I Am Plastic: The Designer Toy Explosion

In barely a decade, the designer toy craze, which originated in Hong Kong, has taken the world by storm. Children and adults, celebrities and design aficionados now line up to pay anywhere from five dollars to thousands of dollars for these highly inventive designer creations.

I Am Plastic provides a colorful visual history of the phenomenon, which has energized not only the toy world but the global art community as well. Fashion designers, comic book artists, underground illustrators, graffiti and fine artists now lend their creativity to the task of coming up with innovative and striking new toy designs. Artists and toys featured in this stunning overview include Frank Kozik, Dalek, Gary Baseman, Bounty Hunter, Junko Mizuno, Jason Siu, Devilrobots, and Pete Fowler.

From October 2nd, I'll be exhibiting in 'The Toy Shop', alongside some incredibly talented illustrators, image-makers and designers, including my good pal Owen Gildersleeve. The Toy Shop will transform The Art Corner's gallery space into a bevvy of curiosities and wonders as part of Free For Arts Festival in Manchester, UK. An inspiring variety of toys, prints, objects, 2d, 3d, illustrations, props and paper installations will be exhibited and for sale. Perfect for all those Birthdays and early bird Christmas pressies.

A variation on a theme - obviously the Matchbox designers liked the Police Jaguar! Really the lines should run the entire length of the car, though. Fancy roof box

Ever changing, challenging and re-inventing, designer toys are in a never-ending state of flux. Old becomes new and new can become pioneering. Flux is an intimate and exciting journey through the idiosyncrasies of designer playthings - every artist featured offers you the chance to meet the quirky characters of their imagination, and see the world through their eyes. Not just toys, this book is bursting at the seams with inspiration. The supporting artwork tells the story of the development of characters - how the initial sketch of a good character can make it across media
through vinyl, advertising, animation, illustration, cloth design, and much more. This title also presents exclusive new works and a hint of what is to come from this ever-expanding discipline. Flux - Designer Toys doesn't just show you the characters and artwork from designers worldwide, it provides a glimpse into the thoughts and aims of the person behind the art. Contributors include: Alice Chan, Angels & Gringos, Dacosta Bayley, Furi Furi, Gary Baseman, Jason Siu, Jeremyville, Jon Burgerman, Sket One, Tim Tsui, Toki Doki, ToyQube and moreA?A€A¦..