Based from a post by ImALongShot on Freshbump.com, I felt this was a “had to” re-post! The actual post on Freshbump.com is “63 Vinyl Artists You Should Know”. Rather reposting all 63, I went ahead and picked out the top 10 that I felt created, influenced, and went beyond within the vinyl toy world. For the full post visit www.Freshbump.com
Paul Budnitz
The legendary founder of Kidrobot and codesigner of some of its most important designs, Budnitz has had his fingerprints on America’s designer toy culture since Kidrobot’s inception in 2002. Though Budnitz has only designed one toy line since co-creating the Dunny and Munny figures, his lasting influence makes him one of the most prominent figures in toy design.
Tristan Eaton
Former street artist Tristan Eaton would have been another forgotten tagger and graphic designer, had he not teamed up with Paul Budnitz during Kidrobot’s early days. Two basic designs that Eaton sketched out eventually turned into the Munny and Dunny. Today, Eaton heads up Thunderdog Studios, his own studio and toy company, while still occasionally collaborating with Kidrobot.
Devilrobots
Japanese brand Devilrobots is known worldwide for its creative Tofu line of vinyl toys. With a cachet that reaches beyond its native Japan, Devilrobots has made a definite impact on the world of designer toys.
Heidi Kenney
Best known for her prolific plush work, Kenney’s Yummy Donut and Yummy Breakfast series of blind boxed vinyl zipper pulls have proven to be incredibly popular. Kenney’s background in plush and unique, happy outlook on the world makes her an artist worth watching.
Buff Monster
The mysterious Buff Monster is one of the foremost American illustrators in the Japanese style today. After a string of successful custom pieces, and contributions to various artist series, Buff Monster has now launched his own extremely popular Buff Monster series.
Steven Lee & Raymond Choy
Head and shoulders above many other designers, Lee & Choy spawned the very first Qee. The gateway toy for the worldwide designer toy phenomenon, the Qee set the groundwork for the Be@rbrick, the Dunny and the many toys on your shelves today.
Tim Biskup
Tim Biskup’s background as an animator is obvious at once, with a modern cartoony style, drawing influences from Tartakovsky and McCracken. The result is toy designs that are simple, yet surreal, drawing fans from all over to his toy work.
Brian Donnelly aka KAWS
Brian Donnelly built his reputation as KAWS, a prolific social graffiti artist in New York City in the 1980s. Donnelly began working in vinyl in the late 1990s, making him one of the earliest American toy designers, breaking paradigms and staying ahead of the curve.
Frank Kozik
Perhaps the most influential toy designer working today, Kozik’s fame expands beyond designer toys with gallery exhibitions dedicated to his colorful pop-art and sculptures. Best known for his Labbit line with Kidrobot, Kozik isn’t just a toy designer – he’s a cultural phenomenon.
Simone Legno
Founder and creative force behind Italy’s tokidoki, Legno is one of the most popular and most widely seen toy designers in the world. Bringing the Japanese-cute aesthetic to the masses, tokidoki designs are seen everywhere from designer handbags to his own lines of clothes, toys and skateboards.
-Edwin
