Introducing Yuna, the First Character in the Dream Big Friends Doll Line

The Kickstarter to fund the production of Yuna, the first character in the expansive Dream Big Friends line of positive, encouraging dolls, is well on its way! Click here to back the Kickstarter - you can order the 10", fully articulated Yuna plus her kitty Kamata for just $40 + shipping! 

We (Klim, David and I) just got back from DCon where we revealed the Yuna prototypes to the public for the first time. It was a ton of fun and we had 100% super positive feedback - people LOVE her! Below is David creating the Yuna Inception photo apparently. 

Dream Big Friends is a doll line concept developed by David Horvath and Sun Min (Uglydoll creators) and Klim Kozinevich (Bigshot Toyworks creative lead) that fills a gap in the market for dolls which are fully encouraging of imagination, with positive messages and cute, approachable design.

For instance: Yuna loves science and rockets. She wants to own her own rocket company and fly to Mars, where she will be the first person to walk on the Red Planet! She loves K-pop music and hanging out at Giant Robot (dig the shirt!). She has a cat named Kamata and likes wearing funky socks, and her big red coat is her favorite piece of clothing. The idea is to make Yuna, and all of the Dream Big Friends characters, as real as possible, with unique and distinct qualities that makes them all special. By showing how different and special each character is, Dream Big Friends hopes to encourage both girls and boys to celebrate that which makes each of them special.

David, Sun Min and Klim have big plans to release more characters of all different backgrounds, ethnicities and yes, boy characters in addition to the girls. The first step is getting the Yuna Kickstarter funded, and everything will take off from there. Back the Yuna Kickstarter now, and check out the intro video below:

As an aside, I should mention that I (Benny) am managing the Yuna Kickstarter for Bigshot Toyworks, like I did for the Maddies and the Four Horsies previously. Hope you can support us and get a pledge in! We even have smaller rewards for $5, $10 or $20 in case you want to back it but can't afford the $40:

Yuna measures 10" tall and she is a fully articulated doll with real clothing. Dream Big Friends dolls will be safety tested for kids.

Introducing Yuna and the Dream Big Friends Kickstarter by David Horvath, Sun Min and Bigshot Toyworks

What happens when veterans of the toy industry come together to pour their vision into a concept whose time has come? Something BIG! 

BACK THE DREAM BIG FRIENDS YUNA KICKSTARTER

After watching their own kids play, David Horvath and Sun Min (Award Winning Designers of Uglydoll) began a discussion with Klim Kozinevich (Creative Director of Bigshot Toyworks) and wondered; what if there was more? The worlds of princesses and pixies, fashion models and super heroes are all fantastic, but something was missing. The trio set out to create a unique personality in a small plastic body, focusing on aspirational, inspirational and imaginative play. Something that would encourage kids around the world to embrace what makes them who and what they are, inside and out. With all that in mind, Yuna was born!

Yuna is the very first doll in an all new line called Dream Big Friends. She's also the first Asian American girl to be the center of a doll line! She loves science, travel, rockets, art, design, and Korean food. Her big dream is to run a company designing rockets that will one day take her to Mars. She'll be the first one to stand on the planet's surface, naturally. With your help, she’s sure to get there.

November 20th  (that's TODAY!) heralds the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for Dream Big Friends, where you can invite Yuna and her cat Kamata into your home. 

The 10" Yuna doll is fully articulated and comes dressed in sneakers, socks, a skirt, a Giant Robot t-shirt, a red jacket and a shoulder bag, packaged with her kitty Kamata as an accessory... all for just $40 + shipping. A killer price for a high quality 10" figure!

There have been many discussions about body types and unrealistic proportions and attitudes imposed through children's toys these days. David, Sun Min and Klim wanted their first doll, and all of her friends, to feel like very real characters, complete with rich backgrounds and boundless potential...  Avatars for your imagination. Made with high quality materials and built to last, our BIG Dream is that one day far from now, your kids will share Yuna with their kids. 

Yuna will be making her first appearance at DesignerCon November 21 and 22 in Pasadena, CA at the Bigshot Toyworks Booth #901. Where, conveniently, you will find Benny.

