Have you ever wondered why KAWS toys or even Bearbricks prices are so high? So yes, these days toys could be an art piece too. Though it was a mystery that brought the trend of art toys, nearly two decades ago, Paul Budnitz was caught by the store Bounty Hunter. Hikaru Iwanaga owns the shop. Paul found a toy known as Kid Hunter in that store, which looks like a mischievous pirate figurine.

From that unique experience, Paul started his own company called Kidrobot in 2002. He then sold his company in 2012, and in 2018 he founded a new company called Superplastic. Most of these art toys are actually made from vinyl because they are durable. Yes, one of the toys is a KAWS figure that looks like Mickey Mouse but not cuter in any way known as the Companion. He introduced the figure in 1999. Also known as Brian Donelly, KAWS also released his figurines through Medicom Toy Company under Original Fake. But his Original Fake brand was defunct in 2013 when Nigo left BAPE.

The toy was so coveted, so when MoMA released his figures in 2017, the gallery’s site crashed. Well, the price for one KAWS piece is reasonable at $200, but the price could go up once it hits the secondary market. But you’ll be surprised if you see the 4ft tall KAWS price. The 4ft KAWS could be a whopping $150,000. You could see that superstars like Drake, Pharrell Williams, and Justin Bieber owned one of these.  The toys could give someone a sense of owning a million-dollar piece of art.

So, who else aside from KAWS that actually brings the art toys game scene? There are other artists like Frank Kozik, Takashi Murakami, Daniel Arsham and Yayoi Kusama. 

All of them transformed their art pieces into collectibles. Some people might think that ‘it is just a toy’, but apparently it is not. It’s just a medium for these artists to communicate with their fans at a more affordable price. For example, you could get Frank Kozik’s blind box for $10. Though it’s small, it’s something that represents the artist. 

Or for example, not everyone could buy the large Takashi Murakami’s smiling flower, but you could get the miniature pin version for $40. Yes, it’s a complicated scene, and not everyone understands what the art toys are. But, here’s the tips: if you can get it without a reseller, then do it. But if you have to go through the secondary market, please choose a reputable, honest reseller. They are addictive, so be prepared with a lot of money, so save up and try to be patient. One day, you could get your toy.