Deathra - Time To Die

Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery, established in July 2004, is located on the border of Chicago's Lincoln Park and Lakeview neighborhoods in a beautiful vintage building. Since opening, Rotofugi has grown to become one of the world's premier sellers of designer toys from artists all over the world. Rotofugi features a diverse selection of vinyl figures, capsule toys, plush and more from both eastern and western designers. The adjoining Rotofugi Gallery features monthly art exhibits by a range of both local and nationally known artists. Beginning in late 2007 Rotofugi partnered with Chicago based product development specialist Squibbles Ink to begin producing artist-designed figures by the talented designers located in their home town. Click here for more information on Squibbles Ink + Rotofugi projects. Rotofugi is owned and operated by husband and wife duo Kirby and Whitney Kerr. You can find the couple in and around the store on most days. They love to talk about toys and art. As innovators in Japan's thriving neo-kaiju (monster toy) scene Gargamel have spearheaded a growing movement to push soft vinyl (sofubi) toys into a genuine art form. Formed in 2002, and producing their own figures since 2003, Gargamel have continually pushed the boundaries of the new art of vinyl. Their role as frequent collaborators with artists in both Japan (such as Koji Harmon, aka Cometdebris) and in the United States have earned them not only respect, but a growing audience of international collectors. Based in Tokyo, the members of Gargamel not only produce their own figures, but are all talented traditional artists in their own right, exhibiting in galleries around the globe. And as if that weren't enough, they also operate a flagship store/gallery in Tokyo, Thrash Out. Le Merde is Seattle based artist Mike Kelly. His work ranges from illustrations, toys, sculpture to hand cast resin figures. He draws inspiration from horror movies on VHS tapes to 70′s rock and boogie. He believes in the notion that YOU MUST CREATE. Kelly is really inspired by Hideshi Hino the Japanese horror manga artist and finds the way he draws his demons, ghouls are beyond amazing. In the future, he would love to have a larger production done of his figures because although he loves hand casting and will always do (D.I.Y!), it is really time consuming. Kelly thinks the perfect balance will be to have smaller editions of the hand cast figures (more like art sculptures) and then have some larger produced editions more like toys.