Recent news from Kidrobot’s KRonikle online magazine indicates that a new numeric series of Dunnys will come out next month.  But instead of being called Series 6, the latest will just be called Series 2009.  Regardless, the preview image definitely gives us hope that next month will be full of pleasant surprises.  One particular Dunny would happen to be the production version of Huck Gee’s “Death from Above” Winged Ninja Dunny.  Below is a list of all artist participating this round.  The Dunnys will arrive September 10th online, in store and at various retailers for $7.95 a pop.   Somehow I have a feeling I’ll be purchasing a case of Series 2009.

Amanda Visell | Andrew Bell | Amy Ruppel | Brandt Peters | Dalek | Devilrobots | Gary Taxali | Mori Chack | Huck Gee | Jeremyville | Kozik | Kronk | Luke Chueh | Mad | Pon | MR. Shane Jessup | Shawnimal | SupaKitch | Travis Cain | Thomas Han

Image Source: KRonikle

My latest art print obsession comes by way of CMYK Projects.  For the launch of their site, Cherri Wood is the featured artist with her print, ‘Stupid Bear‘.  Instantly, the print made me think of a bizarro world where Mori Chak’s Gloomy Bear becomes the abused as opposed to vice versa.  ‘Stupid Bear‘ comes in an edition of 75 pieces and measures in at 11″ x 14″.  The asking price is $75 and as a bonus, for those that purchase this print will be randomly drawn for one of Ms. Wood’s edition of 5 hand-finished prints and original watercolor painting.  Check the gallery below to see how finely detailed ‘Stupid Bear’ and the original watercolor painting is.  I was sold by the CMYK Projects embossing.

Image Source: OMG Posters! via CMYK Projects

www.doublepunch.com

Eastern influences are all around us. From progressive punk rock to some outrageous hair styles and Japanese noodle houses, the Asian influence in North America is at an all-time high. For San Francisco Designer Toy shop owners Denise and Omar, the potential of imported Asian goods goes beyond anime cartoons to the desktop of hipster designers and progressive trendsetters.

Tokidoki, Teddy Troops, Obama Action Figures, Gloomy Bears… Vinyl Toys!

Denise and Omar own and run Double Punch located in the North Beach district in San Francisco. I stopped into the store this summer and was instantly impressed with the variety, colors and overall enthusiasm these two had towards collectibles. Recently I had a chance to ask them a few questions about how Double Punch got started and what it has become since opening in 2004.

I’ve been doing a lot of research on you guys and the one thing I can’t seem to figure out is who exactly you guys are. From what I can gather you started with Ningyoushi.com selling primarily online, so what prompted the opening of Double Punch in 04?

Denise: Good question from the start.  Who are we? We’re toy people!  We, Omar and I (Denise) are the partners behind Ningyoushi.com and double punch.  Ningyoushi is our online store and double punch is the brick and mortar retail store.  We decided to give our retail store a new name since Ningyoushi was hard to pronounce for the mass audience.  Our online business was keeping us super busy along with our day job.  So after a bit of research, we decided the US market was ready for a collectible retail toy shop that focused primarily on Japanese/Hong Kong collectibles and designer toys.  We got rid of the corporate jobs and focused full time on starting our own business.

What is it about designer toys and collectibles that really brings such enthusiasm and passion?

Denise: Toys bring out the kid in all of us.  It reminds us of our carefree childhood.  I think designer toys are a way where our childhood meets our adulthood.  We combine the interactive fun objects that are toys with the sophisticated/innovative design elements of adulthood and mix that with TV culture (cartoon shows, cult movie references, etc.) and presto! – we NEED that toy!

San Francisco is a hotbed for art and design, was setting up Double Punch in North Beach a conscious decision?

Denise: Omar and I are born and raised in San Francisco.  We moved out of the city during my college years to Santa Clara, and it was a knee jerk reaction to wanting to come back and open the store.  When we scouted the city for the store location, we looked into many neighborhoods that we remembered was safe.  Ha ha, that was a big thing for us while growing up in the city – safety!  But back in 2004, there were still undeveloped neighborhoods due to the dot com bust and 9/11.  Then I remembered Recon SF being in North Beach and I grew up walking up and down that block and figured that was a place I would love to go back to.  Also, the folks at Recon (now Dark Side Initiative) understood the Japan street scene and loved toys too.  Our stores had elements of being in Tokyo, where cool shops were tucked away on side streets.

You seem to have a very close connection with Japan, is this because of your personal origins, or just straight from supply and demand (people love Japanese imports)?

Denise: Everything starts in Japan!  There is always someone you can find there with a crazier collection of Rat Fink & Care Bear than you or lives and breathes Punk Rock with the biggest Devilman toy collection.  Anything goes and it’s ok to have an awesome toy collection with it.  We fell in love with Japan when we saw the amazing toys licenses released there.

Dear reader, at this point in the interview Denise grew tired of answering such deep interesting questions hangover.  She asked me, Omar, to finish the interview but I was very busy reading celebrity gossip and surfing for internet pornography.  Bare with me dear reader, while I take you on this wild adventure. – Omar

What is your take on Japanese imports when it comes to collectibles?

Double Punch looks to be a gathering place for a designer toy community. Was this planned?

You really promote local and international artists from across the globe, was this something that you always had in mind when you opened up shop?

Who should we look for in the future when we’re all looking for the freshest artist in the toy design world?

What’s hot right now?

Double Punch can be found online at www.doublepunch.com. Denise and Omar’s store is located in San Francisco California at 1821 Powell Street but they would like to stress that if you’re not in the area, you can purchase anything from www.ningyoushi.com.

Rotofugi collaborated with Acne Film to produce this cool video where roles are reversed.  Imagine a world where various urban vinyl figures collects people as a hobby.  Watch as Mori Chack’s Gloomy Bear speaks about his collection in a British accent.  Somehow I’d imagine he would have a child’s voice instead.  Anyways, enjoy the clip. On a side note, if you’ve never made a purchase from Rotofugi in your life, give it a try.  Whitney and Kirby always comes through with some extra tlc on the packaging of orders.

Video Source: Space Invaiders via Rotofugi