Toypunks Vol. 2: Meet Master Painter, Hiroshi Goto!

Of the myriad amazing people we've met while making Toypunks, none have inspired as much awe as Hiroshi Goto, a.k.a. Goto-san. A master artist who's been painting Japanese toys for over 60 years, Goto-san is a largely unsung, behind-the-scenes progenitor of the vinyl toy world. He began painting toys at age 6, the skill and family business passed down from his mother and father during postwar Japan. At that time, certain aspects of toy production were farmed out from the factories to families living in nearby neighborhoods. Working in the same small space out of his family home all of these years, he's meticulously painted millions of Japanese toys, from classic vintage companies such as Bullmark to mass market fare such as San Rio, all the way up through modern street pieces, such as Real Head. In Toypunks Vol 2, Goto-san will share his story while painting in front of the camera. A special thanks go to Yo Miyamoto, Mark Nagata and Yajima-san of Dream Rockets (who will also appear in Vol. 2!) for arranging this special shoot. 

Official Toypunks Vol. 1 Screening in Montreal!

On Friday the 13th,  a special screening of Toypunks Vol. 1  will take place in Montreal, hosted by Les Enfants Terribles and Montrealvinyl.com. Special thanks go out to Johnny Kim of Montreal shop, Off the Hook, for setting this event up. Over a year since Toypunks Vol. 1 first dropped, this is our first official Canadian screening. We're stoked to be sharing our work with new heads in Montreal and to continue promoting the true roots of the independent and designer toy scene! If you're in the area, come out and kick back! Johnny in particular has been super nice and cool to work with: please check out Off the Hook at http://www.offthehook.ca!

Toypunks Mascot Print: Illustrated by Mike Giant

We recently made this print of our mascot character, the Toypunk. In 2007, Mike Giant illustrated the character based on our concept. 

The talented Alex "Big Al" Dondero (pictured here at Shop Gentei in Baltimore, Md.) handled screen printing, mixing up a dope gold ink to create a vintage effect on off-white paper. 

Al, by the way, is one of the best dudes out there. He does work for us, Shop Gentei, the Death Set, his own band Smarts and a slew of other people that you should (or probably do) know about. His work is superslick.

This version of the print was created for Toypunks friends and family. If you got one or have one on the way, you rule in our eyes.