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Toys: New Designs from the Art Toy Revolution
Urban Toys Book Review
When I was a kid, I didn't like the Cabbage Patch Kids or any toys that open and close their eyes by themselves because they reminded me too much of Chucky, nor did I like Barbie because she seemed so stuck up and pretentious and perfect. I gave them to my brother to decimate. I loved G.I. Joe and my Hot Wheels. I also loved my stuffed animals, My Little Pony, Carebears, Smurfs, and Monchichis. These were the toys that I kept from my childhood that would have my friends and probably family, too, laughing for days if they knew I still had them.
 When you are older than 15, you cant have toys that make you look immature anymore, right? Besides, you should put those toys away to make room for the new toys that are coming out these days that make G.I. Joe look like a wuss and can probably kick your Monchichis ass.
There's this small little shop on Prince St. in New York City that I used to walk pass. I never paid any mind to it until one day they had a gigantic vinyl bunny smoking a cigarette on display. Right underneath it had a sign that said (not in these exact words of course), "Dont smoke; those cigarettes are for me." That was a 10 foot neon sign screaming welcome to the world of art toys to me. These toys are made with adults in mind; they have an edge, that have something to say whether you like it or not, that have something that they want to represent because Toys 'R Us wont carry something like them. They are not squeaky clean and they are definitely flawed like the real world that we adults work and live in now.
 Dont know where to begin? You need to get the book, Toys: New Designs from the Art Toy Revolution. If you dont live in any place that has art toy boutiques like NYC, this book is your next best bet. Even if you do live in a place that has art toy boutiques, you should get this book. Not only does it give you a short history of how these art toys came about but it also gives you interviews with the various pioneers of the art toy world. Once you are done with the words and paragraphs of it, you can sit back and enjoy the images of the toys themselves.
It turns out that vinyl bunny smoking a cigarette can be opened up to show a skeleton on the inside. There is also a very cute squirrel playing with his nut. Its an acorn nut; get your mind out of the gutter. Then you have the ghetto fab gorillas and the machete wielding beaver. Theres also the bunnies with Mao Tse Dong face on them and astronaut Jesus. Did I mention the smoking Fu Manchu mouse? The homicidal bears? Or the Amazonian Fraggle looking action figures? Or the evil mummy rabbits? How about the nuclear holocaust girls in maid costumes? So many toys so little time!
Below: Some of the goodies featured in Toys: New Designs from the Art Toy Revolution.
Reviewed by Carolyn Whu, December 2007
The Cute Book
Japanese Crafts Book Review
Are you one of those handy people? Whatever your hands make, it always comes out beautifully perfect? Then you suck and should stop reading this review because this book is not for perfect people like you.
This book is for people like me, who can't boil water without burning it. (Yes, it is possible.) I've tried knitting and my scarves always end up lopsided. (Yep, lopsided is do-able on a scarf somehow.) I've tried cross-stitching and, I don't know how, my Garfield ended up with three eyes. I've tried drawing/sketching and my teachers have given up on even getting s straight line out of me. (Don't ask.) Suffice it to say: my hands don't listen very well to what I would like it to do.
 This book makes it easy for me NOT to screw up any step on making any of these cute little felt buddies. Think about it: These little felt buddies that would otherwise cost you $10+ to get because they were imported can easily be made if you have this book whether you are a handy person or not. Not only do they have a small standard set of supplies that you use time after time but they also don't talk in any funny code words to piece everything together. For people who've tried knitting, you know what Iím talking about: the k1, p1, c6f, or k2tog. Donít know how big the eyes or ears or feet or arms need to be? Don't worry about it; the book gives you a template that you can use to cut the felt to size with. No more worrying about lopsided animals that only have one arm and one leg that look right.
Another thing that I really hated about other craft books was that they tend to skip a step or two thinking that you can read minds and figure out what you need to do. This is one of the major sections where the extra eyes and noses and stuff come from. Rest assured, there are no missing steps to any of the instructions in this book. Even when they are repeating themselves, the steps are presented again and we don't have to refer to any previous instructions. So if you want to skip the first two felt buddies, you can easily go to felt buddy number 3 without having to flip pages back and forth to figure out what you need to do.
One other great thing about this book: even if you don't end up exactly looking like the one in the book, any little quirk and anything that is slightly off is only going to make your felt buddy look cuter. I made a felt bunny and the head is tilted, it looks like it's a little confused. Its legs are a little close together so it looks like it needs to go to the bathroom, too. I think I'm on the road to getting my hands to listen to what I would like them to do.
