What's this? A New Post?!

Har har har, why yes! A new post on the King Kongery Blog. I've said it before, and I'll surely say it again but I do plan to update this blog much more frequently in the future. We'll see how that works out.

Onto matters of the plushie sort.

Here's the few toys that I've finished recently (well... a little longer than recently).

The Chupbwana

You can see he's sitting right on the side of this blog in my mini-Etsy. So you can just click on over to the posting if you'd like to purchase him and give him a wonderful home so that he can get out of the plastic bag I've tied him in.

If you don't want to click, fine! But for your convenience here's his Etsy description. It took me like half an hour to write so make sure you read it, just like how you read everything else on this page. No just skimming over the words and glancing at the pictures for you! No sir!

"Meet the Chupbwana!

A strange and wild creature that once lurked in the shadows of many forests all over the world! Long ago their population was tremendous! They were little more than stomaches with limbs and antlers! The Chupbwana were bountiful as their voracious appetites would consume any animal in their path!

As they evolved the colors on their backs became a camouflage pattern to help them hide during the hunt. However being as vicious as they were, the Chupbwana certainly enjoyed the look of fear and surprise as they lunged for their prey!

Six eyes may seem a bit much for most creatures, but these masterful predators would use their larger eyes to help find prey in the darkness. Meanwhile their four smaller eyes, almost centered on their faces would assure their clawed finger strikes to be very precise!

Because of their amazing instinctual hunting abilities a single Chupbwana could take down an animal four times it's size! Mass groups of Chupbwanas, referred to as Chupgroups, have been observed on the African plain capturing and devouring entire herds of elephants!

It's true that once their numbers were many but because of deforestation their natural habitats have shrunk throughout the years, and their populations dwindle. Though vicious, in urban areas, where many Chupbwanas have found themselves, they are unable to consume the massive amounts of food that they require.

However we at the Chupbwana Conservation Society (CCS) work tirelessly day and night to restore the Chupbwanas to a moderately sized population (if the Chupbwana were to exist today in their previous numbers they would be able to devour every animal on the planet), you can do your part!

This particularly vicious Chupbwana was discovered lost and alone, but full having eaten a dozen stray cats, in a dark back alley of a major metropolitan city. You can adopt this creature and lovingly watch over it in your home!

However, make sure to keep a very close eye on it... Seriously. We at the CCS only have a couple to watch over in our facilities... and they're quite bitey.... JEEZ! I've lost fingers!! I mean these guys will eat anything! I can't even imagine a whole group of these things in the wild! Have you seen that video online where a Chupgroup jumped into the ocean and ate a killer whale?!! What the heck?! Why are we saving these things?!

...

But all life is precious. I'm sure you and your new Chupbwana will be good friends!


Chupbwana measures about 11 inches from bottom to top of antlers and around 13 inches from arm to arm. Completely handsewn."

The Squorcharp

Now I absolutely love this guy. Not only is he evidence that I'm getting better at coming up with interesting patterns and more organic shapes, but look at him! He was suppose to be ferocious... but ferocious is sometimes hard to pull off with fleece and polyester filling. None the less!

His teeth are made of vinyl fabric, the kind you'd use to upholster a couch. Which I thought was absolutely inspired! Cause though fleece has it's merits, unfortunately it doesn't fare so well with pointy thin shapes. Also, look at his wee little arms!

Even though I love his colors, cause I'm a big orange fan, I've noticed the need for me to be a bit more creative with my color choices.

Here's his Etsy description, that's right he's for sale too!

"-Day 21.

We've attempted another jump to the present, unfortunately the Chrono Progression Agitator Valve has once again malfunctioned and we are left stranded... this time in the past!

However it's been very exciting! We've arrived in the Cretaceous period, evident of the different species of dinosaurs we've already encountered. We've also been fortunate enough to observe a number of species of creatures which we've never known to have existed!

As my partner continues to work to fix the Chrono valve I have been spending my time recording these wonderful animals! My favorite thus far is definitely something I've decided to call "The Squorcharp."

It's a strange little animal that's very reminiscent of the much larger creatures in the area. However it's his split-tail and squid-like, six eyed head that I find remarkable!

