This month of November 2011, Flabslab will be hosting internationally acclaimed graphic artist, Arkiv Vilmansa’s first ever exhibition in Singapore. Toy collectors and enthusiasts will recognize him from the iconic ‘Arkiv Instant’ vinyl toy figurine, his redesign of Mickey Mouse for Disney Asia as well as his famous ‘Sumo’ toy. This will be Singapore’s first toy-inspired art exhibition and an opportunity to see the works of an artist who has amasses a cult following in the toy art scene. The opening night (10 Nov 2011) will see the worldwide release of ten limited edition bronze ‘Sumo’ head sculptures and over the weekend, there will be two student dialogue sessions with Arkiv and live collaborations with top local artists EeShaun and Wanton Doodle. So head on down to the White Canvas Gallery (11-13 Nov 2011) & Flabslab Gallery (16-30 Nov 2011) for a first of its kind Toy-Art Exhibition as well as an intimate experience to catch these talented artists at work.

The White Canvas Gallery is located at 78 Guan Chuan St & Flabslab Gallery is located at 1 Commonwealth Lane #06-11

Designed to look like a pawn shop, Zha Huo Dian is a rabbit hole filled with a colourful mish-mash of knick-knacks that are guaranteed to take you back to the day when squeaky rubber chickens, plastic toy soldiers and fart bombs were the gems of your life. Comb through the store and you will stumble upon unexpected stationery, toys, accessories like quirky thumbdrives, limited edition lomo cameras, bizarre speakers, old-school badges and many other things that we’re not quite sure how to categorize. A steady collection of video and cassette tapes from the 80s and 90s and a rack of apparel sourced from Korea and Japan are also in store. They’ve also got a $30 Surprise Package that captures a glimpse of the store – a perfect gift for anyone. Zha Huo Dian is what we could call a beautifully organized mess and we do advise that you visit the store every now and then, for they stock up on a regular basis.

Zha Huo Dian is located at Far East Plaza, #03-16

Birds & Co. has just expanded its nest and is now at Tangs Playlab offering you vintage sunglasses, whistle necklaces, old-school date stamps, cute picnic baskets and truckloads more! We too have noticed that the store has had a sudden stock of vintage sunnies too and can’t seem to get our eyes of them. With styles from the 1950s to 80s, make sure you grab one before it all goes away. After all, everyone needs an adorable pair of shades.

Tangs Playlab is located at Tangs Orchard, Level 3

Whoever said you only cry when you’re sad? Mimipong reminds us that those big salty drops too come during joyful moments and we know very well that these wet blobs of bliss only signal true feelings of heartfelt happiness. So in their latest collection, “Tears of Joy”, we celebrate these moments where tears reflect the strength of emotions.

The “Tears of Joy” collection finds new ways to stay by your side, extending to runs of postcards and wooden badges to accompany the plushes that come in 3 sizes. An obvious choice for a Christmas gift that is both meaningful and pleasing, these are available at Rockstar, Cat Socrates and The Little Dröm Store!

Rockstar is located at #03-08 Cathay Cineleisure,

Cat Socrates is located at #03-39B Bras Basah Complex,

The Little Dröm Store is located at 7 Ann Siang Hill.

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2010/12/20/tears-of-joy-mimipong/feed/ 0 http://www.plussixfive.com/2010/10/20/medicom-toy-x-unkle-berbrick-surrender/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2010/10/20/medicom-toy-x-unkle-berbrick-surrender/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:11:18 +0000 Nick Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=33270

Medicom Toy x Unkle Be@rbrick | Surrender

Nick Chong / October 20, 2010
Music / Toys

Medicom Toy has just released their latest collab with UK musical outfit Unkle. Available in 400% and 100%, the classic 400% Be@rbrick has been rendered transparent with original prints, scribbles, sketches and drawings by Futura while the 100% Be@rbrick is accompanied by a green camouflaged version. Available now at Surrender, so head on down to cop some vinyl sweetness.