Reviewed by Carolyn Whu, November 2007
Tamagotchi Connection
Anime Toy Review
A Tama-whats-It? Tamagotchi is a virtual pet that you care for, feed, provide with love and attention and play with. It's an on-going game for kids that teaches them to be responsible pet owners (your virtual pet can and will DIE if you don't take care of it).
About 10 years ago these things were really hot toys for kids. And now they are really hot toys for kids again, but this time, they wirelessly communicate (via infrared) so you can create a friend list, exchange presents, and even marry your virtual pets to each other. Among other upgrades over the older versions are larger screen, better graphics and more advanced software that allows your pet to "grow" into something special, based on how well you care for it.
The little egg-shaped device with an LCD screen and just three buttons seems simple enough, but a wall of complexity that stymies parents and keeps kids occupied for hours lies underneath all that cuteness.
Considering the popularity of pokemon and the like, this is kinda' like having your very own virtual pikachu, because, with secret codes and unlockable surprises, your tamagotchi pet can be taught to perform tricks!
If the kids won't leave the games in your cell-phone alone, this is the perfect solution to give them something to do on long trips or while NOT watching tv. It's the gift that keeps on giving, and you don't even have to buy any pet-food.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, October 2006
Zoids Liger Zero With Schneider Armor Kit
Anime Toy Review
It's not quite a model, and it's not quite a toy—it's a ZOID. This snarling Liger Zero seems like a model because you need to snap it together out of the plastic pieces provided, but it's also a toy, because once you've assembled the well-armed beast, it can move around and snap its jaws with motorized, battery-operated action.
Based on the successful animated series (or vice-versa), ZOIDs are very cool and make very attractive office/cubicle decorations. Show your geek-ness and be proud!
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, 2004
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Japanese Toys Website Links:
Chogokin.net - Japanese Toy News
Danny Choo
Robot Japan
Dr. Atomic
Toyboxdx
RobotHut
Anime Vision
Anime Model Addicts Anonymous
Mecha World
Action-figures.ca
Japanese Toy Ray Guns
Alphadrome Vintage Robots & Space Toys
Rare Robots
Traditional Japanese Toys Website Links:
Hakone Tin-Toys Museum
Cool Japanese Toys
A Page for Japanese Dolls
Japanese Kite Collection
So Crazy Japanese Toys!
Art Book Review
This ecclectic book showcases a cast of totally cool, totally sugoi creatures culled from the most popular Japanese children's TV shows. From early and obscure Japanese shows to programs that have gained mass popularity around the world including Ultraman, Space Giants, and the classic Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot. So Crazy Japanese Toys! will delight both casual fans and hardcore aficionados. Readers will encounter rubber-clad superheroes galore, kawaii 'n' cuddly characters, high-revving motor heroes, and of course rockin' chicks of both the friend and foe varieties. This book is a must-have for anyone attracted to anime and manga.
This book is beautifully put together by Jimbo Matison (with a forward by NYC's own Rodney Greenblat) and follows the format of many of the Japanese toy collector books, i.e. each page consists of a single photograph of a toy placed in a fantasy setting with a "key" at the back of the book that gives the name of the toy, date of production, manufacturer information, etc.
Reviewed by Michael Pinto, July 2003
Robots and Spaceships,
Edited by by Teruhisa Kitahar
Book Review
This book covers two of our favorite subjects, robots and spaceships! Taschen publishes some great art books, and this is one of them. This book is from the “Icon” series which focuses on topics ranging from Tattoos to Pin Up photos. The quality of the photography and printing is always very high, so these little books tend to make great gifts. This title will be of special interest to anyone fascinated by early space travel and technology, those who simply want to wax nostalgic about a bygone era of their youth, and of course to collectors and fans of 50s and 60s tin toys.
 The attempt here is to give a reflective taste of some of the best of what was the golden age of space toys. Between the retro red covers you'll find your 1950s Smoking Robot, Thunder Robot with box, your Mr. Robot, and a couple of "The Gang of Five". The 191 pages, mostly with full single page shots of the toys, is enough to give the uninitiated a real appreciation for the talent that went into their creation. The roots of today's toys can be seen in these precursors, notably in the early transformer robots. Taken from collector Teruhisa Kitahara's vast collection, which is on display in many museums in Japan, the robots and spaceships featured here are quite rare and give a wonderful overview of this era in the history of toys.
Reviewed by Michael Pinto, April 2002
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