February 2013

Recap of Releases at Migration

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We’ve been bombarding you with so much information this past week, that you might be thinking “Wow, I really need a re-cap of all the production pieces releasing this weekend at Migration!”

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered! Chris Ryniak has a whole slew of editioned releases coming up in-store in two days, in addition to the giant pile of original art that will be inhabiting Stranger Factory’s walls.

minigut1. DIY mini Bubbleguts in green, price TBD

2. DIY mini Crumbeaters in green and orange, price TBD

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3. CP+Tomenosuke’s Pickled Ginger edition of 120 (60 at CP and 60 at Tomenosuke) $89

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4.  Mini Zombieguts edition of 33, price TBD

The remainder of the releases will go on sale in the Circus Posterus Store after the opening!

Ryniak and Spayd collaborate for twice the trouble

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As if the bevy of beautiful snaggle toothed, lumpy, wide eyed beasts scheduled to fill Stranger Factory this Friday weren’t enough to make our hearts pound in anticipation, your daring reporter has just laid eyes on what is certain to be the crowning glory on Migration – a collaborative piece between Chris Ryniak and Amanda Louise Spayd. Please revive me, because my heart has stopped. It is only out of duty to you, dear blog readers, that my fingers continue to type.

Chris and Amanda met in 2006, when they were both working as designers for a major greeting card corporation. They’ve been friends since then, and it has been delightful to see both of their artistic endeavours blossom alongside one another.

We’re saving the full reveal for the online preview(fear not, it’s only a day away), but we can’t help but cruelly tease you with these wonderful little detail shots.

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CP: How did you decide on and work on this collaborative piece together?
Chris and Mandi: Chris had done a drawing of his character – just a little sketch. We had really wanted to do a collaboration for the show, but once we saw his sketch, knew exactly what it would be. A really natural pairing of our characters, as journeying companions. In terms of actually making it, we each constructed our respective parts of the sculpture, then both cooperated on the aesthetic and technical aspects of how to join them into one cohesive concept.

Amanda: But I did all the really hard stuff.

Chris: But just because it was hard does not mean it looks any good.

Chris and Amanda: You can leave this out, we were just being assholes.

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CP: What is the best thing about collaborating with each other, both on this piece, and on these 2-person shows?

Chris and Amanda: We think so much alike, it makes collaborating very easy. We share a similar passion for textures, colors, and expression, so we know that whatever we each come up with has a really good chance of resonating with the other. Another aspect that I think makes us work well together is that we trust each other professionally, and have a lot of confidence in the skills of the other.

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Another Dollop from Chris Ryniak

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We showcased a couple of the Dumpy Dollops by Chris Ryniak a few days ago, and it is about time we saw another one of these glorious dumpy, lumpy creatures. This time, we’re meeting the endearing Mullop Custerfugl. Mr. Mullop is one of the six Dollops slated for the Migration opening this weekend at Stranger Factory along with a whole lot of other wonderful creatures in 2D and 3D form from Chris. The other three Dumpy Dollops we’re keeping a secret for the preview this Thursday – and oh, what a grand preview it will be!

It looks as if  Mullop here is about give Atreyu directions…or just ate his beef jerky and pretending he didn’t.

MIGRATION, the latest collaborative exhibit by Chris Ryniak and Amanda Louise Spayd opens on Friday, March 1st from 6 PM – 9 PM Stranger Factory.

Just another Mandi Monday

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Ladies and germs, the wait is finally over! Oh wait…it isn’t, and Friday feels forever away.

Many of Amanda Louis Spayd’s critters for Migration have been sleeping during the day and traveling at nights, hence why we haven’t seen too many of them, but we can’t keep mum on too many for much longer. Without further ado, we bring Amanda Louis Spayd’s “Pilgrim” (if you click more).

Read More »Just another Mandi Monday

Pretty Ms. Ginger is on the way!

Happy Monday! Shinji at Tomenosuke just let us know that this pretty pink lady is on the way, and we can’t wait to show her off to you.

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The painted Pickled Ginger will be an edition of 120, divided equally between Tomenosuke (international customers) and Stranger Factory (North American customers)! In line with the other sofubi offerings from CP+Tomenosuke, it will retail at $89.

If all goes well, these little sofubi grumpy-pants will be appearing exclusively in store at Stranger Factory during Chris’ and Amanda’s show this coming Friday. This is an exclusive release and will be available in-store only, limited to one per person!

The remainder will go on sale for North American customers(US and Canada) in the Circus Posterus Store on Wednesday, March 6th, at 12 noon PST. The Tomenosuke batch for international customers will be on sale the following day, March 7th, at 12 noon JST.

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Window Shopping: It’s a Grey Day

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The real life Stranger Factory store holds all sorts of magnificent toy wonders, but for those of us who do not live in Albuquerque(or do not collect frequent flyer miles like candy), taking very regular visits to the online Circus Posterus store will just have to do!

