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HE NEW COMPANION
ND A HISTORY OF PUSHEAD'S TOY WORKS
-
OUNTY HUNTER
ET JAGUAR / BLOBPUS
ULLMARKSPARKERS
EQUILA TOYS & MORE
97377570041604
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IS S U E 12
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SUPER7
VOLUME04 ISSUE01
M ARCH2006
05
07
08
14
18
EDITORIAL
EXCLUSIVES
S7 NEWS
S7 TALK
TOYING WITH DEATH/
THE FIGURES OF LEGENDARY
PUNK ARTIST PUSHEAD
3 0 BOUNTY HUNTER
STRIKES BACK/
THE BRAND THAT STARTED IT ALL
36 FIRESTARTERS/
BULLMARK SPARKING VINYLS
38 SMILE IF YOU’RE
A ROBOT/
CLASSIC JET JAGUAR VINYL TOYS
42 BLOBPUS IS
FOR LOVERS/
FOR THE CREATORS OF BLOBPUS,
KAIJU TOYS ARE FUN & GAMES
46 DRINK FIGHT W IN /
MUTTPOP RELEASES TW O
NEW FIGURES IN 2006
50 M U S IC /
OSAKA POPSTAR
52 FA SHIO N/
NIKE.SHOCKER.SUPER7.
DEVILOCK.HOUSE33
54 REVIEW S/
56 S7 G EA R /
58 SUPER7 VS. JAPAN
A FIRST PERSON ANECDOTAL
ACCOUNT OF A TOKYO ADVENTURE
Created by Jerry Frissen & Gobi,
Sculpted by Monsters - Fully painted
rotocast vinyl TEQUILA figure with
removable vinyl PONCHO - Dimensions:
8.6” X 6.6" X 4,7” f22cm X 17cm X 12cm)
www.muttpop.com • info@muttpop.com
^assssv
MUTTPOP
Purveyors of good taste!
EDITORIAL
Super7 Magazine, Volume 4 Issue 1 - March 2006
P ublisher
Brian Flynn / brian@super7magazine.com
Super7 Media, Inc. / San Francisco, CA
Editor
Justin Kovalsky / justin@super7magazine.com
Design
Brian Flynn / G e o ff Allen / Caleb Kozlowski / Darlene Gibson
Hybrid Design, Inc. / www.hybrid-design.com
N atio n a l A d S a le s / S ta ff W rite r
Chad Hensley / chad@super7magazine.com
R etail D irectors
Karen Stanley (store) / karen@super7store.com
Isaac Ramos (web) / isaac@super7store.com
Gracious C o n trib u to rs & S p e c ia l T h an ks
Pushead, Kaws, Katsu Tanaka, Hiddy o f Secret Base, Oka Narue o f M edicom ,
Takeshi Sakamoto, Tim Brisko, Mason W arner o f House33, Yass th e Street C orner
Hustler, Kashimoto-san ofToygraph, Kaminaga-san o f Marusan, Kiyoka, Hiroaki,
Taguchi and Yutaka o fG a rg a m el, StrangeCo, Hiro Hayashi, R obert Arevalo,
Shigeo Kikuchi (the photo assassin), John Cafiero, Hirosuke Nishiyama o f Balzac,
Endo Noriaki o f Devilock, M edicom Toy, D evilrobots, Mizna, Bwana Spoons, BxH,
Dennis, Yuriko and everyone who showed us hospitality on our last trip to Japan.
Li I/
THE KIDS
ARE ALL RIGHT
O n c e in a b lu e m o o n , I fo r g e t w h y th e w h o le S uper7 s ta ff p ushes so incessantly
to cre a te th e m a ga zin e, to ra m p u p o u r re ta il lo c a tio n in SF and to m ake new
to y s , a rt p rin ts a nd c lo th e s th a t w e fin d c o m p e llin g . B e fo re you slap m e w ith
so m e cyn ica l re to rt, you s h o u ld k n o w th a t I k n ow ju s t w h a t y o u 'll say: "O h , p ity
US D istribution
Tower Books, Diamond Comics, Ingrams Periodicals,
Retail Vision and Last Gasp
th o s e p o o r p e o p le w h o w o rk w ith c o o l Ja panese to ys, d e s ig n e rs and a rtis ts all
Japanese D istribution
Presspop, Inc. / www.presspop.com
fra n tic a lly c o rra llin g late c o n trib u to rs , p r o d d in g p ro c ra s tin a tin g p h o to g ra p h e rs ,
O th er In te rn a tio n a l D is trib u tio n
info@super7magazine.com
to fe e l like I'm in th e c e n te r o f so m e s in is te r circus d e s ig n e d by h o rrib le little
P rinting
Transcontinental Printing / LGM Graphics
attn: Mike Bradley 1.800.661.0052 x24 Printed in Canada
ju s t w a tc h in g and w a itin g fo r o u r s ta ff's c o lle c tiv e u lc e r to m u ta te and d e v o u r
E ditorial / S ub m issio ns
justin@super7magazine.com
s eem s r ig h t in n u ts v ille ...L a s t tim e o u r d e s ig n e r, G e o ff A lle n , re tu rn e d fro m
C ontact / G oodie Boxes
Super7 Magazine
540 Delancey St., Suite 303, San Francisco, CA 94107
415.227.4700 / www.super7magazine.com
5 -y e a r-o ld cousin , Lily. Lily lives in Kansas a nd th e s e are h e r s te lla r re n d itio n s
R etail Location
Super7 Store
1630 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
415.409.4700 / www.super7store.com
Legal
The advertising and articles appearing within this publication reflect the opinions
and attitudes o f their respective authors and not necessarily those o f the publisher
or other persons affiliated w ith this publication. All rights to the photographs,
artw ork and articles contained in this publication are co pyrig h t owned by th e ir
respective creators. All rights to any character names a n d /o r likenesses are
copyright owned by th e ir respective owners, and no assumption o f ownership
is made by this publication. Everything else contained herein is ©2006 Super7
Media, Inc. and may not be reproduced in part or whole w ithout written permission
from Super7 Media Inc. as well as any co ntributors if applicable. In th e end,
Super7 is a magazine a bout toys; keep it light.
day. P uh-lease." I realize it so un d s like th e m o s t fu n jo b in th e w o rld ; and, w ell,
to b e h o n e s t, it re ally can be. B u t th e re are tim e s , like th o s e days th a t I sp e n d
and p le a d in g w ith to o -c o o l to y m akers to answ er o u r q u e s tio n s , th a t it all sta rts
M a rtian s. I in e v ita b ly im a g in e th e s e aliens s e ate d a to p g lo w in g g ree n th ro n es,
San Francisco. It's all q u ite d is tu rb in g . U n til, th a t is, w e re ceive a p ie ce o f a rt
like th e o n e w e g o t fro m a sp ecia l little re a d e r nam e d Lily; th e n , su dd e n ly, all
an o u t- o f- s ta te fa m ily v is it, he b r o u g h t b a c k th is d e lig h tfu l d ra w in g by his
o f to y s m a de b y Ja panese b o u tiq u e S e cret Base, w hich she a p p a re n tly lea rn e d
all a b o u t in issue n u m b e r n in e o f Super7. N e v e rm in d th e p e rfe c tly p ro fo u n d
c u ltu ra l e x c h a n g e th a t's h a p p e n in g h ere ; th is d ra w in g is am azin g and p u re in
a w ay th a t o n ly a c h ild can conjure. Sure, Pushead's p ro to ty p e to ys are g o d h e a d
a nd his c o lla b o ra rtio n w ith Kaws b o g g le s th e m in d , as y o u 'll d is c o v e r in o u r
c o v e r s to ry . A n d , yes, J a p a n e s e fa s h io n b ra n d B o u n ty H u n te r is so c o o l w e
can h a rd ly s ta n d it, as w e le a rn e d w hen w e in te rv ie w e d c o m p a n y c o -fo u n d e r
H ikaru Iw anaga. B ut, Lily's d ra w in g speaks o f th e real reason w e m ake Super7:
to p ro m o te th e essence o f k id -lik e c re a tiv ity to as m any p e o p le as p o s s ib le and
to have fu n d o in g so. If it so un d s id e a lis itc o r c lic h e d to you, I s u g g e s t you have
a s it-d o w n w ith Lily. I b e t sh e'd ch an g e y o u r m in d in m o m en ts.
J u s tin K ovalsky
E ditor, Super7
S7
EXCLUSIVES
V.12 0 7
Left: E veryday is H allow een a t
Super7. The o ra n g e -w ith -b la c k trim Balzac P aperbagm an w ill also
b e a v aila ble A p r il 1st exclusively
a t w w w .super7m agazine.com
A BAG OF BONES
BETWEEN FRIENDS
R ig h t: The inten se M isfits Records
Balzac P a p erb a gm a n Exclusive.
A v a ila b le A p r il 1st o n ly a t
w w w .m isfitsre co rds.com
BALZACxSECRET BASExMISFITS
RECORDSxSUPER7
In a ty p ic a lly Ja panese fo u r-w a y c o lla b o ra tio n , S u p er7 , M is fits R ecords and
S ecret Base have te a m e d up w ith Ja panese p u n k b an d Balzac to release th e ir
m asked vinyl m a sco t fig u re S ta te sid e . T h o u g h th is c h a ra c te r was o rig in a lly
c re a te d a nd p ro d u c e d in Ja p a n b y Balzac a n d S e cre t Base, and has b e e n in
a v a rie ty o f c o lo rw ays, th e se new H allow e e n c o lo rs are h ittin g th e US to h elp
spread th e w o rd a b o u t th e h o tte s t h o rro r p u n k a c t fro m th e East. T h e blackw ith -o ra n g e -trim ve rsio n is e xlcu sive to M is fits R ecords (Balzac's US re c o rd
lab e l) and w ill b e a va ila lb e in a lim ite d e d itio n o f 100 p ie ce s. O n th e back
o f th is fig u re (n o t show n) th e ic o n ic M is fits lo g o w ill a p p e a r p a d p rin te d in
sta rk w h ite . For th e Super7 o ra n g e -w ith -b la c k -trim v e rs io n , w e 're c a rry in g
on th e tra d itio n o f o u r H a llo w e e n se t w ith g u s to ; p ic tu re th e se fig u re s on
y o u r to y s h e lf n e x t to last years S u p er7 xS e cret Base H a llo w e e n series and
y o u 'll g e t th e ide a . E sch e w in g p a d p rin tin g on th e b ack, th e S7 c o lo rw a y
w ill also be lim ite d to 100 pieces.
ARIGATO MISTER
ROB OTTO
M-1xSUPER7 CLEAR JET JAGUAR
W h e th e r you fo n d ly re m e m b e r J e t Ja g u a r h e lp in g G o d z illa save th e E arth in th e film G o d z illa VS M e g a lo n o r th is
is y o u r in tro d u c tio n to th e tita n iu m tita n ; w e can all a g re e th a t he's a c o o l lo o k in g ro b o t. The o rig in a l m o ld fo r th is
n in e -in ch m id d le -s iz e d vinyl to y was p u rp o rte d ly m a de b y M-1 o w n e r Yuji N ish im ura to fill in his v e ry ow n c o lle c tio n ;
th e re w ere p re v io u s ly o n ly g ia n t-s iz e d and sm all-sized to y s m a de by B ullm ark in th e 70s. N ow , Super7 is te a m in g up
w ith M-1 to b rin g you th e v e ry firs t clea r ve rsio n o f th e ch a ra cte r. T h o u g h th e u n p a in te d p r o to ty p e is show n here,
e x p e c t o u r re g u la r release to fe a tu re J e t J a gu a r's o rig in a l c o lo r schem e o f red, b lu e , y e llo w and gray. These w ill
re ta il fo r $75 .00 and w ill b e a vaila ble in late M arch a t w w w .su p e r7 m a g azin e .co m
TOY
NEWS
08 v-12
TWO
HEADS
AND ONE
BROKEN
HEART
The Super7 X S e cret Base G h o s tfig h te r re tu rn e d th is F e b ru a ry ju s t in tim e to g e t his h e a rt to rn to te e n sy-w e e nsy bits.
Cast in clear p in k vinyl w ith p ip e cleaner arms and a broken hea rt p a p e r inse rt in th e chest, th e Valentines Day G h o s tfig h te r
co m es in tw o fresh c o lo r va ria n ts. F e a tu re d on th e r ig h t in th e red s h o rts is a lim ite d e d tio n a vaila ble on a firs t-c o m e firs t-s e rv e basis. In th e b la ck s h o rts on th e le ft is o u r s u b s c rib e r o n ly ve rsio n w hich w e o ffe re d u p fo r sale as a th a n k you
to th e p e o p le w h o s u p p o rt th e m agazine d ire c tly . S orry w e c o u ld n 't send choco la te s.
If you miss o u t on th e se fig ure s, keep yo u r eyes p e e le d fo r th e exclusive W h ite Day G h o s tfig h te r on M arch 15th. (P rototype
a rt show n le ft). W o rd on th e s tre e t is th a t th e re m ay even b e a s u b s c rib e r o n ly v a ria n t. In case yo u're cu rio u s, W h ite
Day is a Ja panese h o lid a y w h e re g irls g iv e boys th e y like g ifts . As fo r h ow th e s e n o rm a lly s tro n g -w ille d b oxe rs le t th e ir
e m o tio n a l g u a rd d o w n , it seem s th a t even th e th e to u g h e s t to ys have to e n d u re th e ir fa ir share o f heartache.
w w w .su p e r7 m a g azin e .co m
OLDIE BUT GOODIE
ARTIST BWANA SPOONS INTRODUCES
THE SILVER JESSIE
If you a re n 't fa m ilia r w ith th e w o rk o f Bwana S poons, you are a b o u t to b e c o m e , w ell, a h a p p ie r hum an b e in g .
T h a t may so un d hokey, b u t Bwana is a tru ly in v e n tiv e p a in te r w ho se c o o l c h ara cters and c a c o p h o n o u s ly c o lo rfu l
lan d sca pe s re ally w ill fo rc e you to crack a sm ile. This s te rlin g silve r fig u re is based on Bwana's Jessie th e W anderer.
Jessie w e ig h s in a t six ounces, stands at fo u r-in c h e s ta ll and a p p a re n tly , A c c o rn S tu d io hand s c u lp te d him so th a t his
h ead and arm s can m o ve! Like any g o o d w an d e re r, he c o m es w ith h o b o sack th a t houses a starfish, a sand d ollar,
a crysta l and a b o ttle o f sea m ist. M a de in a lim ite d e d itio n o f 30, y o u 'd b e s m a rt to p ic k th is w ise w a n d e re r up
b e fo re he ra m ble s on.
TOY
NEWS
V.12
BIG IN JAPAN
JUMBO VINYL ROBOTS
FROM FEWTURE
Lovers o f g ia n t-s iz e d vinyls g e t re ad y to re jo ic e and J u m b o M a c h in d e r fans
m ig h t w a n t to pay a tte n tio n to o . In A p ril, F e w tu re M o d e ls w ill release th e n e xt
tw o to y s in th e ir G ig a -B y te series o f s o ft vinyl fig ure s. O n ly each o f th e h ig h ly d e ta ile d fig u re s are nea rly th re e fe e t ta ll are base d cre a tio n s fro m le g e n d a ry
m anga a rtis t G o N ag a i. T h e fir s t c h a ra c te r is th e m e c h a -m o n s te r G arada K7
fro m th e classic s u p e r ro b o t anim e, M azinger. Besides th e to y 's m assive sta tu re ,
e xtra g im m ic k s in c lu d e eye m issiles and d e ta c h a b le sickle b la d e s on th e side
o f th e ro b o t's head. N e x t u p is UFO G re n d ize r. Sure to p lease g ia n t ro b o t fans
e v e ry w h e re , b o th vinyls have seven p o in ts o f a rtic u la tio n and b a ll-jo in te d w rists
and e lb o w s. A s u g g e s te d re ta il p ric e o f $248 is b o u n d to raise a fe w eyeb ro w s
b u t th e n so w ill one o f th e se g ia n ts to w e rin g a b o ve y o u r to y shelves.
MONSTERS
GONE WILD
NEWKAIJU UNVEILED
FROM MARUSAN
M arusan is a b o u t to unshackle a slew o f n ew m o n s te r vinyls as p a rt o f th e ir
Tederos to y line. This series g o t o ff to a s lo w s ta rt on th e kaiju side w ith Zim e lla
released in 2 00 3 ; A se con d fig u re w a s n 't a d d e d to th e series u n til last fa ll—
E b ire o n , a lo b s te r fish fu s io n . D u rin g th e n e x t fe w m o n th s , M a rusa n w ill
introd u ce three new kaiju to th e mix. The firs t beast w ill be Bamer, a g ia n t w in g e d
crustacean. N e x t is th e n ig h tm a rish S eabull, a h id e o u s d o lp h in -e le p h a n t cross­
b ree d . The th ird kaiju is th e s tra n g e A lie n Fran in va d e r and w ill be released in
th re e d iffe re n t form s. The Frans are o cto p u s-like e xtra te rre stria ls th a t tra ve l in
small fly in g saucers and e x te n d m e cha n ized te n ta cle s. O n e se t o f Frans w ill
in c lu d e an alie n and sa uce r w h ile th e 1 0 -in ch Fran s h ip w ith te n ta c le s w ill
be released separately. Each o f th e se m o n s tro u s adve rsa ries are c o lo rfu lly
d eta ile d and com e b a g g e d w ith a h eader card fe a tu rin g actual panels fro m th e
T ederos co m ic. These are sure to sa tia te y o u r Ja pa n e se m o n s te r to y lust,
a t least m o m e n ta rily.
