SOTA Toys, or State Of The Art Toys, is a developer, manufacturer, and wholesaler of collectibles based on licensed properties from companies such as
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
and
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a t ...
. Formed in 2000 by
Jerry Macaluso
Gerald "Jerry" Macaluso (born July 12, 1967) is an American toy designer, sculptor, film producer, and entrepreneur.
Early career
Jerry Macaluso was born in Hartford, Connecticut and is the eldest of four siblings. At the age of 17, Macaluso e ...
, they have created and manufactured numerous licensed products based on the characters from popular films, TV shows, hit video games, and literary works, as well as legendary musicians and pop stars. Aside from being a developer and manufacturer, SOTA Toys also serves as fabricator and prototyper for the motion picture, toys/collectibles, and video game industry.
Current product lines
Ōkamiden
In accordance with Capcom's upcoming
Ōkamiden
''Ōkamiden'', known in Japan as is an action-adventure game, action-adventure video game published by Capcom for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is a spiritual successor, rather than a sequel, to ''Ōkami'', a game released originally ...
, limited-edition plushies and pillows are being made of Chibiterasu, the son of the wolf goddess
Amaterasu
Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...
from the
previous game.
Darksiders
SOTA Toys has announced a partnership with
THQ
THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initial ...
that will result in a series of high-end collectible art statues based on THQ's critically and commercially successful video game title,
Darksiders
''Darksiders'' is a hack and slash action-adventure video game franchise created by Vigil Games, now developed by Gunfire Games, which consists of some of the original members of Vigil. The series is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where mank ...
. The first model to be released from this partnership will be a 14-inch statue of WAR, the lead character of the game and the first
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos.
Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...
, atop his fiery mount, Ruin. The statue is currently still in the prototyping phase. Despite the obvious similarity to the earlier Death statue, War is part of a separate line, as it is property of THQ, whereas Death is a SOTA original.
Humping Robot keychain figure
The company is releasing a 5-inch tall keychain figure of the Humping Robot character from the
stop motion
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
television show
Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
. These figures feature articulation in the neck, arms, hands, legs and even hips!
Ryu – Anniversary Edition Statue
For SOTA's 10th Anniversary they produced an 18-inch statue of Ryu from Super Street Fighter 4. This statue is a culmination of 10 years of experience and will be guaranteed to impress. Exceptionally bright LEDs illuminate Ryu in an awe-inspiring power-up pose, and are powered by USB cable which can connect to any powered 5v USB port or into an included US wall-socket adapter. The standard version is limited to 200 pieces, while the Satsui no Hadou variant is limited to 100 pieces.
Street Fighter resin statues
SOTA Toys' current flagship product is a line of 1/6 scale statues depicting characters from Capcom's popular fighting game series:
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...
. These high-quality resin figures are non-poseable, but feature much more detail and superior paint than any previous works. Having already produced
Ryu,
Blanka
also known by his birth name Jimmy (ジミー Jimī) is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' fighting game series. He first appeared in the 1991 video game ''Street Fighter II'' as one of eight playable characters, and was subsequ ...
,
Sagat,
Ken
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine.
* Ken Masters, a main character in ...
,
Akuma and
Cammy
, also referred to by her codename , is a fictional character in the ''Street Fighter'' fighting game series. She debuted in 1993 as one of the four new characters in ''Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers''. She has also been featured in ...
, SOTA is continuing this line with
Juri Juri, JURI or Jüri may refer to:
Law
* Dative singular case of Latin Jus
*Committee on Legal Affairs, committee of the European Parliament, known as JURI
Places
*Juri Upazila, subdistrict (''upazila'') in Maulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, ...
, a new character from
Super Street Fighter 4
is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of ''Street Fighter IV'' and has been said to mark the definitive end of the ''Street Fighter IV'' series. Having been deemed too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the ...
, and has plans to produce other popular characters from previous games.
SOTA Nightmares
Returning to their horror background, SOTA has released several exceptionally detailed resin statues of H.P. Lovecraft's creatures,
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...
and
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft. The character is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem "Nyarlathotep", he was later mentioned in other works by ...
, with
Dagon
Dagon ( he, דָּגוֹן, ''Dāgōn'') or Dagan ( sux, 2= dda-gan, ; phn, 𐤃𐤂𐤍, Dāgān) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attes ...
ready for release mid-2010. ''Nightmares'' is not limited to Lovecraft's imaginings, however. SOTA is also releasing a series of statues based on the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos.
Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...
from the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...
. They will be made of the same resin material as the other aforementioned products. The first horseman,
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
, has been released in early 2010. Although they have a similar namesake, ''SOTA Nightmares'' is not intended to be a continuation of the previous ''Nightmares of Lovecraft'' line.
SOTA Toys Unleashes the Most Wicked Dagon Collectible Ever
/ref>
Past products
Street Fighter 15th Anniversary action figures
SOTA's Street Fighter line was unique in that the line-ups for each round were voted on by fans. SOTA had set up the voting so that popular characters are evenly distributed between the rounds of action figures. By delaying the release of the most popular characters, SOTA had produced more figures over a longer period of time, allowing obscure characters that would never sell on their own to be produced.
List of characters produced for the line:
* Round 1: Ryu, Chun Li, Bison, Sagat, Sodom, Evil Ryu
* Round 2: Ken, T. Hawk, Cammy, Blanka, Vega
* Round 3: Guile, Adon, Gen, Balrog, Sakura
* Round 4: Remy, Birdie, Akuma, Fei Long, Ibuki
* ''Exclusive'': Gouken
Street Fighter Revolution Action Figures
In late 2007, SOTA released a new line of action figures known as ''Street Fighter Revolution''. This line differs from the previous one in that the joints are character-specific, the sculpts differently styled, and the packaging is a highly detailed box rather than a blister pack
A blister pack is any of several types of pre-formed plastic packaging used for small consumer goods, foods, and for pharmaceuticals.
The primary component of a blister pack is a cavity or pocket made from a formable web, usually a thermoforme ...
. Round 1 features E. Honda
, more commonly known as E. Honda, is a fictional character created by Capcom for the ''Street Fighter'' series of fighting games. Introduced in ''Street Fighter II'' as part of the starting lineup, he has appeared in ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'', ' ...
, Zangief
, based on Russian Зангиев, often called the , is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' series. Considered to be the first controllable fighting game character whose moveset is centered on grappling, he made his first appeara ...
, Dhalsim
is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' series. He made his first appearance in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' in 1991. He sometimes goes by the alias "long-arm" and his fighting ability includes stretching his limbs. I ...
, and Rainbow Mika
, known as and more commonly as , is a fictional character and professional wrestling, professional wrestler from Capcom's ''Street Fighter (series), Street Fighter'' fighting game series. She was introduced in the 1998 game ''Street Fighter Al ...
.
Preceding the ''Revolution'' line was ''Street Fighter Preview'', a sort of teaser line for the then-upcoming ''Revolution'' line. Featuring Ryu, Ken, Akuma, and Dan Hibiki
is a fictional character from Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' fighting game franchise. He was created to parody Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, the two lead characters of SNK's ''Art of Fighting'' series, as Capcom saw Ryo as a ripoff of ''Street F ...
, differently-colored variants were available, in limited quantity.
Street Fighter Rotocast Figures
SOTA produced a line of 10-inch pvc figures featuring details on par with their resin statue lineup. Rotocast figures feature actual fabric for the characters' clothing. Ryu and Sagat were produced for Round 1, both with variants. However the lineup was cancelled after the success of the resin figures.
Darkstalkers mini-busts 2007 San Diego Comic-Con.
The characters Dee and Demetri from Capcom's fighting game Darkstalkers were produced as mini-busts for the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con. SOTA Toys also produced a 1/10 scale statue of Felicia
The name Felicia derives from the Latin adjective ''felix'', meaning "happy, lucky", though in the neuter plural form ''felicia'' it literally means "happy things" and often occurred in the phrase ''tempora felicia'', "happy times". The sense of ...
in 2007. Earlier plans for Demetri and Lord Raptor
This is a list of characters from Capcom's '' Darkstalkers'' fighting game series and animated-media franchise, who are either based on various iconic literary and cinematic monsters, or inspired by international mythology and fairy tales. The gr ...
action figures had been canceled due to low pre-order sales.
Now Playing Presents
Earlier on, SOTA produced a line called "Now Playing Presents" depicting characters and creatures from various horror films. Among them were Pumpkinhead, An American Werewolf in London, Darkman
''Darkman'' is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. Based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s, the film stars Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake, who is br ...
, Dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
, Dog Soldiers
The Dog Soldiers or Dog Men (Cheyenne: ''Hotamétaneo'o'') are historically one of six Cheyenne military societies. Beginning in the late 1830s, this society evolved into a separate, militaristic band that played a dominant role in Cheyenne re ...
