Cue the Rocky Theme, Cause I'm Feeling Like a Champ Reviewing the Batman Labbit from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    We made it, folks!!!!  Originally the plan was to do five reviews in five days, but I think we should go bigger.  This is Labbit Appreciation Week after all, so I'm using the last bit of gas in my tank to do SIX reviews in SIX days!!!!  I know, it's pretty nuts.  This is like Evel Knievel jumping the Snake River, except I'm gonna land safely on the other side, thrust my fists in the air, and get my face on a commemorative plate.   And we're gonna do a giveaway on Instagram to celebrate all the fun we've had this week.  More about that later on though.

    Uh oh, it looks like Batman has pulled The Joker's card, and being that I've heard an N.W.A. song or two in my day, I know that means bad news for a certain clown.  This isn't Adam West's Batman folks; this is the gritty, unshaven vigilante that Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan made so popular.  The Dark Knight indeed!!

    This dude is the perfect companion piece to The Joker that I reviewed earlier in the week, and where the former shined with subtlety, the latter is killing it with tons of printed details.  Lots of black shadows and a fully stocked utility belt really bring the character to life.  Like The Joker there is no sculpting on this Labbit, which really serves to give it more of a comic book feel.  It also speaks to how great the art is that I don't miss the 3D aspects that we've come to expect in recent releases. Though he does come with a removable cloth cape, which after I took the photos I decided to put in a drawer because we have a cat that would see that as an appetizer.  He's already had to have a shirt sleeve removed from his gut, so his trustworthiness around any sort of fabric is less than none.  

With cape.

Naked.

    Do I love it?  Yes, yes I do.  I'm a sucker for anything Batman, but especially when it's presented in such a unique way.  It's the perfect marriage of a well-known license and a designer toy.
     

Na na na na na na na na na na na na bat butt.

   The caped crusader is available right now at www.kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.  

Before I Take A Nap on These, Let's Review Happy Labbit Plushies from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

  We made it to day 4 of Labbit Appreciation Week!  If we do this again next year I'm gonna have to start training early cause all this appreciating has tested my stamina.  Labbit Appreciation Week is a marathon, not a sprint, but I just get too excited.  Luckily the only thing I have to do today is get a haircut, and I'm pretty sure I can get some sleep while that's going on without any risk to my personal safety.

    I'm a bit jealous of these Labbits cause they have some pretty wicked beards going on.  I can grow a mean mustache and I have ample coverage on my chin, but my mutton chop game is weak.  I wanna go full lumberjack but no matter how hard I will my follicles to cooperate, they're just kinda lazy.

I feel your pain, bro.

    What I love about these things is that they're so freakin soft that they almost completely calm the fires that rage inside me.  Are they shaving chinchillas to make these things?  Seriously, these could be great anger management tools.   When you're at work and you're at the point that you want to beat one of your coworkers to death when they can't do simple math (someone's elementary school dropped the ball) just grab one of these guys, squeeze it next you your face, no watch your anger slowly melt away as the bearded bunny works his magic.  You'll be whisked to a magic land of tranquility, where the air smells like baked goods and the streets FLOW WITH THE BLOOD OF PEOPLE WHO DONT UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO ADDITION OR SUBTRACTION AND THUS MAKE YOUR JOB HARDER THAN IT HAS TO BE!!!!!  Sometimes you need more than one Labbit to effectively calm your nerves.

I think it's starting to work. 

    Like their bretheren I wrote about yesterday, these don't come with that troublesome hang tag and are instead packed in a nice cardboard thingy that easily detaches from the toy for maximum snuggle capability.  And you might be worried that these are some of those annoying hipsters you see hanging out at the bookstore like some really depressing gang that dresses in their grandfather's old clothes, but I can assure you after spending time with them that they are not.  Not one of them owns a typewriter, let alone taken it to Central Park.  The only vinyl records any of them owned were the Iron Maiden reissue picture disks and that's because once hung on the wall they really tied the whole living room together.  And they are kinda partial to hanging out in the woods, but not so they can craft a zine about how we are living in an existential void supported by rampant consumerism.  No, they're looking for skulls.

 

Big Skulls.

To make lamps.  

 

Get your snuggle on at www.kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.  

    

Oh So Soft and Fluffy Review Time Featuring Frank Kozik x Kidrobot's Prehistoric Labbits

    Day three! Day three! Day three of Labbit Appreciation Week!!!!! I had choreographed an entire routine with cheerleaders and fireworks and stuff, but I forgot to actually write it down, or hire cheerleaders, or go to Pennsylvania and secure festive explosives (New Jersey doesn't understand fun).  I forgot to do anything other than think "that would be cool" and then I went and read wrestling news online.  My bad.

