Getting in Gear for DesignerCon DCon 2014

DesignerCon 2014 is less than three weeks aways and we are excited! DCon will be on November 8th and November 9th at the Pasadena Convention Center. DCon is an annual art and design convention that brings the best in designer and collectible toys in urban, underground, and pop art. This year, DCon will have over 300 vendors, live demos, panels, art shows, and exclusives! If you are a fan of designer toys and art, then DesignerCon is a definite must that will bring the best artists and creators. 

The Angry Koala Gear crew will not only attend DesignerCon 2014 as fans, but we will also have a booth for our third year. We are very excited to see the creativity by many of our favorite artists and hoping to score a few of the super rare and sought after pieces. We will also be bringing a few exclusives along for DCon 2014 created by our own Matt Perez aka Obscure. He actually is creating our exclusive Star Wars themed bootleg figures for DesignerCon. We will have a few different colorways for our characters, Darth Feratu and Lil' Fett. 

We are going to have a very limited run on these two to debut at DesignerCon 2014. We will also be raffling off our first prototypes of the two figures during DCon weekend. Obscure also will be bringing along a few of his amazing creations. Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for our DCon 2014 Exclusive news and updates. If you are attending DCon, please visit us at our booth #719 Obscure/Angry Koala Gear. 

Angry Koala Gear will not only have the booth, but we will be definitely paying visits to the vendors for coverage and pictures of their works. To follow our coverage and updates during DesignerCon, visit our website www.angrykoalagear.com, Twitter @angrykoalagear, and Instagram @angrykoalagear and Obscure's Instagram @obscureakg

Stay tuned for our DCon Exclusives in the next few days leading up to the big show! 

Day of the Dead Custom Kidrobot Micro Munnys Series by Matt Perez aka Obscure

Matt Perez aka Obscure of Angry Koala Gear has a Day of the Dead micro series set to be released today. He has created 7 micro Munnys of varying color schemes and one micro Trikky.

Each of the Day of the Dead micro Munnys and Trikky will be $45, which includes shipping (add $5 for international shipping). They will be sold blind, directly. Obscure can be contacted directly to coordinate payment.

 Once all are sold, he will make an announcement on Instagram and Facebook. So it is important to follow him and us if not already. Matt Perez aka Obscure Instagram is @obscureakg and our Instagram is @angrykoalagear. Anyone interested in purchasing one or more of these, may contact him directly at matthew@angrykoalagear.com. 

 The release is set for later today Saturday, July 5, 2014. No particular time has been set. Just follow Matt Perez aka Obscure on @obscureakg and us @angrykoalagear to learn when the sale goes live! First come, first served.

Smooches of the Deep Custom Munny by Obscure and JFury

"Smooches of the Deep" - Obscure/JFury Collab 

Artists, Matt Perez, aka "Obscure" of Angry Koala Gear and Justin Phillips, aka "JFury" have joined forces to create this custom, titled, "Smooches of the Deep."  Going back to his series of scary creatures, Obscure took the lead with sculpting on a Kidrobot, mini Munny.  JFury then finished it off with the paint.  This is a surprise release from the pair and will be available tomorrow, Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 4:00 pm (PST) at JFury's online shop, http://www.furiouscustoms.bigcartel.com. If you are quick enough, you can be the lucky owner of this one-off collaboration piece, for $100.  Do yourselves a favor and follow them both, because there will be more to see from these two in the future.  Instagram: @obscureakg and @jfury1 or you can contact them at matthew@angrykoalagear or just-in-timedog@live.com.   

Paul Frank's Julius Toy Art Show at the Toy Art Gallery

The Toy Art Gallery hosts amazing group art exhibitions and shows.  It's most recent, being Paul Frank's Julius Toy Art Show was no different.  It was nothing short of incredible.  The show surrounded Paul Frank's iconic monkey, Julius.  The show, which was curated by Sweet Streets, featured custom Julius figures from  more than 50 unique artists, paintings, prints, a giant Julius statue, and music provided by DJ Doll Skills. 