NEVER MIND THE POLOCKS
TIM BISKUP TEAMS UP WITH TOY2R
Toy2R's Q e e fig u re s are a p o p a rt p h e n o m e n o n lite ra lly p o p p in g u p all o v e r th e g lo b e . P ro no u n ced "key," Q ees co m e
in a v a rie ty o f shapes and sizes, d e s ig n e d b y som e o f th e to p to y creators o f to d a y. O n e o f Toy2R's firs t Q ees fo r th e New
Year is Tim Biskup's 8 -in ch Polska C yclo p s Egg. Shaped like H u m p ty -D u m p ty , th e fig u re 's visag e is a g rin n in g , o ne -e ye d
bea st w h ile its backside bares a d esig n re m in isce n t o f a m edieval e nsign. "I was lo o k in g a t h e ra ld ic shields as a reference,"
e xpla ins Biskup a b o u t th e e a g le s y m b o l on th e back o f his Polska C yclops. "A frie n d p o in te d o u t th a t it lo o k e d like th e
Polish fla g . So I d id a little research and cam e u p w ith th e to y 's n am e ." B e tte r y e t, 50 g lo w -in -th e -d a rk Polska C yclops
Eggs have b ee n ra n d o m ly p a c k a g e d w ith th e re g u la r o ra n g e v e rs io n , so g e t re ad y fo r a h un t. By th e way, have you
heard th e o n e a b o u t th e g o o fy a rtis t, th e French g u y and th e Polock?
0 9
Tove
IS
FROZEN SOLID
SEC U R ITY
M O N K EY
dead/
y ^ iT H
GREEDy f iL O - ry
10 inch Noupa Evil Robo trexi, comes with a 3 inch
Greedy Pilot trexi inside.
Also available in Blister, Frozen Solid Security Monkey.
10 inch Flying Pig trexi, comes with a 3 inch
Cold Day in Hell trexi inside.
Also available in Blister, Cold Day in Hell trexi.
piece together by dorren gan
for more information, log on to uiuiui.ployimoginotive.com or head douin to your neare/t treni /to cki/t
TOY
NEWS
V.12 11
LUCK OF THE DRAW
GARGAMEL RELEASES
NEW YEARS LUCKY BAGS
E very N e w Year, th e c o o l kid s a t J a p a n e se to y c o m p a n y G a rg a m e l cre a te
S ta rtin g in th e u p p e r le ft a nd m o v in g clo c k w is e , th e U nch i-kun cam e in b o th
s o m e th in g special fo r th e ir cu sto m e rs. C a rry in g on th e Ja panese tra d itio n o f
red v in y l w ith g re e n sp ray and re d vinyl w ith s ilv e r sp ray ve rsions. (Yes, th e
fukubukoro o r lucky bags, in w hich retailers ra nd o m ly p ack assorted h ig h -p ric e d
U n ch i-ku n is e x a c tly w h a t y o u th in k it is.) N e x t, y o u 'v e g o t to love th is g ro u p
g o o d ie bags and sell th e m a t crazy d is c o u n ts to cre a te g o o d luck in th e N ew
s h o t o f m in i-H e d o ra n in c lu d in g th e y e llo w s ta n d in g and p in k w a lk in g lucky bag
Year, G argam el stu ffs bags chock fu ll o f ra n d o m rare vinyls, o n e -o f-a -k in d item s
ve rsio n s. S ta rtin g on th e b o tto m ro w a t rig h t, th e s e m ini Z a rg o ra n s ca m e in
and u n p a in te d te s t sh o ts o f th e ir h o tte s t releases. O f co u rse , c o lle c to rs g o
bla ck u n p a in te d vinyl, flesh c o lo re d vinyl and b la c k vinyl w ith red spray. Finally,
a b s o lu te ly b onkers fo r th e se m yste ry p ackages and q u ite a fe w o f th e m tric k le d
G a rg a m e l's la te s t kaiju is u n v e ile d . His nam e is B a kobaso and he w a n ts you
in to th e US m a rke t e a rlie r th is year. In case you m issed o u t, w e've p ro v id e d a
ta ke him h om e , e s p e c ia lly if y o u have ro o m fo r him and his m in i-p a l!
s a m p lin g o f th e tre a su re s b e lo w ju s t in tim e to w h e t y o u r a p p e tite fo r w h a t
G a rg a m e l has in sto re in 2 00 6 a nd b e yo n d .
TOY
NEWS
1 2
V.12
BACK IN BLACK
BALZAC MEDICOM PAPERBAGMAN
It's hard to b e lie ve th a t th e q u a rte t o f rockers th a t co m p rise s Ja panese b and
Balzac fin d th e tim e to m ake really co n siste n t re cord s; to to u r; to run th e ir
O sa ka -b ase d b o u tiq u e and fa sh io n lab e l; and to p ro d u c e as m any g re a t to ys
as th e y d o. B u t th e y keep ch u rn in g o u t c o o l p ro d u c ts , so it's p r e tty clea r to see
w hy th e ir fan base is g ro w in g S ta te sid e. O n Ja nu a ry 2 5th in Ja pa n , th e b and
released a new sing le fe a tu rin g th e so ng s " H o rro ro c k " and "R a in" th a t cam e
p a c ka g e d w ith th is P a p erb a gm a n d o ll. M a de b y M e d ic o m Toy, th e 12-inch
fig u re ca m e w ith re m o v a b le m ask, m e g a p h o n e , and k n ife a ccesso rie s.
T h o u g h th is fig u re has b e e n re le a se d b e fo re in a b la c k c o lo rw a y , th is
version's suit is e n tire ly m ade o f leather. O n ly 1000 o f th e se w ere m ade
and th e y so ld o u t im m e d ia te ly in Japan.
DOLLY POP
ARTIST MIZNA LENS HITS STATESIDE
In th e sam e ve in o f c re e p y -c u te m anga a rits ts like J u n k o M izun o , b u t m o re p o p frie n d ly , Ja pa n e se a rtis t M izna is
a b o u t to re lease a series o f s o ft vinyl fig u re s , h an d c ra fte d d o lls a nd a rt p rin ts b a se d on h e r u n ive rse o f c h ara cters.
T itle d sim p ly, M izna Lens, M izna's o e u v re c o m b in e s te e n g o th ic g irl s e n s ib ilitie s w ith th e v in ta g e h o rro r v ib e o f
m anga m a ste rs H id e sh i H in o and U m ezu Kazuo — b o th o f w h o m M izna says are "m a jo r in flu e n c e s ." Fe a tu re d
le ft is an e x a m p le o f o n e o f th e y o u n g a rtis t's h a n d c ra fte d a nd h y p e r-d e ta ile d p lush d o lls . These s o ld fo r to p
d o lla r u p o n h e r re c e n t g a lle ry sh ow a t R o b o c o n in Los A n g e le s . H e r fir s t v in y l d o ll w ill be a v a ila b le th is M arch
via w w w .h ih o u .n e t/m iz n a and s e le c t re ta ile rs .
COSMIC CHAOS
MARS-TS INVISIBLE PLAN
S trangeC o is d ro p p in g new Mars-1 m ini fig u re s later th is ye ar as a fo llo w u p to last
year's h ig h ly a n tic ip a te d p ro to ty p e release a t San D ie g o C o m ic -C o n . F a ith fu lly
s c u lp te d to c a p tu re th e essence o f M ars-1's (a.k.a San F ra n cisco -b a sed a rt star
M a rio M a rtin e z's) lavish ly a b s tra c t sci-fi p a in tin g s , all 12 o f th e In v is ib le Plan
fig u re s are sch e d u le d to h it s o m e tim e th is s p rin g . The to ys w ill be b lin d b o x e d
and w ill b e a va ila b le in tw o d iffe re n t c o lo rw a y s -re d and g re e n . If th is sneak
p e e k a t th e fu ll line o f p ro to ty p e s is any in d ic a tio n , th e final to ys w ill be stellar.
TOY
NEWS
V.12
SKULLS TO THE WALL
NEW COLORWAYS FROM SKULL TOYS
T hough many o f th e new wave Japanese vinyl co m pa n ies are p ro d u c in g 5-inch
c o m p a n ie s are d o in g , I a c tu a lly d id w a n t to g iv e it th e a p p e a ra n c e and fe e lin g
fig ure s th a t all f it in th e sam e a e s th e tic universe, o th e rs, such as fle d g lin g to y
o f th e o rig in a ls . [Several o f th e o th e r n ew su it c o m p a n ie s lean to w a rd m o re
makers, Skull Toys are cra ftin g am azingly d e ta ile d vinyl suits th a t f it on o ld -sch o ol
e x a g e rra te d and s ty liz e d suits.]
Henshin C y b o rg fig u re s . O ffe r in g th re e c o lo rw a y s o f th e ir D o k u ro K in g s u it
(Black Riot, U n p a inted Pink and Clear), Skull Toys is g a in in g c o n sid e ra b le steam
Can you share a b it m ore a b o u t th e visual in sp iration fo r your suit?
and a ttra c tin g th e a tte n tio n o f c o lle c to rs in th e US and Japan. S uit d e s ig n e r
I had th e idea o f in c o rp o ra tin g a skull m o tif in to m y to ys, b u t it was d iffic u lt to
Takeuichi talks influ e n ce and in sp ira tio n .
g e t my ideas into shape. I re fe rred to m any th ing s, b u t u ltim a te ly I d rew th e m ost
S7: Did you g ro w up collecting original Henshin C yborg fig ures and suits?
G ig e r (the o rig in a l c o n c e p t a rtis t fo r th e m o vie A lie n ) was a m a jo r influence.
in s p ria tio n fro m th e im a g e o f th e B u d d h is t d e ity , A syura. A lso, th e w o rk o f HR
Takeuichi: A c tu a lly I've o n ly s ta rte d to c o lle c t in th e last fe w years. So I am
in flu e n ce d m o re by new to y s like S ecret Base and Ravii suits. I've b ee n in to
The suit is q u ite m eticu lou sly scu lp te d . W h o was th e sculptor?
toys since I was a kid; my p are n ts used to b u y me Zo ids. But, I've b ee n b u y in g
A c tu a lly , I d e s ig n e d and s c u lp te d it m yself!
s o ft vinyl fig u re s recen tly. I also like M e d ic o m 's Kubricks.
Have you been surprised by th e sudden and in tense in te re s t in your w o rk,
H ow do you fe e l th e Skull Toys suits fit in w ith o th e r custom suit
p a rtic u la rly w ith a lo t o f it com ing fro m th e US? It really su rprise s m e and
m anufacturers? W ith my d esig n s, even th o u g h I love w h a t o th e r new
I am e x tre m e ly h a p p y th a t p e o p le in th e US are e n jo y in g my item s!
13
S7
TALK
14 v’2
T h o u g h y o u m a y not b e fa m ilia r w ith th e n am e
O ka N arue, w h en y o u h e a r th e lis t o f Japa ne se
to y s th a t th is d is tin g u is h e d g e n tle m a n has
m a d e yo u w ill u n d o u b te d ly flip . W h e th e r he's
cra n kin g o u t o b s c u re v in yl toys f o r Ta ke-shit's
p u n k b a n d C o c o b a t o r n e w G le n D a nzig fig ures,
O ka fills h is days t o ilin g a w ay as a to y p ro d u c e r
fo r M e d ic o m Toy c o m p a n y in Ja pa n. O h ye ah ,
h e's also th e in v e n to r o f a lit t le to y lin e c a lle d
K ubricks. M a y b e y o u 'v e h e a rd o f it.
NOTES FROM THE
UNDERGROUND
This tim e , I'd like to w rite a b o u t h ow I b e g a n m a kin g to y s fo r th e Ja panese p u n k b an d , Balzac. In M arch 1999, th e s o ft
vinyl to ys M o n s te r and V a m p ire (b e lo w )w e re released u n d e r th e nam e I n ow use w ith M e d ic o m , P ass-guard. A t firs t,
th e y w e re s u p p o s e d to b e re le a s e d fro m th e c o m p a n y I u sed to w o rk fo r, Z a a p !, w hich s o ld C o c o b a t Jo e (I w ill ta lk
a b o u t th is so m e o th e r tim e !), b u t e n d e d u p b e in g p ro d u c e d by B o u n ty H u n te r. T h e re w e re o n ly 666 o f each fig u re
a nd th e y s o ld o u t im m e d ia te ly u p o n release. O rig in a lly , th e s e w e re m e a n t to b e c h a ra c te rs on t-s h irts d e s ig n e d
fo r Balzac by H id e a ki fro m H 8 G ra p h ix . W e th o u g h t th e d ra w in g s w e re re a lly c o o l a nd th a t th e y w o u ld m ake g re a t
to ys. A t th a t tim e , w e had o n ly p r o d u c e d C o c o b a t J o e a n d th e P o s i-T ra c tio n T in -C a r, so w e had v e ry little p ra c tic a l
k n o w -h o w . F o rtu n a te ly , w e re c e iv e d a lo t o f h e lp fro m fa c to r y p e o p le o n h o w to m ake th e s e fig u re s . N ow , I've
p ro d u c e d lo ts o f o th e r Balzac to y s fo r M e d ic o m Toy. H ow e ve r, th e fir s t o n e w ill alw ays rem ain in m y m e m ory.
S7
TALK
T a ke -sh it is th e c o o l c re a to r a n d bass p la y e r
f o r th e J a p a n e s e h a rd c o re b a n d C o c o b a t, as
w e ll as a c o lu m n is t fo r W a rp Ja p a n a n d C o o l
Trans m a g a zin e . H e's n o to rio u s ly a d d ic te d to
a ll t h in g s H e n s h in C y b o rg , M ic ro m a n a n d
D e v ilm a n a n d h is to y c o lle c tio n is so in sane
i t w o u ld m a k e y o u w e e p . H e has a ls o b e e n
in v o lv e d in th e c re a tio n o f m a n y to ys o v e r the
ye a rs in c lu d in g th e h ig h ly in flu e n tia l F in k-S h it
fig ure, M e d ic o m 's C o co b a t Joe, M icrom an-style,
M ic ro - S h it to y s a n d B e@ rbricks.
GARBAGE
DIGGER
SOFT VINYL HARDCORE
D u rin g th e 1970's, s o ft v in ly kaiju fig u re s based on m ovies and TV p ro p e rtie s w ere e x tre m e ly p o p u la r w ith kids. But th e re
w ere also tim e s w he n n o -n a m e ch a ra cte rs w e re rele a se d by Jy a k u s h o g o k u C o m p a n ie s . IKB was th e to p co m p a n y th a t
th e se o b su re kaiju to ys. These w ere som e o f th e m o s t s u p e rb ly d e s ig n e d fig u re s o f all tim e . The co m pa n y's
e arly o u tp u t in c lu d e d a set o f th re e H ed o ra n, b u t th e h it series M osug o n 1 was also sta rtin g to rise to a tte n tio n . There
was ru m o re d to b e a M o su g o n 2, b u t th e to y and h e a d e r c a n n o t b e fo u n d to d a y . H ow ever, ju s t recen tly, a to y m aker in
Ja pa n re s u rre c te d th e fa b le d M o s u g o n 2! Hanashi Kaiju, also kn ow n as K u p ach i K aijo is kn ow n b y th e c o lle c to rs as
Mr, H. He cre ate s th e m o n s te r, B em on (p ic tu re d b o tto m row). C a llin g h im s e lf b y th e title th e S o ft V inyl H a rd co re , Mr.
H tru ly is a d ie -h a rd . Instead o f having his fig u re s c o lo re d a t a fa c to ry , he takes his tim e to p a in t each to y to p e rfe c tio n
hand. Even th e h e a d e r cards are silk s c re en e d o n e a t a tim e . His b irth p la c e is in Tokyo, Kashi-Ku, w h e re th e re are
sm all fa c to rie s o w n e d by fa m ilie s . It m ay b e b eca u se o f th e se s u rro u n d in g s th a t Mr. H fe e ls m o s t c o m fo rta b le
h an d c ra ftin g each o f his s o ft vinyl fig u re s , p u s h in g th e tra d itio n o f c o m p a n ie s like IKB to th e n e x t level.
S7
TALK
16 V1;
H id d y is th e o w n e r a n d d riv in g fo rc e o f Ja p a n 's
p re m ie r b o u tiq u e to y c o m p a n y , S e c re t Base.
S e cre t Base has b e e n p ro d u c in g so m e o f th e
m o s t in v e n tiv e fiv e -in c h v in y l to ys o n th e p la n e t
a n d th e re 's n o e n d in s ig h t. In each issu e o f
S u p e r7 . H id d y w ill b e s h a rin g h is th o u g h ts
w ith his ra p id ly g ro w in g le g io n o f US fans.
