Favorite Art Toys added to our collection in 2020

There weren’t a lot of bright spots in 2020, for nearly everyone on the planet the entire year was a complete train-wreck . Thankfully there were countless artists around the world creating imaginative, hilarious, provoking, and just plain fun Art Toys to help distract from or process the times, to collect, or for some people, to flip for a profit. I was going to make a simple top ten list, but I bought too much cool shit so now we’re presenting a nice even top thirteen.

We’re working on full unboxing videos showcasing these pieces in greater detail, but wanted to get something out the door quickly since our video editing skills basically don’t exist and it’s taking WAY TOO LONG.

In no particular order here we go.

Chicken Killer

by Coolrain x Critic

If you asked me whether or not I needed a cholo Colonel Sanders in my life a few years ago … I probably would have said yes because it’s hilarious. Complete with several tattoos, knee-high socks, and a chromed out piece reminiscent of Dicaprio’s Romeo & Juliet you’d be insane not to own this piece.

The packaging alluded to more ‘Killas’ in the future, so here’s hoping for a Mafia ‘Don’ McDonald gangster … or Long John Silver Yakuza captain.

Mello

by Steven Harrington x ToyQube

Over the last few years Steven Harrington’s pieces have been nearly impossible to obtain, with this drop in particular selling out in under 10 seconds. I remember because I missed it originally and cried on Instagram, but thankfully was able to source it later because I’m super connected … that’s right, be jealous.

Steven has created several high-profile exhibitions around the world, and collaborated with some of the biggest brands including Nike, BAPE, and Billionaire Boys Club. Really hoping Steven doesn’t drop like ten pieces this year and drain my bank account.

Air Mag Shoeuzi

by J-Ldn (Jack London)

J-Ldn has created nearly 30 Shoeuzi designs over the last few years, but this open edition version was the only one I was able to snag so far. Released during the 35th anniversary of Back to the Future, this Nike Air Mag design comes complete with a USB charging station that powers the LED lights on the handle. All the editions come enclosed in a sneaker box design completing the toy/sneaker experience. I’m not a huge sneakerhead, but I love the concept and can’t wait to see more Shoeuzi releases in the future.

The Collector (Paranoia Edition)

by Coarse

Mark and Sven have been creating Art Toys for over a decade now, and in my opinion have the widest range of concepts combined with the highest quality of production in the industry. That said I do have a love/hate relationship with all manufacturers that take pre-orders and you’re genuinely surprised when you get that shipping notification on something you had long-forgotten you ordered. (Coarse is not even close to the worst offender, another article on that coming soon)

The sculpt is amazing and the color choices are wonderful. I think my biggest concern is how long this cloud will stay upright over the years. I have to lean my Luke Chueh possessed figure against the wall to ensure the floating demon doesn’t bend off.

Mono Burgy

by Christian Tamondong x ToyQube

I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know much about Burgy or the artist behind the design. I remember seeing ToyQube and Secret Fresh announce it over the summer on Instagram, and I kind of forgot about it. Probably because I imagined it being about 5 inches tall from the photos, but when I saw Keith unbox one during Designer Con and standing a MASSIVE 16 inches tall I knew I had to track one down.

It’s funny how something as simple as scale draws you to a piece, and you only truly appreciate it when you see it in-person.

Space Holiday Companion (Black)

by Kaws (Brian Bonnelly) x All Rights Reserved

OF COURSE I purchased a Kaws piece this year … I think legally I have to or the Art Toy police invalidate my entire collection. Honestly I don’t buy Kaws stuff that often … in fact I only have 5–6 pieces total but I needed to grab this guy. I think it’s the closest thing I’ll have to an MTV Moonman since my Soundcloud isn’t blowing up like I thought it would.

I was able to ‘beat the bots’ and purchase this guy straight up on the morning it dropped. The one thing that always makes me laugh it people complaining about ‘bots’ and not considering that 10,000 collectors are trying to buy 1,000 items every drop. Thankfully my bot snagged one.

Yel Lowfool (TMall Edition)

by Fools Paradise (Alan Ng) x ZCWO

Fools Paradise has released a variety of Lowfool designs based on some of the most popular Marvel, DC, and Star Wars characters. However, this is the only one that got me to pull the trigger … something about it just makes me laugh.

