September 2013

Behind the Scenes at Obitsu

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You may already know that Obitsu is the brilliant toy manufacturer behind the Circus Posterus+Tomenosuke line of sofubi – and if you know that, then you also know that their workmanship and detail is pretty much unparalleled!

The Circus Posterus crew was lucky enough to visit the Obitsu factory, where they got an up-close look at the vinyl manufacturing process and store manager Mikee Riggs realized a life long dream of pulling vinyl(hey, we all have slightly weird things on our bucket list, okay?). Here’s some pictures from the trip!

The Circus Posterus artists, sketching for Obitsu.

The Circus Posterus artists, sketching for Obitsu.

A metal sofubi paint mask.

A metal sofubi paint mask(for Super7’s Visighost!).

Steel sofubi molds.

Steel sofubi molds.

 

Mikee, pulling a vinyl kewpie doll from its metal mold.

Mikee, pulling a vinyl kewpie doll from its metal mold.

The whole group, in the Obitsu showroom!

The whole group, in the Obitsu showroom!

 

A “Pumpkin Crab Meet Up” at Bewitching III

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Meet upMaking his debut at Stranger Factory for Bewitching III is the hot new artist on everyone’s watch list, Jim McKenzie.  Making waves and keeping the momentum going since his successful Kickstarter campaign, Jim is a perfect addition to the Bewitching group show. His energy and style is a fitting compliment to the stellar group of artists already joining us for the October show. Utilizing the pumpkin crab from his Kickstarter fame, Jim has created the acrylic painting “Pumpkin Crap Meet Up” that will soon be on its way to the rest of the pumpkin patch in Albuquerque.

We will have more from Bewitching III coming soon, and if you want to see more from Jim, he has a brand new site here.

 

Circus Folk: Stacyjean

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orange_sjcShe loves bees, loves Circus Posterus, has an affinity for finding rad things, and is a fellow scientist – Stacyjean is awesome! Featuring our long time collector, forum member and friend, we are proud to bring you this edition of Circus Folk. Seriously, Stacy’s decorating skills are pretty much unparalleled and the little worlds that she builds for her collection are simply amazing.

We must warn you, this edition of Circus Folk only scratches the surface of her collection, but it gives us all a good representation. Sit back, grab a drool cup, and look at Circus Folk: Stacyjean!
freyja shelf

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Stacy’s famous bee collection.

carriage of bunnies

A creepy baby carriage is the perfect home for Amanda Spayd’s dust bunnies.

Want so see more? More pics after the jump.
Read More »Circus Folk: Stacyjean

Tim Lee gets Bewitched!

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He floored us with his work last June, and now Tim Lee is coming back to Stranger Factory for Bewitching III!

Since Tim’s work already has a magical Halloween vibe at times, his work crossing over to the Bewitching group show seemed like a perfect meeting of two great minds. One of his pieces for the show titled “Funbox” holds a bounty of mystery inside. Does it hold a fiendish trick or an ever so sweet treat? We might have to wait until the opening on October 11th to find, but it is tempting to look inside now!

Funbox-7
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Sketching in Japan

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Since many of the Japanese collectors don’t get to see our wonderful band of artist misfits very often, it is a true blessing when Monsters & Misfits comes around to their home base! Many Circus Posterus aficionados get to meet Brandt and the gang for the first time, or finally get to continue a conversation from the year before!

This year’s Monsters & Misfits III showed once again the lengths to which our great crew of artists will go to please their collectors. They signed toy after toy and drew in sketchbook after sketchbook. They were more than happy to show the love back to all those attending the show – or anywhere for that matter. Fortunately, we had Mikee on hand to share some pictures from the multiple sketch sessions in Takayama!

Andrew Bell spills the creatures in his head

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Sofubi Glow in the Dark 4 Pack!

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4Pack1The snake is finally out of the bag, because we saw it at Monsters & Misfits III. Finally in glow in the dark form are Tomenosuke x Circus Posterus sofubi! This shining four pack consists of Brandt Peters’ Stingy Jack, Kathie Olivas’ Calliope Jackalope, Chris Ryniak’s Stinky Ginger, and the debut of the Heathen Snake Skelve! Limited to only 80 sets, 40 are assigned to MMIII got 40 and the other 40 will be coming state side. Fear not true believers, how and where these will be sold in North America will be divulged soon, so keep watching.

They turned out amazing, and that Heathen Snake Skelve is a splendid new addition to the sofubi line!