HOUSE
OF
SECRETS
MY FAVORITE THINGS
H ello and w e lco m e to th e firs t in s ta llm e n t o f House o f Secrets! There are m any intere stin g th in g s h ap p e nin g w ith Secret
Base a nd w ith Ja p a n e se to y s . A s I k n o w th a t m any Super7 re a d e rs are c o lle c to rs o f to y s and o th e r ite m s, I'd like to
share a fe w th in g s th a t have g ra b b e d m y o w n a tte n tio n lately. I m ay n o t e x p la in e v e ry th in g th o ro u g h ly , b u t th a t's
p a rt o f th e fu n o f fin d in g o u t a b o u t new c o o l th in g s — it's p a rt o f th e th rill o f th e hunt. Please e njo y th e p ic tu re s and
fe e l fre e to w rite to th e m agazine s ta ff if you have any q u e s tio n s a b o u t a n y th in g you see in my co lu m n .
1.
First up, th is is th e n e w c o lo rw a y o f S ecret Base's K ing Skull Brain, m a d e b y a n d in c o lla b o ra tio n w ith M e d ic o m Toy
2.
N e x t is th e 2 006 B o u nty H u n te r Jacket. This is m y ow n custom version
m a d e b y S e cre t Base. 4 . The s p e c ia l S k u llb e e + G ra p p le K ub rick.
5.
3 . Japanese
b a n d Balzac's A n n ive rsa ry Toy Set
N IK E C o u rtfo rc e 6. U ltra Seven Kaiju 1. The new
Skull Pirate S e cret Base to y d e s ig n e d b y Pushead 8. B ig b a n g B aby a n d C lo c k w o rk O ra n g e 9 . This is my car!
th e c o lo rw a ys o f th e Balzac S kullm an G ashapon
10 .
A ll o f
S7
TALK
17
B rian Flynn was b o rn in th e m id s t o f a h urrica ne
in 1875. A ft e r s p e n d in g his fo rm a tiv e ye a rs u n ­
d e ra c h ie v in g a t va rio u s tasks, h e d e c id e d th e
w o rld w as n o t re a d y fo r his fo rw a rd th in k in g
v is io n o f th e fu tu re a n d w as c ry o g e n ic a lly
fro z e n u n t il 1994. A f t e r re a w a k e n in g , B ria n
h it th e s tre e ts , a n d d e c id e d th a t r u lin g th e
u n iv e rs e t h r o u g h th e h id d e n m y s tic is m o f
a rc a n e S ta r W a rs re fe re n c e s , b in a r y p u ls a r
r a d io e m is s io n p a tte r n s , v in ta g e Ja p a n e s e
v in y ls a n d C o c a -C o la was th e o n ly w a y to g o.
H e is th e p u b lis h e r a n d o w n e r o f S u p e r7
m a g azin e , a w o rld -c la s s d e s ig n e r a n d a h ig h le v e l to y c o lle c to r.
MONSTER FACTORY
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Has anyone seen th e sm o g in Tokyo? I am n o t ta lk in g a b o u t th e skyw ard haze,
p r e tty sure it is a t least seven b illio n . M a rm it, M arusan, C hara ctics, Toygraph,
b u t th e new king o f kaiju, H e d o ra h th e Sm og M o nste r. It seem s a lm o s t e very
CCP, G lo b s te rs , and Y-M SF seem to have lit tle re g a rd fo r m y w a lle t o r s h e lf
Japanese to y m a n u fa c tu re r has ru she d o u t re cen tly, (in th e u ltim a te irony) to
space. I th in k so m e p e o p le ca ll it " to u g h lo v e ", b u t I am n o t c o m p le te ly sure
make a to x ic vinyl m o n ste r o f th e ir own.
so m e d ays. Pushing th e b o u n d a rie s o f H e d o ra h m ania, G a rg a m e l released
Som ewhere along th e line, this obscure G odzilla fo e has grow n fro m a m eager
th e late '6 0s b o o tle g IKB H e d o ra h fig u re s , th e s e m ay be th e m o s t d is ta n t and
b o th s ta n d a rd and m ini size v e rs io n s o f th e ir new H e d o ra n fig u re . Based on
th re e v in ta g e fig u re le g a cy (tw o B u llm a rk fig u re s and o n e Bandai fig u re ) into
o b s c u re re fe re n c e s to H e d o ra h since, w e ll...s in c e CCP's m ini ta d p o le . It seems
an aw esom e arm y o f p illo w y p o llu tio n pariahs. It seem s th a t H e d o ra h has even
th is m o n s te r is n o t g o in g d o w n w ith o u t a fig h t; I ju s t h o p e y o u r shelves can
overtaken th e m ig h ty M echa-G odzilla in all his form s, new and o ld, to b e c o m e
h a n d le it!
th e m ost m anufactured and varied character in th e G odzilla universe. M o rph in g
into new form s on a near d aily basis, o nly th e venerable King G hidrah may have
Finally fo llo w in g th ro u g h on all th in g s I se c re tly h o p e d w o u ld h a p p e n one day,
th e sheer volum e o f variations to co m p e te w ith th e o nsla u gh t o f H edorah mania.
K itty fir e has fin a lly m a de it! I k n o w w e have b e e n sayin g th a t fo r th e last 40
N o t th a t I'm c o m p la in in g . I was o fte n la m e n tin g on th e sad sta te o f H ed o ra h
s h ip p in g c o n ta in e r a rriv e d w ith th e fin al p ro d u c tio n runs o f th e g lo w , o range
a ppearances in my co lle ctio n (see issue 2), b u t my ow n desires and c o m p la in ts
a nd b la c k v in y l v e rs io n s o f th e 15" fig u re . W ith a re vise d o u te r b o x , and an
issues, (o r it lea st it seem s th a t way), In th e m id d le o f February, an unassum ing
may have g o tte n th e b e s t o f me. N ow , m ore o fte n than not, I am try in g to fig u re
e n tire ly n ew in n e r c itysca pe , you to o can n ow finish th a t arm y o f fla m in g fiends
o u t w h e re I am g o in g to p u t my la te st H e d o ra h in ca rn a tio n . I am n o t sure how
you have b ee n w a itin g so lo n g fo r! T h e re are o n ly 90 o f each c o lo r m ade, so
m any new H ed o ra h fig u re s have b een m a de since o u r firs t a rtic le , b u t I am
d o n 't s lee p , o r th e y w ill b e g o n e b e fo re you kn ow it!
TOYING
WITH DEATH
THE FIGURES OF LEGENDARY PUNK ARTIST PUSHEAD
By Brian Flynn/Photography by Robert Arevalo
M ost people recognize the w ork o f prolific punk artist Pushead from his iconic t-shirt
m ore obscure than his o u tp u t in the music underground, b u t every b it as interesting,
and record covers fo r bands such as M etallica, o r from his days e d itin g and crafting
is his amazing m yriad o f m eticulously crafted toys. W ith many o f said figures made
a rt fo r sem inal ska te b oa rd p u b lic a tio n , Thrasher. H ow ever, Pushead's oeuvre
specifically fo r th e Japanese market, Pushead has deve lo pe d a d e vo u t fan follow ing
extends fa r b eyond those w ell-kno w n b od ie s o f work. O ne look at the official
in Asia and a bro a d . N ow , w ith th e release o f his re cen t c o lla b o ra tiv e to y w ith
Pushead fan site (pusfan.com) yields a copiously detailed and absurdly long list o f
w orld -re n o w n e d artist, Kaws, new fans fans are g e ttin g a taste o f what's m ade this
every piece o f art th e San Francisco-based artist has p u t in p rin t — from his days
m aster craftsm an so e nd u ring . Figure th a t in w ith th e release o f his own Nike SB
running and creating im ages fo r his own punk record label Bacteria Sour, to a
Pushead Dunk sneaker, and it's clear to see th a t Pushead is m oving into 2006 turning
plethora o f cover illustrations fo r Japanese hardcore band, C ocobat. Perhaps even
m ore heads than ever w ith his b e a u tifu l-b u t-h o rrific , painstakingly d e ta ile d art.
S7: H ow did th e c o llab o rativ e to y
d o n 't th in k w e e ve r really th o u g h t on
fa m ilia r w ith w h a t he has b ee n d o in g
all v e ry h a p p y w ith th e e n d result.
w ith Kaws com e abou t? W e re you
th e lines o f 'w ha t d o you th in k th e p u b lic
fo r q u ite s o m e tim e and have b een
W h e n th e firs t lin e a rt im a g e was
adm irers o f each oth er's w o rk?
w ill say', it was ju s t a d e sire to d o it and
p ickin g u p o b je c ts th a t he was creating
fin is h e d , Kaws was a lre a d y e x c ite d
Pushead: This was s o m e th in g th a t ju s t
see it th ro u g h . W e a c tu a lly d id a t-s h irt
fo r a w hile. I e n jo y it a lo t...s o m e o f my
a b o u t it, and since I had recom m ended
fo rm u la te d o v e rtim e , in b e tw e e n
c o lla b o ra tio n p rio r to th is , w hich is tw o
fa v o rite m o d e rn a rt toys.
th a t C o s m o L iq u id d o th e s c u lp t,
discussions a b o u t o th e r th in g s . It
ch a ra cte rs, each o n e d iffe r e n t and
se em e d like a n o -b ra in e r a ctually, to
illu s tra te d in d ivid u a lly, th e n c o m b in e d
This to y defies th e sim ple design
h o w he had tra n s la te d m y d esig n s
c o m b in e tw o a rtists w h o u tilize skulls
to g e th e r on th e fro n t o f th e te e . T h a t
tre n d th a t do m in a tes to d a y 's to y
b e fo re in th e p ast, it was w ith g re a t
as th e ir fo ca l p o in t, y e t in e n tire ly
was a g o o d lea d in to w o rk in g on th e
w o rld . H o w w ell do you fe e l your
a n tic ip a tio n to see w h a t he w o u ld
d iffe re n t style s and c o n te n t, to b rin g
C o m p a n io n . A b o u t th e a d m ira tio n , I
d e ta ile d style b le n d e d w ith Kaws'
carve o u t. He d id a fa n ta s tic jo b , and
th e tw o styles to g e th e r fo r a fig u re . I
c a n 't sp ea k fo r Kaws, b u t I am v e ry
carto o n -e s q u e a rt? A c tu a lly w e w ere
I kn ow he was a s lig h t b it nervous
b e ca u se I was a lre a d y h a p p y w ith
w ith th is. T h e w ay it tu rn e d o u t is
H ow did you approach your p o rtio n
th e re , it was e m b e llis h in g a n d sh ap in g
really such a u n iq u e e x p e rie n ce , th is
o f th e design fo r th e toy? D id you
th e fig u re to w o rk w ith th e e le m e n ts
c o m b in a tio n o f s tyle s...a n d I am
w o rk fro m a d ra w in g or fro m th e
I w o u ld a d d . W o rk in g th e skull head
in c lu d in g C osm o L iq u id in th is to o ,
orig inal Kaws C om panio n to y as
firs t, m a k in g th e fa c e c o m e o u t, o r
to see th re e a rtis ts co m e to g e th e r
a m odel? M a ybe th a t is n 't as easy as it
rip p e d away fro m th e o rig in a l c o n c e p t,
in a s o rt o f h arm ony. It all w o rk e d so
w o u ld seem to answer. A s references,
d e p e n d in g u po n h ow you w a n t to see
w ell. W ith th e lim ite d W C C C o p p e r
I used b o th o f Kaws' line a rt fo r th e
it. Then th e ty p e o f d e ta ils th a t I w o u ld
version b e in g th e firs t o n e w e saw and
C o m p a n io n and C o m p a n io n Five Years n o rm a lly illu s tra te w ere a d d e d . Ever
released, it really has th e fe e lin g o f
later, since th e re are som e d iffe re n c e s
so slig h tly ta k in g away th e clean sim ple
a s c u lp tu re in an a rt sense, and a to y
b e tw e e n th e tw o . A n d we had a lre a d y
e ffe c t o f th e fig u re and m o rp h in g
in th a t disp la y, b u t w a n tin g to g ra b
p re v io u s ly d iscussed th a t th is w o u ld
it in to s o m e th in g th a t d ra n k w h a t it
it to m ake it m ove e sth e tic.
be in b e tw e e n th e tw o fo r size. From
th o u g h t was w a te r fro m a hose, b u t
mSSEfc
KAWS OF DEATH
KAWS ON THE PUSHEAD COLLABORATION
S7: How did your collaboration with Pushead come about?
Kaws: I honestly d o n 't remember how the collaboration came
about. Pushead and I were introduced through our mutual
friend Oka Narue at Medicom, and we g o t along well. I think
it is pretty obvious how different our styles are; we just shared
inform ation, and along the way we decid e d to sta rt w orking
on something together. It was very natural.
Did you have any preconceived ideas of w hat this figure
could become, or what it m ight look like ahead of time?
Did you have any input on what you wanted it to look like?
We talked a bo u t d iffe re n t possibilities o f w hat we could do,
b u t I w anted this C om panion to be his version. I had already
d one my version o f the C om panion, so I d id n ot w ant to
interfe re w ith his version o f it. I d id n 't change a th ing . He
d id exactly w hat he wanted to do, and I let it be what it was.
Your tw o styles are very different, what were your thoughts
when you started to collaborate on this project? My stuff
Were you surprised at how it turned out? I was happy with how
is super friendly. We both th o u gh t it w ould be an unexpected
com bination to mend the tw o styles. It is not such a serious
thing. It's just cool fo r us to have it made.
it tu rn e d out. It was fun to see the im age transform into a
d iffe re n t taste. I was not w orried about how it was goin g to
com e out.
w asn't...a p e rso n a l e n v iro n m e n ta l
b e lo v e d c h a ra c te r? T h a t answ er
o ffic e o r fro m e m a ile d p ic files.
d isa ste r fo r th e C o m p a n io n , le t's say.
cam e fa st...h e was th rille d .
W a tc h in g it g ro w and co m e to vinyl
B a n d a g in g u p th e w a rte d o u t flesh,
sh o rte n in g o n e o f th e legs, etc. w h ile
life was really a tre a t. C osm o L iquid
W e re you happy w ith th e final sculpt is a lre a d y a tru ly g ifte d s c u lp to r, and
s till ke e p in g th a t o rig in a l c o n c e p t and
by C osm o Liquid? He seem s to have
I am g la d th a t Kaws tru s te d m e w ith
s ilh o u e tte o f Kaws' C o m p a n io n . Th e re
d o n e a p a rtic u la rly a m azing jo b
re c o m m e n d in g him to w o rk on th is
w a sn 't any h e s ita tio n in illu s tra tin g it
tra n s fe rrin g your d e ta ile d line w o rk
p ro je c t, since he w a s n 't really fa m ilia r
like this, b u t th e n e x t ste p was h o p in g
into th e th ird dim ensio n. D e fin ite ly !
w ith his w o rk ...b u t th e e n d re sult,
th a t Kaws w o u ld like w h a t I had d o n e
Both o f us w ere th rille d w ith th e orig ina l he c a p tu re d w h a t b o th o f us w an te d
to his c re a tio n . He was a fan o f th e
p ro to ty p e . A n d w e b o th had seen
to see. He k e p t it p re tty close and
d e ta il in my illu s tra tio n s , b u t w o u ld
sta g e s o f it as it was b e in g s c u lp te d ,
b e y o n d to w h a t was orig ina lly sent to
he g o fo r w h a t I had ju s t d o n e to his
e ith e r in Japan a t th e M e dico m Toy
him . A n d even th o u g h som e o f th e
O p p o s ite : The firs t Kaws vs. Pushead
im a g e m a d e as b o th a lim ite d
e d itio n te e a n d s tic k e r fo r San D ie g o
C om ic -C o n 2005.
L e ft to R ig h t: Kaws vs Pushead
C o m p a n io n fig u re b la c k vinyl,
g lo w vinyl, s ilv e r vinyl a n d c o p p e r
vinyl fro m M e dico m .
C enter: The o rig in a l h a n d c o lo re d
sketch o f th e th e c o p p e r fig u re
c o m p a re d to th e fin a l toy.
This naturally leads to the next question, which is do you
I suggested they be a little thicker fo r stability; and I wanted
have any other collaborations planned? Maybe, if it came
about naturally, through a friend or connection, it could happen.
a slightly diffe re nt box structure, b ut that is all. Pushead used
But it is defin ite ly n ot som ething prem e d ita te d and nothing
I am specifically looking to do. C ollaboration has been part of
d id a great job.
what I have done since the beginning, whether it was on walls
or in paintings. I have done collaborations with photographers
What have you thought of the reaction to the figure so far?
where I painted on their work, other painters, and w ith graffiti
when you g o o u t painting, you g o w ith others, so c o lla b o ­
I have a soft approachable aesthetic, while Pushead has the
polar opposite — embracing ugly, but in a really great way. We
ration is nothing new. In some ways you could say th a t my
knew when we started on the figure, that it would fit perfectly.
early toys were all collaborations, w hether it was an illegal
or unwelcome collaboration is another discussion.