    We're going a little soft for the next few days as we talk about plush.  Now I for one don't have a lot of plush figures, but my wife does. When we started dating I would try and win her stuffed animals from those crane machines on the boardwalk.  She ended up with all kinds of random things that we have boxed up somewhere in the house.  But other than that we've kind of ignored the world of stuffed critters.  Those days of plush ignorance are now over.

     These Labbits aren't just cute and fuzzy, they're also prehistoric.  This is like, man-plush, like if Frank Frazetta was gonna design cute little critters. And they have mustaches, which ups the manly level to 1000.

I took this picture while saving a small child from a tiger attack.  With my bare hands.  While building a boat.  

    But they're not just for dudes by any means.  They're also some of the softest things you'll ever feel in your life, which the ladies are gonna love.  They're softer than that toilet paper those weird cartoon bears are always going on about that totally wrecks your pipes whenever you use more than one and a half squares because that stuff is as thick as a beach towel.  I'm gonna need a plumber, fyi.

Go ahead and squeeze me.  I can take it.  

    It's obvious that these guys are cool and that no matter who you are they posses the qualities you're looking for when you decide to fill your bed with soft cuddly rabbits,  but there are some subtle reasons that make them even better that you may not even think of at first.  That's why I'm a professional.  For one, they don't have those annoying hang tags.  For anyone that is interested in keeping their collectibles as pristine as possible this is a a blessing from the toy gods.  It would drive me nuts to cut one of those tags off and drive me equally as nuts trying not to bend it all up.  These Labbits eliminate any of that worry by coming in a cardboard halo that easily releases from the toy and can be stored safely away.

    And secondly, they must be made close to a catnip factory because the moment I unpacked them my cat Icarus claimed them all for himself and wouldn't let the other cats anywhere near them.  Once he felt his bounty was secure he sat in the middle of them and went to sleep.

We never should have let him watch The Hobbit.  Smaug is not the best role model.  

    You better get your hands on these before they go extinct (how could I not make the most obvious joke).  They're available right now at www.kidrobot.com and wherever designer toys are sold.  

Let's Review the Pants Off the New Joker Labbit from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

   We are knee deep in Labbit Appreciation Week and so far it's going splendidly.  Have to been appreciating your Labbits?  Don't lie to me if you didn't, cause like Santa Claus and the NSA, I see you when you're sleeping.  Ok, that's kind of a stretch, but I'm taking your word for it that you're getting your appreciation on and I don't want to be made to look the fool.  And why wouldn't you be appreciating these iconic little bunnies?  Let's keep the festivities rolling with our second review of the week, this time featuring The Joker Labbit.

    What is it about sociopaths in popular culture that are so appealing?  Ok, spoiler alert, if you're watching The Following and you missed last week's episode don't say I didn't warn you.

    But that moment Joe Carrol finally met his demise at the business end of a lethal injection cocktail I was completely bummed.  And it wasn't just me; everyone I know who watches the show felt the same way.  The dude was a pretty filthy human being, with all the murder and whatnot,  but he was also the most compelling character on TV in recent memory.  Let's face it: the bad guys are always the most interesting and there loss can be tough to take sometimes.   Which is good that Batman has that whole "no kill" policy, otherwise we might have long ago been deprived of the madness of the Joker.

    The Joker has been involved in a lot of controversy as of late, with that comic book cover featuring Batgirl that wasn't released to the fact that Jared Leto is playing him in the Suicide Squad movie.  People are passionate because he's one of the greatest villains of all time, and as many incarnations as we may be used to seeing him, we've never seen him like this.

   I've been waiting nearly two years for this guy to come out and I was starting to worry it wasn't gonna happen.  I had only seen the box art at Toy Fair, which certainly doesn't do this figure justice.  What I like most about the toy is how minimal the design really is.  It would be easy to go completely over kill and fill every space you can, but his face is composed mostly of a rather unnerving grin and little else.  His blacked out eyes let you know that this is one clown who's probably hiding more than handkerchiefs up his sleeve.  But even as crazy as he may be, he has opted to forgo the traditional cigarette that most of his brethren prefer, and has instead planted a deadly squirting flower between his teeth.  Much less deadly for him, much more deadly for everyone else.

    I don't usually advocate for allowing criminals in your house, even when they are in the form of woodland creatures, but there's always exceptions to every rule right?  Besides, it's not like The Joker is known for eating all your food and ordering pay per view that you'd be embarrassed to have on your cable bill.