At first I was a bit worried that this fearless, little creature would be inclined to bite me because of it's obviously visible teeth. Fortunately my worries were entirely unfounded! The Squorcharp is a sweet and docile creature, undoubtedly using it's slightly ferocious appearance to scare off predators.

What I've found most wonderful about the strange-headed Squorcharp is how intelligent and curious they are! Though hard to believe this particular Squorcharp managed to untie my right boot with it's tail! More wonderful is how the Squorcharp managed to tie it back together!!

Oh my! Well, though I certainly shouldn't even consider it... but... there is that large empty compartment in the back of the time machine... In fact, it's probably large enough for several Squorcharps...

HMM...


This Squorcharp is about 14 inches tall and about 8 inches long from belly to tail. It's entirely hand sewn."

Squishipon!

"Squish-Squish-Squishipon!

Squish-Squish-Squish!

Squiiiiiiish!

Squish-Squish-Squish!

Squiiiiiiish!

Squish-Squish-Squishipon!

I have hat!

Squish-Squishipon!

One-Two-Three!

Squish-Squish-Squishipon!

Squiiiiiiish!

Squishipon! Squishipon!

Squishipon is just about 5 inches tall without his nearly 10 inch Squishipon cap. He's partly hand sewn and partly sewn on machine. His arms don't have any stuffing.

Squiiiiiiish-ipon."

Haha, Squiish. You'll note I took a very different approach to this Etsy description. I definitely set out to create a real simple toy, something that I could sew on a machine quickly. I sewed his arms and hat on the machine, but realized it was gonna be tough to sew those arms to the body.... I have my reasons! I ended up sewing those on by hand.

Like the description says there's no stuffing in those arms... I wasn't too sure how that'd work out but I like it. It wasn't cause I was lazy, but I was worried about losing that tentacleyness once stuffed.

Also, here's an interesting tidbit about the design.... he was suppose to have a real long funny legs underneath! I decided against those because I was lazy. See? This is the interesting info you're looking for! The real hard hitting newsworthy bits! He was suppose to have legs?! CRAZY.

.....


Big empty space cause I'm going to divert from the toy exhibition and move onto some other interesting things.

CRAMMED ORGANISMS! World's largest plushie show?? I mentioned it a while back, and though true I wasn't able to participate or visit I definitely still think it's awesome. A wonderful showcase of many talented people. Now the show is over, but for those of us who weren't able to visit.... David Wolk and the folks at Cranky Yellow, who put together the show, have also somehow managed to put out a book as well.

Here's my copy! And yeah, that brow of mine just adds to the craziness that is my face.

That's right, the Crammed Organisms book. 235 pages of full color awesomeness. Haha. I certainly love books that are basically just full of crazy pictures. But it's got all the toys that were on display in the show, artist websites, sketches, art, plus pages of info including their wonky advertisement campaign that led up to the announcement of the show. It's available here on Etsy. Get yours sooner than later! Only 5000 in print, when they're gone they're gone!

Now I really do like this book, but the folks at Crammed Organisms liked my review of the book so much that they added it to their blog (see me repeat what I've basically said here!). I like being mentioned by people. Hey I'm too lazy to market myself so it's nice to get a bit of publicity.

On a side note to books full of crazy odd greatness...

The fellows who watch over my living room have decided they love Aranzi Machine Gun Vol. 2.
So the picture's a bit yellow... but none the less! If you'll remember, that's 43 inch tall Warsington upfront holding the book, Francis the robot is behind him with his hulking arms. So I found Aranzi Machine Gun Vol. 2 while browsing the crafts section at Borders. It is a strange odd ridiculous little publication, full of short comics and pictures of the plushie toys created by Aranzi Aronzo. I think there are three volumes out so far but at 10 bucks a piece for these little books, I'll be waiting for a bit more cash in my pocket.

This is their site, but it hasn't been updated in a long time. But you can check out the Amazon.com for their craft books (which have patterns and things) as well as less helpful, though certainly plenty creative, literature like Aranzi Machine Gun (on Amazon).


Back to the toys yet?? Sure.

Here's the last toy I've finished, but these are no effort pictures. No backdrop, just went upstairs to the well lit kitchen.




He's a Space Octopus! An Eight legged Spaceman! From the seas to the stars! This guy is just a test for the pattern. Just a trial toy I get to keep all for myself. I plan to make more, hopefully much quicker. I sew fairly slow and this guy took reaaaal long. I'm not even going to tell you how long it was soo long.

I'm hoping to make him out of other materials besides fleece, and also give him a space helmet. By the way, there's 8 little yellow sucker circles on each leg, do you know how long that took me?!

And then just for you guys, well hopefully someone reads this thing... a quick peek at what I'm working on now. It's my first time using faux fur and it's for my last custom order... Hopefully when it's done it won't just look like a big pile of fur... we'll see. I usually prefer to keep things private till I'm done... but I'm really having a ball just snapping pictures today.

Oh jeez, so furry and fuzzy. Faux fur is great to work with... except all the fuzz starts floating down into my lungs.



Oh?? Now what?

Well, just to make this post even longer than anything ever, maybe to make up for all the lack of previous posts? I want to mention Caw! Caw! A Chicago band comprised of three fellows, one of whom... (who?) being my oldest friend Steve Kozak! (he's on the right side)

Here they are on Myspace (it's where I stole that picture) where you can hear their newest song "Organisms." Caw! Caw! is going on tour soon, heading out East through Indiana, Ohio and on toward New York.

But if you're in Chicago, definitely check out their EP Release Show at Abbey Pub on September 23rd. I'll be going of course to enjoy the show, pick up a copy of the album, say hello to the guys. If nothing else you can just show up to mingle with this chubby Asian toymaking blogger.

Their Myspace has the info under Upcoming Shows, and I'll be sure to bring it up again once the day gets closer. You can also be a fan on their Facebook page here. And of course their official site: http://www.cawcawmusic.com/

That seems like everything for today. Bye bye!

Oh that's right, I have a blog.

Sorry for the lack of updates ladies and gents! A whole month without anything new to share? Ridiculous. I've been quietly working on this and that and some of that and this.

I've just been super lazy about taking pictures. I'm wasting a lot of time as it is, and I always feel that bit of time I'm not wasting should be focused on creating new and different toys. It's tough trying to be original as well as challenging myself to become a better toymaker.

It's all about getting better! So there aren't any new pictures at the moment... Just making sure people know I'm still alive. I'll be uploading new pictures in the weeks to come.

Hey also there happens to be a sale going on in my Etsy shop! I haven't been making too big a deal of it so far, probably because I'm terrible at spreading news about things.

But hop on over to http://vickangaroo.etsy.com

and see what's on SALE!
Get your Morbis, roundbottoms and other odd toys before they're gone!

But what can I do? They don't shake my heart...

Whooaow!

Oh jeez after a week of fun custom order designing and getting stuff done I've fallen off the horse! Or... I've fallen off the six-legged elephantisum.

So before I get to complaining lots here are my two most recent customs, while I continue to work on my current order. I think it's strange that it's so tough to sell on Etsy.com since it's so easy to fade into the background... but then within a week and a half I've already been asked to make custom toys from people on deviantart. Maybe that's not strange, but hey! I'm cool with it!

This is a Mushroom plush. I actually had some difficulty with this little fella. I started with a really simple design then decided that it wouldn't work after I had started, so I had to come up with a new pattern that just about doubled the pieces of fabric I had originally planned.



The stalk was longer than I wanted. And just as a rule when you stuff a plushie mushroom cap you can not make it umbrella like a mushroom should... without some other structure inside it.

Mushrooms love Strawberries.

At least I can't... yet.


Then a wonderful toy that I'm plenty proud of. A fellow plushie toymaker on Deviantart, Banniee (this is her Deviantart), requested something completely original. She is also one of the most enthusiastic persons who's ever liked my toys.

She said she was interested in elephants with lots of legs... so I began the task of designing a six legged elephant. I hit a few bumps when putting it all together. It really isn't too complicated a design but the challenge was sewing the legs and ears on and then turning it inside out to stuff it. I only made it harder for myself and I had to undo a good portion of work I had already started.