W hat do you think of the finished product? I think it is a
As you said before, you purposely had very little to no input
into the design of Pushead's version of the Companion. Did
you ge t involved in any way when the figure w ent into
production? There were certain things I gave my inp u t into,
but not many. Pushead originally wanted the legs thinner and
a different sculptor than I normally use, b ut he [Cosmo Liquid]
It is funny how p eople on both sides are really reacting to it.
great th ing ! Only a few years ago it was im possible to think
that we could be doing anything like this. This is no different
than when I used to d o o d le on paper with friends, b ut now
we can actually make it. It is o ffb e a t and unusual, b ut thats
w hat I like a bo u t it.
d e ta il has b e e n lo s t fro m th e s c u lp t
TOYING
WITH DEATH
2 2 V.12
A b o v e : Race to H ell greyscale
a nd fu ll c o lo r cars b y Zaap I
B e lo w : C o c o b a t Joe, C lear C o c o b a t
J o e skull h ea d a n d c o lo r C o c o b a t Joe
sku llh e a d 12" fig ure s b y M e d ico m .
R ight: o rig in a l sketch o f th e C oco cro c
fo r th e '/ versus /' a lb u m cover.
©1998 Pushead.
U tilizing th e character fro m the C ocobat
fo r M e d ic o m ) was b ro u g h t on to scu lp t
o rig in a l to th e p ro to ty p e to th e finished re c o rd re le a se s " G r a s s h o p p e r " and
th e head th a t w o u ld be p la c e d on th e
p ro d u c t, it is still s o m e th in g to b e
"R e tu rn o f G ra s s h o p p e r" th a t I had
car. A t th e sam e tim e Take-shit had this
tru ly p ro u d of.
created forT a ke -sh it's band, this becam e idea to m ake a special C o c o b a t p ro m o
Let's go back in histo ry a b it. The
th e base fo r th e c o s tu m e o f th is
th a t Toy's Factory (label) c o uld send o u t
'C o c o b a t J o e ' as it w o u ld b e nam ed.
to th e shops. So he had H asabe s c u lp t
C o cobat Joe doll was th e firs t to y
a ra t fin k s ty le d h ead w ith T ake-shit's
p ro je c t you w e re involved w ith .
Some of th e same p eop le w ho worked tra d e m a rk glasses o u t over th e sn o u t.
W h a t's th e s to ry behind this
on C o c o b a t Joe also w o rk e d on your
T h is h ead w o u ld g o on an u n p a in te d
in flu en tial fig ure? C o c o b a t Jo e was
P ositraction Tin Car. Can you please
c a r w ith th e re a r e n d b ro u g h t up (the
a d rea m th a t Take-shit o f C o c o b a t and
e xp la in to ou r re a d e rs ho w th e car
Positraction Race to Hell was supposed
O ka o f Zaap w a n te d to fu lfill. To m ake
u ltim a te ly led to th e p o p u la r fig h t
to have th e re a r e n d ra ise d , b u t som e
a c h a ra cte r 12" h ero like th e C o m b a t
fig u res c re a te d by S e c re t Base?
c h ild to y law fo r re ta il p re v e n te d it).
Jo es and Henshin C yb o rg s th a t th e y
It was in 1998, w hen th e T a ke -shit and
T ake-shit had a frie n d , H iro ta , w ho 's
p la y e d w ith as kid s. O ka b r o u g h t
O ka m a chin e d e c id e d th a t m a kin g a
fa m ily ow ns a s o ft vinyl fa c to ry w he re
M e d ic o m Toy o n b o a rd since I th in k
pull b ack ca r o f th e P o s itra c tio n c o v e r
th e y m a de th in g s like th e p la s tic sushi
th e y w ere help fu l in g e ttin g th e licensed w o u ld b e th e n e x t th in g to d o a fte r
th a t sits in th e w in d o w s in fr o n t o f
rig h ts fo r th e actual C o m b a t J o e b od y.
resturants in Japan. They cam e up w ith
C o c o b a t Joe. H asabe (w ho n ow w orks
H ow then did th e Cococroc figure
th e idea to create a fig h te r b o d y fo r this
Take-shit was te llin g me th a t he had
u p w ith his o rig in a l s c u lp t in h and. I
special head. They asked C osm o L iquid
th is idea to m ake a vinyl fig u re fo r th e
re m em b e r he had it all w ra p p e d in pap e r spin o ff into th e Cocoboy doll for
to s c u lp t th is b o d y, and th e Finkshit
'I Versus I' c o v e r cro c c h a ra c te r I had
to w e ls , and as he u n ra v e le d th e se , you
was b o rn ...m a d e in lim ite d n u m b e rs
c re a te d , to be a p ro m o tio n a l ite m to
c o uld see th e w o rk he had d o n e so far... o f th o s e th in g s th a t T ake -shit and Oka
a t th e H irota fa c to ry , and o n ly s o ld at
g o a lo n g w ith th e release o f th is album ,
it was e x c itin g . Plus here w e are in th e
C o c o b a t shows. H id d y b e in g a fa n o f
a nd he w an te d C osm o L iq u id to s c u lp t
m id d le o f a packed to y show, and p e o p le th a t th e y p la y e d w ith as a c h ild . Ju st
th is character, d e c id e d to cre ate his
it. The hard th in g w ith s cu lp to rs , fo r
are q u ie tly n o s in g a ro u n d to see w h a t
a c tiv e ly w a n tin g to cre ate s o m e th in g
own fig h te r rival m any years later. He
me, is each one has th e ir ow n style, and
it is w e are so e n ra p tu re d w ith . W hat
fo r fu n th a t w o u ld g e t th e m e xcited .
M edicom ? A g a in th is is a n o th e r one
discu sse d , and g o in g back to th e toys
spoke w ith his frie n d Ta ke -shit and g o t
h o w th e y in te r p e re t s o m e th in g in to
he had d on e was great, and I could see
p erm ission to ta ke it to th e n e x t step.
th e th ird d im e n so n ...a n d s o m e tim e s it
th a t his tra n s la tio n o f th e illu s tra tio n ,
You also w o rk e d on several toys for
A g a in w ith th e h e lp o f C osm o L iq u id
d o e s n 't translate th e same way. W hile
es p e c ia lly w hen it cam e to th e skulls,
A rts to rm including th e M ech a-T error
as th e scu lp to r, th e S ku llb e e was b orn .
C osm o L iq u id was w o rkin g on it, by
w ere excellent...for th e d eta il o f th e w ork windup series. Did you have a particular
chance, I w e n t to Tokyo, and was a ble
I had c re a te d . G e ttin g th a t fir s t p r o ­
concept in mind fo r those fig ures?
The Cococroc fig ure, a prom o piece
to m e e t him a nd fig u re o u t som e
to ty p e w as so c o o l! A n d se e in g th e
T h e M e c h a -te rro r lin e is a c tu a lly
fin is h e d ve rsions w ith th e p a in t schem e v e ry funny. I really had n o th in g to d o
fo r C ocobat's I Versus I, is highly
a s p e c ts o f th e d e s ig n b a se d on th e
sought a fte r by Pushead collectors.
q u e s tio n s he asked. A fe w days later,
sim ila r to th e b lu e p r in t e ffe c t o f th e 'I
Was this th e first tim e you w o rked
Ta ke -shit and I w e n t to th e Ik e b u kuro
versus I' a lb u m c o v e r was ju s t th e rig h t h a p p e n e d was th e y cam e to m e and
w ith sculptor Cosmo Liquid? Yes.
Toy sh ow and C o sm o L iq u id tu rn e d
touch...especially fo r a p ro m o tio n a l item . said th e y w a n te d to d o a w in d u p o f
w ith th is in th e b e g in n in g . W h a t had
Left: C oc o c ro c p ro m o tio n a l vinyl
fig u re fro m Toys Factory.
Top Right: C oco b o y 9 " figure
b y M edicom .
B o tto m rig h t: C oc o c ro c in all it's form s.
Yellow g lo w vinyl, w hite g lo w vinyl, white
n o n -g lo w vinyl, u n p a in te d lig h t b lu e
vinyl, u n p a in te d flesh vinyl a n d th e
fin a l p ro d u c tio n p a in te d b lu e vinyl
b y Toys Factory.
R ight: Flesh c o lo re d p ro to ty p e
o f th e C o c o b o y s u it b y M e dico m .
B e lo w : Slam Trick p o s te r art.
O p p o s ite A b o v e : O liv e a n d flesh
c o lo re d p ro to y p e , flesh co lo re d w orking
p ro to ty p e a n d o rig in a l s c u lp te d
resin w ith s h o rte r w aist D evilm an
w in d u p s b y Few ture.
O p p o s ite Below : Few ture re le a se d
w in d -u p s o f D evilm an, B irdcatcher,
Sanda K uw a it a n d D o ro ro n Enm a-kun
fla n k e d b y g lo w keycha in s o f
B ird c a tc h e r a n d Sanda K u w a it
m a d e fro m th e sam e m o ld .
W h a t was it like w o rkin g w ith Go
Devilman, since they had a license from
e n g lis h , b u t I also w ro te an e n tire
had c o m p le te d tw o and I b ro u g h t in
D ynamic Pro (Go Nagai's company), and
s to ry as to how th e y (M echa-Terrors)
th e ro ug h illu s tra te d c o n c e p t fo r Silene,
N agai's designs and w e re you happy
th e y knew I was a b ig fan o f Devilm an.
w ere cre a te d b y S u p ra n ic , a n d th a t
and th e o w n e r w as a g a in s t w h a t I was
w ith th e finished toys? A t th a t tim e ,
T hey w ere all e xcite d to see w h a t I
s to ry w ritte n in Ja panese w o u ld la te r
creating. This was fru s tra tin g , because
it w o u ld have b een b e tte r to have
co u ld cre a te in th e 'P u she a d w a y'
a p p e a r on th e back o f each b lis te r card.
he w a n te d it to b e ju s t like S ile n e in
d o n e b ig g e r s o ft vinyl fig u re s o f the
f o r D e vilm a n . A t th is tim e th e y to ld
The n e x t th in g I kn ow is th a t th e y
th e c o m ic s , and m y lo g ic was, th e n
characters. Especially since Usui was
m e it was g o in g to b e fo r a s e rie s o f
really like all o f this, and this is my new
w h y s h o u ld it be a Pushead ve rsio n
such a g re a t s c u lp to r fo r th is and th e
s m all w in d u ps th e y w a n te d to ca ll
line o f figures. A ll th is tim e I really ju s t
(w hich is w h a t th e y w e re askin g fo r),
d e ta il and size w o u ld have been amaz­
W a cky W a lkers. P ro b a b ly in a s o m e ­
w a n te d to d o a Ja r o f Pus fig u re , and
w he n a nyo n e c o u ld d o it th a t way,
ing. T h a t is w h a t I su g g e s te d , b u t it's
w h a t o ffe n s iv e way, I to ld th e m th is
n o t really w in d ups at all, and g o t them
w h a t m akes it u n iq u e fo r th e b u y in g
h is to ry now. It was a lo t o f fun creating
was a s tu p id nam e and th e y sh o u ld
to a g re e to d o it, if I d id th e s e . But,
p u b lic ? So a fte r m uch stress and
th e D evilm an illu s tra tio n as a s o rt o f
co m e u p w ith a nam e m o re fittin g .
th e o th e r th in g was, th a t th e y w an te d
d iscu ssio n s, th e ide a to d o G o N agai
b ik e r e m b le m , th e n a d d in g th e to rso
The n e x t th in g I know is th e y are asking
this new M echa-Terror line, to b e all
characters was shelved. W h ich o p e n e d
fo r th e w in d u p M e c h a -T e rro r, and
m e to co m e u p w ith a name. So n o t
based on G o N agai ch ara cters. So in
th e d o o r fo r o rig in a l c h a ra c te rs like th e having it all co m e to g e th e r as a to y was
only d id I create a nam e in M echa-Terror th e b e g in n in g , th e re was D e v ilm a n ,
B ird c a tc h e r and Sanda to co m e out,
w hich w as s h o rt fo r M e ch a n ica l T e rro r th e n I ch ose S ilene, M ao D ante,
a nd Usui d id a fa b u lo u s jo b s c u lp tin g
co lo rw ays keeps you e x c ite d as to w ha t
in th a t Ja pa n e se b a s ta rd iz a tio n o f
th o s e as w ell as th e o th e r tw o .
th e fin is h e d p ro d u c t w ill lo o k like.
D o ro ro n Enm a-kun, and o th e rs. W e
a u n iq u e e x pe rie nce . Besides choosing
TOYING
WITH DEATH
V.12
Let's ta lk a b o u t th e B utcher D oll, a
re p fo r m any o f th e C hinese fa c to rie s
w a s n 't a b ig m in im u m as b e fo re , so
m ajor d e p a rtu re fo r you stylistically.
was th e re to o . So w e discu sse d it w ith
we set o u t to m ake a sm all run o f 100.
dow n ...h ah a h a). Fin ally th e B u tch e r
It was plush, sim ple and c a rto o n y —
him , b u t s a d ly he said th e m in im u m
Taking one o f th e o ld B acteria Sour
w as re le a se d a t th e Skeletal C arnival
w ere sca lp e rs and th e y w ere all loa d e d
not exactly typical Pushead fare.
w as to o g re a t to b e a b le to m ake th is,
b rush pen c h ara cters, th e B utcher, th e
2 e v e n t d u rin g th e S u p erfestiva l in
W h a t inspired you to m ake th e toy?
e s p e c ia lly as a lim ite d e d itio n fig u re .
d e s ig n w o rk had b e g u n to m ake th is
Tokyo, and it was really g re a t to see a
This is a ctu a lly a n o th e r co ntro versy...
T h e s o ft v in yl fig u re b o o m h a d n 't h it
a s lic k v in y l m a te ria l p lu s h . M y h o p e
little g irl ask her m o th e r if she co uld
I'm ju s t a tro u b le m a k e r you know ...es­
y e t, so m a ybe a lo t o f th e fa c to rie s
in m a kin g th is , was th a t y o u n g e r kids
g e t it. It was kind o f like a reversal
again o f sorts.
p ecia lly at A rts to rm ...[la u g h s ]. A lon g
w e re n 't o p e n to sm all q u a n titie s y e t
c o u ld g e t it, since th e to y m a rk e t was
tim e ago, A rts to rm had a b o o th a t th e
fo r a n y th in g in a to y sense. A fe w years
b e c o m in g fille d w ith m o re a d u lts and
to y s always se e m e d to be fo c u s e d at
San D ie g o C o m ic C on , and w h ile I
la te r A rts to rm was w o rk in g w ith Junko
was th e re , w e had a m e e tin g . O n e o f
M izun o , w h o is a ve ry ta le n te d a rtis t in kids. W h e n d o in g th e s ig n in g events
th e s u g g e s tio n s I m a d e was to m ake
h e r o w n rig h t and she's a g o o d frie n d
in Japan, so m any a d u lts w o u ld b rin g
a plush ch ara cter. A t th a t tim e no one
a lso, and th e y w ere m a kin g a plush
th e ir c h ild re n w ith th e m , and it was
through O ka N arue who you worked
was d o in g s o m e th in g like th is , and
fig u re o f one o f her ch ara cters. O f
alw ays s tra n g e to see th e a d u lts
w ith on th e earlier M edicom projects?
vinyl was ju s t s ta rtin g to ta ke o ff in
course, I said hey! D id you fo rg e t?
ta n k e d d o w n w ith bags o f to y s and
O f c o urse . O ka b e in g my o ld frie n d , I
th e u n d e rg ro u n d . They like d th e idea,
They said th a t n ow it was p ossib le to
th e kids really d id n 't have a n y th in g
am v e ry g la d he has b een a b le to give
and a t th e sam e tim e , th e g u y w h o is a
make such a plush fig u re , since th e re
fo r th e m s e lv e s (unless th e ir p are n ts
m e th e o p p o r tu n ity to b e p a rt o f this
Y ou 've also de s ig n ed several
B e@ rbricks fo r M e d ic o m . Did
you g e t involved w ith Be@ rbricks
2 5
o n g o in g p ro je c t. Be@ rbricks are really
c o o l, such a s im p le sm all d e s ig n th a t
can b e re w o rk e d so m any tim e s . I'd
d o a B e@ rbrick e very series if they'd
le t m e...it to ta lly isn't som ething th a t
TOYING
WITH DEATH
p e o p le m ig h t a s s o c ia te w ith my
26 vA2
d e s ig n ro u g h s I've c re a te d and o ffe re d ,
illu s tra tio n s , and at th e same tim e I'm
not tryin g to make them like that either.
P robably Oka has seen like 25 Be@ rbrick
b u t I've b een lucky e n o u g h to g e t...
Spidereye 100% & 400% , Shrunken 100%,
C o c o b a t J o e g re e n & b la c k 100% ,
N ailspiker 1000% Be@ rbrick W o rld w id e
Tour one o f a kind hand p ain t, N ailspiker
100% & N a ils p ik e r SDCC va ria n t c o lo r­
way, and th e re c e n tly released Psyche
B a n d it 4 00 % & 100% set.
A b o v e : 100% & 4 00 % ch rom e
P sych e ba n dit a n d g lo w -in -th e -d a rk
S p id e r Eye Be@ rbrick fig ure s
b y M e d ico m .
Top C en te r: W hite vinyl 400%
P sych e ba n dit p r o to ty p e b y M e d ico m .