Photograph me like one of those Kardashian girls.

 

    The clown prince of crime is available right now at www.kidrobot.com and anywhere designer toys are sold.  

Super Shogun Review Time: Personal Happiness Labbit Series from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    Here's the deal folks:  This week is officially Labbit Appreciation Week.  It's official in so much as I called it official and not by government decree or anything, because the White House never responded to my petition.

    The other day I received a giant box from Kidrobot filled with all things Labbit and I'm gonna share them with you each day this week.  We'll laugh, we'll hopefully not cry, and we'll do a hell of a lot of talking about plastic and plush bunnies.  Basically it's what any other grown man you know is up to on a typical day.

    We're gonna kick off this week by checking out the brand new Personal Happiness mini series.  There's no better feeling than sitting in the floor with an entire case of figures and tearing into each one.  I wonder if there's a career path in opening up blind boxes, because I can't think of a job I'm better suited for.  I love mindless tasks, I love toys, and I like throwing trash all over the place.  I assume if I had this job that there would be another person responsible for cleaning up the boxes and foil innards.   Maybe I should bring that up during the interview process.

I'm gonna need my assistant to take care of this.  

    Sharon and I parked ourselves in front of the TV and one by one opened each and every box.  The first thing we noticed is how damn cute this series is.  Not that any previous Labbits haven't been cute per se, but these guys have given up smoking and seem more adorable for it.  The designs are fun: from a bowl of punch, to a magician, to a few mustached and polka dotted gifts.  They make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which I'm sure we could all use more of.  Not me, cause I'm already too evil to be helped in any way, but they still made me crack a smile. A dark, evil smile.

     The second thing we noticed is that on the little fold out checklist that comes with each figure there is absolutely no mention of ratios or silhouetted mystery designs.  Now I don't know if this is something that will continue, if it's going to to translate to other types of Kidrobot product, or it's just a test to see what people think, but I for one like it.  There's no feeling of dread that you won't get the figures you want; no discouragement that you're rotten luck will prevent you from enjoying the toys you love.  After all, collecting plastic rabbits should be fun and not involve complicated math usually reserved for cheating at blackjack.

    A full case of these contains 25 blind boxes, and out of those we were only 2 figures short of a full set (we're looking for the piñata one and the Labbit in the hat if you have them to trade).  It's by far the best results we've ever had opening a case of any type.

    I feel that I have presented a compelling case for you to immediately stop what you are doing and obtain some of these delightful little critters.  Buy them by the handfuls and fill your pockets with them to remind you that no matter how bad your day gets, you still have Labbits stuffed in your pants.  I think I just started a self-help revolution!  

     These little dudes are available now at www.kidrobot.com and wherever else designer toys are sold.
    

New Toys from DC Comics x Kidrobot to Debut Tomorrow

    My poor kitty Wednesday is sick.  She's got really long hair so she frequently gets hairballs and I think she may have one stuck somewhere in her digestive track.  We're going to the vet later today so instead of pacing around the house and making myself sick with nerves I decided to share new toys with you.  

    Back with another sudden release, Kidrobot is unleashing new toys tomorrow based on characters from DC Comics.  There will be a mini series featuring many of your favorites, but the real stars of the show are the Batman and Joker Labbits.  I've been coveting these suckers for well over a year and wouldn't you know it that they come out the day after I have to pay what I'm sure will be a huge vet bill.  I'd do anything for my cats though, so while I may not get them tomorrow, I'm sure I'll get em eventually.  They're both the 7 inch versions and will retail for $59.99, while the mini series of figures will be sold via blind box and will cost $11.99 each.  They will be available starting at 10am MST on www.kidrobot.com.  

Kidrobot Clarifies It's Position on Customizing vs. Bootlegging

    By now most of you have probably read Kidrobot's newest blog post where they have defined how they feel about people customizing a toy they bought versus manufacturing their own versions of their property.  Basically if you bought a toy and decided you had a bang up idea for your own creation, you can paint, sculpt, cut holes in, let your cat chew on, set on fire, or anything else weird you can think of to make it unique and call it your own.  Now on the other hand, if you decide that the Dunny would make the perfect shape for you to cast up 100 of in resin, or wax, or monkey spit and sell as your own art, then there's gonna be a problem.  Cause that's called copyright infringement.  The same reason all those rappers get sued when they don't get permission to just rewrite a few words of a song and release it as their own.  And Kidrobot is being pretty nice about it too, just asking you to contact them first so they can decide whether to give you the required permission or not.  Most companies would just send you the standard cease and desist letter which may or may not be delivered by a heavy-set Italian guy carrying a crow bar (I'm from New Jersey, our courier systems are a little different).  Are people gonna be butt hurt about this?  Of course, cause there's the internet, which beyond cat pictures and e-commerce is really only good for complaining.  But look at it this way: it's not only protecting the existing work of artists but it's forcing other people to be more creative, which is far from a bad thing.  Push your own boundaries while respecting those that are defined by the law.  

