On the Net: www.1929johndog.com
221trees (Taiwan)
221trees’ Monsters of Rock series is inspired by punk style with a few surreal twists. Her figures, which are larger and much more detailed than most urban vinyl, appeal to serious collectors who are looking for pieces closer to traditional sculpture, she says. “The collectors who are attracted to my figures have a higher income and they also tend to be already familiar with the designer toy scene, so they are seeking something cool and unusual. Our designs are cute, but also a little weird,” says 221trees.
On the Net: www.221trees.com
Tenon’Art (Taiwan)
Taiwanese designer Calvin Lin’s (林家慶) sculptures of
animals are painstakingly crafted from cardboard pieces, which buyers assemble themselves. “I’ve invested one year in designing my collection and now I want to promote it. At the festival, I can see at once what the reaction is from other designers,” says Lin of his figures, which are inspired by Nordic design and based on fairy tales like the Bremen Town Musicians. Lin’s work is a departure from the plastic toys that dominate the Taipei Toy Festival, but “they are like puzzles that turn into figures, so I thought this would be a good place to bring them.”
On the Net: www.tenonart.com.tw
Ixtee (Hong Kong)
Designers Matthew Tam (譚立德) and Pearl Ling (凌昕彤) already enjoy a following among collectors of Blythe dolls, selling clothing and other accessories to fans in Asia, Europe and the US through their eBay store. The couple recently launched their own line of ball-jointed resin dolls and hope the Taipei Toy Festival will give their new creations wider exposure. “We have a store in Hong Kong already, but Hong Kong’s network is relatively small and we want to meet people from other countries,” says Tam. He says the economy hasn’t affected collectors’ appetites for the doll clothing and hand-molded plastic accoutrements he and his wife create. “It hasn’t had a big impact. Our stuff always has supporters and we have a unique style, so if they want certain things, they come to us.”
On the Net: www.ixtee.com
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