Squadt Assembly Will Split Your Ass!
This is the antidote to today’s arid array of art toys. It’s the panacea for prosaic plastic. The elixir vitae for vapid vinyl. The therapeutic treatment for tedious toys! And now that I’m done showering you with alliteration, it is, quite simply, Squadt Assembly.
Squadt Assembly is a pop-up store and exhibit conceived, designed and produced by Playge (Ferg x Threezero) and hosted at Rotofugi Gallery in Chicago. While the show and store-within-a-store run from April 5th through the 28th, the main event goes down this Friday.
Once safely ensconced in the Windy City, attendees will choose from a library of limited edition Squadt parts and build their own custom Squadt figures. We’re talking heads, bodies, colors, eyes, shirts, jackets, weapons and more. And my favorite part? It’s custom curated. Every detail is part of Ferg’s vision, and the gear reflects his palette. This means that collectors can really dig into personalizing their toys while working within a “style guide” straight from the designer. So nobody’s going to piss me off by spraying rainbow Monster Kolor paint over that great green Germ’s head (with shaded eye details)—well, they’re not going to do it on April 5th, anyway. Custom curated (“build-a-bear”) is really the best of both worlds: customized toys and production toys together in harmony. I hope to see more of this.
Don’t just take my word for it. There are (at the time I’m writing this), 64+ pages of feverish conversations about Squadt Assembly on the CAD forum. The moment of zen (or official slogan) comes from an Italian collector who calls Squadt Assembly: “the show that will split your ass in all of us!” (I can’t even tell you how much I love that expression.) He goes on to explain that this is a saying in Italy. It’s used when a masterful artist achieves a most excellent work of art, thus leaving fans stunned and enchanted with mouths agape. I cannot wait to use it often and semi-inappropriately!
Die hards from CAD (grunts, recruits, special forces, animal mothers, born agains and Too Bukus) are flying in from other continents for a shot at special colorways and exclusive accessories (like the amazing green on green on green Jack above). A range of Squadt-related merch for humans will also be available. This all just really looks like ten tons of fun, and so far, it’s been executed flawlessly. Check out the video below. Click through for more images. Read about the in-person lottery and online assembly process here. And to all the fans on their way to Chicago: have an ass-splitting time!
Well done!
