Bunny.Go.Ride Vinyl by Brandi Milne
Wow look at this: an actual art toy in 2011! Once upon a time, people who were called artists painted unique and interesting characters on flat surfaces. After some time had passed, these artists were approached by other people. These other people had money and machines and offered to make artists’ characters into three-dimensional objects. Sometimes, these 3D objects were made of vinyl and called “toys”. Newcomers were attracted to the toylike sculptures, which proved to be a gateway into learning about the artist and his/her work. And so it went…
These days, it seems like quite the opposite with folks skipping the canvases and sketchbooks in a bid to see who can make the most toys the fastest. But now I’m being a curmudgeon and hijacking my own post about Brandi Milne‘s new vinyl toy…
Brandi Milne’s figure is called Bunny.Go.Ride, and it’s based on her painting, Darkness Keeps a Steady Hold (shown above). While my fellow toy bloggers all dutifully copied and pasted the press release statement that the toy is “based on one of the artist’s popular pieces,” none took the time to visit Milne’s online gallery themselves. Weren’t any of them curious to see what the characters looked like in their original, painted form? Aren’t we “fans”? Do bloggers simply repost everything they read without checking? (I recall a press release for a Dan May Yo-Yo where a typo linking the item to the wrong Dan May was propagated throughout the blogosphere because no one else bothered to click the link.) Or is this just a continuation of the realization that’s been smacking me in the head since that resin show? Most “art toy” fans like toys. And I like art. (Yes, it does sometimes get lonely up here on my pedestal…) Anywho!
Bunny.Go.Ride is being presented by 3DRetro, and it will be available at the October Toys/Toy Break booth #4838 during SDCC 2011. It measures about 7 inches across, and it’s limited to 100 pieces. It’s priced at $90 which could be a chafe for some shoppers by the time Saturday rolls around. I’m looking forward to seeing how this looks in person, and I hope they’ve extended the art into the packaging. So far: looks great! Brandi Milne will make an appearance at 1PM to sign the figures, so hold back a Benjamin in the name of art.
[UPDATE: Brandi Milne tweeted the following image of free signed prints available from booth #4838!]
