King Joe Gold

Secret Base is a Japanese art toy company known for its highly collectible soft vinyl figures, often inspired by classic kaiju, horror, and pop culture icons. Founded in the early 2000s, Secret Base became a key player in the designer toy movement, creating limited-edition figures that appeal to both toy collectors and art enthusiasts. Their toys frequently feature collaborations with artists, brands, and even musicians, blending underground aesthetics with nostalgic elements. Many of their figures have a punk or DIY sensibility, often incorporating transparent or glow-in-the-dark materials, skeletal designs, and mashups of iconic characters. Marusan is a legendary Japanese toy company and one of the pioneers of sofubi (soft vinyl) kaiju figures. Established in 1923 in Japan, Marusan originally produced tin toys before shifting to vinyl production in the 1950s and 1960s, creating some of the first Godzilla, Ultraman, and kaiju toys that shaped the sofubi industry. Today, Marusan remains one of the most respected names in the Japanese sofubi scene, continuing to produce high-quality, hand-crafted vinyl figures sought after by collectors worldwide. Eiji Tsuburaya (1901–1970) was a pioneering Japanese filmmaker and special effects director, best known as the co-creator of Godzilla and the founder of the Ultraman franchise. He played a crucial role in shaping the tokusatsu (live-action special effects) genre, developing innovative techniques in miniatures, suitmation, and optical effects. As the special effects director for Godzilla (1954), Tsuburaya crafted the iconic monster using rubber suits and detailed miniature city sets, influencing generations of filmmakers. In 1963, he founded Tsuburaya Productions, which launched Ultraman (1966), a landmark in Japanese superhero television. His work remains highly influential in global science fiction and special effects cinema.