STRANGEco is pleased to profile these 11 companies, including advance news of their upcoming projects. Click here for a printer friendly version as well—your guide to Designer Toys at the show!

STRANGEco ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5448

Producer, distributor and Designer Toy news temple STRANGEco (yours truly) will be holding down a double-sized booth, showcasing a series of new product lines and special STRANGEco-branded figures:

The Neo Kaiju Project— STRANGEco and Super-7 Magazine have teamed up to present a fresh spin on Japanese giant monster ("kaiju") design. Series 1 will be previewed at Toy Fair, hatching ten original figures by artists Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Seonna Hong, Kathy Schorr and Todd Schorr.

MARS-1 by MARS-1— STRANGEco presents the first limited edition vinyl figure by emerging San Francisco visual artist MARS-1, whose robotic/organic style has been shown in galleries throughout the United States.

Tiger Baby by Sam Flores— International art phenomenon Sam Flores lends his distinctive character style to vinyl, the first in a series of figures produced with San Francisco’s Fifty24SF Gallery.

AMOS Toys— UK-based AMOS Toys continues to present new In-Crowd figures by designer par excellence James Jarvis. As the North American distributor, STRANGEco will debut the new In-Crowd Series 5: Punk is Not Dead and will display all currently available AMOS figure series. STRANGEco is also co-hosting an exclusive in-store appearance by James Jarvis at NYC’s Toy Tokyo, just in time for Toy Fair!

Scarygirl— Acclaimed toy artist Nathan Jurevicius returns to the Scarygirl universe with a new series of Mini Scarygirl 4-inch figures. Featuring twelve characters from the Scarygirl comics, the new figures will be packaged individually and in special four-figure box sets. STRANGEco will also be featuring the popular Mini Treehouse series- treehouse stump display and all.

Presspop Gallery— The newest brand distributed by STRANGEco, Japan’s Presspop Gallery features a bold line of collectible vinyl figures from underground comic artists Archer Prewitt, Chris Ware and Dan Clowes.

Sony Creative— STRANGEco presents select distribution of Sony Japan’s high quality mini figures, beginning with 15 styles from the Time Capsule and Vanimal Zoo series.

Warning Label Design and Rocketworld will also be hosted at the STRANGEco booth, which distributes both brands.

Achy Breaky Toys :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5454

Continuing to run on a full tank of gas with their flagship Mulletheads line, Achy Breaky Toys is exponentially branching out in 2004 with three new product lines:

Scuby Booty— Produced by ABT, the sexy Scuba Booty 10-inch figure is the first in a series of double agent ladies designed by LA artist Spazz. Packaged in a cylindrical window box with a crystal resin base, the femme fatal figure is accessorized with diving knife, utility belt, skimpy Brazilian-cut bikini bottoms and a choice of flocked "merkins" that can be applied as per the preference of each adoring collector.

Gutter Punx— The Achy Breaky crew will be previewing this in house follow-up to the Mulletheads, bringing a flare of pop anti-culture and pseudo idealism to the toy world. Ten inches tall with eight points of articulation, the Gutter Punx will all have ABT’s signature character back stories and hilarious statistics.

Swear Bears/Drastic Plastic— ABT has teamed up with New York’s Drastic Plastic as the exclusive distributor for the upcoming Swear Bears vinyl toy line. Featuring ten points of articulation, the irreverent Swear Bears are crude, crass and ready to start trouble. In addition to these new figures, ABT will be introducing Drastic Plastic’s Gobler Toys figure line, including Johnny Voodoo and Kiki the Fashion Tiki.

Critterbox Toys :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5456

Critterbox Toys has dedicated itself to presenting unique and affordable designer toy products, and 2004 proves to be no exception. Situated between Achy Breaky Toys and Toy Tokyo, the LA-based company is again pushing the designer toy envelope with an expanded range of artist brands:

Uglydoll Vinyls by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim— Toy Fair 2004 will mark the launch of Critterbox’s exclusively licensed Uglydoll vinyl figures. Fans of the popular designer plush dolls will soon be able to pick up new versions of their favorite Uglytown residents, from Wage to Ice Bat.

Dumb Luck by Gary Baseman — Final production pieces of über artist Gary Baseman’s lucky peg-legged rabbit (based on the central character from his 1999 fine art show) will be on display. Look out for an additional surprise as well.

Helper by Tim Biskup — Los Angeles-based Tim Biskup’s unique Helper figure will be on hand, including the beautiful collector box and 4-inch mini finger puppet.

Pip+ Norton & Eddy Table by Dave Cooper ­ Critterbox’s first figures (based on Cooper’s award-winning comic series Weasel) are currently available in fine boutiques nationwide.

Smoking Cat by Kaz — As shown at Comic Con 03, this new figure is inspired by one of the stars of the Underworld syndicated weekly comic strip. Original box designed by the artist.

Drinky Crow Jack-in-the-Box by Tony Millionaire — Based on the celebrated character from Millionaire's cartoon strip Maakies; made of tin and playing a classic maritime tune before it pops.

