’ However, collectors know that at the end of the day, custom toys are priceless pieces of art. Picture a blank vinyl toy. Now, picture a blank canvas. The difference between these two things is that one is a flat surface, while the other is a 3-D "canvas" that’s more malleable; that’s where the fun and challenge begins for artists.

Hero contacted some big names in the toy design scene, like Frank Kozik, Doktor A, Dalek and Shawn Smith of Shawnimals. They also decided to contact local artists and some of their own personal favorite poster artists. Some of the participating local artists include Tom Rooney from Pavlov’s Togs, Jon Mirro of H.O.D. Tattoo, local hip-hop artist, Edreys; Richard Kegler of P22 and Jordan Buckley of the band, Every Time I Die.

Next, Hero sent all of the participating artists 9-inch B.U.D.s (made by Jamungo), for customization. “I knew mine wasn’t going to be cute and cuddly, and making it into a usable item wasn’t too far off from that,” Rooney said. “The one thing I tried not to do is check out the whole vinyl toy world.” Tom says he had fun doing this from the beginning to the end. His finished piece is a great example of what the imagination can do to a plain, white vinyl form. In fact, every piece came back as one-of-a-kind. All pieces will be up for sale. It’s first come, first served, and they have to be purchased in person. “We want to keep these pieces local. That’s why we don’t have an online store.”

Everyone at Hero is dedicated to catering to the local enthusiasts. “Sometimes stores can only get, let's say…10 of a certain toy, and in a larger city, there might be 500 people who’d want it. If that store also sells it online, it’s really frustrating to the collectors.” Our own little shop here draws traffic from Toronto, all WNY area, and also collectors as far as New York City. “What people don’t realize is that they’re not like beanie babies or care bears.” Beth looked around at all the colorful little figures around us, each pair of eyes begged for attention and a voice. Each vinyl toy, bearing a production number, has value that is more like that of comic books than anything else.

Art, on a toy is no less a genuine piece of art. Most of the popular artists in the vinyl world started with poster art, tattoos designs, album covers, and even graffiti. Frank Kozik, before getting into the toy scene, designed posters and album art. One of his more familiar pieces might be the cover for the Offsprings’ album Americana—the one with a kid on the swing and a giant cockroach.

Each artist set his or her own price for the toys, and Beth says, “If someone from Toronto wants a toy customized by one of the more popular artists, they have to be here on opening night.” Hero is determined to reward the local collectors first. The prices will range from $50 to close to $1000. After the first few weeks of the show, the unpurchased pieces will be posted online for sale.

If the opening reception is not an option for you, (although there will be giveaways and food) there’s plenty of time to check out this custom toy show. The show will open on October 24th at the El Museo Gallery from 7PM to11PM. After the opening, the pieces will be moved to Hero, located at 93 Allen Street, and will run until December 23rd. Toys or no toys, this show will showcase some great local talent as well as some big names from the art scene. Who knows? Maybe it’ll inspire visitors to try their hand at their own D.I.Y. Blank.

For a complete list of the participating artists and other detailed information, check out: heroandsound.com/customshow08/