Richard Silver's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2020

The ten 'Toys of 2020' that I selected is a mix of pieces made and sold during the year - as well as pieces that are many years old but that I have been looking for for a long time and was finally able to add to my collection. After quite a few years of collecting designer toys I've finally started to narrow down my focus to a dozen artists or so which is why you may see some repeat names in my list.

Shared Richard Silver (of The Skulltoys Collective), who we welcome to this year's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2020! Scroll thru to find out his pick, along with a handy Q&A to get to know the collector better...!

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#10):
"Strongbot and Chunkybot" by Onorio D'Epiro

RICHARD SILVER: These pieces are from around 2015 and I was finally able to add them to my collection early last year. I've always loved Science Fiction and especially the vintage/retro kind so these robots really speaks to me.

UK based Onorio D'Epiro have had his art shown at various museums and galleries over the world and is to me one of the best Art-Bot-Artists out there. I just wish they were easier to find :)

TOYSREVIL: How long have you been buying (collectible) toys?
RICHARD SILVER: I am a relatively latecomer to the world of designer toys. I think the first pieces I picked up were in early 2017 - so about four years now.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#9):
"Bebang & Sal" by Jan Calleja and Arman Kendrick

RICHARD SILVER: Another one of my hobbies is photography and especially using older film cameras. Jan Calleja has been creating these camera-based art pieces for years but it wasn't until the collaboration with Arman Kendrick that these smaller, more affordable pieces were born and they have been so much fun to collect. Bebang & Sal is from early 2020 and my favorite in their line so far (I have the new one on pre-order as well and that might well be one of my top ten toys in 2021).

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#8):
"DarkSnow" by Skullman/13Art

RICHARD SILVER: This is another 'oldie' that I've been chasing for years and was finally able to acquire in 2020.

The Darksnow piece came out around 2015 and embodies so much of what I appreciate about Skullman's designs - adorable and horrible at the same time. His pieces always seems to have these two dimensions to them which makes them really interesting to me.

TOYSREVIL: Any particular focus or toy-aims this year (2021)? Starting any new line?
RICHARD SILVER: I'm actually rather happy with already having established a pretty good 'focus' in my collection. There are maybe a dozen artists that I actively collect and it takes something very special for me to buy outside of that group of artists.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#7):
"Neo Kaiju" 'Curse of the Rhapsody' by Kaiju Smuggler x Whale Rabbit

RICHARD SILVER: This was, as far as I know, the first collaboration between Kaiju Smuggler and Whale Rabbit. The Neo Kaiju design has since been released in a few colorways but this was the very first colorway (released at Fuckaiju early 2020). Only ten were made and I ended up being the proud owner of the 1/10-piece. Nuttavut/Gibbon is an incredible sculptor and you might be surprised where you've see his work if you look into his portfolio.

TOYSREVIL: Where do you normally purchase your toys? Online? Offline from Stores? Events? Which do you prefer? And why?
RICHARD SILVER: Most of the artists that I collect are outside of the US, where I live, so I am in most cases left with online purchasing or bugging friends to help me get a few pieces at toy conventions all over the world.

I don't know if I have a strong preference as to how I purchase designer toys but these days online does have its apparent appeal with being able to buy from the comfort from your home and get pieces released on the other side of the world.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#6):
"Samego" by Nebby Art

RICHARD SILVER: Ben Teo of Nebby Art, the man behind the Samego design ('Shark Egg' derived from Sa-me meaning shark, and Go coming from Tamago/eggs) has released them in various sizes, material and colorways.

Even the smallest designs, the micros, sports incredibly detailed paintwork and the work that is put into these small art pieces shows true passion which is something that really appeals to me as a collector.

In the photo are two custom micro Samego's I commissioned in 2020 - next to a larger/standard sized one that was a collaboration with WhaleRabbit in 2018.

TOYSREVIL: Do you belong to any particular or dedicated toy-groups (online or offline)? Do you have "toy-buying buddies"?
RICHARD SILVER: I'd say The Skulltoys Collective (STC) on FB has been a fantastic experience this past year with the artists that the group follow being part of the group, interacting with the fans and in many cases offering up exclusive releases to the group. It has been a lot of fun and excited to see what 2021 has in store for the group.