Surrender is located at #02-31, Raffles Hotel Arcade

Photos courtesy of Surrender

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We last featured the Mulberry x Peanuts Bayswater Bag, see the post here. Now, continuing on their 60th anniversary collaborations, we feature the Peanuts x Medicom Be@rbrick series. The features of four popular characters from the classic Peanuts ensemble have been chosen to be fused onto the Be@rbeick template, namely, Lucy, Charlie, Linus, and Peppermint Patty. Available now via the colette online store, more images below.

Local toymaker wonderkind Phu is back with his latest custom titled ‘AXIOM4′. Created for a private vinyl collector, this custom 5 inch space cruiser, complete with Phu’s signature rebel pilot, was created with cardboard, brass pellets, straws, wires and much more. Check out Phu’s blog for more pictures of AXIOM4.

]]> http://www.plussixfive.com/2010/07/20/phu-axiom4/feed/ 0 http://www.plussixfive.com/2010/07/16/ron-english-x-made-by-monsters-t-rex-barney-grin/ http://www.plussixfive.com/2010/07/16/ron-english-x-made-by-monsters-t-rex-barney-grin/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:45:27 +0000 Nick Chong http://www.plussixfive.com/?p=30232

Ron English x Made by Monsters | T-Rex Barney Grin

Nick Chong / July 16, 2010
Art / Toys

Made by Monsters has collaborated once again with Ron English in continuation of his ‘Grin’ series. This time they present everybody’s favourite purple dinosaur, Barney. Barney measures at 10? tall and this colourway will be released by Zacpac Japan. For any inquiries drop an email to info@garageworksindustries.com

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Here’s some first looks at the eagerly awaited Medicom Toy 100% Be@rbrick Series 20. Set to launch this middle of 2010, the designs are as always, spread through artist collaborations, movie character representations, and current events. One to watch out for would be the Fragment Design piece which is sure to stir up the Be@rbrick collectors. For those who can’t wait, place your orders now via the colette online store here.

Japanese Toy giants Medicom and cult street label OriginalFake have come together to release another collaborative Bearbrick. Just like a few months ago, the new release is the dissected companion, but this time in black. The new black dissected companion is available in three sizes of 100%, 400% and 1000%, and is currently available at Ambush Singapore.

Ambush is located at #03-14, Mandarin Gallery

A Bathing Ape has released a piggy bank moulded as Baby Milo. The coin bank is made from vinyl, and features a slot on the back of Milo’s head for all your spare change. Saving all your coins in a centralized area just became cool again. On sale now at Bape Singapore, but be quick – only a very limited number is available.

BAPE is located at #02-02/03, Mandarin Gallery

Since the success of the 100% and 400% Watermelon and Strawberry Be@rbricks, CLOT has recently launched the 1000% versions.Under a collaborative umbrella consisting of CLOT, Levis Taiwan, and Medicom Toy, this all-time-favourite was made possible to all eager fans out there. Thou available now, local fans would need to travel across the causeway for this as it is only retailing at JUICE outlets. Move fast if you’re intending to pick them up, more pics of the Be@rbricks below.

JUICE KL is located at Lot No. 46 & 46-1 Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur

With excitement building around the local release of Ironman 2 in cinemas next week, Medicom Toys has released a teaser picture for their upcoming Ironman 400% Be@rbrick. Pre-orders can be made now at selected Action City stores, more information is available on the flyer below. And if you haven’t caught the trailer for Ironman 2, we’ve got a clip for you below.

Yoyo fever hits town as Singapore plays host to the Asia Pacific Yoyo Championships 2010. Held at ION Orchard till this Sunday, yoyo masters from all across the region have gathered to show off insane tricks that leave you mouth wide open and eyes bulging. Competition preliminaries run till Saturday, and Grand Finals will be held on Sunday.

The latest release between KAWS OrignalFake and Medicom Toys Co. sees them turning the Dissected Companion into a series of monotone Be@rbricks. Like all their Dissected Companion releases, you can be sure that it would sell like hotcakes. Available in 3 sizes; 100%, 400% and 1000%, the KAWS OrignalFake Companion Be@rbrick (Grey Version) will be released tomorrow March 27th at noon via their online store.