Street Style

Kid Robot toys by Eliazar

Where do grown-ups go if they love playing with toys but believe they will be doomed to a life of raised eyebrows and the sad shaking of heads if they publicly display their wares? Have no fear; Thunderdog Studios have your toy-loving derriere covered.

ThunderMutts, ZuluQueen, BillyBananas and KidRobot figurines will look very hip and cute on the mantelpiece and can be displayed sans humiliation. They come in a range of colours and decorations so even the most discerning of interior decorators will find a design to suit.

So who is behind Thunderdog Studios and their hipster toys and designs? Meet Tristan Eaton, designer extraordinaire and king of a creative dynasty. Born in Los Angeles in 1978, Eaton focused on his art to help cope with moving so much and began painting on canvases such as walls, bins and billboards. He eventually moved to New York City to study but dropped out when he started making money from his artwork and designing toys for Fisher Price.

Steadily building his design and urban toy empire, Eaton has been commissioned to create branding designs for such corporations as Dell, Nike, Rolling Stone Magazine and Victoria’s Secret.

Thunderdog Studios was most recently recruited into politics by designing paraphernalia for the Barack Obama campaign. One of the highlights was the ‘Thundervote’ bike decorated in the colours of the American flag that travelled around with the Obama campaign.

After meeting fellow toy designers and artists, Paul Budnitz and Frank Kozic, they embarked on a mission to create designer toys that had both artistic and commercial value. Dunny and Munny were born under the umbrella brand of Budnitz’s company, KidRobot.

The figurines’ bold and contemporary designs and colours represent the melding of the three artists’ ideas on youth culture, politics and fun. They have also bridged the divide between commercialism and critical acclaim as well as appealing on an aesthetic level.

The cutting edge patterns, shapes and garish colours reflect the urbanism and gritty street trends that are shaping today’s popular culture; fashion, architecture, music, technology and even some forward-thinking corporations. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC has also jumped on the bandwagon, displaying nine Dunny and Munny figurines.

So, be loud and proud in your love of toys and try, if you can, to get your mitts on a Dunny, Munny, KidRobot or Thundermutt. These little cuties scamper out the door as soon as a new version is released. But remember, in order to retain the impression that you are a lover of toys as pieces of art they must be left in the box!