I just wanted to highlight some of the amazing Art Toys showcased in the latest Vinyl Pulse post by Luke Rook. Luke is owner of the Lulubell Toy Bodega. A little over six months ago, Luke moved out to Japan to both learn the Japanese language and immerse himself in Japanese underground toy culture.

I love the latest pics from Design Fest Vol. 29 in Tokyo. In addition to a variety of one-of-a-kind Itokin Park's Lucha Bear (my reason for diggin' that figure is obvious!) there's a bunch of beautiful vinyl and resin figures from artists I was unaware of.

Japanese Art Toy Culture is better known for the darker Kaiju monster stuff. But I tend to really dig the funkier cute stuff. I notice that my taste in toys is way "cuter" and "brighter" than what Jerry is drawn to; but we both really dig the Japanese toy scene.

At this point the Japanese Art Toy scene is smaller than the American one. Much of the vinyl done in Japanese is produced in a very garage/punk do-it-yourself environment. Despite that, there is usually a very high level of craftsmanship and quality that resonates from the final product.

I'm a big fan of figures whose personalities are inherent in the sculpt (as with our own Muttpop figures). There's a life and energy that can be imbued in a three dimensional sculpt that cannot be produced by paint or colored plastic. Most of the Japanese Art Toys seem to follow that same theory.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICS FROM TOKYO DESIGN FEST @ VINYLPULSE.COM

Jerry and I just had the pleasure of having lunch with the uber-talented Sean 'Cheeks' Galloway. Cheeks has been making quite a splash professionally with his concept and character design work on animated projects like the 'Hellboy Animated' Films and the 'Spectacular Spider-man' animated series. He's also done some design work in the videogame industry and occasionally contributes a published comic or two amidst his busy work schedule.

I love the way Cheeks explores shape and form in his illustration. He uses a very economic line that conveys massive amounts of energy and volume. I highly recommend that you check out his wonderful Blog and Deviant Art sites. It's a wonderful showcase of a talented artist's growth and evolution. I've included some of my favorite Cheeks illustrations below.

CLICK HERE to go to Cheeks Blog.

CLICK HERE to go to Cheeks Deviant Art Page.

Ohm, the designer and artists behind our Tcho! By Ohm mini-figure line, just sent me a link to his Web-based portfolio. As a huge fan of his work, it's nice to see an excellent sense of his range. I love his color choices and chunky designs. HIs line work is deceptive. He's a real stickler for getting everything just right. Jerry has an original page from the "Los Triplicados" short story Ohm drew. I was amazed at how perfect his inks were applied in his illustrations, spot blacks, and lettering. A true craftsman!

Below I have included a wonderful illustration Ohm did of Captain Biceps (a Tcho! mini-figure favorite), a Tequila pin-up, a Luchadores Five pin-up (including Ohm's rendition of Red Demon), and one of my favorite illustrations from Ohm' portfolio. Click here to see more on Ohm's website.

I just saw this on Vinyl Pulse. Carlos Gonzales just killed it with this one! His Darkron sculpt towers at over 14 feet tall. It's super cool to see Kaiju represented so imaginatively at the Art Basel event in Florida. We're big fans of Carlos. Anyone who's clever enough to create a Vagina monster is a-okay in my book!

I just got these awesome photos of Cesar Alvarez's original Dr. Destruction Halloween costume. Now, that's what I call SICK! Mr. Alvarez, you have made us all very proud with this wonderful take on the Doctor.

What do you guys think?

More pics can be found in our FAN ART SECTION.

Much like we had done with the making of our Tequila Vinyl figure, Wired Magazine has decided to let internet readers into the step-by-step process of an interview from conception to publication. In and of itself it's a wonderful concept. But when the interviewee is the fascinating Charlie Kaufman it's absolute magic.

I found tons of kernels of inspiration from the complete audio interview. I love Mr. Kaufman's honesty, analysis and commitment to his craft. I MUST watch his Directorial debut "Synecdoche, New York" ASAP.

CLICK HERE FOR A DIRECT LINK TO MP3 FILES OF THE COMPLETE 2.5 HOUR CHARLIE KAUFMAN CONVERSATION.

CLICK HERE FOR SUMMARY OF MAKING OF WIRED'S CHARLIE KAUFMAN'S PUBLISHED INTERVIEW.