Normally, I would never cut and paste anything on here. I'd like to think part of the charm of this site is that I tell you personal stories, funny anecdotes, or just blather like an idiot all while informing you about cool new toys. There are however good times to let the words of another stand in for my own. So with that being said, I'm going to let Kris Dulfer of
Kid Ink Industries tell you about his new resin figure The Wiseman and the Crane:
My father is a Veteran of the Vietnam War. Without diving too deep into that part of the history, understand it was the origin point for how this resin piece came to be cast...
During the traveling related to his tour of duty, my pops found himself briefly in Thailand. While in Thailand he came across a merchant who was selling different wares and curios. Among the objects he selected a metalish figurine of an old man with a crane perched at his feet. An excellent gift, he thought, for my grandmother. He eventually returned home from his tour. My grandmother possessed the figurine till she passed away, upon which my father reacquired it. The figurine was always on my father's dresser as far back as I could remember, and I was always fascinated by it.
Fast forward 30 + years: now I'm an adult, and an artist, I make molds and cast things out of plastics. Recently while having breakfast with my pops we were chatting about things, when it occurred to him that the figurine of the old man and the crane would translate into a fantastic resin piece. He suggested it. At first I rejected the idea, but then as the day went on, I had a recollection from my childhood. The spark of fascination with the figurine was a formative event in my young creative mind. I didn't quite grasp it then; but a subconscious part of me desired to recreate it, to see it in varying colors, like a toy. I changed my mind and asked my father to borrow the figurine to recast. When I began the process of molding the figurine i decided to research it further. After a little research and digging I ascertained the figure was based on the symbolism of the "Wiseman" and the "Crane". The symbolism was universal across Asia in earlier centuries: wisdom and perseverance, and these two symbols combined together equaled "longevity". Research indicated that the figure I possessed was actually made in Italy, cast from an Original Ox Bone carving. During the 1960's and 1970's these ancient Ox Bone carvings were molded and used to create pewter casts. The pewter casts were then shipped back to Asia and sold by a handful of savvy Thai street vendors alongside their locally made finery and wares. The rest is lost to history, as the saying goes.
There's a Zen-like element to this whole story, the wheel of eventuality completing itself, as I finally do something that I've secretly dreamed about since I was a child. I can picture the spirit of my grandmother smiling down and winking at me. A knowing wink tinted with Wisdom and Perseverance.
- K.Dulfer, 2013
Pretty neat huh? Well you can own one of these figures when they go on sale tomorrow (September 15th) at 2pm Eastern time through
Tenacious Toys. There are 36 different color variations that have all been blind bagged and will retail for $25. These are just a few of the ones you may get:
