Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid. . . Robot

The brainchild of designer Paul Budnitz, Kid Robot is at the forefront of the growing art toy movement.
Aimed towards older teens and adults, the items sold by the Kid–many designed by enormously popular artists in coveted limited editions–prefer the mantelpiece to the toy box

Perfect for geeks, hipsters, wannabes, nerds, graphic designers, surly teenagers, funky teenagers, funky-smelling teenagers, and anyone who’d rather stare at a Boba Fett action figure than a still life of fruit.

Many of the series, including Dunny (shown here, $6.95 each), are sold in blind assortments–there are a series of designs available, but you don’t know which one you have until you open the box. This can, of course, lead to copious purchasing of little vinyl designer art toys in an attempt to “catch ‘em all.” But the beauty of the pieces is that they stand alone just as well as they stand side by side or lined up in rows as if they’re a little action figure army.