Kidrobot is a producer and retailer of
designer toys
Art toys, also called designer toys, are toys and collectibles created by artists and designers that are either self-produced or made by small, independent toy companies, typically in very limited editions. Artists use a variety of materials, such ...
, vinyl art toys and collectibles founded in 2002 by entrepreneur
Paul Budnitz
Paul Budnitz (born September 14, 1967) is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of retailer Kidrobot, and the social network Ello (social network), Ello. He also owns Budnitz Bicycles in Burlington, Vermont.
Biography Early life and educati ...
. The company was one of the earliest creators of designer
art toys in America.
The company was acquired in November 2014 by National Entertainment Collectibles Association Inc. after almost going bankrupt.
Frank Kozik joined the company as creative director that year.
Company History
Entrepreneur
Paul Budnitz
Paul Budnitz (born September 14, 1967) is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of retailer Kidrobot, and the social network Ello (social network), Ello. He also owns Budnitz Bicycles in Burlington, Vermont.
Biography Early life and educati ...
saw vinyl
art toys during a business trip to Asia in 2002 and decided to create a market for art toys in the United States. He started a website and began importing toys from Japan, and opened a brick and mortar store in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
a few months later.
A few months later, the company began producing its own toy line with
Tristan Eaton as the product designer. The company moved to New York City and opened a physical retail store in 2003.
Stores were later opened in Los Angeles, Miami, London, Los Vegas, and Boulder.
The Dunny and Munny toys launched in April of 2004 at Hong Kong ToyCon. Kidrobot commissioned new artists including
Huck Gee
Mark Gee (born May 19, 1973, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England), better known as Huck Gee, is a contemporary artist, illustrator, toy maker, and designer best known by toy enthusiasts for his iconic "Skullhead" character. He works and lives in San ...
,
Dalek,
David Horvath
David Z. Horvath (May 28, 1971) is an American illustrator, comics artist, toy designer and author best known for creating the popular Uglydoll characters as well as the world they inhabit, The Uglyverse, with his wife, Sun-Min Kim. The toy lin ...
,
Tara McPherson,
Amanda Visell and
Nathan Jurevicius
Nathan Jurevicius (born 1973) is a Canadian/Australian illustrator, director, toy designer, author, and fine artist whose diverse range of work has appeared in numerous publications, advertising campaigns, festivals, and galleries around the w ...
to make designs for the Dunny toy, while the Munny was sold as a blank item that the buyer could decorate.
The toys were originally released in limited edition sets, and now come in editions of up to 50,000.
In 2006,
WildBrain Entertainment, creators of
Yo Gabba Gabba!, purchased a stake in Kidrobot.
Budnitz moved the company headquarters to Boulder, Colorado in 2009, during the company's first down year.
In 2012, Budnitz left Kidrobot and WildBrain announced that they had purchased the brand in full.
In 2014, all Kidrobot stores except Las Vegas and San Francisco, which were independently operated, shut down. In November 2014, the company announced that it had been acquired by
National Entertainment Collectibles Association and
Frank Kozik had been appointed creative director.
Products
Kidrobot produces various different
designer toy
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans.
In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
figures, including Munny and Dunny, both of which were featured in the New York Times and other national newspapers and magazines. Kidrobot is also known for its toy series known as ''Yummy World''.
In addition, it produces limited-edition Japanese anime figurines and collaborates with well-known television series, such as ''
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'' and ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''.
In 2020, KidRobot partnered with the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
during the Met150 celebration for a series of Dunny collectibles inspired by iconic works by the museum’s permanent collection.
Munny
![Virgin munny](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Virgin_munny.jpg)
A Munny is a figure made out of
vinyl with movable joints, designed to be a cross between a devil and a monkey.
The figures are blank and the owner can decorate them using pens,
pencil
A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand.
Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail ...
s, markers, paint, and other supplies; alternatively, some people commission artists to design Munnys for them, or artists design them to sell. The initial idea was undertaken by
street artists who had come to bring back their work legally to the public to display their works.
The original Munny is white in color, stands 7 inches tall, and weighs about 1
pound
Pound or Pounds may refer to:
Units
* Pound (currency), a unit of currency
* Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom
* Pound (mass), a unit of mass
* Pound (force), a unit of force
* Rail pound, in rail profile
Symbols
* Po ...
. All series include the 7 inch Munny with the white Munny as the featured doll in the series.
Other variations of the doll are:
*''Foomi'' - same shape as the original Munny, only smaller, and has spiky hair
*''Rooz'' - A
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...
-like creature with no legs
*''Raffy'' - A
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
-like creature, the term "Raffy" comes from "giraffe"
*''Bub'' - A
hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
Munny
*''Trikky'' - A shorter Munny with
cat ears
*''Micro Munny'' - same shape as the original Munny, but stands 2 inches tall. These were released in October 2012 and come blind-packed along with Foomis, Raffys, and Trikkys. Colors include red, yellow, white, cyan, and blue.
*''Mini Munny'' - same shape as the original Munny, but stands 4 inches tall, originally released in February 2008. It was released in blue, white and pink. The mini Munny comes packaged with one accessory, a "My Name Is" sticker, and a marker.
*''Mega Munny'' - same shape as the original Munny, but stands 18 inches tall and weighs several pounds. Mega Munny is available in white, teal, pink, and yellow. Although Mega Munny does not include any accessories, Mega Munny includes a practice sheet and a coloring book.
*''Mini Munny Mobile'' - A white model of a car which includes 1 white Mini Munny. Both the car and the Mini Munny are made from white vinyl. The car can seat one Mini Munny, has rolling wheels, and a dome-like windshield, along with 4 "mystery" accessories.
Dunny
![Dunny with Huichol Art done by Arte Marakame](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Dunny_with_Huichol_Art_done_by_Arte_Marakame.jpg)
Dunnys are similar to Munnys in that both are produced by Kidrobot and are vinyl figures, however Dunnys are a different shape, are only sold with designs already printed on them, and are produced in limited numbers.
Dunnys have rabbit-like ears at the top of their heads, unlike Munny which has two humanoid ears. Though they are sold already printed, artists can remove the factory-applied paint and apply their own designs, producing custom Dunnys. Dunnys are available in fewer locations than Munnys.
Dunnys are designed and released in 8" versions several times a year and typically two blind boxed series of 3" Dunny figures are released each year.
Other Media
In September 2008, there was a report that a film based on the toy merchandise was in development,
though it was never produced.
See also
*
Art toys
*
Funko
Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories ...
*
Tokidoki
tokidoki ("''sometimes''" in Japanese) is the Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand created in 2006 by Italian artist Simone Legno and his business partners Pooneh Mohajer and Ivan Arnold. They produce apparel, footwear, accessories and other pro ...
*
Paul Budnitz
Paul Budnitz (born September 14, 1967) is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of retailer Kidrobot, and the social network Ello (social network), Ello. He also owns Budnitz Bicycles in Burlington, Vermont.
Biography Early life and educati ...
References
External links
Kidrobot – Official website
{{Authority control
Art toys
Toy companies established in 2002
2014 mergers and acquisitions
Toy companies of the United States
Toy retailers of the United States
Companies based in Boulder, Colorado
2002 establishments in Colorado
2000s toys
Toy brands
Toy figurines