M id d le C enter: G lo w -in -th e -d a rk S p id e r
Eye, S ecret H o rro r Shrunken, C o co b a t
G ra ssh o pp e r, re je c te d N a ils p ik e r
p ro to ty p e , Be@ rbrick W o rld w id e Tour
N ailspike r, San D ie g o C o m ic-C o n
N ailspiker, a n d chrom e P sych e ba n dit
B e@ rbrick fig ure s b y M e d ico m .
R ight C en te r: G ra ssh o p p e r M ic ro b a tta
fig ure s b y M e d ico m .
B e lo w : S o b u t co ve r art.
For th e M icro-Shit and M ic ro -B atta
are all o ld frie n d s in th e to y c o lle c tin g
n e w piece com ing o u t th ro u g h SB,
You've w a tc h e d m any a rtists com e
M ed ic o m fig u res , you used th e
c ircle s, th e y all have th is tru e love
th e Skull P irate. C an te ll us a b o u t
and go in th e to y m arkets in Japan
C o c o b a t g ra ss h o p p e r c h a ra c te r
fo r to ys in th e ir h e a rt...th e y live and
y our in sp iration fo r this n e w fig ure?
and th e US. W h o do you think is
com bined w ith a M ic ro n a u t body.
b re a th e it. The firs t S ecret Base fig u re
D esig n ed a ll...w here d id you g e t th a t
m aking in te re s tin g toys currently?
W as this your concept? N o, n o t a t all.
I was asked to w o rk w ith was th e
info? A s fa r as actu a lly d e s ig n in g a to y
C u rre n tly I th in k th is so c a lle d to y
A g a in , th o se m a gic w ord s...T a ke -sh it
S c re w b ite r c o lo r w ay on th e S kullb ra in .
fo r S ecret Base, th a t has fin ally com e
m a rk e t has lo s t a lo t o f it's luster.
& O ka co m e in to play. S om eday, we
Then th e h ead was s c u lp te d fo r th e
to fru itito n w ith th e Skull p ira te . The
It's s ta rtin g to lo o k s o m e th in g sim ilar
m ig h t see th e M ic ro -C ro c , th e p ro to
S ku llw in g , w hich was like a c o lla b o ra ­
p ro to ty p e s w ere show n a t W CC21, and
to th e b ase b a ll card and c o m ic b o o k
is c o o l! O h, w a it th a t's a se cret.
tio n w ith A s tro Z o m b ie s, since it was
th e firs t b lack p ro to ty p e version should
m arkets o f 10-15 years a g o w ith a lo t
ta ke n fro m th e lo g o fo r Funnyara's
be o u t now. The c o n c e p t is based u pon
o f p e o p le in it fo r th e w ro n g reasons.
Y ou've also d esign ed various toys
sto re . B u t th a t is on a S ku llb ra in b o d y
a m onkey, skulled, th a t is a p ira te ...b u t
W h e n th is h ap p e ns, th e re is massive
fo r Secret Base, th e firs t o f which
and an u p c o m in g version w ith have
n o t th e capta in , m o re like a d e c k hand
o v e r s a tu ra tio n , and w hen th e burn
was th e Skullw ing. H o w did your
S ku llb e e arms.
ty p e , y e t s im p le in th e S e c re t Base
o u t fa c to r h a p p e n s , a lo t o f th e se
fig h te r tra d itio n . It was s c u lp te d b y
p e o p le w ill fin d s o m e th in g else to
relationship w ith H iddy, th e o w n e r
o f S ecret Base, d evelop? H ello,
A lo t o f p eop le in th e US m istakenly
Betch, w ho also sc u lp te d th e M ic ro -s h it
e xcite th e ir tim e . W o rth o n ly creates
th is m ig h t so un d re p e titio u s...T & O...
th in k th a t you de s ig n ed all o f th e
and M ic ro -b a tta . H id d y to ld m e once
a fa lse b o o m . In all fairness, I still th in k
ok...w e are all a close fa m ily, you know .
Secret Base toys, but you've actually
th a t th e S ku llp ira te w o u ld b e th e m aster th e u n d e rg ro u n d o rig in a to rs d o it th e
H id d y w o rke d w ith O ka a t Zaap, th e y
d o n e a h a n d fu l. N o w you have a
at th e to p o f th e fig h tin g fa m ily tree.
b e s t...H ik a ru /B o u n ty H un te r, even
Top Left: W hite a n d re d vinyl
p r o to ty p e S ku llw in g , y e llo w vinyl
h e a d p r o to ty p e S c re w b ite r Skullbrain.
Top R ight: W h ite flo c k e d vinyl, g lo w
a n d b lu e vinyl, re d vinyl, g lo w a n d
s ilv e r vinyl a n d g re y vinyl S kullw ing
fig u re s u rro u n d in g th e S c re w b ite r
S ku llb ra in fig ure s b y S ecret Base.
B e lo w : H aym a ke r c o v e r art.
TOYING
WITH DEATH
V.12 2 g
th o u g h I m ig h t n o t g e t e x c ite d by
w h y d o e s T a ke -sh it n o t have his
d u s t, and always m ake you w a n t to
A b o v e Top Left:
e v e ry th in g he d o e s (he is g o in g to
o w n to y co m pany?
gla n ce a t it w ith o u t lo s in g in te re s t.
H e llb illy 's c o v e r art.
kick m e d o w n fo r saying th a t, hahaha),
T h a t is w h a t m akes all o f us love to ys
he is d o in g it fo r th e rig h t reasons and
You've said in th e past th a t th e
has th e rig h t a p p ro a c h . Besides Kid
d e fin itiv e Pushead to y has n o t been
a n d fig u re s .
B e lo w : H an d p a in te d
w h ite flo c k e d Skull w in g
fig ure s b y S ecret Base.
H u n te r still rules! Kaws' s tu ff is still
m ad e. D o you still fe e l th a t way?
fu n all th e w ay a ro u n d , I k n o w a lo t
If so, w h a t w o u ld you w a n t th a t
F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n o n Pushead and
o f p e o p le w a n t to see w h a t w ill b e his
to y to be? T h a t's rig h t...a n d m aybe
his w o rk , ch e c k o u t w w w .p u s fa n .c o m .
new character. T h a t a n tic ip a tio n ! Tim
it n eve r w ill be. The th o u g h t process
Biskup's ow n s tu ff I like a lot. Kostas,
alw ays ch a n g e s, e s p e c ia lly in to ys.
even th o u g h v e ry fe w , I s till like his
The ide a l s itu a tio n is to have a s c u lp to r
co nce p ts. A n d o f co urse p re vio u sly
w h o can tra n sla te th e line a rt in to th e
m e n tio n e d frie n d s co m p a n ie s. I know
th ird d im e n s io n , and a c h a ra c te r th a t
you m ig h t b e w o n d e rin g a t th is tim e ,
can ju s t sit on th e s h e lf and c o lle c t
A b o v e : Skeletal
C aranival 2
p o s te r detail.
BOUNTY HUNTER
STR IK ES BACK
THE BRAND THAT STARTED IT ALL
By Justin Kovalsky/Photography by Robert Arevalo
A fte r u nw ittingly givin g birth to th e designer vinyl scene w ith th e ir highly influential
c u ltu re is p ra c tic a lly n o to rio u s ; he p u rp o rte d ly has an e n o rm o u s c o lle c tio n
array o f toys in 1997 and g o in g on to create one o f th e to p s tre e t-w e a r brands in
o f Boba F e tt m e m o ra b ilia th a t w o u ld send m o s t b a s e m e n t-d w e llin g Star Wars
Japan, Bounty H unter drop p e d o ut o f the toy business a few years ago. C o-founder
c o lle cto rs back to Je di tra in in g cram p. The nam e B ounty H unter is even an o v e rt
o f th e com pany Hikaru Iwanaga opines tha t, "th e vinyl to y w o rld was g e ttin g to o
nod to th e w ild ly p op u lar and enig m a tic Em pire Strikes Back villain, b u t Iwanaga's
noisy, so w e ju s t s to p p e d ." T h e y c o n tin u e d to fo cu s on fa s h io n , p ra c tic a lly
insp iratio n e xte n ds w ell b e y o n d Star Wars. Case in p o in t: th e very firs t B ounty
d o m in a tin g th e street scene in Tokyo fo r several years. N ow , th e Tokyo-based
H un te r toy, Kid Hunter.
brand is back w ith new figures based on th e classic Fujiko Fujio-created anim ation
K aibutsu-kun and a to ke n punk a ttitu d e . Is it sam e-old, sam e-old? O r is B ounty
The K id H u n te r is in sp ire d b y th e US b rea kfast cereal c h ara cter C ap 'n Crunch.
H unter gearing up fo r a w orld w id e takeover o f designer vinyl? O ne th ing is certain:
A p p a re n tly c o lle c tin g US cereal p re m iu m to y s — th e kind you used to fin d in
they're n o t even re m otely th in kin g in those term s. B ounty H un te r has never cared
cereal boxes w hen you w ere a kid — is a no th e r passion o f Iwanaga's. D esigned
a b o u t p u b lic p e rce p tio n and Iwanaga is always q u ick to let th e w o rld know it:
by leg e n da ry H ysteric G la m ou r artist, SK8thing, th e Kid H un te r m anifested after
"I just d o w ha te ve r I w ant. Since I was a little kid, I never paid a tte n tio n to th e
Iw anaga asked S k8 th ing to d ra w a n ew c h a ra c te r fo r a B o u nty H u n te r shop
p e o p le around m e ," he says.
exclusive t-shirt. Iwanaga has stated th a t back th e n everyone was d o in g hyperre a listic fig u re s and th a t he w a n te d to m ake s o m e th in g w ith ro un d e d g e s
Iwanaga and his partn er Taka, started B ounty H un te r in th e '90s as a to y shop in
like Snoopy, b u t w ith B ounty H unter's a ttitu d e . SK8thing's Kid H unter illustration
Japan's te rrib ly tre n d y Harajuku d istrict. T h e ir focus was in itia lly on b u y in g and
fit th e b ill and th e rest is history. Sim ilarly, B o u nty H unter's Skull Kun to y is
selling Am erican toys such as Star Wars. Iwanaga's own interest in A m erican p o p
d e s ig n e d to be th e skeleton o f 1980s US cereal icon, Frankenberry, and the
BOUNTY
HUNTER
3 2 v12
c o m p a n y has d o n e p o p u la r re n d itio n s o f D isney ch aracters — a savage and
B o u nty H u n te r c lea rly set a p re c e d e n t fo r m any o f th e c o m pa n ies to com e. In
d e c id e d ly feral M ickey M ouse com es to m ind. It's u n d o u b te d ly this te n d e n cy to
fact, Hiddy, th e o w n e r o f Secret Base, w hich is easily th e m ost p o p u la r o f th e new
g o against th e grain th a t a ttra cte d several o f th e forefathers o f g lo b a l desig n er
b o u tiq u e vinyl com panies in Japan, shows a d e e p a dm ira tio n fo r Bounty H unter
vinyl to th e com pany early on.
by d isp la yin g a life-size Skull Kun fig u re in his own Harujuku store.
To w it: artists, Frank Kozik, Jam es Jarvis and Kaws, all had th e ir very first vinyl toys
Naturally, Iwanaga is uninterested in discussing any o f th e new b ou tiq u e com panies
prod u ce d th ro u gh B ounty Hunter. Since th a t tim e , those g en tle m e n have b ecom e
and th e ir e ver-increasing n o to rie ty in th e US. Asked a b o u t his th o u g h ts on the
th e b ig g e s t names in th e vinyl to y industry; it's entire ly p lausible th a t w ith o u t th e
new com panies he starkly says "I d o n 't th ink anything a b o u t them w hatsoever."
influence o f th e Kid H un te r and th e to y m aking kn ow -h o w o f B ounty H un te r back
But d o n 't m istake his q u ic k response fo r h ard -h e arted n e ss; he m ust th in k
in 1997, th e face o f th e vinyl m arket w o u ld be vastly d iffe re n t to d a y — b o th fo r
s o m e th in g a b o u t th e m . A fte r all, he's released fo u r c o lla b o ra tiv e fig ure s w ith
th e mass m arket and th e to y u nderground.
Secret Base o v e r th e years. He explains, "O n e d ay I visited Kinoshita [Hiddy, the
ow ner] o f Secret Base. He was a little depressed. It's very unusual fo r his m o od to
A bevy o f below -the-radar bou tiq u e to y com panies p o p p e d up after Bounty Hunter
be this way and I w an te d to cheer him up. So I asked if w e could colla b ora te to
like Secret Base and m ore recently RealxHead — all o f w hich are g aining p op u larity m ake toy. That's h ow it all s ta rte d ." Still, even in lig h t o f his show o f concern fo r
S tateside. W h ile th o se co m pa n ies sta rte d o u t cre atin g fig h t figures and monsters
his frie n d , it's clear a fte r a co nversation w ith Iwanaga th a t he tru ly d o e s n 't care
d ire c tly inspired b y to y leg e n d and C o co b a t bassist Take-shit's influ e n tial vinyl
w hat anyone else is d o in g and th a t his a lo o f a ttitu d e is no mere shtick; he's making
toy, th e Fink Shit, B ounty H unter's Kid H un te r cam e o u t a t th e exact same tim e.
fig ure s again fo r o n e reason g e n u in e ly — his o b v io u s passion fo r toys.
B o u n ty H u n te r Toys
In tro p a g e : The Skull Kun is B o u n ty H u n te r's m o s t re co g n iza b le a n d Ico n ic toy. If it's fa m ilia rto y o u , it m ig h t b e beca u se it's d e s ig n e d to lo o k like th e skeleton o f 1980s
US ce rea l character, Fra n ken b e rry. Previous S p rea d : le ft p a g e /K a ib u ts u -k u n Series 2, K a ib u ts u Kun Series 1, Pete. R ig h t p a g e : K id H unter. O p p o s ite p ag e , to p : Venom
Skum Kun (e d itio n o f 10), Red Skull Kun. A b o ve , to p ro w (le ft to rig h t): C atru Kun, C M C Kid, BXH D o k u ro King, Skeru Kun (g rey clear). S e co nd row : W rang C hang
(white), W rang C hang (black), Skeru Kun (clear), BXH x S ecret Base D X Skeru Kun (clear), BXH X S ecret Base D X Skeru Kun (clear b lue). T hird row : Skull Kun, Skull Ko,
Skum Kun, Skull Kun (blue). Skull Kun (silver), Skull Kun (g old ). B o tto m Row: M ekaru Kun (black), M e karu Kun (blue). G re a t O n e (red), G re a t O n e (w hite), A h iru Kun.
FIRE
STARTERS
A GUIDE TO BULLMARK SPARKING VINYLS
By Super Collector Brian Flynn
I am n o t sure if m y love fo r g im m ick vinyls w ill ever end . Just like th e M asudaya
in y e llo w spray. O n ce again, due to th e size o f th e in te rio r sparking m echanism ,
light-up vinyls o r sparkers, a no the r o f my favorite obscure to y series is th e standard
this figure is actually much m ore technically accurate to th e character o f Baltan-Seijin
size Bullm ark sparking vinyls. S tanding a t nearly 9 " tall, these are n o t scaled dow n
than th e o rig in a l B ullm ark fig ure . As an intere stin g side note, W hen M1 released
frictio n fiends, b u t rather full sized fla m e -th ro w in g foes! Released near th e end o f
it's new sculpt o f Baltan-Seijin 2, they used th e color scheme o f the Bullmark sparking
th e Bullm ark m anufacturing run in 1972, only fo u r sparking vinyls w ere p rod u ce d:
fig u re as a p a in t g u id e fo r th e ir new figure.
G odzilla, Jiras, Baltan-Seijin and Earthtron. Each character had a large sparking
m echanism housed inside th e chest th a t pow e re d a flin t w heel inside in th e neck
R ounding o u t th e g ro u p is th e m uch m ore obscure Earthtron. Much harder to find
and head. By cranking th e rig h t arm o f th e fig ure , th e m o nste r w o u ld in essence,
than th e previous three vinyls, this fig ure was m ade in red vinyl w ith blue and green
breathe fire, sh oo tin g flyin g sparks o u t o f it's m o uth o n to unsuspecting enem y
spray. An o d d selection to be m anufactured w ith th e much m ore p op u lar characters
m onsters anyw here w ithin range.
listed abo ve , E arthtron is usually th e last o f th e fo u r sparkers any c o lle c to r tracks
d ow n o f th e series.
First up was Godzilla. A sim plified and stylized sculpt, th e w ide b o d y neccessitated
by th e large sparking m echanism m ade th is fig u re m ore accurate in m any ways
All in all, these sparkers are som e o f th e m ore u nique item s o f th e ir tim e , and far
than th e o riginal G odzilla standard size vinyl. O verall th e fig u re has been softened fro m a side n o te in th e B ullm ark legacy. These fig ure s sh ou ld b e a d d e d to th e
q u ite a bit, th e spines on th e back m inim ized , th e ta il shortened, th e legs fixed in
w ant lists o f any d e ce n t vintage collector, and make great com panion pieces to any
place, and cast in green vinyl; it leaves little d o u b t a b o u t th e status o f this fig u re as
standard-size B ullm ark co lle ctio n.
th e king o f th e monsters.
Just like th e o rig in a l Toho stu d io s b e fo re th e m , w hen m aking Jiras, Bullm ark
s im ply a d d e d a neck fin to th e e xistin g G odzilla fig u re . Jiras was released in an
u n tra d itio n a l b rig h t o ran g e vinyl w ith red and green spray. I can o nly assume
th is radical d e p a rtu re in c o lo r schem es was to fu rth e r separate th e fig u re fro m
th e previous G o d zilla fig u re , m a kin g th e fig ure s a p p e a r even m ore d iffe re n t
from each other.
N ext was Baltan-Seijin, easily one o f th e m o st p o p u la r Ultra kaiju, this fig u re was
m ade in green vinyl, just like th e standard size Bullm ark fig ure , and then covered
L e ft to rig h t: G odzilla, B altan-S eijin, E a rth tro n a n d Jiras.
O p p o s ite : D e ta il o f B altan-S eijin.
SMILE
IF YOU’RE
A ROBOT
CLASSIC JET JAGUAR VINYL TOYS
By Chad H ensley/P hotography by Tim Brisko
W hen men w an t to g e t closer to th e b ig G — and by b ig G, w e m ean G odzilla —
Sadly, these are th e only tw o to ys o f th e character Bandai has p rod u ce d to date.
they turn to th e religion th e y know best: technology. Case in p oin t: th e 1973 film ,
By 2000, b oth M l and M arm it were contrib u tin g to the grow ing g aggle o f new Jet
Godzilla Versus M egalon. In said m ovie when the massive m utant fro m outerspace
Ja gu a r toys. M1 released a 9-inch J e t Ja gu a r vinyl resem b lin g th e sculpture o f
called M e ga lo n attacks Earth a lo n g w ith his garg a n tu an p a rtn e r G igan, G odzilla
th e B ullm ark giant-size. The fig u re was released in several colorw ays inclu d in g
needs a little back up to p ro te c t m ankind. U ltim a te ly hum anity lends a g ia n t ro b o t g lo w -in -th e -d a rk and u n p a in te d versions in lucky bags and a p a in te d version
so ld a t th e o p e n in g o f th e M andarake store in N akano, Japan. M a rm it's first
cast in man's im a g e to a id th e lo v a b le lizard king . T ogether, G o d zilla and Jet
Jaguar send those space m onsters packin' in one o f th e m o st garish, kooky and
a tte m p t a t J e t Ja ga u r is clunky, as are m o s t o f th e fig u re s in th e ir Vinyl Paradise
critically ill-received send-ups in Godzilla m ovie history. This film proved a couple of
line, b u t stands a w h o p p in g 11-inches-tall. H ow ever, th e ir 7-inch Parababy Jet
im portant points: (A) It proved th a t G odzilla critics are hum orless and th a t (B) Je t
Jaguar, th a t includes a m in i-s iz e d J e t Ja gu a r in fly in g pose, is a m ore realistic
Jaguar is a c o m p e llin g character desig n th a t w o u ld inspire a handful o f g rea t
in te rp re ta tio n o f th e character.
vinyl toys over th e next three decades.
The last fe w years have seen th e release o f th e som e unique J e t Jaguar toys. In 2004,
D uring th e film 's hey-day, tw o J e t Jaguar toys w ere p ro d u ce d . Both figures were
Takara p u t o u t a Godzilla versus M egalon tw o-pack as part o f th e ir Microman to y line.
vinyls o f J e t Ja gu a r m ade by Bullm ark: a 14-inch g ia n t-size d vinyl and a 5-inch
The set com es w ith tw o 4-inch M icrom an standard action figures plus mini M egalon
m idd le-size d vinyl. The g ia n t-s iz e d version is e xtre m e ly rare a nd can c o m m an d
and J e t Jaguar suits. Last year, a new to y co m pa n y called Sofvi released a 6-inch
a very h ig h p rice in th e c o lle c to r a fte rm a rke t. H ow ever, it w o u ld b e o v e r tw e n ty
vinyl o f J e t Jaguar in a fightin g -style pose sim ilar in size to figures from Secret Base
years b efo re a n o th e r J e t Ja gu a r to y was p ro d u ce d . In 1993, Bandai released a
and H8G raphix. Then later this year, be on th e look o ut fo r a Rom ando version o f
6 - inch Je t Jaguar vinyl w ith ta g as part o f th e ir Godzilla series. Later, they a d d e d a
Godzilla's m e ta llic pal to arrive in Japanese to y stores, and d o n 't miss Super7's
gashapon fig u re o f th e ro b o t in th e e ig h th set o f th e ir H igh G rade G odzilla series.
exclusive clear version o f th e character w hich w ill b e available in this issue.
JET
JAGUAR
4 0 v12
JET
JAGUAR
V .,2
Jet Jaguar Toy C h ecklist
02.
01 .
U n p a in te d 9 -in ch g lo w -in -th e -d a rk M1 fig u re
S o fvi-Life g re y vinyl version 03. G ig a Brain su p e r-p o s e a b le fig u re g lo w vinyl
w ith b lu e spray.
04.
M a rm it Vinyl Paradise g re y version os. M a rm it Vinyl Paradise
lig h t b lu e g re y version
sp ra y
07 .
06.
G ig a Brain s u p e r-p o s e a b le fig u re g lo w vinyl w ith red
U n p a in te d 9-in ch flesh vinyl M l fig u re 03. S o fv i-life b la c k vinyl version
09. O rig in a l B u llm a rk m id d le size fig u re
11, B andai
1991 fig u re w ith ta g
12. M a rm it
10 .
M a rm it Parababy, g re y vinyl version
Parababy, lig h t b lu e g re y vinyl version 13. M1
B u llm a rk m id d le size re p ro d u c tio n g lo w -in -th e -d a rk vinyl
fig u re , g re y vinyl ve rsio n
16 .
15 ,
M a rm it m in i size fig u re
vinyl.
T o p Right:
14 .
M a rm it m in i fly in g
M a rm it m in i fly in g fig u re , lig h t g re y b lu e vinyl version
17.
O rig in a l B ullm ark m id d le size u n p a in te d dark g rey
O rig in a l G ia nt-size B u llm a rk fig u re in bag .
flesh v in y l fro m M a n d a ra ke set.
Bottom Right:
M l p a in te d
41
BLOBPUS IS
FOR LOVERS
FOR THE CREATORS OF BLOBPUS, VINYL TOYS ARE FUN AND GAMES
By S7 Staff
O u t o f love fo r th e g re a t Japanese to y makers o f th e past, b u t w ith a g ee ky tw ist,
list th e sto ryb o ard on a b lo g site. The story was then co nve rted into com ic book
th e creators o f Blobpus p u rp o rte d ly co oke d u p th e c o n ce p t fo r th e ir crazy 5-inch
fo rm b y A k ik o A yai and a n o th e r p ro to ty p e version was released in S e p te m b e r
kaiju to y w h ile p laying a role p la yin g g am e in 2004. Since th e n , d e s ig n e r Kaji,
2005. W e actually passed o u t a CD in DVD packaging to suggest the idea o f turning
w rite r T ig e rJe t M ichiko and a rtist A kiko Ayai have released dozens o f versions
B lo b p u s in to a m o v ie in th e fu tu re . W e d is trib u te d th is CD as a special g ift fo r
o f th e ir vinyl to y in a cacophony o f co lo r variations, n o t to m e ntio n a co m panion
p e o p le w ho b o u g h t th e Blobpus [Psycho M onsterz] figures.
com ic b o o k and DVD ch ronicling th e explo its o f th e Blobpus m onster. T h ough th e
toys have b een released in lim ite d runs, th e y 'v e m yste riou sly m a na g e d to tric k le
W h a t was th e inspiration behind th e invention o f th e Blobpus character?
into th e US and co lle cto rs o f new school Japanese vinyl have been reap in g th e
W e re th e re any classic Japanese m onsters you used as reference? I d id n 't
benefits. This s p rin g , a b ra n d -n e w 9 -in ch fig u re w ill h it, su g g e stin g there's no
use specific characters fro m m agazines o r m ovies as a d ire c t reference to design
end in s ig h t fo r everyone's fa v o rite p o t-b e llie d te n ta cle -a rm e d terror. It's g o o d
B lobpus, b u t as a c h ild I was heavily influenced by '70s Japanese anim ation such
news to be sure, b u t w e're all still le ft w ith a fe w b u rn in g q uestions. First and
as G o N agai's D evilm an; Fujiko Fujio's creations such as D oraem on and Kaibutsu
forem ost, w h a t in th e w o rld does a role playing gam e have to d o w ith creating
kun; and Ikki Kajiwara's Kyojin no H oshi... A n o th e r th in g th a t really affected me
vinyl kaiju? N ext, w hy are B lobpus' eyes sta p le d shut — d o n 't m onste rs g e n e ra lly
visually is m y hom e tow n Tokyo. Tokyo has so m any d iffe re n t faces...Tokyo Tower,
d e lig h t in looking at w ha t th e y destroy? Just w ha t plans does th e beastly enigm a
Tokyo city highway, the buildings o f Shinjyuku city, the erotic billboards o f Kabuki city,
Blobpus have in store fo r o u r hum ble planet? C hief designer Kaji sheds som e light.
th e Showa M o de rn b u ild in g in Aoyam a and Jingu-M ae... Also, th e excitem e n t I fe lt
finding [something cool] in a store when I was a child directly inspires w hat I create now.
Super7: A fte r you came up w ith Blobpus in fall of 2 0 0 4 , how long was it
before you began making Blobpus toys and items like the comic?
Can you e laborate on th e concept fo r th e character? The eyes o f B lobpus are
Kaji: W ell, we sculpted th e m o ld first and sold th e Blobpus First P ro to typ e fo r th e
sewn and closed. This is th e sym bol o f a p o st tra u m atic scar on his heart. His fo u r
firs t tim e at th e W o n de r Festival on Feb 20th, 2005. Sim ultaneously w e started to
sm all eyes s y m b o liz e th e p o te n tia lly p o s itiv e fu tu re th a t can co m e fro m
en d u rin g such a scar. Eventually th e small eyes will g row b ig g e r and w ill e m it a
strong energy to lig h t th e futu re . A lso, th e suction cup covered octo p us arms
sym bolize th e strength to h old d ow n a fo u n d a tio n to create this positive future.
BLOBPUS
IS FOR
LOVERS
On th e comic it says th a t th e Blobpus story was w ritte n by Tiger Jet, yet the
character was designed by Kaji. Do you collaborate on all the Blobpus projects,
or does it vary from project to project? Everything from d e c id in g th e name,
color, package design and etc, it is all o u r jo in t work.
W h at m otivated you to incorporate so much narrative into your toys — right
44
up to th e creation o f a comic? Did you feel it was im portant to g e t th e story
of th e Blobpus out on a d e e p e r level, as opposed to just th e visual im age of
a cool toy? W e ll, a ctu a lly th e sto ry cam e very n atu rally because we created
Blobpus w hile p laying a ta b le ta lk role playing gam e! In these gam es players talk
to each o th e r and g o th ro u g h d iffe re n t fictio n a l scenarios. In th e gam e, a person
ca lle d th e g am e m aster leads th e p a rtic ip a n ts th ro u g h th e story — in o u r case
th e gam e m aster is Tiger Jet Michiko. Both myself and Akiko Ayai are players in the
gam e. Tig er J e t creates a story in advance from th e backbone p lo t o f th e story to
th e characters and scenes. In one o f these stories Tiger Jet w rote th a t my character
Mi
i Nc >
Tf
07
in th e gam e creates th e Biobpus vinyl d olls. The story fo r th e co m ic also fo llo w s
stra n g e place calle d Ika re n bo -to w n. G o g a m ezilla is a character th a t su ddenly
th e table talk role playing game. TJM gives basic storyboard to Akiko Ayai and she
app e a red in th a t to w n. Like b o th o f these creations, Biobpus has a story to follow ,
conveys th a t idea in her ow n way. So really, B iob p u s e volve d o u t o f o u r gam e.
so I fe lt like we w ere all co m in g from a sim ilar place.
N ow in real life, we the players are actually creating characters or comics o u t o f the
gam e master's story! If you are interested in jo in in g o r p a rticip a tin g B iobpus ta b le
You strayed from th e trad itio nal bagg ed vinyl packaging for th e M urder Blob
talk RPG, you can co nta ct T ig e r Je t M ichiko anytim e. O r w e m ig h t co nta ct you.
and H allow een Puppet. Why? W e ll, I w an te d th e M u rde r B lob to look like a gross
souvenir. O ne day, I h a lf-k id d in g ly had th e idea o f m aking so m ething like th a t,
How do you feel Biobpus relates to th e new generation of kaiju manufacturers
b u t p u ttin g it in a case "so th a t it w o u ld n 't ro t." Creating this version was hard. We
and to the history of kaiju in Japan? W e believe Biobpus is a p art o f traditonal
gathered o v e r 10 sam ple cans b efo re w e cam e up w ith a final version. O n th e
Japanese vinyl d oll history. O u r figures are created by th e same highly skilled vinyl
o th e r hand, fo r th e H allow een version, m y firs t im pression o f H allow een is th a t it's
craftsmen in Japan w ho also make various vinyl d olls fo r Bullm ark and Marusan
a children's c e le b ra tio n . I th o u g h t it w o u ld b e cute to see th e ch ild ren running
when they were popular. But these craftsm en are dram atically decreasing. W e d o
a rou n d w ith th e hand p u p p e t, s h ou tin g "tric k o r tre a t" on H allow een. In fact, this
n ot know how far we can create these tra d ito n a l vinyl d olls in Japan.
fig u re was a h uge suscess at th e to y e ven t am on g young kids.
You have collaborated before with tw o other Japanese kaiju manufacturers,
W hat does the future hold for Biobpus? Can you tell us about your new character?
RealxHead and Anrakuansaku. W hat made you decide to do these collaborations? We are releasing Biobpus: The Last Kaiju this spring as our newest product. It will be
Mr. M ori, th e creator o f RealxHead was releasing th e M u ta n t m o nste r vinyl dolls.
a 9-inch toy, the same as many standard-size vintage vinyl figures. We're still expanding
Those are based on his own w o rld called m u ta n t zone. M eanw hile, Mr. Ansaku
th e w orld o f Biobpus as we are playing ta b le talk RPG exploring the origins and the
is an anim ator w orking on his creations w here all o f his characters live in a very
w o rld o f B iobpus w he re o u r co n ce p ts can c o m e to life w ith o u r th o u g h ts !
B io b p u s To y C h e c k lis t
vinyl
06.
09.
03.
18 .
1st version, U n p a in te d b la ck vinyl
04.
P achim on2 b la ck vinyl
In v a d e r tra n s lu c e n t p u rp le vinyl
07 .
11. M u rd e r
Toxic ye llo w vinyl
fle sh vinyl
15. Toxic
12 .
A -ty p e b la c k vinyl
A ra kan su x B io b p u s set, w h ite vinyl
g re e n vinyl lucky b a g
21 .
08.
16. Secret
19.
G.E.M . b lack
black vinyl
10 .
17.
M u -ta , tra n s lu c e n t
13 . Toxic
p in k vinyl
Innocent clear vinyl
Pachim on3, re d v in y l
Tra n slu ce n t re d vinyl lu c k y b a g
g ree n vinyl
B -ty p e b la ck vinyl
H a llo w e e n H an d P u p p e t
green vinyl
02.
0 5 . C h ro n ic
R e a lx H e a d x B io b p u s fig u re fro m 2 -p a c k , b la c k v in y l
p u rp le vinyl
14.
01 .
Pachim on b la c k vinyl
22 .
20.
Translucent
H aw aii g re y vinyl
23. Tokyo y e llo w vinyl 24. G.E .M . Transform , tra n s lu c e n t p u rp le vinyl.
Pervious s p re a d : Left, S uper7 e xclusive o ra n g e vinyl P um pkin G uts B iobpus.
R ight: P ro to ty p e s c u lp t fo r th e "Fina l Kaiju'.'
/
19
v v >
r%
1*
*
w
23
I
DRINK FIGHT WIN
MUTTPOP WILL RELEASE TWO NEW TEQUILA FIGURES IN 2006
By Chad Hensley
Last D ecem ber, Los A n g e le s -b a s e d co m p a n y M u ttp o p d o v e in to th e d e s ig n e r
El Panda is th e arch nem esis o f th e M u ttp o p 's titu la r tita n , Tequila. W hereas th e
vinyl arena w ith th e release o f T e q u ila , a 9 " v in y l fig u re in s p ire d b y M e xica n
p a rt-m a n , p a rt c a ctu s T e quila lives in a tra ile r and roam s th e w o rld in search o f
w restling, th e Incredible Hulk and a d e c id e d ly drun ke n bum . As th e u nd e rg ro u n d
b a ttle , El Panda is a M e x ic a n fe llo w w h o is u tte r ly o b s e s s e d w ith c o m m u n is t
to y m a rket has b ee n d o m in a te d re c e n tly b y fo rm a t fig u re s in o h -s o -c u te and
C hin a . Frissen says, "h e u sed to b u lly T e q u ila a ro u n d in th e ir sc h o o l d ays in
incre a sin g ly fa m ilia r shapes (th in k Q e e and Dunny), re spo n se to th is m uscle -
M e x ic o . N o w he's o n e o f T e q u ila 's w o rs t rivals. O n e lo o k a t his M ao Tse Tung-
bound, liquor-sw illing roug h n eck has been p ositive. This sp rin g m o re o f M u ttp o p 's
in s p ire d g e t u p and y o u 're sure to have a c h u ckle at th e a b s u rd ity — re m in d in g
o u tra g e o u s lu ch a -lib re fig u re s w ill d ro p on a vinyl p u b lic a p p a re n tly p a rc h e d
you o f th a t k o o k y kid in h ig h sch o o l w h o was co n v in c e d he was th e last son o f
fo r te s to s te ro n e . To b rin g th e se im a g in a tive m asked m en to 3D life, M u ttp o p 's
a c u ltu re th a t w a s n 't his ow n.
