At 1045 Showroom we’re excited to be the official site for Art Toy Society. This club was introduced at the SDCC 07 and it has really taken off! We’re glad to have members from all over the world who appreciate and love art toys, especially the kind of toys that can only come from one of the world’s elite art toy manufacturers, MINDstyle!
By becoming a member you get to belong to a community that appreciates, enjoys and is just plain crazy about art toys! You also get first dibs on a lot of amazing vinyl coming from some of the best in this business, in most cases before the street release date – not to mention sweet colorways developed exclusively for the club! Membership is limited to 300 members worldwide. The cost for one year is $200.00 usd with free domestic shipping for your Lau figures + shipping.
Read on to see why membership really does have its benefits…
- ATN members are allowed to purchase exclusive convention limited editions (even if you are NOT attending the convention). While they last!
- Free quarterly products guide
- Special limited edition releases exclusively for the Art Toys Society members
- 10% off al pre-orders
- Your new membership includes the Micheal Lau x MINDstyle exclusive M076 and M077 Black on Black series figures that are only available through this special offer and NOT FOR SALE
- Your official membership card is good online and at select MINDstyle retailers
So what are Art Toys anyway?
Art Toys, Urban Vinyl, Designer Toys, Vinyl, are just some of the names that are sometimes used interchangeably for the same thing, even though that’s not always the case. Art toys are that perfect mix of indie pop culture and vinyl. They are created with art sensibilities in mind, so sculpt and design are the most important ingredients.Each piece is designed by an artist and carries its own aesthetic theme. But to answer the basics, art toys feature original designs, small production runs, and are highly sought-after by collectors, which by the way, are mostly adults.
The basic concept is that artists are doing limited edition vinyl toys -- not based on mainstream offerings, but rather on original art concepts of their own. Art toys are original from the start and not a replication of another form.
The beginning of the Art Toy movement can be traced back to Michael Lau, he’s the visionary Hong Kong artist that took mainstream toys, like GI Joes, and gave them his now trademark twist. By infusing street culture and pop art into these figures he created not only a new style but a new medium for expression and art toys were born.Years and countless talented and innovative artists later, the movement has evolved into what is a flourishing industry.
OK, sounds cool, but how do I begin collecting?
Well, you can always join Art Toys Society, that’s a quick and easy way to get inside the world of collecting. You will be offered exclusive access to already very limited figures – in some cases these are figures that will only be available to members!
You can also start by browsing different artists and seeing what’s out there, develop your own style and see what calls to you. In collecting there’s never any right or wrong and we encourage you to explore and develop your own taste. If you find an artist that you like, check out their websites and see what other links they have available, take a look at what influences them and go from there.
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