Spread the word... and Dream BIG with Us!

About David and Sun Min:

David Horvath and Sun Min are best known for creating and managing the Uglydoll plush toys and brand. David is also the creator of the Bossy Bear children's book series, as well as the daily animated program "Littlebony " on NHK in Japan. Over the past decade, David has created and produced thousands of toys, books, and consumer products which have been available everywhere from the MOMA Museum in New York City and the Louvre in Paris to your local comic book shop.

About Klim:

Klim Kozinevich is the Bigshot at Bigshot Toyworks, with nearly 20 years of experience in character-based product design for the toy and entertainment industries, with clients including Hasbro, Kidrobot, MTV, Sideshow Collectibles, Mondo, Fisher Price, CAA, Weta, and many more. From developing characters for award-winning toy lines and advertising campaigns, to overseeing the production of best-selling toys for mass market, Klim has worked and innovated in every area of the industry. At Bigshot, Klim is the creative lead and oversees all character design and development, earning the company a reputation for quality, reliability, and innovation. Bigshot's work can be seen in national print, and TV advertising campaigns, toy stores, and art galleries around the world.

UGLYDOLL at SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2015

Uglydoll is at San Diego Comic Con this weekend with some exclusive plush figures. In addition to two exclusive takes on their own Uglydolls, there are also two Star Trek plush figures available this weekend. Check them out at Booth 3245 and pick these up.

UGLYDOLL Film planned by STX Entertainment

STX ENTERTAINMENT
TO LAUNCH FAMILY/ANIMATION AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS/LICENSING DIVISIONS WITH EYE TOWARD DEVELOPING PROJECTS ACROSS FILM, TELEVISION, DIGITAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS ARENAS

- Studio Enters Rights Agreement with UGLYDOLL Toy Line as First Significant Investment for New Divisions -

(Burbank, May 28, 2015) - STX Entertainment has announced the launch of a family and animation division geared toward creating multi-platform family franchises across film, television and digital. Additionally, the studio will be establishing a consumer products, licensing and merchandising arm to take full advantage of the extended opportunities provided by these properties.  STX has identified the first project that will be developed for the family audience and has entered a partnership with beloved iconic toy brand UGLYDOLL as a leading pillar of the studio's new division.  The agreement was co-announced today by Adam Fogelson, chairman of the motion picture group for STX Entertainment, and Drew Matilsky, Managing Partner of Pretty Ugly LLC. STX expects the first step of this collaboration to be the development of a full-scale animated feature, with plans to explore future projects for other platforms shortly thereafter.

The UGLYDOLL universe is the distinctive and highly regarded toy brand created by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim along with Drew Matilsky, the founders of parent company Pretty Ugly LLC.  Horvath and Matilsky will serve as executive producers on the new movie. Gigi Pritzker and OddLot Entertainment are also set to co-produce the film.

Populated by satirical, playful, and off-kilter characters that go by names like Wage, Babo, Ice-Bat and Wedgehead, the "uglyverse" is a world in which the traditional definition of "ugly" is turned on its head as it celebrates characters who are distinctive, special and different. Started in 2001 when Horvath signed a letter to Kim, his college sweetheart, with a drawing of a monster with unconventional proportions, the UGLYDOLL brand quickly grew into a universe of colorful and nuanced characters.

"We created UGLYDOLL on the premise that real beauty is found in the little twists and turns that make us who we are," said Horvath. "We could not be more excited or optimistic about the future of the UGLYDOLL universe in the hands of the STX Entertainment team. In the past, we have been strategically organic and restrained in developing our business and, with STX now on board as our partners, we look forward to significantly growing the awareness and presence of these unique and lovable characters.  We are thrilled to have the most creative, capable and experienced minds in the entertainment industry approaching our uglyverse in a very holistic, 360 degree way. STX understands what makes us distinctive and relatable and they are committed to maintaining the integrity of what makes these dolls so special."

