Author(s): CRAWFORD JIM BLUM GREGORY

Miscellaneous

Toys are hot! We're talking Blythe rather than Barbie! Huge amount of interest is shown by hip teens, 20 and 30 somethings in the coolest cutting edge toys around. MTV tie-in title and big business - Nike, Sony and Levi's are all currently sponsoring toy related exhibitions. Toys are no longer just for kids. In the words of one of the top stores, KidRobot, "They're the centerpieces of a new movement with its own culture, rivalries, heroes, and superstars." The new toy scene has its roots in 1997 when designer Michael Lau exhibited GI-Joes he'd customized into hip-hop street fashion figures at a Hong Kong toy show. Artists from Hong Kong and Japan followed suit, creating their own limited edition vinyl figures. Many of these toys are still made for small retail stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. The vinyl toy movement soon went global, invading the US and Europe with a vengeance. Artists have begun branching out into mini-figures, as well as plush toys, 12" figures, and even good old plastic.
"Toys", the third book of MTV's "Overground" series, documents the amazing variety and mesmerizing detail of these unique figures, a vibrant celebration of the toys themselves and fascinating and deserved exploration of the artists and companies that created them. Since 2001, Jim Crawford and Gregory Blum have been instrumental in developing the new worldwide Art Toy movement.