You‘ll hear people complain about artists ‘ripping’ easy pop culture concepts to sell toys. Well yeah, there is a built in nostalgia for existing pop culture … I get it immediately … I generally laugh … I usually buy it. It’s much harder for an artist to explain why their mutant zombie aardvark is interesting and why you should buy it. While I do look for those original concepts and have added many to my collection, I’m not above buying things just because they’re fun.

Honor Amongst Crooks Kub : Blue (DCon 2020)

by QUICCS x Mike Fudge x UVD Toys

When the first Kub figure dropped I bought it immediately. Then we play that game as collectors waiting for other color-ways to drop and figure out if there’s one we want more than what we own. Well so far I’ve loved every color to come out. These Honor Amongst Crook collabs with QUICCS have been nearly impossible to get, and was only able to snag this version because Martian Toys needed to test out how Popshop worked before DCon. Right place, right time.

Anyway, these last few editions have been released in crazy-low edition sizes of 63 making highly sought after. Good hunting.

Slave to the Siren : Black Sea Edition

by RXSeven x Martian Toys

If you looked at my highest yearly expenses it would probably be in the this order: mortgage, toys, Starbucks. So it’s amazing to be able to combine two of my favorite things with this Slave to the Siren Art Toy. I purchased the first ‘Pugetsound’ color-way, but when I saw the box it had the other [x number] editions listed on the side I knew I’d likely grab another.

Besides the beautiful design and outstanding sculpting, each edition comes with a tumbler. I’ve yet to take it into my local Starbucks to have them fill it up because of covid, but I’m wondering what their reaction will be.

A Vulgar Statement : Chapter 3 (Blue Frosted Glass)

by Mr. Clement x Tomenosuke

Petit Lapin is one of the signature characters of Mr. Clement. While this cute rabbit has been portrayed in a variety of designs, these last few vulgar editions have been my absolute favorite. This frosted glass edition was available in a blue or pink and while produced with translucent vinyl you wouldn’t know unless you actually picked it up.

This is probably like the sixth or so toy in my collection that has a little wiener showing. I should probably devote a little time this year figuring out why.

Ultra-flat Black Superkranky

by Sket One x Superplastic

I believe there have been about a dozen or so SuperKranky releases to date, not to mention the two smaller designs part of the Janky Series 3. Sket One brings his amazing consumer product adaptation to another toy platform. I never did complete my condiment dunny collection. Spray cans and toys have had a long history together from Michael Lau NY Fats to Kidrobot’s Fatcaps; however, if you don’t have that spray can rattle then what’s the fucking point?

Side note, I’ve had to battle a few people on Trampt trying to change these designs from a Janky platform to a Kranky platform. So far I’m winning because I own the site and can lock everyone else out, but it does bring up an interesting debate. It’s worth considering later, but will likely be solved with our new item tags.

Ouroboros Master 9 Eyes (Martian Toys Exclusive)

by Dragon76 x Pure Arts

The original Master 9 Eyes Kickstarter launched at the beginning of 2020 and I jumped on board grabbing the ‘Phntm P4nd4’ edition. Since their debut, Pure Arts has dropped a few more edition including a variety of artist collabs like this one by Dragon76 during DesignerCon 2020. The character design is great, I love the color choices, and it comes complete with six swords you can add however you like. In all honesty I’m surprised by how well it stands for appearing so top heavy.

There will be more artist collaborations in 2021 including an amazing design by QUICCS. Stay tuned.

Dumpster Fire (2020 Edition)

by 100% Soft

What a great way to close out the list. Who knew that when this Dumpster Fire character was first released as a small resin edition at SDCC 2019 that it would become a visual representation of the following year? Usually I don’t buy multiples of the same platform but so far there have been 15 released and I’ve purchased 5 of them.

Having one on your desk is a simple reminder that everything and everyone sucks and it probably won’t be ok … and somehow that helps.

One last honorable mention

I didn’t want to include this in our official list since it was made specifically for us, but this ploygon rendition of our mascot Gravy is definitely one of our favorite additions to the collection. We purchased one for each co-founder from MOES … little do Blake and Chris know that I put a bit of my soul into each of their figures to use as horcruxes. #liveforever

Should we make more lists?

This list only includes pieces I was able to actually purchase, but it could be interesting to create a top ten favorites of the year or perhaps favorite customs? Plus there are some great pieces added to the collection this year, but were released years earlier so it didn’t feel right to include them. Anyway, definitely more lists coming … not sure why I asked.