Fogelson added, "We are thrilled to enter the family arena, and honored to have our first project be based on the UGLYDOLL universe.  David and Drew have not just created toys, they have created an alternative way to view the world and the people around us.  The creative vision behind these dolls is extremely detailed and very rich for storytelling across many platforms.   The moment you see these characters, you get their whole world immediately. They are endearing yet fundamentally flawed in some real and identifiable way. That's what makes them so relatable. Kids and adults love these characters because we all can understand the challenges and triumphs of being different."

"UGLYDOLL's singular approach to creating loveable, nuanced characters provides immense creative fuel to build a narrative anchored around the bevy of characters that make up the 'uglyverse,'" said Gigi Pritzker, Chief Executive Officer of OddLot Entertainment.

Explained Sophie Watts, President of STX Entertainment, "As we launch our new animation and family division, and begin to identify other partnerships with long-term potential across our company, we believe this is the ideal first vehicle to cultivate and grow with creative care and expert handling. UGLYDOLL is a genuine gem with enormous creative upside, not only in the feature film world, but also for television, digital, gaming and many other platforms. This brand is the perfect launch pad to create a strong foundation in animation as well as a licensing and merchandising arm for our business. In particular, a full-scale feature will propel the UGLYDOLL brand into a global platform and broaden the considerable acclaim and recognition that UGLYDOLL already has in Asia, where STX has also built a number of strategic partnerships."  

UGLYDOLL™ Enters the World of the 3D Printing with MakerBot Collaboration!

Being different and unique is what Uglydoll™ is all about! That is why we are so excited to announce a groundbreaking partnership with 3D Printing innovator MakerBot. MakerBot has enthusiastically designed a collection of 3D printable collectibles featuring four of our fan's most popular characters Babo™, Wage™, Ice-Bat™ and Ox™, which can now be 3D printed on MakerBot® Replicator® Desktop 3D Printers.  

"Taking Uglydoll into the world of 3D printing seems like a natural extension for our Uglydoll characters," noted David Horvath, co-founder of Pretty Ugly. "Sun-Min and I have been fans of 3D printing for a while and we are excited to be working with MakerBot on bringing our characters to life in a whole different 3D world."

"We are so excited to offer Uglydoll 3D printed content in the MakerBot Digital Store," noted Jenny Lawton, president of MakerBot and a huge Uglydoll fan, with Wage and Ice-Bat being some of her favorite characters. "The story behind the creation of the Uglydoll characters by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim showcase how creativity can positively impact lives. We love the fun, light-hearted stories behind the Uglydoll characters and hope that they will help inspire a whole new generation of makers with their 3D printed adventures."

The first wave of characters introduced are in T-pose format, designed to be 3D printed and fully poseable; the second wave are Uglydoll characters in a dynamic stance, posed to enjoy the real world of their owner. A third wave will include a 3D printable Uglydoll bus that will take miniature Uglydoll characters on a fun-filled summer vacation; and a fourth wave will be 3D printable environments for the 3D printed Uglydoll characters to live in. The 3D printed Uglydoll characters are available on the MakerBot Digital Store (makerbot.com/digital store) with prices starting at $1.29 per digital model. Currently available are the T-pose and dynamic posed characters. The additional character sets will come later this summer.

About MakerBot
MakerBot, a subsidiary of Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), is leading the Next Industrial Revolution by setting the standards in reliable and affordable desktop 3D printing.  Founded in 2009, MakerBot has built the largest installed base of desktop 3D printers sold to innovative and industry-leading customers worldwide, including engineers, architects, designers, educators and consumers. To learn more about MakerBot, visit makerbot.com.

UGLYDOLL& Pretty Ugly, LLC
David Horvath & Sun-Min Kim created the first Uglydoll hand-sewn plush toy in 2001. Since the inception of the first character, Wage™, who David drew on a love letter to Sun-Min, Uglydoll has grown into an entire universe of characters, stories, and products for all ages.The Uglydoll brand was launched in 2002 by Pretty Ugly, LLC in Edison, New Jersey. David & Sun-Min's unique aesthetic and voice defining "ugly" distinguish the property as distinctive and unique. The award-winning Uglydoll characters appear in a variety of toys, books, apparel, and other licensed products that are available in thousands of stores, worldwide. For more information,
, please visit  www.uglydolls.com       

Seen on the net: Hello Kitty x Uglydoll crossover

Call it a convergence of cute. Sanrio and Pretty Ugly have embarked on a two-year co-branding deal that will see their IPs, Hello Kitty and Uglydoll, merge to create a limited-edition line of collectibles, which are set to debut at San Diego Comic-Con next month, with a sneek-peak for Licensing Show goers planned next week.