Friends With You :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5452

Miami’s celebrated design trio Friends With You is on a mission to change the face of ordinary toys. Creating a fresh line of characters with life-enhancing powers, they have met rave reviews for their distinct plush dolls and have been featured in galleries, collectible boutiques and numerous magazines worldwide. Friends characters Malfi and Red Flyer have also just starred in a short film commissioned by Nike to promote the corporation’s Spring 2004 product launch. Let the Magic begin!

In addition to their continuing line of collectible plush, Friends with You will be debuting a new line of wood toys for Toy Fair 2004. Featuring six brand-new characters, these hand-made toys are guaranteed to bring magic and luck from their pantheon to your toy shelf. Stay tuned for pictures and information.

Messex Industries ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5454

Since the mid-nineties, toy producer and creative manager Mike Messex has been opening new doors by developing custom items in a retail world biased toward license-only products. Working with clients from Hot Topic to X-Large, Messex has developed a range of plush and vinyl that is successfully changing the toy industry’s notions about what collectors want.

This Toy Fair, Messex Industries will be debuting Paxx iLL, a vinyl figure based on the popular online comic by Emmy Award-nominated animator Eddie Robinson. An antihero who spends his days narrowly escaping the evil-doings of his sisters Darken iLL and Kinda iLL, Paxx’s mission is to rid the world of common household insects. Already scheduled to be part of Hot Topic’s new season, Paxx iLL is shaping up to be a product line to watch.

Rock America :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5455

Originally a producer of rock and roll products, LA-based Rock America has recently entered the Designer Toy world with a series of original figures by US artists Attaboy, Sam Keith and Alex Pardee. Toy Fair 2004 offering will include:

Attaboy—SF-based artist and renegade toy designer Attaboy has produced a variety of kid’s toys for larger companies (including Hasbro, Milton Bradley and Mattel), and has teamed up with Rock America to bring his personal creations to life. The Super Action Nub Nub creatures Axtrx (which has just been released) and her brother Queshun will be on display, along with some wacky, nutrisweet-free surprises.

Sam Keith— Comic artist Sam Keith (of Image Comics’ The Maxx fame) has created Legs, a part animal/part engine creature from his 1999 comic of the same name.

Alex Pardee— the underground comic artist has created a new wave twisted Bunnywith plush dolls, each packaged with original artwork. His HARM plush doll— including the new Lunatic Edition HARM— will be on display, as will his yet to be revealed Ebola Bears toy line.

Rock America will also be launching the Screw Loose Toys, featuring the Odd Squad Centaurs and the Grim & Guantlet, a.k.a. The Reapers.

Rocketworld :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5448

San Francisco-based Rocketworld is the creator of the I.nsurgents W.ilderness G.ruppo— a new line of collectible vinyl figures designed by Patrick Ma and co-produced by STRANGEco. Comprised of characters from a fictional insurrection of mutated animals against human destruction of their natural habitats, a portion of all I.W.G. sales are passed on to a variety of different wildlife groups (including the World Wildlife Fund, the Gorilla Foundation, the International Rhino Foundation and the Zoo Conservation Outreach Group) .

Rocketworld will be unveiling Titus, the first figure in the I.W.G. series. Committed to restoring his habitats in North America and Asia, he stalks human poachers with a .308 bolt-action rifle. A full preview of the entire I.W.G. series will also be on display.

Superfun Company ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5458

Fresh from the Fangoria convention in New Jersey, the Superfun Company is returning to Toy Fair with a new coffin full of feel-good toys. Utilizing innovative design and a healthy dose of twisted humor, Superfun has carved out an original niche for themselves with the award-winning The Toxic Teddies. Superfun is gearing up to be a Toy Fair sight to behold: macabre, bizarre, and entertaining. Expect an elaborate diorama presentation.

Toy Tokyo ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5458

Primarily known for being one of the first Designer Toy retailers in the United States, NYC’s Toy Tokyo will be at Javits with an expanded line of graffiti art-influenced toys. In addition to the currently released Famous Monsters of Seenland, Toy Tokyo will be unveiling a new vinyl tag project by graffiti legend Seen (sorry, no pictures yet!).

Toy Tokyo will be showcasing a variety of wholesale products, including Buddy Lee Dolls, from Japan, Art Storm/Fewture Models, kubricks, mini figures and a few more surprises.

Uglydolls :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 2874

Since their birth in 2001, PrettyUgly LLC’s Uglydoll plush toys have rapidly increased in popularity and exposure. After their second appearance at Toy Fair, the soft critters are sure to end up on even more beds and sofas nationwide. PrettyUgly’s main booth isn’t located in the Boutique Toy Aisle, but Uglydolls will be well represented at the Critterbox booth with their collaborative line of soft vinyl figures.

Creators David and Sun-Min will be on hand and will be further promoting the traveling "Uglyart" gallery show which opens March 10 in Tokyo.

Warning Label Design ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Booth 5448

Oakland, CA’s Warning Label Design is the toy brainchild of animator, rap producer and video director Roy Miles, Jr. Warning Label will be showing its popular Biddies figure line, inspired by old school hip hop culture from Back In The DayZ (i.e. B.I.T.DZ). Roy has promised a few surprises as well!