Synopses & Reviews
Plastic toys based on Japanese comics, movies and TV shows from
Astro Boy,
Godzilla and
Gatchaman, to
Power Rangers,
Sailor Moon and
Pokemon, have had a powerful effect on the imaginations and the markets of the West, and have kick-started trends in design and pop culture that have crossed from Japan to the West and back East again.
Lavish full-color photographs of cult, limited-edition, and "designer" toys take us through the postwar period and right up into the present, with a fascinating look at the current vogue for "urban vinyl" and "art" toys. Extensively researched, the book includes interviews with the leading players in today's toy world, including long-established Japanese toymaking giants Kaiyodo and Sanrio, world-famous fine artists and producers of "art" toys Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, and cult Hong Kong designers of "urban vinyl" toys Michael Lau and Eric So.
With its blend of incisive analysis and stylish photography, this is a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers: from those interested in the latest trends in contemporary art, to toy collectors young and old, and to anyone with an interest in Japan's influence on contemporary pop culture.
Review
"This might be one of the better toy surveys around. Less hipster and more substantial, I think this might be the smartest book on toys." - iant Robot
About the Author
WOODROW PHOENIX is an illustrator and designer based in London. He has published a number of comic books and strips, including "The Sumo Family," which appeared weekly in
The Independent on Sunday in the U.K., and "The Liberty Cat," published in Japan by Kodansha in
Morning magazine. His critical essays on comics have appeared in catalogs for exhibitions at the ICA in London, and at the University of Sussex.