The mood lighting at Hasbro’s ‘Twas the Night Before (New York Comic Con) party was great for getting us in a festive mood, but is hell on the smart phone I have convinced myself is better than lugging around a few pounds of camera gear. (How’d I do? Check out my own pics from the event.) But Hasbro planned ahead, sharing press pics of pretty much all the reveals from this evening’s soiree.
And of course, we’re sharing them with you. We’ve got the official pics from Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers, KRE-O, and the latest of the Angry Birds mash-ups – Angry Birds Transformers. Enjoy!
It’s the eve of New York Comic Con, which means it’s time for another ‘Twas the Night Before… bash hosted by Hasbro. For the past few years, they’ve opted to hold an intimate (well, compared to the Con itself) cocktail party the night before NYCC in lieu of exhibiting at the show themselves.
On the eve of New York Comic Con, I’m doing a bit of catch-up on a piece that our good friend Jedd sent in several weeks back, during the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention. It’s a great interview with designer toy icon Frank Kozik. Be sure to check out Jedd’s own site, The Movie and Me, for his full coverage of STGCC and much more.
Frank Kozik with Marvel Labbit Rocket Raccoon – Image Credit: Vinyl Pulse
Artist and designer Frank Kozik is known in collectible art circles as the creator of the Labbit, but it also famous as a poster designer who created artwork for bands such as The White Stripes, Pearl Jam, The Beastie Boys and Nirvana. The commercial artwork he has done includes work for Nike, Swatch and MTV. Kozik was in Singapore as a guest of the Singapore Toys, Games and Comics Convention (STGCC) and I got to sit down with him to discuss his work. He was somewhat intimidating and frank and off-the-cuff, giving a detailed description of how Labbit came to be (it involves booty calls) and offering a surprising, piece of advice to aspiring artists.
Jedd Jong: What was the genesis of Labbit; how did you conceptualise that?
Frank Kozik: That’s an interesting story. In the mid-90s, I was going to Japan quite a bit, I was working with the people there. When I went over there for the first time, I was really in Sanrio products, was really into like Hello Kitty and Keroppi and stuff, I thought it was very interesting, the stuff they were doing. I liked how they did the characters, it was like super-perfect. What’s interesting is in Japan then, it was just something for low-class people. These were are sort of like snotty Shinjuku fashion dudes, right? And they’re like “what do you want to do, do you want to do cocaine on top of a mountain?” and I’m like “no, I want to go to Kitty Land!” And they all just thought I was crazy, they were like “what?!” They couldn’t understand, it was such a low thing for them. And I tried to explain it, I said “look, there’s something really interesting here. It’s like super-perfect way to develop a character,” like you got to get beyond who buys it. In the US, it became a really big cult thing.
Better late than never… here’s a sneak peak from Hallmark’s booth at SDCC 2014 from their super kawaii plush line called Itty Bittys. Available this September: there will be a limited edition box set of Episode IV Bundle that includes Luke, C-3PO, Obi-Wan and a Jawa. Also available but sold individually will be R2-D2 and Darth Vader. The 2014 Comic Con exclusive set was a Bantha and Tusken Raider… only one pair per customer. Scored a set on the last day! Continue reading “SDCC 2014: Hallmark Star Wars Itty Bittys”
Fans of Hasbro’s 6-inch lines may be underwhelmed by what was shown for their Star Wars Black Series 6-inchers at Preview Night. No new reveals, but I was happy to see the deluxe figures – both Jabba and the Speeder Bike look awesome – and next wave of single-packed figures on display.
Paint apps still seem to be the weak link in terms of production quality – and it stands out most on the human figures with their G.I. Joe-styled eyes, like on Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader looks good, but he does seem a little bloated with the cloth apps. The standout for me is Chewbacca.
Overall, with so little on display tonight, it does hint that the retail channel is a little backed up on this line. But stay tuned – Hasbro’s Star Wars panel is on Friday, so we can hope for a few more reveals then.