But it's the challenge that makes it wonderful and exciting! She's named it Maylo the Elephantisum, since I pointed out that it didn't really turn out to be a six legged elephant... but it's elephant-esque... it's elephantisum.


I'm really proud cause it's obviously a 3-d design! I haven't created so many 3-d toys and this is my favorite so far!


So anyway! I'm being lazy again. I've got to get Banniee's Maylo out the door and shipped off to her. Then I've got to get some more work done on an old fashioned kitty plush....

But then... I feel like I'm missing something. I came up with a whole bunch of little notepad pages of toy ideas and doodles. They're some fun animal designs there, but my laziness is an obstacle to overcome. What I need is a something fun, different, and original to really get me motivated. I want to be a little crazy. A little... craaaazy.

So I've got some new exciting plans I'm hoping I follow through on... I won't tell you what it is... It's a secret!

Trying to find my umbrella...

Well I've really been slowing down recently. I should be making at least 1 toy a day! How hard can that be?! I dunno! Not very hard I'm sure!

Ohhh welll.

But Hey, here's my Unicorn. His name is Errol. I came up with Errol's design a long long time ago, it's all the way in the back of my doodle pad! I had wanted to make him once before but I guess I never got to it, but I've finished it now, so here he is!



Etsy info:

"I'd like you all to meet Errol! He's in search of a good home after all he's been around for a while! He was born a long time ago, hatched from an egg actually! But that was back when everyone hatched from an egg.

Errol has seen the world! He's seen the sights, smelled the smells, tasted all sorts of exotic foods! He's jumped from planes and run into burning buildings to save frightened kittens! He's done so much all he really wants now is to be back somewhere warm and comfortable.

He just wants to slow down, make a few new friends and be around when somebody just needs a hug. He's always up for a good hug!


Errol is entirely hand sewn. He's just about 12 inches tall with a 3 inch horn."

If he's still available you can find him HERE.


Anyway! I actually spent almost half an hour trying to write a poem for his description. It started out strange and there was no real order to it.... but some of it rhymed... I don't know. I'm not much of a poet sometimes... there are moments though... I once won a poetry contest at my college! But to be truthful, no offense to anyone intended, a lot of the entries were uninspired and real angsty love sort of stuff. I think I just won because mind was different.

So I bet you're wondering if I'll share this poem with you! Probably not, I don't like it anymore.

In other news here's a couple of mini crabs I've made for my very first custom order! Cause that's right! I do take custom orders and commissions!


And jeez what else! I've completely forgotten! Crammed Organisms is happening right now! I meant to mention it back when it started but not participating sort of pushed it out of my brain.

Check out Crammed Organisms for pictures and links to more pictures!

So if you're in St. Louis, and for some reason are reading my blog.... but also still haven't visited any part of the show... get to it!

Heaven is a place... it's a place where nothing... nothing ever happens...

In my attempts to update more often I've found myself at a loss for interesting things to blog about!

Ah! A couple days ago I got my fourth and final wisdom tooth pulled... at least a good year and a half after my dentist pulled the first one. I know that most people... if not a lot, get all fourth wisdom teeth pulled at once. That requires surgery and costs lots of money! So instead of being put to sleep and not being able to feel anything my mother opted for me to lie in a chair conscious with local anesthetic injected into my gums and getting each tooth pulled one at a time.

It's terrifying! The Dentist lunges at you with what I can only assume to be a fancy pair of pliers and a dental screwdriver! No, no, my dentist is a great real nice guy. But still! After that first time... even though it doesn't hurt... You can certainly feel him tugging and twisting and pulling and you can hear the cracking noises as it separates from your head... augh! No wonder I had such long intervals between extractions... Ehh...

I just thought you all should know that, because who doesn't want to read about dental procedures?

Meanwhile I've just completed my very first plushie toy swap! It was part swap and part sale to my very first customer Amanda from California. I saw one of her Henryrabbits and found it absolutely adorable. But having no money I suggested a trade and now Fruit Stripe resides on my couch besides Francis the Robot and my Uglydoll.

