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 Plush and stuff Forget your kid sister. These toys are for grownups.
Children of the twenty-first century may prefer tech gizmos and gadgets
to toys, but some adults still have a soft spot for good old-fashioned
playtime. Participating in a grassroots nationwide movement of
designer-toy making geared toward adults, a handful of locals discuss
their artful toys and playful art. All toys are available online and at
Rotofugi, 1953 West Chicago. Shawnimals
Plush costs between $15-45
Shawn Smith stitched the first seams of a Shawnimal during a college
summer in Normal, Illinois. A few years later his line of
amoeboid-looking "stuffed art" or "designer plush" is on the map.
"They have definite hug potential but I don't necessarily encourage
it," says Smith, explaining his terrycloth characters' sensitivity to
the kind of wear and tear that stuffed animals endure. To ensure the
animals' long life, Smith suggests that owners mount their Shawnimals
on the wall or rest them on the couch or windowsill.
The Shawnimal designs reflect Smith's art-school training. He points
to the placement of Slippery Splug's eyeballs on his asymmetrical
antennae, explaining how he approaches the making of a design in the
same way that he makes a painted composition. The features are abstract
but highly expressive. While plush is Smith's current specialty,
shirts,
buttons and stickers spread the Shawnimal goodness around. Phoneticontrol
Figures cost $15-30
Eric Broers loves robots. "What's not to like about robots?" the
native Oak Parker asks. "They're awesome."
The name of his home-roasted one-of-a-kind Sea Vee series refers to
an analog-age machine called C/V Gate, which channeled communication
between musical instruments. Broers' explains that his Sea Vees,
acrylic-painted sculptures standing about six inches tall, interact
like
instruments. "They're talking to each other, even within
themselves," he
says of the figurines. "They're happy."
Supplementing his decade-long stint as a Kinkos employee, Broers'
first commission was illustrating robots on an album cover for his
brothers. He's been drawing superheroes since grade school and started
making figures in high school when he discovered Mr. Zogs Sex Wax. "I
have these building blocks, and I see where they fit," Broers says,
explaining his artistic evolution. These days, Broers' resume includes
illustrations, an album cover for Johann's Face, T-shirts and
stickers,
and he has prospects of illustrating a coffee-table book. He's also
working to "bridge the gap between robots and humans" by creating
unconventional, inviting characters. "People tell me you get an
emotion
from them," Broers says. FizzieFuzzie
Products cost about $7-$20
The friends at FizzieFuzzie came to life when James Liu wanted a
panda sticker for his Vespa. While the bike never quite came to
fruition, Liu made six new friends. From White Panda to his Red Panda
counterpart--White Panda turns red when he eats peanuts--to narcoleptic
Pink Raccoon, you can enjoy FizzieFuzzie icons on pins, magnets, mugs
and tees. The characters come with personalities and mottoes starting
with the phrase "I (heart)," like "I (heart) peanuts" or "I
(heart)
licking."
"I always liked Hello Kitty, but they're more geared toward girls,"
says Liu, explaining his motivation to create his own brand of
characters. "Everything is so white bread."
Influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian designs, the drawings are
simple and monochromatic and can appeal to adults or kids. Except,
perhaps, for Red Panda, who "hearts" kicking ass. Oddbabies
Plush costs about $25
Girlfriend and boyfriend team Tobias Berblinger and Yasemin Gokcen
are talking on speakerphone about Oddbabies, a gang of about
thirty-five
plush creations that have names like Scarbaby and Chompy.
"They can't help themselves but be poorly behaved," says Berblinger
before he rolls into a general character description about his felted
friends. "They like to do things like bang on pots and pans, tip over
their mother's lamps. They're very grumpy and always want to eat
sweet
things like ice cream, and they get mad about the pajamas that they
have
to wear. But their intentions are actually very sweet."
The characters began as doodles and cartoons, creative outbursts
that manifested in between their creators working their respective day
and night jobs--Gokcen's a software analyst and Berblinger works as a
DJ
and freelance graphic designer. Stumbling upon Ugly Doll products while
on tour in San Francisco, Berblinger realized that plush was the next
step in the life of his drawings. An avid knitter and sewer, Gokcen
transformed Berblinger's designs into sewing patterns. Such was the
case
until Berblinger came up with Skree Bat. "He kind of looks like this
crazy flying monster," Gokcen begins, making fun of the way that
Berblinger would run around with his part-jellyfish, part-bat. Since
Gokcen refused to realize his preposterous idea, Berblinger learned to
sew. Gokcen concedes, "He ended up being very cute."
While playing is not required, it is highly encouraged. "When we're
making them, we get really involved in them emotionally and lots of
ideas come to mind of what they can do. We make up cool stories about
their interaction and that's our playtime," Berblinger explains. Peng Peng Bears
Cost $169-$225
Peng Peng's favorite teddy bear stretches between four-and-half to
seven inches in length; oddly, Peng Peng says that she used to
make miniatures--two-inch long bears. Four-and-half to seven inches is
merely standard for her "art bears."
The preciousness of her bears extends beyond the sentimental value
you might attribute to your average teddy bear. Peng Peng uses
high-quality hand-blown glass for the bears' eyes and Schulte Mohair
from Germany, which costs about $100 per yard. Now that's a special
bear.
Also by Jessica Herman Fur or Faux?
Body food
Poster Boys
Political circus
Brand jam
Monkey business
Romance of the nerds
Costume ball
Really easy riders
Hiccup to the chief
Material girls
Custom couture
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