Two years in the making, the collaboration is rolling out with a set of plush from Gund that features the iconic feline dressed up as popular Uglydoll characters, along with a set of vinyl figures by Funko. Also exclusive to Comic-Con attendees will be co-branded t-shirts (Mighty Fine), iPhone cases (Uncommon) and a collectible pin set (PinUSA). The Gund plush, along with other items, will then roll out to US specialty retailers later this summer.

Thanks to Alvin of Furry Feline Creatives for finding this article & showing me!

Read more: http://kidscreen.com/2013/06/10/hello-kitty-and-uglydoll-team-up-for-co-branded-line/#ixzz2Vqp5SeyA

Uglydoll Grants Licenses to... Everyone. *le sigh*

Uglydoll, in a decidedly mass-market business move, has recently granted the following licenses:

• Callaway Digital Arts (mobile apps based on Uglydoll brand)
• Amscan (complete line of Uglydoll party supplies)
• Grasslands Road (ceramic ware manufacture & distro)
• Anagram (Uglydoll balloons)
• FAB*Starpoint (backpacks, bags, handbags, totes, etc)
• Accessory Innovations (fashion headware, cold weather accessories, etc)
• Thermos (Thermos FUNtainer products, lunch accessories, lunch kits)
• Zak Designs (children's dinnerware)
• Freeze (t-shirts and fleece apparel)
• Komar (sleepware for children)
• Richard Leeds (junior's and women's sleepware)
• United Legware (socks and legwarmers)
• Toy Factory (toys)
• Thumbtack Press (art prints)

Honestly, I miss the days when Uglydoll just sold, well, Uglydolls. Since they went mass-market, I just can't move any of their products. It's not for lack of trying... I've bought a bunch of their different items over the past couple years. The market's just flooded with Uglydoll products. Nothing I get from them sells anymore. So sad. Used to be one of our top sellers.

Uglydolls to be turned into animated film

Actually, I'm surprised it took them this long. Excerpt:

Illumination Entertainment chief Chris Meledandri has acquired rights to turn the Uglydoll franchise into an animated feature film. Universal Pictures and Illumination will develop the film based on the global line of Uglydoll characters launched by husband-wife artist team David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. Meet the Fockers scribe Larry Stuckey will write the script, inspired by the dolls and stories created by Horvath and Kim.

 Full article here:

Chris Meledandri’s Illumination To Turn Uglydoll Into Animated Film – Deadline.com

David Horvath 5-inch Roller the Reindeer

Roller the Reindeer is the latest figure in the ever-expanding Bossy Bear lineup by Uglydoll creator David Horvath. This 5-inch vinyl figure is made by Toy2R & is scheduled to release in July.
Retail price will be around $18.
Will update this post with a link to the preorder once we get closer to having the actual products in stock.

Roller the Reindeer attends flight school for reindeers up at the north pole...but Roller doesn't want to pull Santa's sleigh at all. No, he wants to move to LA to become a skateboard champion! You would never guess all this just from looking at him.

SNEAK PEEK: Uglydoll 3" Action Figures Series 2

One of the advantages of living in NYC is that we get to go to the NY Gift Fair, where we can get an early glimpse at some upcoming toys. Our first stop at this Gift Fair was the Uglydoll booth where we were able to see the Uglydoll Action Figures series 2 for the first time in person! They'll be released in the spring (around March) and the will retail for $10 apiece. Series 2 is twice a big (6 different Uglies, each available in 2 different colorways) and this time, if I got this right, they will be available as both blind-boxed and window-boxed figures.

We put in an order for a full carton of the Series 2 action figures, but we're not allowed to put up preorders so we'll just keep you posted on the arrival dates.