The artist line up included customs from Carson Catlin, DrilOne, Task Oner, Naoto Hattori, Nathan Hamill, and Emilio Garcia, just to name a few. 

Carson Catlin

DrilOne

Task Oner

Naoto Hattori

Nathan Hamill

Emilio Garcia

 

If you have not had the chance to visit the Toy Art Gallery, do yourself a favor and check it out.  Aside hosting exhibitions and art shows, they carry the most popular designer toys, custom toys, one-of-a-kind sculptures, and much more.  For those that are unable to make to Los Angeles to visit the Gallery and store, you may keep track of their shows, purchase items, and stay up on their upcoming projects at www.toyartgallery.com. 

A Small Look at TAG and Gino Joukar's Impressive Collection

I made my first visit to the Toy Art Gallery a little over a month ago on my way to a show that I was a featured artist, Steampunk Los Angeles.  There are many stores that offer gallery areas or space for display of shows and art exhibitions, but the Toy Art Gallery is a gallery first.  While there, I decided to put myself out there, and ask the Assistant Manager, Connell, about how an artist can get into the Toy Art Gallery's artist list.  I showed him my Dia de Los Muertos Hello Kitty, which he liked as well as my custom Bad Bad Buddha (Beefy & Co), "Bad Bad Ganesha," which he was also impressed with.  He then referred me to the gallery's founder and president, Gino Joukar.  So I took the intimidating step forward, and emailed Gino with a request to get onto their artist list, along with some pictures of some of my customs.  To my excitement, Gino really liked my work.  He then extended an invitation to me to take part in a few of their upcoming shows, which include Super Cooper's birthday show, "Music to My Ears."  I was also invited to take part in the Toy Art Gallery's Anniversary show, which will feature customs of the Paul Kaiju/TAG's "Pollen Kaiser" figure and Blamo's 5th Anniversary show, which will feature customs of the "Billy" wooden figure.   As a fairly new and a not yet well-known artist, you could understand my gratitude for being welcomed into the TAG's list of artists. 

TAG/Paul Kaiju - "Pollen Kaiser"

Blamo - Billy

Following the San Diego Comic Con, I asked Gino if he could find space for my two custom Bad Bad Buddha's at the Gallery for display and sale.  He was gracious enough to take in my two sizable pieces and then invited me to meet with him at the Toy Art Gallery's warehouse to see a part of his massive collection of toys and first edition prints.  This was an exciting opportunity, which I gladly accepted.  I had no idea what I was going to see.  When I arrived at the warehouse, it was amazing to say the least.  What I saw there, was merely a small portion of Gino's full collection.  This small portion, would blow most, maybe all other complete toy collections, out of the water.  It was more of an experience, than a simple visit.  While there, Gino gave me a peak on few upcoming projects, and future plans for an extension of the Toy Art Gallery... The Toy Art Museum?!? 

Gino and I

A few of Gino's paintings/prints

A SMALL portion of Gino's collection

Holding my Nathan Hamill, Strife and Sire for customizing... Thanks Gino!

There is a lot to be said about Gino.  He is a big art collector, but he is not only a collector, he is also a supporter.  He welcomed me into his list of artists, he invited me to see part of his collection and gave me a sneak peak of future plans.  Above and beyond all of that, he also gave me a couple of gifts, including a new Luftkaiser (prior to it's July 31, 2013 release) and a Nathan Hamill, Strife and Sire, to customize, which will eventually be up at the Toy Art Gallery.  Gino is a great guy, and a good new friend.  I appreciate all he has already done for me and for the designer/art toy scene.  Here is a link to an interview with Gino Joukar on Sour Harvest.

4" Luft Kaiser's official release is set for Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 12:00 pm PST
$55 - shop.toyartgallery.com

If you haven't done so already, do yourself a favor and visit the Toy Art Gallery.  If you love art and/or toys, you will most definitely love the gallery.  While you are at it, you can buy a toy, maybe one of my custom Bad Bad Buddha's. 

 

My custom Bad Bad Buddha's on display at TAG... Looks awesome!