TOYSREVIL: Do you have "toy-grails"? And did you manage to score a “toy-grail” this year (2020)?
RICHARD SILVER: I have a few that I've been searching for for years - mostly older pieces, long gone from retail/sites - by some of of my favorite artists.

I'd say the closest thing I got to a grail in 2020 was finally being able to add a DarkSnow by Skullman to my collection (see #8 in my list).

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#5):
"Bird Doctor and Plague Oracle" by Daniel Yu

RICHARD SILVER: Ok, I'm cheating a little bit here by including two designer toys - but in my defense they came out at the same time and have matching colorways so that they display even better next to each other.

I love Daniel Yu's work - his paintwork and sculpting is absolutely top-notch and I have more than once taken out a piece by him from the display cabinet just to admire the shading and detail work.

I've wanted these two designs for quite some time and when they were released in the second half of 2020 it was a no-brainer to pick up the set.

The Bird Doctor is actually a collaboration piece with Fanny Kao and that adds yet another dimension to it for me.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#4):
"Primitive Hunter" by Neko Bako

RICHARD SILVER: This is an artist that I first came across in 2020 and was blown away by when I saw the amount of details in his work.

What really intrigues me is the concept behind the piece: Neko Bako is creating a line of designer toys (and I really can't stress enough how incredibly detailed they are) starring this feline 'hero' that appears throughout history. The piece pictured here is the very first one, named Primitive Hunter, where we see our cat-friend in early pre-historic days. The next piece in the series is already released and jumps forward to early medieval times. It's a fantastic concept and it's executed so, so well.

TOYSREVIL: "Toy Buying these days is a solitary affair" = Do you agree with this? How do you feel about this?
RICHARD SILVER: I think in most cases it is but often the purchase is only one phase out of many. Sharing your collection/acquisitions through photos on social media, trading with others, commiserate with like minded collectors about the ups and downs of collecting, etc - all of these are aspects of toy collecting that helps making it more social and engaging.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#3):
"Ruby" by Cotton Tail

RICHARD SILVER: I love this design. From the very first time I saw it, I believe it was at Chic-Hood's booth at STS, 2020, I wanted it.

Now here comes the 'challenge' - the artist behind Ruby is a rather well kept secret and even though Ruby has come out in four, I think, colorways already the release editions are very small and often very hard to find.

I was very fortunate to win this piece (one out of ten) during an online lottery in December, 2020.

It's again one of those designs that combines adorable and horrible in a wonderful way. At first glance Ruby looks like this carefree 'rabbit'(?) girl wearing a cute dress...but, when you look closer you start noticing the dead eyes, the stitches on her face and body and of course the cut out in her dress revealing her insides. It's a brilliant design.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#2):
"Ghost Gaki" by Tokyo Jesus

RICHARD SILVER: I was a bit late to the Tokyo Jesus party but I've been trying to make up for it in 2020. This Ghost Gaki piece was one of my first but is still a good representation of Tokyo Jesus' amazing art.

It's "imperfect art for an imperfect world" at its best. There is a boldness and strength behind these pieces. The way they are cast and painted. The way the colors and text runs down the possessed body. If I would try to explain what 'Designer Toys' are to someone I would be tempted to pull out a piece by Tokyo Jesus. They have such a 'presence'.

TOYSREVIL: Where can people go to see your collection?
RICHARD SILVER: Most things I buy ends up on my IG feed, check it out at instagram.com/darkbulb.

TOP TEN TOY OF 2020 (#1):
"Beast" by Skullman x Vync

RICHARD SILVER: Voted the Best Designer Toy of 2020 in the 'Skulltoys Collective' group (out of pieces by artists that the group focuses on) - the Beast is, and I agree, one of the strongest new designs of the past year.

The body borrows its design from an earlier Pumpkinman piece and the magnetic head adds that playful horror touch to it.

Released at the STS convention in 2020 it was absolutely a piece that stood out.

A truly wonderful way to end a terrible year.