ALL OTHER TOY (ARTICLES) SUCK

The designer toy scene has gone through a noticeable change over the last year or so. Many style magazines and similar have had articles on the newly emerging phenomenon, of varying quality. Many, if not all, rightly note Michael Lau’s pivotal role in generating a world-wide fan base of collectors and pushing what people’s ideas of collectable toys are. The more detailed articles might touch on other HK designers/artists, namely Eric So or perhaps even Jason Sui. Yet the info runs dry about there; fair enough, that is probably more than enough for the casual reader. This of course is not the philosophy I hold for this site; I celebrate minutiae (one thinks of the deliciously quotable Homer Simpon’s quip “and the information superhighway showed the average person what some nerd thinks about Star Trek”). So we press on...

A series of events including SARS, prolific bootlegging and a downturn in the HK economy has seen a shift in the vinyl toy scene. Whilst Michael Lau remains at the fore, Eric So’s toy output, whilst still brilliant, has lessened and some of the shining stars of the early years have faded off the radar. That is not to say the HK scene is dead, with interesting pieces continuing to be released from the likes of Tim Tsui. Other early entrants from elsewhere have continued to go from strength to strength, notably Pete Fowler, Kaws and James Jarvis.

As the momentum from HK started to wane things started to pick up a rapid pace in the US. A combination of a strong online presence and the Juxtapoz/low brow hipsters embracing these profitable 3D realisations of their work has rapidly fuelled the scene there. Companies like Mezco certainly started things off in the US with their Hoodz range and their later Run DMC figures, but it would seem that various platform figures (essentially one figure used as a canvas for various artists) have generated the most interest for the US market viz. Kid Robot’s Dunnys etc. The story so far tells of a progression from Hong Kong to the States. Even checking various Internet sites, forums and magazine articles this progression from HK to America is largely presented as the time line of designer vinyl toys. So where does BxH fit in? And just who the hell are they (some might ask)? Founded in 1995 in Tokyo by Hikaru Iwanaga, the Bounty Hunter shop is a celebration of punk and toys. Stock began with toys sourced in the States on frequent trips by Hikaru. Stars Wars stuff, Spawn and vintage cereal characters were characteristic of their wares. The shop’s name pays homage to Boba Fett, and at the same time Hikaru has been quoted as saying it also refers to the act of hunting out bounty - in his case, toys. Hikaru is a man who has lived his passion. Both a keen toy collector and devotee of punk music and fashion, he has carved out a niche in the fickle world of Japanese street fashion. The first Bounty Hunter shop lies in the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Like many cities the area attracted those seeking affordable premises and with the rise in popularity of the shops the area has become a centre of activity for the youth fashion market. The shop’s range expanded as they sought to make their own T shirts as well as stocking toys. They called upon various friends to aid them and it was one of these T shirts that would go on to launch the designer vinyl scene. The design of a sinister child dressed in the attire of a sailor - like Chucky crossed with a breakfast cereal character, entitled Kid Hunter by the now legendary A Bathing Ape designer Skatething, was to be the inspiration for BxH to make its own toy. In Garden Magazine (issue 2) Hikaru noted how he wanted to make a toy that was rounded like Snoopy characters rather than the harsh types of figures represented by McFarlane’s Spawn line. Skatething’s Kid Hunter would be the perfect character to make a toy of. One only has to see how the character is the embodiment of the Bounty Hunter aesthetic; a combination of a nod to the vinyl figures of American cereal characters and the kitschiness that represents, with the unsettling evil imagery and air of dissent that the punk cultivates. When Kid Hunter was released in 1997 the designer vinyl scene had begun.

Bounty Hunter continued to develop their line of toys. Their “look” is instantly recognisable, even when the characters aren’t theirs. The vinyl figures are often monotone, and of menacing characters rendered playful by the sculpt and soft quality of vinyl. This can be seen with the three (so far) official Disney figures of Mickey, Pete and Julius (pictured below). Not all of their range has been vinyl figures, with their Warriors inspired Furies figures, several plushes and some 12” figures (SAS, Neighbourhood SAS and with Medicom a Sid Vicious). Plus their 10th anniversary Boba Fett 400% Kubrick is a masterpiece.

So where does this fit in with what was going on elsewhere shortly after Kid Hunter had dropped followed by Skull Kun (Kun is Japanese for Mister)? I would contend that three of the figures Bounty Hunter helped with have been pivotal in where we are with the designer toy scene today. The figures are James Jarvis’s “Martin”, Brian Donnelly’s (aka Kaws) “Companion” and Frank Kozik’s “smoking Bunny”.

Bounty Hunter was instrumental in realising James Jarvis’s first figure for Silas, Martin. Silas’s Japanese representative suggested that Silas should do a toy. The rep was a friend of of the BxH crew and was subsequently able to make the necessary links for Silas to make their toy. Jarvis’s potato head characters suit the rounded form that vinyl offers perfectly. That was 1998. Come 2005 James Jarvis has created a cast of vinyl and Kubrick characters from the Silas and World of Pain range and branched off to form the Amos toy company. In doing so he has developed a huge following of collectors, generated a great deal of press attention to vinyl toys and drained the bank accounts of enthusiasts globally.

Kaws has been a favourite of many of Tokyo’s Harajuku district fashion labels for some time. The label Hectic was one of the first to put his art on Ts, and it was in collaboration with them and Bounty Hunter that his first toy was made in 2000, The Companion. A reworking of Mickey Mouse in Kaw’s now ubiquitous skull and cross bones became hotly recognised as a piece of art by an up and coming artist. Five years later the Companion has been reworked with Medicom and sells out as quickly as it can be put on the shelves. Other toys also followed including several Kubricks, his Chum, Blitz, and Accomplice characters. Like James Jarvis, Kaws has been propelled into the limelight as one of the top vinyl toy designers, attracting a huge following of collectors. Again, Bxh was at the beginning of it all.

Thirdly, Frank Kozik, legendary as an underground music poster artist and now known to many as a toy designer, started his toy career off with BxH too. His 2002 Smokin’ Bunny character (based on his cat Walter) was to be the first of many toys for Kozik. It has been interesting to see the different paths that both Kozik and Kaws have followed with their toys (and designs). They have touched on similar imagery that they have reworked in their own styles (eg Chip and Dale reappropriated). Kaws has maintained a strong link with Medicom and the Japanese market. Kozik has also maintained strong links with Medicom but has also embraced the American toy market, as seen with the previously mentioned Dunnys.

These three artists have been amongst the most important in spreading the vinyl toy phenomenon. They draw in those who are drawn to their work from the worlds of fashion and design, underground music and graffiti. In discovering these toys and other like them people have been subsequently exposed to other subcultures they might not have come across.

Whether it is doing their own thing, or when they team up with a guest artist, Bounty Hunter know a thing or two about making toys. Their role in starting the designer vinyl toy phenomenon is pivotal and must not be overlooked. So next time you read that article on designer toys you can throw it down in disgust as you realise they haven’t even mentioned the one that started it all; Bounty Hunter.

DATA FILE Head honcho : Hikaru Iwanaga Started: Tokyo, 1995 Shops: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka; Japan. First toy: Kid Hunter, 1997. Mottos: 50% toy, 50% punk. All other toys suck. Logo by: Seven Stars

THANKS TO CONCEPTSHOP.COM.HK FOR THE PHOTOS OF SMOKIN' BUNNY AND COMPANION

THANKS TO SOL AND JUUAN FOR THEIR SUPPORT

ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY RTHQ.COM - PLEASE DON'T REPRODUCE!

RTHQ.com August 2005