R ob e rt Silva has a ssem b le d a d ive rse te a m o f ta le n t in c lu d in g w rite r J e rry
Frissen, a rtis t G o b i and Ja panese to y scu lp to r, M o n ste r5 .
T h a t's n o t to say th a t a le g itim a te c ro s s -c u ltu ra l in s p ira tio n d o e s n 't p re v a il in
th e T e q u ila Toys u nive rse . In fa c t th e s e ttin g fo r th e s e ra m b u n c tio u s w re s tle rs
The Tequila c o n ce p t actually began w ith Je rry Frissen's o rig in a l sto ry in a co m ic
is a s p ic e d -u p m e la n g e th a t c o u ld have o n ly b e e n b re w e d in th e m e ltin g p o t
b o o k c a lle d th e Luch a d ore s 5. "Je rry and I used to w o rk to g e th e r in th e c o m ic
o f Los A n g e le s . Frissen e x p la in s , " I'v e alw ays b e e n in to th e b y -p ro d u c ts o f
b o o k ind u stry. W h e n I saw w h a t J e rry was d o in g ... I was c o m p e lle d to b e c o m e
M e xica n w re s tlin g ...A s a p e rso n liv in g in th e USA, I w a n te d to ta ke th a t c u lture ,
a p a rt o f it...W e [th e n ] h o o k e d u p w ith G a sto n [o f M e ltd o w n C o m ic s ] and
p e r v e r t it a nd m ake it m y o w n ...[T h e re are also e le m e n ts o f] th e C ham bara
M o n s te r 5," Silva e xp la in s. It seem s th a t Silva's re a c tio n to Frissen's source
(Ja panese s w o rd fig h tin g ) g e n re . T e q u ila and El Panda a c t like ro nin — th e y
m aterial was g o ld e n ; th e o rig in a l lin e o f T e q u ila to ys is n e a rly s o ld o u t and
w a n d e r th e w o rld a im le s s ly lo o k in g to re fin e th e ir fig h tin g skills. T h a t's w hy
soon to b e fo llo w e d b y th e c re a tive te a m 's n e w e st ch ara cter, El Panda.
o u r c o m p a n y is c a lle d M u ttp o p !"
TEQUILA
TOYS
4 8 v-12
A b o v e : El Panda,
Tequlia Toys, 2 006
O n e o f th e a rtis ts p ro v id in g th e visual panache fo r T equila to ys is French a rtis t,
G o b i. His in te rp re ta tio n s o f Frissen's c h ara cters are c a p tu rin g th e hea rts o f vinyl
fans across th e US. "I am try in g to ...[g iv e th e characters] a loo k and backg ro u nd
R ed D em o n ,
Tequlia Toys, 2 006
th a t w orks on th e sam e p rin c ip le as th o s e o f th e a n c ie n t s to ry te lle rs . In o u r
Lucha L ib re U niverse, th e re is n o g o o d o r evil, th e re are ju s t ch ara cters and
th e ir o p p o n e n ts , as in th e o ld oral tra d itio n a l s to rie s ."
B e lo w : Tequila,
Tequlia Toys, 2 0 0 5
T ra d itio n a l as th e M u ttp o p te a m m ay a sp ire to b e in th e ir s to ry te llin g , th e
c h a ra c te r a rt a nd a c tio n -p a c k e d p an e ls o f th e c o m ic sm ack o f m o d e rn m anga
in flu e n c e — h y p e rk in e tic , h e a v ily s ty liz e d a n d s u p e r-d e fo rm e d . Take fo r
e x a m p le th e c h a ra c te r d e s ig n fo r Red D e m o n , th e s c h e d u le d fo llo w u p to
El Panda la te r in 2 00 6 . S m a rtly d resse d in a s u it and tie , th e w iry "R ed D em on
is th e s u p e r suave, s e lf-a p p o in te d p r o te c to r o f East LA. By d a y he fig h ts fo r
ju s tic e as a R epo M an. By n ig h t he fig h ts fo r ju s tic e as a luch a d or. S om ew here
in b e tw e e n all o f th is, he fin d s tim e to p ic k u p on p r e tty la d ie s ," says Frissen.
In Red D e m o n , as w ith T e q u ila a n d El Panda, o n e sees a c o n s is te n t b le n d o f
k its c h y -c o o l and o v e r-th e -to p b u tt-k ic k in g th a t's e a rn in g M u ttp o p a p la ce as
a c o n te n d e r in th e d e s ig n e r vinyl m arket.
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Playful Ingredients
for M odern Living,
SNAP CRACKLE POPSTAR
OSAKA POPSTAR AND THE AMERICAN LEGENDS OF PUNK
W hen it com es to legendary p un k musicians, it d o e sn 't g e t m ore n o te w o rth y or
57: H o w did Osaka P op star g e t s ta rte d and how did you assem ble th e
iconic than M arky Ramone o f th e Ramones, Dez Cadena o f Black Flag and Jerry
players fo r th e record? Cafiero: W e w ere all in th e s tu d io recording th e Misfits
O n ly o f M isfits fam e. So, w hen Osaka Popstar and th e A m erican Legends o f Punk
Project 1950 w hich I p rod u ce d... Marky, Dez and Jerry all played on th a t recording
fo rm e d consisting o f those th re e players plus a lesser-known-by-the-m asses fou rth
and...I e n d e d u p sing in g fo r th e m in th e s tu d io ...A t th a t tim e , th e y d id n 't know
m e m be r— th e band's lead singer no less— one que stio n em erg e d : W h o is John
th a t I could even sing... U ltim ately, I to ld them m y idea fo r Osaka Popstar and the
C afiero (a.k.a Osaka Popstar)?
A m erican Legends o f Punk...They a greed to th e p ro je c t and I'm very honored and
e xcited to be p laying w ith these musicians.
A N ew York musician and producer, Cafiero has been a staple in th e NY punk
scene fo r years w ho's re cen tly assum ed th e ro le o f vice p re s id e n t o f M isfits
W h a t's th e c o n c e p t beh in d th e project? W ell, fo r th e m o st p art, th e eclectic
Records. His vocals are an affe ctin g ble n d o f punk phrasing and saccharine p o p —
p o p culture clash th a t exists w ithin Osaka Popstar is an o rganic ble n d o f a lot o f
unq u e stion a b ly h e a rtfe lt and sincere. Perhaps m ore interestingly, th e singer's
th ing s th a t I love... A lso, th e idea is th a t if e ith e r Marky, Dez, o r Jerry needs to
own eclectic b e n t fo r art, p o p -a n d o utsid e r-cu lture p rovid e s b oth th e visual and
g o on to u r w ith th e ir o th e r p rojects, th e n a no the r punk legend w ill be w elcom ed
sonic id e n tity o f th e b and — fro m th e m usic and influence o f Richard Hell (the
into th e fo ld — it's so rt o f a revolving d o o r band fo r classic punk musicians and I'll
Voidoids) on p un k rock to th e u n d e rg ro u n d a rt o f g ra ffit-tu rn e d -g a lle ry a rtist,
always be th e consistent m em ber.
Dalek. (N o t to m e n tio n his c o m p e llin g in te re st in th e a rt o f o rig in a l G a rb a ge
Pail Kids a rtist John Pound.) The Osaka P opstar and th e A m e rica n Legends
So, w hy th e nam e Osaka Popstar? W ell, Osaka Popstar is essentially me. I've
o f Punk alb u m w ill be o u t th is M ay and w ill in clu d e an a n im a te d bon u s v id e o
always been a huge fan o f Japanese character culture and anim e. M y favorite
o f th e song "W ic k e d W o rld " fe a tu rin g ch a ra cte r d e sig n s by M a ri-ch a n, an
character is A s tro b o y [the th e m e song to w hich is covered on th e Osaka Popstar
Osaka based artist— naturally.
album in a d d itio n to a co ver o f th e th e m e song from Sailor M oon]. Plus, I'm a
N ew Yorker th ro u g h and th ro u g h and I th in k o f Osaka as th e Japanese equiva le n t
th e y 're like a p p ro a chin g sacred g rou n d to som e exte n t. Richard was really encour­
o f th e dow n to w n NY punk scene; it's hom e to bands such as Balzac, Shonen Knife
agin g and s u p p o rtiv e a b o u t m y co verin g them , w hich really m eant a lo t to me. In
and th e Mad Capsule Markets.
m y o p in io n , Richard Hell was th e person w ho p la n te d th e firs t seed in th e grow th
o f th e p un k m ovem ent.
T h ere are a lo t o f covers on this reco rd and a fe w e x c e lle n t orig inals. Let's
ta lk first ab o u t Daniel Johnston, th e ou tsider piano player w h o is p u rp o rted ly Though th e visual and sonic elem ents of th e project can seem really disparate,
schizophrenic. You covered his track "W icked W o rld " on this album . I've always there's a cohesiveness th a t comes not just from th e consistent punk musician­
been a fan o f Daniel's m usic and art. A lo t o f p e o p le que stio n w h e th e r o r n o t he
ship, b u t m ore from your b e n t fo r ou tsider culture in g e n e ra l. Do you think
is legitim ately m entally ill suggesting th a t he feigns his cond itio n as part o f his act.
th a t's a fa ir observation? I absolutely think that's fair...A lot o f my b iggest influences
I've always fo u n d his w ork really pure and u naffected. He also sings on th e track
have tra d itio n a lly been on th e frin ge . Eventually, th e tim es seem to catch up with
"M an o f C onstant Sorrow." This is a traditional blue grass song th a t I th o u g h t w ould th e m and alo n g w ith it com es th e universal re cog n ition . For exam ple, when the
sound g re a t re in te rp re te d as a punk song. I th o u g h t D aniel Jo hn ston w o u ld be
Ramones first came o u t in th e mid-1970's, th e y were far from em braced by most, but
perfect in th e role o f th e voice o f hope, d o in g th e repeat backing vocal to th e man
o da y th e y 're in th e Rock and Roll Hall o f Fame. I th in k outsiders te n d to th in k less
o f sorrow. I c o u ld n 't be h a p p ie r w ith th e w ay it tu rn e d o u t. I th in k it's so m eth in g
a b o u t how they're perceived and sim ply speak, sing, w rite o r just be from th e heart
really unique and I'm very p rou d o f it.
m ore than most. There's a purity and sincerity th a t com es through and transcends all
boundaries. In my opinion, nothing speaks louder or has m ore potency than sincerity.
Both Love Com es in Spurts and Blank G e n e ra tio n w e re w r itte n by Richard
Punk rock in its pure unadulterated fo rm is essentially o utsider music. You m ig h t say
H ell. Can you te ll us a little a b o u t your fascination w ith this a rtist? I s o ug h t
this entire p ro je c t is a Trojan horse o f sorts in th e fo rm o f a w ell-po lish e d , tita n iu m
o u t Richard's personal blessing b e fo re co verin g these songs because to me
G ia nt ro bo t. — Justin Kovalsky
y /- ( o /f ir r
LOOKS THAT KILL
WHAT TO WEAR AROUND YOUR TOY
AND SNEAKER COLLECTING COHORTS,
5 COMPANIES. 15 DESIGNS.
HOUSE33
SHOCKER
The g ang at House33 is b rin g in g th e
Ja panese h o rro r p u n k b an d Balzac
o ld skate inspired designs in droves
has th e ir ow n fa sh io n lin e th a t's now
and we w o u ld n 't have it any o th e r way.
a vaila ble S tateside. D e sig n e d by
These fitte d tees are concisely c u t and
m e m b e rs o f th e b a n d , th e s e g a rm e n ts
s uper sturdy. W e c a n 't w a it to check
w ill k e e p you lo o k in g fa s h io n a b le
o u t th e ir B ounty H un te r c o lla b ora tive
b u t to u g h w h ile you ro ck o u t 'til th e
p iece w hen it releases this spring.
k n o c k o u t. A ls o , if you g e t a chance
A fu ll line is available, so d o n 't sleep.
to check o u t Balzac live, m ake haste.
w w w .house33.com
www.evilegend13.com /shockerworldwide
DEVI LOCK
SUPER7
This b ran d fro m Japan has been
The new Kaiju S ilh o u e tte g ra p h ic
b rin g in g it fast, h ig h -e n d and fu rio u s
is sure to a p p e a l to so p h is tic a te d
fo r th e p a st 10 years. T h o u g h th e re 's
to y heads w h ile w e ta ke you b ack
c u rre n tly n o t a d ire c t o u tle t fo r th e ir
in th e d ay w ith o u r D am a g e d and
rock and p u n k in s p ire d d e sig n s in
L ig h t C ycle d esig n s. W h e n th in g s
th e US, keep y o u r eyes p e e le d ; w ith
g e t sticky, le t'e m kn ow y o u r n o t
D evilock's q u a lity and e y e -p o p p in g
p la yin g w ith o u r B a ttle s h ip te e .
d esigns, it's only a m a tte r o f tim e .
w ww .super7store.com
w w w .d e vilo ck.co m
NIKE PUSHEAD
BRUISED SB
DUNK
D raw n to lo o k like th e in s id e o f y o u r
fo o t a fte r a day o f th ra s h in g , Pushead's
new SB D unk was released th is p ast
w in te r in Japan to crazy fanfare.
If you can fin d a pair, b u y th e m and
b e th e in s ta n t envy o f Ja panese
h ip s te rs and re tire d skaterockers.
w w w .n ik e s k a te b o a rd in g .c o m
DVD
REVIEWS
KAMEN RIDER V3
COMPLETE SERIES DVD BOX SET
5 4 v’2
THE CO O LES T HENSHIN HERO
OF THE ‘70S C O M ES TO THE US
In Japan, o nly tw o s u pe rh e roe s stand s h o u ld e r to sh ou ld er: U ltram an and Kamen
R ider. N ow , fo r th e fir s t tim e , one o f th e o rig in a ls has b een released in th e US:
Kamen R ider V3 (1973-74), th e second, and m ost p op u lar o f th e original Rider series.
V 3's s to ry c o n c e rn s h e ro ic K azam i S hiro, w h o vow s to a ven g e th e s la u g h te r o f
his fa m ily b y D e s tro n , b u t is m o rta lly w o u n d e d in th e process. Shiro is revived
as th e c y b e rn e tic Kam en R ider V3 to fig h t D e s tro n 's m u ta n t m o n s tro s itie s fo r
th e lib e r ty o f hum a n ity.
JN P ro du ctio n s, re spo n sible fo r th e DVD release o f Kikaida, has p u lle d o u t all the
s tops fo r th is lim ite d e d itio n six-disc set fe a tu rin g all 52 e pisodes. DVD P roducer
R obby Gaskell p ain sta king ly re sto red th e vid e o and a u d io o f Kamen R ider V3, and
his a n im a te d m enus are d yn a m ic, e ye -c a tc h in g , and easy to use — w ith catch y
cues fro m th e o rig in a l series. The s e t is also c ra m m e d w ith a p le th o ra o f extras
th a t b o rd e r on th e obsessive, b u t are th e m o s t in ten sive e v e r seen on any
d o m e s tic DVD release.
T h e se in c lu d e tw o in - d e p th b a c k g ro u n d essays, b e h in d -the -sce n es e p is o d e
fa c to id s , an exclusive in te rv ie w w ith legendary star Hiroshi Miyauchi, a trivia quiz,
six karaoke m usic vide o s, 71 c h a ra c te r p ro file s and tw o sets o f English s u b title s
("E xple tives D e le te d " fo r th e kids). These extras should overload even th e m ost
ja d e d fa n , b u t a lso g iv e th e casual view er a b ro a d e r p icture o f th e m aking o f
th is series. This is essential v ie w in g , because Kam en R id e r V3 rocks!