We also reordered the awesome all-Icebat 6-piece glow in the dark series:

The GID IceBat series is blind-boxed but the cool thing is that is comes in cases of 6, and each full case contains one of each color so it's easy to collect the whole set- just buy a full sealed case! And at only $8 apiece, the GID Icebats are quite affordable.

Serv-o-Matics, Uglydoll Tote Bags, rare Mars-1 Observers, Wood Grain Qees & Pink Treeson in stock

Mars-1 Observer SEEN Planet 6 Edition and Special Edition rare colorways

Uglydoll Tote/Shopping Bags only $5!

Brandt Peters Serv-o-matics by MINDstyle. Will open some boxes soon!

8-inch Pink Treeson (above)

2.5-inch Wood Grain Qees (open-box, not pictured)

COMING SOON:

4 new styles of tokidoki pillowcases

A whole boatload of cool new Kidrobot mini figures! Wish I could tell you what they are...

PREORDER NOW:

MINDstyle x Disney D23 Chernabog 12-inch figure from Fantasia

MINDstyle x Disney D23 VINCENT 10-inch figure from The Black Hole

MINDstyle x Disney STITCH Experiment 626 Artist Series Lilo Cosplay Stitch D23 version 5-inch figure

MINDstyle x Disney Bloc28 Mickey Suiko & Tenga figures

Ron English Popaganda mini figures by MINDstyle, window-boxed. Also available in full sealed cases of 12.

ThreeA WWRP Brambles in 5 different styles

Joe Ledbetter Terror & Magnus

Kuso Celsius OG & Full Metall Jacket colorways

CHECK OUT:

Our next custom show will be a collaboration with the NY artist NEMO using Rollies (mini roll-on deodorant bottles) as platforms!

The show will go live at 7PM on October 30th at a graffiti supply store in Corona, Queens called All the Right.

We've also set up Tenacious Gift Certificates which can be purchased in any dollar amount and sent via email to the recipient!

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US:

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Preorder Horvath toys & other Toy2R toys, Who's da Bomb custom toy show

Preorders now available for the following items:

- Brandt Peters Serv-o-Matics by MINDstyle, coming soon! Only a few left unsold as preorders...

- Star Wars Series 4 Mimobots coming soon. Below are pics of the Darth Maul Mimo.

- Horvath 12" Bossy Bear, certainly the centerpiece of any Horvath vinyl collection

- Horvath 5" Bossy Bear Yellow: Lemony Fresh Yellow & Black color variant

- Horvath 5" Crocadoca Yellow: Lemony Fresh Yellow & Black color variant

- Horvath 3.5" Turtle Yellow: Lemony Fresh Yellow & Black color variant

- David Horvath Yoya Monster: cute little monkey, 5" tall vinyl

- David Horvath 7.5" Crown Turtle slightly delayed, will arrive a month after the other Horvath toys

- Uglydoll Glow in the Dark Ice-Bats arriving September, available as full sealed cases or individual blind boxes

- Horvath Yoya Monster Blue arriving Nov/Dec 2009

- 2.5" Wood Grain Qee blind boxes which have absolutely amazing paint jobs

- 2" Clear Chef Spiderboom, the rarest Spider Baby Boom figure to complete your collection, put into limited production

RESTOCKED:

- OWI Rhino Beetle metal model kit

- OWI Samurai Scorpion metal model kit

Who's da Bomb?! online custom toy show

You might have heard by now that we are curating an online custom toy show. If not, here's the deal: the platform is the Toy2R Mini Bomb figures (originally had paint by Kozik). For more details & the flyers, check out our blog post regarding this endeavor.

August 31st is the submission deadline for images of the customized Bombs.

In the meantime I have already received a few images of finished customs, so I put up a Who's the Bomb section dedicated to them. Look for more customs to start poppin' up in that section on our site as we head towards Aug 31st.

This is our first foray into the custom toy world and I am very excited to see what everyone comes up with! I also must mention that this project would not be possible without the guidance and help of Delicious Drips, and a shipment of Mini Bombs from Toy2RUSA. So thanks to DD and Toy2R for helping me get this whole thing together.

Tenacious Toys