When did it happen to you Andy




666doll = BANNED

Artists schmartists! . . . get a proper haircut and a real job!

I can see why this would rankle Kaws. The museum show was a publicity/promotional show for a book that Selim put out (his second one based on his collection I believe). The coffin'd Companions were definitely a major attraction for the show and Kaws probably didn't like that his designs were being slightly tweaked in their context in order to promote a for-profit book.

But of course, slightly tweaking the context of intellectual property is why anyone even gives a shit about Kaws and it's how he made and makes his money so certainly the pot calling the kettle black. If this was some other artist making the complaint I would see some justification but since this is Kaws he really should be the last guy making any complaints of this nature.

So, I guess the "proper setting" to display KAWS' toys is in their collective boxes, in a closet, collecting dust biding time to flip them for a hefty profit on the secondary market. I'm good with that


@ Andy

That would require me to have both a job and hair... Ugh

May 2013 marks the seventh year anniversary of OriginalFake, and it is at this time that Medicom Toy and I have chosen to close the shop and company. It's been an amazing opportunity to work with Medicom Toy on this project as well as working with Masamichi Katayama of Wonder Wall to create the interior of the shop and Konno of Nexus7 who's incredible talent really added sophistication to the clothing that we produced. I really want to thank the staff in production as well as in our shop. If you ever entered our shop you already know how awesome they are! I would also like to thank all the companies that collaborated with us, your friendship and support has always really meant a lot, and to everyone who has supported OriginalFake,THANK YOU! and I hope to see you all in the next chapter! #kaws #originalfake

The staff really are super nice.

I am fairly certain the OF company has lost money every year. The numbers dont add up. Shame, they where a cool brand.

Medicom has access to certain licenses, and those control the releases as far as pop icon crossovers.

It will be interesting to see if Kaws will continue to release 3d objects...and what those will be.

Selim Verol basically single handedly 'made toys important' in europe, so Kaws reaction to the show seems a little hand wot feeds-bitey.

The world's his oyster! . . . anything can have cross eyes and bones stuck on!

Oh the possibilities! He will certainly put them on Obama and the Queen very soon, because he is avant-garde like that!

I expect limited edition prints with all of his toys real soon.

Or a cigarette hanging out its mouth

...and what have any of you guys actually done? You are professional collectors of other peoples work. At least Frank and KAWS have actually done something in this field.

Relevance? It doesn't take a cook to know that something tastes like shit.

why does everyone get so defensive?
it's the critics prerogative to critique... and honestly, you can't please everyone. you like it? great! but it isn't your place
to attack those who don't like it and decide to voice their opinions. no one's telling you what to like or not...

remember: opinions are like assholes... everyone has one. it's the people that want to force theirs on you that you need
to watch out for.

While I get your intention, i really think this statement always gets thrown down at some point in these kind of arguments and incorrectly so.

Yes, it's easy to tear down other people's work while creating nothing yourself.
Yes it's always better to walk the walk, but to imply that only people who are creators can engage in any kind of meaningful debate about a creation is false.

Art needs both creator and viewer. The artist can attempt to create a specific meaning, but it's just that, an intention. How it actually is perceived/received is equally as important to the work.
Truly effective art, to me, is the kind that is executed with skill and thoughtfulness and received by viewers in a way that resonates with the original intention. It needs to be both unique and universal and sometimes the artist won't even realise it until it's out there, being discussed critically by people, who may or may not be creators themselves...in other words, people like us, who choose to spend their time and money navigating the complexities of things like little pieces of vinyl and resin and paint etc.

'Professional collectors?' . . . I wish someone actually did pay me to collect this crap!

Cool blanket statement about "any of you guys", bro.

True, they made the idea of it accessible and broaden the scope of their 'toys' enough so that a lot of people want them, which is great. They also ran wild with the medium and have made it a bit stale.

To put it simply, they, are the Internet Explorer of the hobby. Take that however you want.

LOL...you do realize that every derogatory comment means another 25,000 Labbits get their smorks....

anyway..I find this development with OF intriguing, and an actual in depth discussion about it would be kind of interesting.

ahh... my favorite line from "kozik presents: 'It's a wonderful life'"

It comes down to the bottom line. If OF was making money they would not be shutting it down. Maybe you close the expensive bricks and mortar retail store but you can continue the business. Shutting down both means it was not doing well enough to justify continuing.

Some people have tried to spin it as Kaws moving on to bigger and better things. A guy who continues to rehash the same elements and characters for 12+ years doesn't retire things that are doing well.

All the cool Tokyo teens are over street wear, they've moved on to that Elegant gothic aristocrat or Prince style. Just a shift in the collective conscious of the youth.

So true