“Urban Vinyl Toys” or "Designer Toys” could best be described as a hybrid of both toy and art. The Urban Toy scene was born in 1997 when designer Michael Lau showed up at a Hong Kong toy show with a handful of GI-Joes he'd customized into hip-hop street fashion figures. Things exploded from there, and artists from Hong Kong and Japan began making their own limited toys. Comic-Con the worlds largest comic book and popular art convention in the world has also been a huge contributor in helping promote these unique toys.
Urban Toys have changed the way the traditional toy collector may view his or her favorite toy because now iconic characters or toys have been raised to a new level. These sometimes avant-garde collectible toys represent a much larger thing. They represent individuality, people being molded by society, bringing the graffiti movement to life, to garner attention, and lastly represent an artistic release created by artists worldwide. With nearly hundreds of creations and themes it's not hard to find an artist and toy that best suits your personality.
Caesar Lima along with being a successful photographer is also an avid Urban toy collector. He stumbled upon Urban Vinyl’s while he was visiting Japan. From that point on, he became infatuated with Urban Toys! Lima felt that these toys reflected his unique personality and edgy photography. While he strives to stay fresh and innovative, he truly is a non-conformist. He portrays the personality of these urban toys in the most realistic manner. Lima does this by shooting still photos of various Urban Vinyls by skillfully enhancing the background to create a realistic depiction of the toy.
photography by Caesar Lima
Asuka Award winner - Book of the year
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