Tanja Stark

David Bowie mannequin by Tanja Stark

There's no shortage of toys and merchandise based on celebrities floating around the Internet, but some are a bit more unusual than others. In the designer toy and art toy world, artists turn recognizable figures into vinyl characters and mash them up with other pop culture references into amazing sculpts. Inspired by a recent trip to Melrose Avenue shop Toy Art Gallery, here's a smattering of toys that go far beyond the classic celebrity Barbies.

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Liz Ohanesian

Paul Kaiju with his kaiju Boss Carrion

Melrose Avenue was abuzz Saturday evening with anticipation for the opening of Paul Kaiju's "Paulyvinyl State of Mind" at Toy Art Gallery. The San Diego-based artist is a hot name on the designer-toy circuit, but this was his first solo show in Los Angeles. Collectors had been showing up at the store since that afternoon to secure tickets to purchase Kaiju's work. By 6:30 p.m., the line was thick, but the work was still kept largely under wraps. TAG's windows remained draped until the opening reception began a half-hour later.

Kaiju is not his original name -- it's based on the name for the group of Japanese monsters that have captivated movie audiences since the second half of the 20th century. Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan are all kaiju. In the toy world, kaiju remain popular subjects. Inspired by the frightening yet whimsical characters, artists produce their own figures made from vinyl, resin and other materials.

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Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. A world record. Thanks to Debbie Reynolds.

Who knew Debbie Reynolds was the gatekeeper of all things Hollywood? And who knew that Debbie Reynolds had anything to do with Star Wars ? (Okay, okay, aside from the fact that her daughter starred in it... that's coincidental.)

And who knew that anything from Star Wars: Episode IV was even available to collect anymore? I would have thought all the Star Wars geeks... er, enthusiasts in the world had eaten up everything left from the original shoot at this point. Not so, my friends.

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Shannon Cottrell

Inside a hotel room at the Hot Wheels Convention

The 25th Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention, held last weekend at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, was a convention like no other we have attended. There were a few of the typical activities-- autograph signings, a custom car contest, games for the kids-- but the real action took place off the convention floor.

Throughout the hotel, Hot Wheels enthusiasts had turned their hotel rooms into galleries. Display cases filled with tiny toy cars lined beds and dresser tops. That's where we spotted a Hot Wheel that costs more than a Tesla Roadster. Check out a few of the rare finds we saw.

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Shannon Cottrell

"Spoonful of Star Wars" at DesignerCon

Before Bwana Spoons was commissioned by Dov Kelemer and Sarah Jo Marks of DKE Toys to paint the Kenner Star Wars toys, he had a 60-piece collection of the action figures released between the late-1970s and early-1980s. During the course of the project, the collection shot up to 150 action figures. Only a few, though, he had owned since his own youth.

"Only a small handful were from my childhood," he says. "When I first moved from home, I took this little Flintstones bucket with me. It had a handful of Star Wars figures, some Micronauts, and some Smurfs. From there i started hunting flea markets and thrift stores (pre-bay)."

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Weekend of Horrors Convention

L.A. is weird. You can fight it or go with it. What do you think folks in our Calendar section would say? Here are seven hints:

7. The Underground Rebel Bingo Club
Fri., May 13, 10:00pm, secret location
"We can't tell you anything about this Bingo Club. That's because the organizers won't really tell us anything about this Bingo Club. The details are under wraps. That's right, top-secret bingo." -- Ali Trachta

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If you live in L.A., you might think that Luke Chueh is everywhere. The local artist with an international reputation has had, he estimates, ten solo shows in the city (his latest, Contemptorary ran at Corey Helford Gallery in February). He's been in countless group shows, from the Cannibal Flower events where he got his start to, more recently, Inle at Gallery 1988 and #PrayForJapan at JapanLA. In May, his work will appear in the group show "Bunnies and Bows." A large, bloody bear based on the painting "Possessed" is standing in the window of Melrose Ave. designer toy shop Munky King, where we conducted this interview. His work is even on the cover of a recent issue of Giant Robot.

Shannon Cottrell

Luke Chueh, though, is the kind of guy you want to see everywhere, a humble and immensely clever artist who is as approachable as he is intriguing. He's the kind of guy with whom you can begin a conversation by discussing art and then up talking about The Venture Bros. and Pulp.

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A long time ago, in a manger far far away...people were revising their Christian iconography to fit a Lucasfilm agenda. Check out these Star Wars themed nativity sets. Sacrilegious, but crafty.

1. What Rebel Child Is This?

Are these Stormtroopers Mary and Joseph? Or are they inspecting the newborn savior? Made by Stefan Le Du, via Flickr.

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via Jessyratfink via Instructables

This is pretty close to being the best science fair project ever. Most kids make exploding volcanoes. Jessyratfink make a fully functional electric chair for her Barbie doll to demonstrate how currents and conductivity work. Her project "completely disgusted the entire female staff of Benton Middle."

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See more photos in "DesignerCon @ Pasadena Convention Center."

The first thing we noticed when we walked around the Pasadena Convention Center for DesignerCon this year is that there was a lot of Star Wars. From Free Humanity's posters to Super7's Super Shogun Stormtrooper, there was no question that George Lucas' films have had a huge impact on artists. It made perfect sense, then, that the convention would come complete with an exhibit from Bwana Spoons entitled Spoonful of Star Wars.

Shannon Cottrell

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