NoGoodz

Munny by Kid Robot www.kidrobot.com

KidRobot, the San Francisco-born factory of artistically amplified toys and larger-than-life limited-edition apparel opened in the timeless year of 2002 by Paul Budnitz to specialize in the creation and promotion of the cutest and coolest hyper-visual/vinyl collector items that man’s eyes have ever gandered.Since it’s inception KidRobot has become a main staple of designer desk ornaments and perfecto birthday grab gifts for many a friend and fiend of the NoGoodz clan. And every recipient of a KidRobot objet d’art is an instant and obsessive collector.

Phase 3 by slam at www.kidrobot.com

With retail stores that have spread to New York, Los Angeles, Miami Beach, and Toronto, most items are produced in limited numbers and will most likely become a revered collector’s item in short time. This fact was made ever so obvious when the Museum of Modern Art in New York recently acquired 13 Kidrobot toys in late 2007, which are now part of the museum’s permanent collection and on display until November 2008. Mr. Budnitz sounded the battle-cry by announcing in on their site that “The designer toys sold at Kidrobot are the centerpieces of a new and growing artistic movement.”

Dunny at www.kidrobot.com

And what’s at the center point of this revolution of visual-onslaughts in vinyl and permutations of pulchritudinous plastic? Two perfectly blank and pleasantly plump little cutey’s named “Munny” and “Dunny”. Munny and Dunny take the form of a hyper-simplified monkey and bunny, respectively, and serve as a three dimensional blank canvas for accomplished artists and weekend art wielders alike to emblazon with their craft. Many artists and designers are commissioned or have donated their talents to create one-of-a-kind Dunnys, with some figures reproduced and released en masse as others go on the auction block for a good cause. And the list of contributing artists is growing, which includes Shepard Fairey, Futura 2000,  Marc Jacobs, Heatherette, Gucci, Comme des Garcons, Karl Lagerfeld, Hedi Slimane, Helmut Lang, Burton, LaCoste, Mishka, Swizz Beatz, Ed Templeton, Mike Shinoda, Jamie Hewlett, and MF DOOM. As Budnitz said in a July 2008 article in Format “MUNNY is going to take over the world and change people’s brains from passive television-watching consumers to fearless artists.”

Lacruzz by Peecol at www.kidrobot.com

Have a quick visit to www.kidrobot.com and get yourself an eyeful of all that KidRobot is taking on this season with a whole new selection of hot figures, items, and apparel. Of course, there is a robust selection of Munnies and Dunnies available at their store, with past incarnations available far and wide at one of the cooler-than-cool shops popping up in every city. You can even get your self a blank Munny or Dunny over at Urban Outfitters and become part of the “Art-olution”.  Some of our favorites from KidRobot this year that doesn’t end in “-unny”: Frank Kozik’s Smorkin Labbit, PEECOL’s LaCruzz, Mori Chack’s Instinctive Bloody Gloomy Bear, and Mad’s Phase 3 Slam.