Imaginary Vintage Toys of Randy Regier

Godforsaken Astronaut © Randy Regier
Godforsaken Astronaut © Randy Regier

Randy Regier is an artist who makes vintage toys that didn’t actually exist, but certainly could have. Regier’s range of imaginary toys is shown through the eyes of a child attempting to make sense of the craziness in our world. He quotes from The Cultural History of Toys, a 1928 essay by German literary critic, Walter Benjamin:

Children do not constitute a community cut off from everything else…their toys cannot bear witness to any autonomous separate existence, but rather are a silent signifying dialogue between them [children] and their nation.

For Regier, these words ring true beyond toys, extending to “all manner of objects – artifacts – from our collective past that are formed and fabricated by human hands and intentions.”

John Manshaft 9 to 5 Action © Randy Regier
John Manshaft 9 to 5 Action © Randy Regier

These are fantastic, from the authenticity of the production to the details of the packaging. I particularly enjoy the names of the fake companies (Gypco, Shytee Dae, Crapstar) and the not-so-subtle social commentary. I would love to see some of the skilled toy customizers in our scene attempt provocative projects like this.

Whitey Cracker © Randy Regier
Whitey Cracker © Randy Regier

Check out Regier’s lastest works: Hecho en Maine (the artist currently lives in Portland Maine) here and Paradox Lost here. Click through for a full survey of the imaginary toys. Wonderful.

[via How to be a Retronaut]

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