Inspired by the gorgeous greyscale tones of the new Stingy Jack colourway by Brandt Peters and the Nonesuch Skelve, we decided to do some online window shopping in the Circus Posterus store and compile a collection of similarly wonderful grey and black and white things.

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1. Liquorice, by Stephane Levallois. $40. Mr. Levallois also has some original drawings in our Original Art section!

2. Wrecks and Dazey – Fossil Edition, by Joe Ledbetter. Our 3D Editions section is quite well stocked with Ledbetter wonderfulness right now, but this greyscale dragon and bee is definitely a standout. $110

3. Crappy Cat, Tuf Fluck Black Edition, by VanBeater. $48
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4. Dark Wippo, by Teodoro Baidu. This is no longer on sale in the store, but Teodoro usually populates his world with brightly coloured 3D rendered characters, so the subdued colour of the lovely Wippo sculpt is a rare treat! They may still be in store at Stranger Factory, so if you’re visiting soon, keep your eyes open and peek in all the little corners. However, we also just released DIY Wippos in the store, as an unpainted resin kit, for $40!

5. Slap Happy, by Brandt Peters. Slap Happy is a Brandt Peters classic, and Stranger Factory is one of the few places that still has them in stock! $55, and don’t forget his loyal companion, Mr. Muggles for $45.

And of course, we have an Original Art section full of greyscale goodies, including the majority of our Art of Narrative show, Jon MacNair’s lovely ink work and Travis Louie’s haunting pencils and paintings…here’s a look at a few choice pieces of original work!

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6. Water Orb with Rabbit, by Jon MacNair. $300. Jon MacNair is a master of ink, and this piece from his 2012 exhibition showcases his strong lines and fills. For more of his work, visit our Original Art page!

7. Serenity – Sky, by Andrew Bell. $250. Andrew Bell may be better known for his delightful cartoonish art, but this subtle and introspective sculpture series he exhibited in his Stranger Factory show in 2012 is poignant in a completely different way.

8. Lilah, by Carisa Swenson. $600. This elegant bunny is the picture of perfection, with her complicated cat’s cradle.

Thanks for taking this brief tour through the Circus Posterus store with us! You know what’s even better than window shopping? Shopping. We’ve also restocked recently on prints and t-shirts, so have fun!

Circus Folk: The Fans of Chris Ryniak

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It is so rewarding to see the palpable joy and sense of achievement from all the Chris Ryniak collectors out there! Chris has had many years of creating amazing monsters, and his devoted fans have resoundingly applauded his unique, expressive and detailed style.

Like we did for Amanda Louise Spayd, we would like to showcase the CMR collections of his many numerous devoted fans out there. We have cooked up a shimmery, wide eyed, melting pot of Ryniak collections to get you all excited for Migration next week, so clear off your desk, prop your feet up, and gaze at the wonderful world of Chris Ryniak.

(above, Wil Holder’s collection)

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Will Holder has an extensive Muscamoot and Ryniak glow in the dark collection! We assume he’ll be adding some of Chris’ new glowy 8″ Dunnies to the collection soon!

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Ethan Gould has recently added Chris’ ghosts from last year’s Les Carnaval Des Spectres to his collection! These original sculptures are absolutely beautiful.

Read More »Circus Folk: The Fans of Chris Ryniak

DIY Mini Crumbeaters and Bubbleguts

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Do you know what we like to do with already adorable sculpts? We make them even adorabler. You may already have seen some of our orange and green DIY mini Crumbeaters at DesignerCon, or in store at Stranger Factory.

Now, we’ve also shrunken our favourite pastry hoarder, Bubblegut, into a slightly miniaturized 4″ DIY version. Although – we’re pretty sure that that belly of his is still bigger on the inside.

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We’re happy to tell you that both our resin DIY mini Bubbleguts and DIY mini Crumbeaters will be available for Migration at Stranger Factory on March 1st, and any that remain will make it to the online store in mid March! The details really shine on these scaled down guys, and we cannot wait to see what our creative followers cook up on this charming platform. We will be updating y’all with the price shortly.

Both Chris Ryniak and Amanda Louise Spayd will both be on hand for the opening, so if you’re coming to the show, don’t forget to tuck a Sharpie in your pocket! As per Stranger Factory opening night tradition, some Rebel Donuts will likely be on hand, but due to the recent influx of these fat critters, we cannot promise that they’ll be many left for you.

(Below, a Ryniak-enhanced Mini Crumbeater, and Meltdown Dunny, from DrilOne’s Flickr photostream, acquired at Designercon)

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Releasing TODAY in the Circus Posterus Store

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Releasing today

 

Releasing TODAY in the Circus Posterus Store!

1. Glow in the Dark Mini Greeter Skelve. Released in conjunction with the Cardboard Spaceship x Circus Posterus mini series, this is a edition of 120, retailing at $65 .

2. TheNonesuch Garden Plush Skelve . This is a small edition of 10 and will be priced at $140.

3. Teodoru Badius DIY Wippo $40 (available now here)

Keep an eye on the CP Store because these will pop up at any time in small allotments! If it says sold out, there will be more added later in small amounts during the day.