You can read their entire post by clicking here.  

Carded DC Labbits from Kidrobot Are Here

    I first showed you pictures of these that I took at Toy Fair last february.  Since then there hasn't been anything else said about them, other than some websites offering them for preorder.  Then magically they were unleashed upon an unsuspecting world yesterday in what could best be described as a pseudo-surprise release.  Things have been weird with Kidrobot lately, and I know people have been panicked after their huge sales they've been running online and the fact that there hasn't been nearly the level of communication through social media that fans have come to expect over the years.  But I take this as a step in the right direction, even if the only way we found out about them was from stores posting on Instagram that they had them in stock.  At least there's new product out, and it's stuff I've been excited for since I heard about them.  These 6 carded Labbits retail for $10 each and I'm gonna especially need that Batman one.  

    I'm not one of those internet trolls that complains about Kidrobot for everything that they do.  I love them and a huge portion of my collection in made up of their releases.  Hopefully everything is going well there and they will continue to drain my bank account for many years to come.  

I stole this picture from myplasticheart's Instagram account.  I regret nothing.  

Rocket Raccoon Labbit from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    I am one of five people in the continental United States that has yet to see Guardians of the Galaxy, but even without seeing it there's no way my favorite character could be anyone other than Rocket Raccoon.  First off, I love raccoons.  Secondly, he is sassy and carries heavy firepower.  I love woodland creatures with guns!!!!!!!!!  

   Frank Kozik had a limited number of these dudes on sale at San Diego Comic Con and they sold out really quickly.  Then some turned up on eBay for a ridiculous amount of money.  The joke's on those fools who thought they were so clever and had such a perfect scheme to make some cash, cause the general release of these Labbits from Kidrobot is tomorrow.  

   Did I even tell you the best part about this Labbit?  I didn't?  HE HAS A FUZZY TAIL!!!!!!!!!  You could pet it if you want, or hold it against you while you're not wearing a shirt.  There's nothing wrong with a grown man holding a fluffy critter next to his bare chest, despite your neighbors yelling at you to "close your curtains, freak".  They're just jealous.  

Kidrobot Announces SDCC Exclusives

    Kidrobot is doing things a little differently at this year's San Diego Comic Con.  They have forgone having their own booth in favor of spreading their exclusives around the show floor to different partners.  While you may think it's a negative that you can't just get all this stuff in one spot, I think you should look at it differently.  Look at it as an opportunity to explore booths you may not have ever visited before and to learn about other cool stuff you may really enjoy.  Now it's like they're doing you a favor by sending you on this journey of self discovery/potential bankruptcy.  

     Check out their first ever artist designed Bot figure.  Tristan Eaton designed this and it will be available first to convention goers, but it sounds like the rest of us will get a chance at one as well later on.  The folks at Rotofugi (booth 5248), Bait (booth 4949), and Fugitive (booth 601) will all have these available.

    Who doesn't love a sassy space critter with an abundance of fire power?  No, I'm not talking about your mom, I'm talking about Rocket Raccoon!!!!!!  He's getting the Labbit treatment from Frank Kozik (booth 5051) and you will not only be able to buy it first and get it signed, but you'll be the first to even SEE what it looks like.  I actually know how the figure looks:  snazzy on my entertainment center!  See what I did there?  I'm a mess.  

    And here's an example of what I was talking about earlier.  How many people would have normally made a stop at the Nickelodeon booth?  Be honest.  Well now you have the perfect reason to go and check it out to score these exclusive Beebop and Rocksteady figures.  Booth 4113 is the only place you'll be able to get them and who knows what else they'll have that you can't live without.  

          

Infected Smorkin Labbits from Frank Kozik x Scott Wilkowski

    I'm thankful that this toy brings to light a serious issue, possibly the most serious issue, that is affecting our society today.  It unwittingly raises awareness for the dangers of animals smoking.  Hundreds of forest fires every year are caused by raccoons and squirrels that have come home from extra long shifts at their jobs, only to fall asleep on the couch while watching Naked and Afraid reruns and puffing on a menthol.  Not to mention he countless possums and chipmunks who, in a fit of coughing from years of tar buildup, are unable to make it safely to the other side of the road.  These tragedies can be avoided if we are willing to hold the tobacco companies accountable and put a stop to their over-aggressive marketing to woodland creatures.  