— A u g u s t R agone
GODZILLA FINAL WARS
NOT SO FITTING LAST RITES FOR THE BIG G
W ith m averick a ute ur Ryuhei Kitam ura (Versus, Azum i) given th e m o s t creative la titu d e (and re p o rte d ly , th e b ig g e s t b ud g e t)
o f any re c e n t d ire c to r to helm th is 5 0 th A n n iv e rs a ry film , one w o u ld e x p e c t th e u ltim a te G o d z illa a d v e n tu re th a t takes th e
ch a ra c te r in to th e 21st C e n tu ry . Instead, w e are g ive n a d is jo in te d , c ra s h -e d ite d , te c h n o -s c o re d p o tp o u rri, cra m m e d w ith
every G o d zilla cliche, and s p ic e d w ith cues c rib b e d fro m th e S tar Wars, X -M e n and The M a trix film s - m any o f th e m n ot
te rrib ly fla tte rin g : such as th e 1 970s-styled special visual e ffe c ts . If you are lo o k in g fo r a m o re tra d itio n a l and u p d a te d
version o f th e G odzilla m ythos, you m ig h t w a n t to check o u t Sony's o th e r releases such as G ia n t M onsters A ll-O u t A tta c k
(2001) o r G o d zilla A g a in s t M e c h a g o d z illa (2002). Fans m ig h t w a n t to in tro d u c e th e ir c h ild re n to G o d z illa w ith th is film , since
it's all so u n d and fu ry, s ig n ify in g n o th in g - b u t b e w a re th e m ild sw ea ring . For all o f my m isg ivin g s, I am c e rta in th a t view ers
w ill fin d s o m e th in g o f w o rth in G o d z illa Final Wars, b e ca u se w he n all else fa ils, it's h a rd ly b o rin g . — A u g u s t Ragone
THE ADVENTURES OF
CHEBURASHKA AND FRIENDS
CUTEST THING EVER
W h e n it com es to e xiste n tia l d ille m a , no o n e has it q u ite as to u g h as a d o ra b le little C heburashka. This s to p m o tio n
a nim a tio n fro m th e USSR ch ron icle s th e syrupy e x p lo its o f C heburashka, a kind creature o f u nknow n species w ho is fo u n d
by a s h o p k e e p e r a m id s t a cra te o f o ran g e s. T h e h e a rtre n d in g th in g is, no one w an ts to ke ep C heburashka, n o t even th e
zoo, because th e y d o n 't know how to classify him. B ut it's n o t all d o o m and g lo o m ; he b e frie n d s a c ro c o d ile nam ed Genady
and sw e e t O ld Lady S hapocliak. Soon, th e th re e o f th e m g o on all s o rts o f m agical m isad ve n tu res. In c lu d e d on th is DVD
are fo u r film s d ire c te d by Roman K achanov and based on th e b o o k s b y E duard Uspensky. T h o u g h a im e d at ch ild ren ,
C he b is a w o rld w id e p h e n o m e n o n love d b y Russians and a d o re d by, you g u e sse d it, le g io n s o f Japanese teens.
— Ju stin Kovalsky
BOOK
REVIEWS
v-12 55
ALSO KNOWN AS
BY 1 2 0 Z . PROPHETS (SELF PUBLISHED)
C o m in g o ff a lo n g hiatus, th e cre w o v e r at 12oz. P ro ph e ts has released th e ir
firs t b o o k , A lso Known As. This 190-page e x p lo s io n o f urban expression smacks
o f s tre e t e x p e rtis e , co v e rin g a rtis ts such as Kaws, KR, Futura, O s G e m e o s and
Evan H ecox. T h e b r illia n t p h o to g ra p h y in th is b o o k is o v e rs h a d o w e d o n ly by
th e in c re d ib le d e p th o f re sea rch ; th e s e kid s have fo u n d e v e ry h id d e n s tre e t
canvas — tags, doors, trucks, trains, roll-ups, walls and blackbooks. A lso Known
A s com es p ackaged w ith stickers, posters, and o th e r g o o d ies. Be sure to check
o u t th e crazy p rin tin g te c h n iq u e s on a lm o s t every p ag e . The 12 oz. P ro ph e ts
kn ow th e g a m e and th is b o o k p rove s it. — G e o ff A lle n
NO CONTACT COMMUNICATION!
BY SK8THING
PUBLISHER / BO O K FIEND
B athing A p e and H yste ric G la m o u r d e s ig n e r S k8 th ing re c e n tly d ro p p e d his c o o le s t
p ro je c t y e t; w ell, it's his c o o le s t y e t if y o u 're b ig on Ja panese m o n ste rs and m o d e rn
kitsch. A c o lla g e -e s q u e p ic tu re b o o k o f o ld sch oo l kaiju cast a g a in st 1950s b a c k d ro p s
and g ra ffiti landscapes, th is b o o k's g re a te st stre n g th is also its fatal flaw — th e a d d itio n o f
3D graphics. It was a fu n idea to inclu d e a p a ir o f 3D glasses w ith th e b o o k ; u n fo rtu n a te ly ,
th e y d o n 't w o rk so w ell. Instead o f K a n eg o n le a p in g o ff th e p a g e in all o f his g o o g ly eyed g lo ry he ju s t s o rt o f hangs fla tly in space lo o k in g g o o fy . But, it's a sm all c o m p la in t
really, considering th e fantastic p resentation and o d d ju xta p o sitio n s. Ever w an t to watch
U ltram an and D ada va nd a lize a b ack a lley w all? N o w you can. — Ju stin Kovalsky
O
Modem Toys From Japan
1 9 4 0 s -1 9 8 0 s
MODERN TOYS FROM JAPAN
BY W ILLIAM C. GALLAGHER
PUBLISHER /S C H IF FE R
For th o se o f you u n fa m ilia r w ith classic to y co m pa n ies, M asudaya was o ne o f th e
la rg e s t, a nd lo n g e s t ru n n in g m a n u fa c tu re rs ever. The va st m a jo rity o f th e ir to ys
w ere tin planes, cars, tra in s and space ships. But, so m e w h e re in th e m id d le o f
all o f this, M asudaya (known also b y th e m o nike r M o d e rn Toys) m ade many unique
and c re a tiv e c h a ra c te r to ys. From ta lk in g vinyls, sparkers, lig h t-u p s , tric y c le s ,
and a w id e array o f crazy o n e -o f-a -k in d c o m b in a tio n to ys, m any o f th e q u irk ie s t
and m o s t in v e n tiv e to y s e v e r c ra fte d w e re m a d e b y M asudaya. This b o o k o ffe rs
an e x tre m e ly th o ro u g h h is to ry o f th e e x tre m e ly re le v a n t c o m pa n y, m a kin g th is
is a lib ra ry n e cce ssity fo r any tru e to y e n th u sia st. — Brian Flynn
S7
GEAR
56 ''-12
02
03
04
05
01
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
T-SHIRTS
A ll sh irts are availa ble in S, M, L, XL
fo r a c o s t o f $22.
01. SUPER7 LO G O
02. TICKET
03. SPACESHIPS
0 4 . 1HEART THE FORCE
05. LION POSE
06. CYCLE
07. KIKAIDA
08. MAX7
09. GODAIKIN
i
>
10. BW ANA SPO O NS
11. OGI
12. KIKAIDA FIGHTER
V
13.TO H O
BACK ISSUES
A ll back issues are $5.95.
ISSUE 05. B o o ska/G a ry B a s e m a n /D o u g ra m /A k u m a iz e r
ISSUE 06. A le x R o s s /G a tc h a m a n /M irro rm a n /A n g ila s
ISSUE 07. G odzilla 5 0th A r t and Toys/R aideen/Transform ers
ISSUE 08. G o d a k in /M a s c h in e n K rie g e r/U g ly D o lls/S u p erso l
ISSUE 09. Japanese T a lk e rs /T ig er-7 /T im B is k u p /S e c re t Base
ISSUE 10. K eiji-K /R ob b y th e R obot/M AR S -1/G argam el
ISSUE 11. King W aldar/B arom -1/B alzac/C am ille Rose Garcia
S7
GEAR
,,2 g y
ART PRINTS
01. HEART BREAKOUT
$40
16"x 2 0 " silkscreen p rin t
A r t by D ora Drim alas.
02. ROBOT ORIGIN
$40
19.75" x 27.5" silkscreen p rin t
A r t by Brian Flynn.
03. ANATOMICAL
$40
16"x 2 0 ” silkscreen p rin t
A r t by D ora D rim alas.
04. SPACESHIP C O LLAG E
$40
16" x 2 0 ” silkscreen p rin t
A r t by Brian Flynn.
05. BIKE LOVE
$40
16" x 2 0 ” silkscreen p rin t
A r t by D ora D rim alas.
06. ROCKET
$40
19.75"x 27.5” silkscreen p rin t
A r t by Brian Flynn.
07. SUPER7 W O R LD
$125
19.75"x 27.5” silkscreen p rin t
A r t by D avid H orva th .
08. ATMOSPHERE
$120
19.75"x 27.5” silkscreen p rin t
A r t by Brian Flynn.
02
01
04
06
03
05
07
08
ORDER SUPER7 GEAR
A ll th e Super7 sto re at 415.409.4700 o r vis it th e w e b site a t super7store.com to
Please send ch eck o r m o ne y o rd e r
Be sure to s to p by o u r w e b s ite s fo r
purchase o u r exclusive toys, t-s h irts and su b scrip tio ns. S u b scrip tio ns to Super7
(do n o t se nd cash) to :
s to re u p d a te s , e v e n t info and news
are ju s t $28 p e r ye ar (fo r fo u r issues). Plus, n ew and c u rre n t su b scrib e rs g e t
S uper7 M a g a zin e , A tt n : O rd e rs
on e xclusive m erch!
e xclusive access to s u b s c rib e r o n ly te e s, a rt p rin ts , to ys and m o re ! Be a p a rt
5 40 D e la n c e y S tre e t, S u ite 303
w w w .s u p e r7 s to re .c o m
o f th e Super7 fa m ily and su bscrib e now . A ll m agazines are m a ile d in a s tu rd y
San Francisco, C A 94107
w w w .s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
e n v e lo p e via US Postal M e d ia M a il. W h e n o rd e rin g b a c k issues, p le a s e a d d
$5.50 fo r postage. Back issues are sent using US P riority Mail. A ll prices are fo r
th e US only, and are s u b je c t to change. M a jo r c re d it ca rds a cce p te d . C A resi­
d en ts m ust add 8.5% sales tax. For intern a tio na l p o sta g e q uo tes, please e-m ail
us at info@ super7m agzine.com .
57
LIFE
58 *12
SUPER7 VS. JAPAN
A FIRST PERSON ANECDOTAL ACCOUNT OF A TOKYO ADVENTURE
01. As you can see the Super7 gang rolls deep. Deep into Secret Base that is. Don't
get hustled! 02. W elcom e to Tokyo, just follow the signs. 03. It may be construction,
but it sure is organized. 04. A few examples of the Secret Base army invading a
glass case near you. 05. Hori o f Seven Stars and th e graphic that started it all.
06. The king of Devilock, Endo keeps the Kostas skulls close and the Secret Base
Skulbees closer. 07. Apparently there is JV team of construction workers in Japan,
I w onder how you make varsity? 08. The sewer is happy to see you. 09. A boxing
monkey, a boxing bunny and another boxing monkey who designs this magazine.
10.
Even Mickey Mouse has a cute skull in Japan. 11. This Stormtrooper came for
your gifts and your forties. I'm sure the Emperor would approve.
12. G e ttin g up w o rld w id e . 13. In th e
w ords o f Je llo Biafra, "N azi plants,
It starts w ith a rush o f air, a roar o f th e e ng in es a nd a c o m p le te lack o f e d ib le
f-o ff!" 14. Omarise in Shimokitazawa has
fo o d fo r th e next 8 hours. It seem s th e w id e -eye d w o n d e r surrou n d in g a trip to
plenty o f w hatever you want. 15. Hiddy,
Japan is n o t lim ite d to ju s t me. Every tim e I return from a trip , I am b o m b a rd e d
O ka, Pushead and Brian all lean in fo r
with requests fo r p ho tos and stories. M ost A m erican co lle cto rs have n o t had th e
a g ro u p hug. 16. W o u ld you like a
luxury o f seeing th e shops, g o in g to conventions, o r m e etin g th e p e o p le b ehind
vo lu m e o f manga? H ow a b o u t 20,000?
th e design scene in Tokyo. So, a fte r th e Super? crew's last visit, w e th o u g h t it
17. N uts, a rtist and antiquarian. 18.
w ou ld be nice to share a p h o to scra pb o o k o f o u r trip w ith you. O n th e n e xt few
A p o rtio n o f th e wall in N uts' studio.
pages, yo u'll fin d q uick notes, quip s, p h o tos, m e m orie s and chaos fro m a w eek
in th e land o f th e rising sun! — Brian Flynn
Sim ply am azing. 19. Take-shit, ruling
th e early b ird s a t W C C w ith an iron
fis t and a Kubrick. 20. Big city nights.
The Scorpions w o u ld be so p roud.
21. Even I am n o t sure w ho co oke d
th is one up. T h e y're d a y -g lo p in k o r
black soap dispenser skulls. O f course.
W hy had I n o t th o u g h t o f th a t sooner?
22. Fewture's fu tu re in g ia n t vinyl. 23.
Hachiko's tru e spot. I know th e locals
th in k it is corny, b u t H achiko is co o le r
than school. 24. O n ly tra d itio n a l
Japanese kittens still sm oke. It's only
a m a tte r o f tim e b efo re Kozik turns
this into a toy.
S7
LIFE
25. Dennis Rodman runs w ith N eck
Face. W h o knew? 26. The line starts
here fo r th e Pushead dunk. A t least
6 0 vj2
it d id 24 hours ago, now it's a b o u t a
b lo ck from here. 27. Tokyo Big Sight,
w here all g o o d to ys com e to b e sold.
28. Pushead signed fo r th e fans fo r
hours. 29. The th ird cre ato r o f yo ur
new fa vo rite toy, C osm o Liquid, holds
an a u to g ra p h e d version o f his own
sculpture. The king has left th e building.
30. Hand p a in te d Skullw ings were
available fo r a b o u t 30 seconds. D id
you g e t one? 31. A hap p y fan and her
sig n e d 400% Be@ rbrick. 32. I d id n 't
even know there was a Suzanne Sommers
d o ll. I th in k you can fin d m ore obscure
Am erican toys in Japan than you can
in Am erica.
33. Please fo llo w th e dire ctio n s. 34.
Booska anyone? 35. H ow com e no
one makes s tu ff this cute o v e r here?
That bee is c o o le r than I ever w ill be.
I give up. 36. The Japan Skulls have
th e ir ow n satin jackets. H ow soft and
shiny!
37. Cowgirl vending machines selling beer and soda. I don't really have to say
much more, do I? 38. The most evil Ronald McDonald I have ever seen outside
of a Ron English painting. 39. I am pretty sure this is the bus stop. How amazing
is that? It almost makes you want to start riding the bus! Almost. 40. Clark Kent's
House. That's right, Superman has a house in Tokyo and in Manhattan; he just
keeps it on the low. 41. The Super7 crew and a soiled blue robot. Keep your hands
where I can see them . 42. S7 correspondent Yuriko rocks, but Dennis is still up for
debate. 43. The man, the myth, the mellow, international playboy (and Super7
contributor) Koji Harmon. 44. Taguchi of Gargamel rocking the soft vinyl while you
were sleeping.
45. Anyone looking for a fight? 46.
Anpanman lives in a happy rainbow
land. Bwana Spoons lives next door.
47. Do not place finger in your nose.
Dual translated for your benefit. 48.
Just in case you thought we skipped
all culture all together, here is the
obligatory shrine photo.
NOS! /
L O O K IN G F O R ZJR P R N E S E IT E M S ?
IF S O , P L E R S E E M R IL M R S R T O !
OUR S E R V IC E C O N T E N T S /
1 / ZJRPR NESE R U C T IO N S E R V I C E
We can place bids on any Japanese auction and arrange
transactions for you. Talking to sellers and translating
descriptions are free!
2 / P U R C H R S IN G S E R V IC E
We can find anything you are looking for in Japan
• toys/hobby
• car/m ortocycle parts
• collectable items
• Japanese tra d itio n a l items, etc.
3 / S E L L IN G S E R V I C E
We can sell your items at Japanese markets
We will be your agent/business partner in Japan!
Please consult us about whatever!
You can use our s ta ff as your personal/business agent in
Japan! One specific person w ill be in charge o f you!
Please compare our service w ith other deputy services!
Searching service is free! Asking service is free!
Translation service is free! (Translated by person,
not machine.) Fast! Safe! Reliable!
We have many large networks in Japan! We reach out
helping hands for your collection or business in Japan.
Please freely send us e-m ail at any tim e.
M-IAJORLD
SERVICE
www.m -world-service.com
m -world-service@ sales.ffn.ne.jp
NEW MUSIC IN STORES MAY 9TH FROM
Pu nk Rock IS A LIV E and w ell fr o m Osa k a Ja p a n ....to N e w York City
C D IN C L U D E S
ARTWORK
BUTCH
JO HN
BY:
LU KIC
PO UND
DALEK
M A R I-C H A N
TRAGNARK
I M
A N I M A T I O N BY:
M A R I-C H A N
J O EL V E IT C H
Featuring JOHN CAFIERO with JERRY ONLY, DEZ CADENA, IVAN JULIAN and MARKY RAMONE!
(Osaka Popstar)
(Misfits)
(Black Flag)
(The Voidoids)
(The Ramones)
#
P L U S G U E S T A P P E A R A N C E B Y O U T S ID E R M U S IC IC O N : D A N IE L J O H N S T O N #
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