4Pack2

 

Mikee vs. Godzilla

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(Title shamelessly stolen from Brad.)

Our intrepid store manager, Mikee Riggs is in Japan with the rest of the Circus Posterus crew, and frankly, he’s the funniest one, so here’s some pictures from him(All captions are Mikee’s)!

"Getting my hands dirty pullin Japanese vinyl! Best moment ever! #toylife #mmiii #japantrip #toylegit"

“Getting my hands dirty pullin Japanese vinyl! Best moment ever! #toylife #mmiii #japantrip #toylegit”

 

At Obitsu HQ... Weeping at their display cases.

At Obitsu HQ… Weeping at their display cases.

"Metal 24/7 even in Japan #sometal #brutality #mmiii #monstersandmisfits #japantrip"

“Metal 24/7 even in Japan #sometal #brutality #mmiii #monstersandmisfits #japantrip”

"Manboy #hardstyle through Japan '13 tour."

“Manboy #hardstyle through Japan ’13 tour.”

"They left me alone for ten minutes. I bought these. #toylife"

“They left me alone for ten minutes. I bought these. #toylife”

Shinji and the incredibly gracious Tomenosuke crew have also been posting gorgeous pictures, videos and updates from Monsters and Misfits, so please visit them as well! A few pages from the Monsters and Misfits online preview is up as well, but keep checking that link for more, and the rest of the show.

 

Reports from Monsters & Misfits III

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As the opening festivities for Monsters & Misfits III come to a conclusion, we are left open mouthed and gawking at the photos we are seeing. All the artists in attendance have graciously been texting us images and actively posting on their Instagram accounts about what went on that glorious day. We tracked down a small handful to give all the fans that couldn’t make it a look inside the opening ceremony of Monsters & Misfits III.

Here we go!

Monsters & Misfits III

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A first look at Bewitching III

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We are gearing up for third annual installment of Bewitching at Stranger Factory. This highly anticipated group show happens every October, and the lineup this year is once again phenomenal, so sit back while we slowly roll out the ghosts, ghouls, and Halloween-esque works leading up to opening night.

jasperpumpkinview2.comUp first, we are proud to show you Jasper Pumpkin by the talented Jen Musatto aka Them Dollz. Jen is no stranger (pun intended) to our misfit world and will be also have a solo show at Stranger Factory in December. An exquisite master in the plush arts, she is a perfect fit for Bewitching!

Jasper is decked out in his Halloween colors and top hat and is ready to frighten all the trick or treaters even if he can’t say much. He isn’t a small fry either because he is 26″ long, 8″ wide at his head, and 4.5″ thick of pure pumpkin! Stick him next to the candy dish or the pumpkin patch, because that is where he feels most at home.
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We will have more from Jen and many more of the artists in Bewitching III before the show opens October 11th, so keep an eye out right here.

Bewitching III opening in October!

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October 2013 brings our annual Halloween group exhibit back to Stranger Factory!

Bewitching is the annual Halloween group show at Stranger Factory, featuring an eclectic and diverse group of artists creating their own personal versions of iconic Halloween-related imagery in a wide variety of styles and mediums. Halloween is an incredibly special holiday for Circus Posterus and Stranger Factory, and our favorite time of year. We hold many shows and events each year, but Bewitching is always one of our favorites, and we hope you’ll join us for this celebration of all things dark and spooky.

artist:Mike Egan

This years event features a group of familiar faces as well as talented new artists who are largely new to Stranger Factory. The roster includes Brandt Peters, Kathie Olivas, Ana Bagayan, Aubrie Peters, Bill Basso, Brandan Styles, Chris Haas, Dave Pressler, Jessica Joslin, Jared Joslin, Jim McKenzie, Joe Scarano, Karl Deuble, Katharine Carillo, Michele Lynch, Mike Egan, Ryan Singer, Scarecrowoven, Scott Hove, Shing Khor, Stan Manoukian, Stephan Webb, Jen Musatto (Them Dollz), Michael Peters, Karen Peters, Tim Lee, Valency Genis, Yosiell Lorenzo, Allison Sommers, Josh Stebbins, Robert Hoggard, Jay Hollopeter, Catharine Carr, DrilOne, Chris Ryniak, Paul Kaiju, and Amanda Spayd.

Bewitching III runs October 11th – 31st, with an opening reception on Friday, October 11th from 6 – 9 PM.