I'm not good at taking pictures so I'll just share the nice one Amanda took for her shop.

Etsy also let's you upload thank you pictures and this is the one she took for me of my toys! Look at that guy! I need to take better pictures...

And of course I'll mention her Etsy shop. Henryrabbit Designs. She makes little plushies but also does graphic design work! She's come up with some real sweet banners and design logos and things... mostly for other Etsy users I think. She now cares for four of my plush toys! I think she's building a King Kongery collection! Hahaha.


But wait... There's more! A little while back I made a little arm plush which I simply named Arm. He was a funny little guy, just about 5 inches tall.

Big Arm is just about lifesize... from elbow to shoulder he's about18 inches. The mouth and eyes are sewed on by hand but the rest of him was finished on a machine. I knocked that fella out in less than 10 minutes! Which is great since I'll end up selling him for lots less than if it was hand sewn all the way around.

I haven't listed him or Tom Waits on my Etsy shop yet. I'm having a tough time figuring out how to take decent pictures of them.... Plus I don't have any boxes big enough to ship them yet! I'll need to find some... But I'll do that! And I'll probably include a new little Arm to send with Big Arm.

Meanwhile! I'm once again working on another Non-Sequiter toy. This time it's name is Antonio Banderes. It has nothing to do with Antonio Banderes and it looks like a flower... I dunno... Often times I when I'm ridiculously motivated I'll get to work on whatever idea is in front of me. Antonio came about during one of those moments.

Unprofessional looking pictures of him as soon as I finish!

Someday somebody's gonna ask you...

Let's get straight to business!

I am now taking commissions. Wouldn't you like a custom toy from the King Kongery? Whether it's a toy I've made before which you can find on my deviantart, or elsewhere on this blog. But maybe you'd like to see it in a different color or size.

Or perhaps you'd like a completely original toy. Just let me know the size of the toy, colors, whether you'd like it to be a 2-d or 3-d design. Original 3-d toys are a bit more complicated so they'll probably cost a bit more.

I don't think anybody reads this blog, so you can direct custom orders to my Etsy shop. You can also email me at vickangaroo@yahoo.com

Prices will of course vary depending on the toy design and size. Every toy will be designed and handmade by me!

A note though... I know people like my MiMo toys a lot... but at the moment I'm messing around with their design a bit. Nothing to change the basic cuteness factor of the toy. I'm just trying to see if I can alter the plug design for the better. We'll see.

But stay tuned for another something later on.

Why don't you come and play here? I'm just sitting on the shelf...

I need to update more often.

I also need to make more toys!

Currently I've been listening to one song over and over and over. "Why do you let me stay here?" It's sung by actress Zooey Deschanel who is one half of "She & Him" It's sweet, upbeat and I think quite perfect for inspiring toy makery. I haven't heard the rest of their album "Volume One" except for a few snippets.

You can download "Why do you let me stay here?" for free at music.download.com


Anyway, what have I been up to? Lots of doodling and trying to decide what I should be making next. Thanks to their popularity I actually will be making more MiMo and Noodle Lady toys. I had been concerned with MiMo for a long time because I had been wanting to redesign them. Since they were one of my earliest toy concepts I just kept thinking maybe they would need an update.

But maybe they don't. Maybe they're just fine they way they were!

Also I can't stop thinking big. I've just finished Tom Waits, and you'll get a quick glimpse of him below. I do love Tom Waits, but the name has no real connection to the toy. Just a non-sequiter. Deal with it!



Even though it's easier to see in person... my sewing on Tom Waits is quite fantastic on some parts. Not all of it... just some... for a moment I could probably fool you into thinking it was done on a sewing machine!

He's pretty big too... almost 28 inches long. I just wanted to make something real simple but kinda large.... but he ended up taking quite a bit of time. I won't tell you how much! but there were mistakes and changes... and his face embroidered all the way around twice... TWICE! if you've embroidered something... you'll know how long that should take. Then double it since i work so slow.

So I'm working something else at the moment, something else that's real simple and big. Then another thing that's a little less simple but still big. Soon Soon for another update!