SUPERPLASTIC Launches JANKY Kickstarter! (Ends June 6)

After all the teasers and reveals, May 15th sees the launch of SUPERPLASTIC via Kickstarter! Featuring an exciting list of creators/designers for JANKY Series 1, featuring a variety of sizes including the standard 3-inchers, 8-inchers, and a 4 feet tall handmade beast of a collectible!


As of this post, the Plege Goal of US$25K has since been surpassed, with the Kickstarter ending June 16th, so there's still time to get your orders in! No news about availability via your fav retailer(s) besides this KS, but I reckon it'll be worked out somehow, so keep in touch with your suppliers, yeah?

Scroll down for more images, along with the official press release!


COMPLETE LIST OF JANKY SERIES 1 ARTISTS:
● Ricardo Carvolo​ (Spain)
● El Grand Chamaco​ (Mexico)
● Dalek​ (USA)
● Camilla D’Errico​ (Canada)
● Pete Fowler​ (UK)
● Huck Gee​ (USA)
● Mark Gmehling​ (Germany)
● Joe Ledbetter​ (USA)
● Jason Limon​ (USA)
● McBess​ (France)
● Junko Mizuno​ (Japan/USA)
● Dolly Oblong ​(Switzerland/Korea)
● Jake Parker​ (USA)
● Sket One​ (USA)
● Tado​ (UK)
● Bubi Au Yeung​ (Hong Kong)

OFFICIAL PRESS: "Acclaimed artist & entrepreneur ​Paul Budnitz​ (Kidrobot, Ello, Budnitz Bicycles) launches his designer toy company ​Superplastic ​today, with new limited edition toys by renowned artists for sale today on ​Kickstarter​.

Superplastic’s launch edition toys feature designs by 16 well-known artists including ​McBess​, ​Camilla d’Errico​, ​Jake Parker​, ​Pete Fowler​, D​alek​, ​Ricardo Carvolo​, ​Joe Ledbetter​, ​El Grand Chamaco​, ​Junko Mizuno​,​ ​and many others.

Designer toys meld pop culture, street art, and fashion into limited edition works of art. Fans are well-known for lining up for hours — or days — for a new release."

"“These aren’t just toys — they’re art,” says Paul Budnitz. “With so much emphasis on digital culture, people are literally starved for something beautiful to hold in their hands.”"

PRESS CONTINUES: "Superplastic begins selling ​JANKY ​today​ —​ a sneaker-obsessed anthropomorph that’s somewhere between cute and dark, nasty and nice. Prices range for US$25 for a handful of 3-inch toys to US$5,000 for an exclusive handmade 4-foot version.

The figure took 8 months to design, and is a collaboration between Budnitz and Superplastic art director Huck Gee​, whose handmade toys sell for $50K and above. Both Budnitz and Gee are featured in the collection of the ​Museum of Modern Art​."

"Where others see toys, Budnitz saw a medium for art,” says Huck Gee. “Paul is as excited about creating experiences as products, and that’s what made art toy culture explode."

(EDITED) PRESS CONTINUES: "Other super limited-edition toys available on Kickstarter today include a giant sized ​8” SuperJANKY entitled ​Ro-Mu-Lo​ by Mexican artist ​El Grand Chamaco​; and ​Maximilian Cash​ by UK artist ​Pete Fowler​, a psychedelic 9-inch tall vinyl toy with fangs, sneakers, a boombox, and a glowing blue skull. ​Both are limited to just 666 pieces."

Says Fowler, “Paul called and asked if I would make toys with him again. I was like — ​shit is oooonnnn!​!​”

When Kickstarter approached Budnitz & Gee last fall about launching Superplastic on the popular crowdfunding platform, they jumped.

"This project is really going to resonate with our Kickstarter community, which loves to support the intersection of art and design," says ​Julio Terra,​ Director of Technology & Design for Kickstarter. “We immediately saw Kickstarter as a brilliant new way for us to connect with our audience,” says Gee. “Of course, we decided to do crowdfunding a little differently.”

PRESS CONTINUES: "Once their basic $25K goal is reached, the team will unlock a range of fun challenges and exclusive stretch goals. Kickstarter backers get to​ launch toys into space​, write a Haiku about their favorite toy, or get a JANKY tattoo. When all 35 challenges are completed, every single backer gets an extra JANKY toy for just one cent.

Partway through the campaign Superplastic will also unveil ​JANKYLAND​, a 3-D rendered glitch-art mobile game where fans can play for free​ o​ n​ ​iPhone​ ​&​ ​Android​."

"In a world where most things are rebooted, repackaged and resold, everything Superplastic does is new and original,” says Budnitz. “It’s why our fans are so excited."