, The Thing, Legend
A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...
, The Toxic Avenger, Killer Klowns from Outer Space
''Killer Klowns from Outer Space'' is a 1988 American science fiction horror comedy film written, directed and produced by the Chiodo Brothers, and starring Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson and John Vernon. It is the only movie ...
, Jeepers Creepers 2
''Jeepers Creepers 2'' is a 2003 American horror film written and directed by Victor Salva. A sequel to the 2001 film '' Jeepers Creepers'', the film finds the Creeper, a demonic creature and mysterious serial killer who pursues a school bus fi ...
, The Mummy Returns
''The Mummy Returns'' is a 2001 American adventure horror film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez, Freddie Boath, Alun Armstrong, and Dway ...
and Land of the Dead
''Land of the Dead'' (also known as ''George A. Romero's Land of the Dead'') is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero's six '' Living Dead'' movies, it is preceded by ''Night of the Li ...
.
Nightmares of Lovecraft
Not to be confused with the current ''SOTA Nightmares'' line, figures in the ''Nightmares of Lovecraft'' line were smaller-scaled action figures with moveable parts. Featured were Cthulhu (The Call of Cthulhu
"The Call of Cthulhu" is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928.
Inspiration
The first seed of the story's first chapter '' ...
), Dagon (The Shadow Over Innsmouth
''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' is a horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in November–December 1931. It forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos, using
its motif of a malign undersea civilization, and references several shared ...
), and The Ghoul (Pickman's Model
"Pickman's Model" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, written in September 1926 and first published in the October 1927 issue of ''Weird Tales''.
It has been adapted for television anthology series twice: in a 1971 episode of ''Night Gallery' ...
). Although the packaging for these products included the ''Now Playing Presents'' logo, ''Nightmares of Lovecraft'' were intended to be a separate line.
Music
Country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
star Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
, punk band Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
, rapper Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
and horrorcore
Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...
duos Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler ...
and Twiztid
Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and ...
have also been depicted as collectible figures. Talking plush dolls depicting members of the popular punk band Fall Out Boy became available in early 2009. During the recording of their fifth album, Folie à Deux
Folie à deux ('folly of two', or 'madness haredby two'), also known as shared psychosis or shared delusional disorder (SDD), is a collection of rare psychiatric syndromes in which symptoms of a delusional belief, and sometimes hallucinations, ...
, each band member made special recordings for the production of these plush dolls.
Miscellaneous works
Other film/television projects previously produced include: Tomb Raider
''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
, The Chronicles of Riddick
''The Chronicles of Riddick'' is a 2004 American science fiction action film written and directed by David Twohy. It follows the adventures of Richard B. Riddick as he attempts to elude capture after the events depicted in the 2000 film '' Pitch ...
, Charmed
''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...
, Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, suc ...
, and Aliens
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
.
Promotional Work
Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars
Late in 2009 SOTA embarked upon a quest to produce 4 prototype action figures that would star in
TV spot
for Tatsunoko vs Capcom. In short time, SOTA produced Ryu, MegaMan Volnutt, Ken the Eagle, and Tekkaman Blade
is a 1992 Japanese anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency. The series was directed by Hiroshi Negishi and written by Mayori Sekijima and Satoru Akahori. The story follows an organization called the Spa ...
to be highly detailed, poseable, and colorful. The result was a success.
Lost Planet 2
SOTA produced various-sized plush dolls of the Gordiant, the giant salamander boss at the end of Episode 1 of Capcom's game Lost Planet 2
is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom and Beeline Interactive, Inc. The game is the sequel to '' Lost Planet: Extreme Condition'', taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same planet. Th ...
. Although never actually sold by SOTA, the plushes were given away by Capcom at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con and through an online contest. Additionally, SOTA mass-produced a small, plastic Gordiant figure as an exclusive for box sets of the European version of the game.
Dark Void
In mid-2009, a 12" resin sculpt of the main character from Capcom's upcoming game Dark Void
''Dark Void'' is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game, players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished ...
was produced exclusively for promotional sales. Set in the iconic position seen in the game, the figure's jetpack flame and visor are illuminated with LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
s. A 3-inch tall miniature version of this figure was mass-produced, along with life-sized props that were worn by a model dressed as the character for E3 2009.
See also
* 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 ...
References
External links
Official website
(archived)
Official image directory
{{scale model brands
Companies based in California
Toy companies established in 2000
Toy companies of the United States