    Smoking also makes the bone structures of bunnies look kinda freaky, as evident in these Infected Smorkin Labbits from Frank Kozik and Scott Wilkowski.  These were made for a comic con release many moons ago, but Frank found a bunch of them while he was packing up to move to his new studio.  The few remaining pieces will go on sale today (Monday, July 7th) at noon Pacific time for $150 each.  These are only available at www.frankkozik.net. 

New Marvel Labbits from Kidrobot Out Now!

    I have the uber official Kidrobot catalog on my desk as I type this and it says that these dudes weren't due to release until the second week of March.  But then Kidrobot was like "psyche, we do what we want" and released them early so you can get them all right this second!  You got the second series of blind boxed Marvel Labbits as pictured above, and the newest 7 inch Labbits in Ghost Rider and Deadpool.  Don't worry yourself with silly dilemmas like which one is your favorite because you know you love them all equally and want to give them a good home.  Buy now, pay credit card bills when they go to collections.  

Bearded Labbits Galore from Frank Kozik x Kidrobot

    These Labbits are supposed to be hipsters, but that term makes me think angry thoughts.  All I can picture is some dude sitting outside of a Starbucks, writing his post-ironic novel about a beekeeper who raises hives on a Brooklyn rooftop.  He sits at his little table, pecking away on a twenty pound typewriter that he lugged 10 blocks just to make his writing experience more "authentic."  Before he left the house he spent three days breaking open BIC pens and soaking the ancient ribbon in their ink, because you know, office supply stores are too mainstream to carry antique refills.  When he's not working on his tome he can be found pretending to be an outdoorsman by taking photos of himself in the woods, staring deeply at the laces of his shoes as a statement of consumerism and how Ralph Waldo Emerson has inspired his every move since, I dunno, birth.  If you're lucky he will pose in a tree with his favorite Smiths record on vinyl.  Hipsters anger me.  But it's just the dudes really, cause hipster girls are always pretty cute.  You keep doing what you're doing ladies.  

   I prefer to think of these Labbits from Frank Kozik and Kidrobot as the type of bearded bros who would go to a Mastodon show and make their own taxidermy with things they found along the road after watching an instructional video online.  These are the bros that as kids were building ramps to jump anything they could find in their garage with wheels, not keeping dream journals and wearing tight pants that make them hobble like the early onset of polio.  

   These suckers come in a plethora of sizes, from huge enough to double as a new pillow to small enough to carry around in your shirt pocket.  Pick the one you want or go for the blind box series and add some surprise to your life that doesn't involve a pregnancy test.  You can get them wherever you like to buy your toys or you can get some signed this afternoon by Frank himself by visiting www.frankkozik.net. 

Toy Fair 2014: Kidrobot

    Where to even begin with all the stuff Kidrobot has coming out this year?  Let's start with my favorite things that I saw, and that's plenty of Labbits.  Frank Kozik's iconic character is gonna multiply like crazy in a few different sizes.  There are the new 7 inch Deadpool and Ghost Rider figures that you can expect to see in March to coincide with series 2 of their Marvel blind box toys.  There will also be a series of blister packed figures that are variants from the first series, such as Wolverine as Weapon X. 

    But this was by far the best news I heard at the entire show.  Kidrobot secured the licensing for DC Comics products and they are going nuts with them.  I'm a huge Batman fan so I almost had to change my pants when I saw the packaging for the new Joker 7 inch Labbit.  And they're making blister packed ones and a blind boxed series.  I could actually feel my wallet getting thinner the longer I looked at all this stuff.  None of the actual products themselves were on display, so I'm guessing it will be later in the year before we're able to purchase these.  

    And I'm sure by now you've seen the new line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures they've produced.  Most of these were on hand and actually getting to play with them really made me want them all.  It was a total nostalgia trip with each one I picked up and I have a feeling this collection is gonna blow a lot of minds.  Again, they will have blind boxed and blister carded figures, as well as some larger ones featuring Bebop and Rocksteady.  Look for these to drop in May.

    Each license also has an assortment of keychains and diy figures and TMNT will also have some shirts available.  I was literally geeking out so hard over the DC Labbits that I feel that rush of euphoria coming over me as I type this.  I may need to go lay down.  

   I took a lot more pictures of their booth and they can be found at www.facebook.com/TheToyViking