green

Golden Yellow Gnome Hat by neuart @ Etsy.

Blythe dolls seem to have been made for hats & bonnets. They simply look great in them, obviously it has to do with that big face of them, and they might look funny or gorgeous but one thing is certain, Blythe fans will never be out of inspiration when it comes to creating something, anything, to put on those heads.

I know some great creators have their own shop, but on Etsy alone there are plenty of great shops so this is only a tiny selection of what’s to be found there. Starting with one of my very favorites, neuart (see photo above) who has always the most beautiful knitted stuff, be they hats or sets, ponchos… She also has a Flickr by the name of miss modular and you can see more of her creations in various files there.

And some more wonderful stuff :

Shimmery Sparkly Sequined Helmet for Blythe by flissy666 + Green Pointy Bonnet for Blythe by loou.

Crochet Hat for Blythe by Sassylassie + Knitted Ear Bonnet for Blythe by xoxo,Blythe.

Blythe Hat - Lime Green and Red Pompom by CannonBelle.

“Sarah Jessica Parker” Blythe Hat by lado.

Blue and White Fleece Helmet Hat for Blythe by nectarine.

Blythe Rectangle Pom Pom Hat, earthy tones by CannonBelle.

Decadent Mohair Hat for Blythe by Ttttemma.

Cream Beret by PinkPetal.

And I only saw this one this afternoon while finishing this article, I just couldn’t resist :

Luxurious Fuzzy Hat Hood for Blythe OOAK by bonspielcreation.

To Be Continued…

The Toy Monkey by Gary Taxali - Exclusive Green Version available @ Kung Fu Toys

While Gary Taxali’s new vinyl figures “Oh No” + “Oh Oh” are on the verge of being released by Bigshot Toyworks, you can still find some of his Toy Monkeys. The yellow version (500 numbered pieces signed or unsigned) is the regular one and not many people are aware that a green version was also released in a limited edition of 200. It was at one point sold by some museum - I think it was the MOMA but I am not sure now - and I just found that Kung Fu Toys has it for $150 dollars.

You can still order the Original Toy Monkey Deluxe Edition @ Chump Toys or @ Orbit Gallery space.

Also see the Original Hand Painted “Toy Monkey” on Gary Taxali’s website.

Oh No + Oh Oh by Gary Taxali - sculpt by Scott Wetterschneider

Note that you can buy the Oh No Bronze Statue along with some artwork by Gary Taxali @ Magic Pony.

OH NO Bronze Statue - Gary Taxali

Gary Taxali

Ceramic coffee mug by Brendan Monroe on Park Life, go to Homewares.
New in 2007. Very limited Edition of 150 pcs.

Brendan Monroe is an amazingly great artist. I discovered his work at the same time I discovered art toys since his Sour figures were then being released amidst quite a bit of turmoil as I seem to recall. The toys had been shown back in 2005 at SDCC and were first scheduled for October/November of the same year, but as is often the case with vinyl figures the production experienced some delays so that even though they were at some point announced for late January 2006 they were not actually released until April 2006. The release itself was a bit chaotic since it was mostly done through pre-orders and it seemed Glen Liberman from Android 8 was doing pretty much everything by himself. You could find the Green and Brown versions in a couple of shops though, but the Red Sour was a Munky King exclusive and the Orange one which was an Android 8 exclusive was sold solely at SDCC.

These “toys” are truly fantastic figures. They are a bit scary at first sight but they are so unlike anything else and so “strange” and sculptural that for many people - including myself - they ranked among the best and most beautiful toys produced in 2006. I love them. I love their strangeness and mystery. (And, Oh joy, I even managed to buy the Green one a couple of months later from Giant Robot - the Brown one was unfortunately “sold out”).

Indeed they have all long been “Sold Out” and the only way to get one - you guessed right - is eBay. Of course the prices today for those figures are quite insane - not to say totally insane if you are aiming for a complete set (the last complete set of four on eBay sold for a little more than $800 about 2 weeks ago) - so if you really love Brendan Monroe’s work for that price you could as well get an original painting or one of his Microbes. Or for less money than you would pay for one Green or Brown Sour you can also buy one of his Potato Heads at HarnerHouse. And truly it is a mystery to me that these sculptures be still available… (Edit : A friend of mine tried to order these and they are in fact sold out. I am sorry since it was not clear at all on the site. 21 September 2007)

Potato head (large) + Potato Head (small) by Brendan Monroe (2005, resin & wood, signed)

Also from HarnerHouse : In Case of Paper Face, a small interactive book.

Other books and zines :
Sour Leaves available at NOWhere Limited and Rotofugi.
Organelles available directly from Brendan Monroe.

Brendan Monroe
Brendan Monroe’s Studio PROJECT S2DIO #049 by www.glltn.com.
Upcoming exhibition “Insides” at Richard Heller Gallery from October 13 to November 11, 2007.

The Sours by Brendan Monroe :
Sculpted by Dave Pressler
Produced by UNKL for Android 8.

According to Squidoo numbers were as followed :

1. Brendan Monroe Sour Brown 400 Produced
2. Brendan Monroe Sour Green 400 Produced
3. Brendan Monroe Sour Red (Munkey King Exclusive) 100 Produced *At Last Report 50 Actually Sold To The Public*
4. Brendan Monroe Sour Orange (Android 8 Exclusive) 100 Produced *SDCC Exclusive Now* *At Last Report Only 50 Will Actually Be Sold To The Public*

Designers of Tomorrow : Ragnheidur Osp Sigurdardottir

I stumbled upon Ragnheidur’s work on This is Blythe Forum and even though she showed only a few pictures of her work - she is still young and is currently studying product design at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan - those few pictures clearly pointed to some strong personality and a great talent. Ragnheidur was born in 1981 and comes from Reykjavik, Iceland which accounts for her Northern sounding name : Ragnheidur Osp Sigurdardottir.

Her work is both elegant and familiar. The objects she makes are beautiful without being intimidating. They have something of the obvious in them - a quality not easily attained and which requires work and talent. They have not yet been produced but you wish you could already find them in shops.

Amongst those projects she would like to see produced, the Pick Me chocolates look very promising. She has thought of making them herself and selling them, but what she really wants is to work with a chocolatier that makes premium chocolate. There is also her Aromalarm, an alarm clock that wakes up and puts people to sleep with aroma. Here is what she wrote to me when I asked her how it was really working :

The Aromalarm is still a concept but I thought of it working in a way where you buy little capsules containing different aromas and inserting them inside the clock (on bottom). They would then get attached to tubes that would release the aroma depending on if you are falling asleep or waking up. If it ever gets made and could really function, I would like there to be all kinds of different aromas to buy.

And although it is not exactly the kind of things I like, I must admit that the way she worked on the BENJAMIN stool designed by Lisa Norinder and produced by IKEA by drilling holes in it and decorating it with brodery - she calls it Bentey - is very interesting. I came to think about it afterwards which is always a good sign with objects. I think it works better with some color and the brodery on top so that you don’t get to see the reverse side of it, but on the other end, this version has a more modern touch and is really inspiring.

And I love her digital patterns for ceramic tiles! I think it goes way beyond what you usually see that has been made with a computer. (Edit : The tile patterns are not available any more on her new website. You can only see this one on her Portfolio at coroflot.com. 27 August 2007)

Ragnheidur Osp Sigurdardottir’s links :
Umemi : her website.
Her Portfolio.
And Everything Nice, part of her research for her thesis on cuteness.
And would you believe it, she has a pug too! Hers is called Panda, you can see pictures of her on Ragnheidur Osp Sigurdardottir’s Flickr.