Designer Toys (Urban Vinyl / Vinyl Figures)

Designer Toys are becoming increasingly popular. More and more artists are trying out this type of object, thereby creating ever greater diversity in this category of collectibles.
From cheap Funko figures to high-priced limited-edition figures in short runs – more and more offers are coming onto the market.

We were interested in what distinguishes Designer Toys, and how they distinguish themselves from other types of objects. It seemed complicated at the beginning, but we found a good way to define them.

With designer toys – or “urban vinyl” or “vinyl figures” as they are often called – all figures:

• are not meant for play
• are oversubscribed in their design
• have an artistic claim

At least two of these aspects must be met.

It is not mandatory that the figures are made of vinyl – they can also consist of another plastic or resin, or even be made from cloth. Since these are art objects, the delimitation to other object types may be a bit fuzzy, but if looked at according to the criteria about, the limit is clear.

One of our users listed the Mainzelmännchen (a series of German toy figures) as an example for vinyl figures. In fact, though, these are game figures. They were and are still produced for children to play with, similar to the Smurfs. Therefore they do not meet the first criterion or the second, the oversubscription as well.

There is a supposed subgroup of Designer Toys, the so-called “Sofubi”, which refers to figures that come from Japan. It does not mean a particular style or theme. Even if this type is increasingly associated with its very own figures, it only means that the figures come from Japan.
This is covered in COLLECTORBASE.net with the property “Manufacturer Country”. We will only introduce a designer toy type if this defines a style.

This approach is in the nature of COLLECTORBASE.net. The various terms and their meaning are first defined precisely and examined for apparent contradictions. In the case of the “Sofubi”, their definition is becoming watered down at the moment, because artists from other countries are inspired by artists from Japan, creating toys, and then calling their creations “sofubi”. However, since “Sofubi” is not a style, a clear line can still be drawn with the ” Manufacturer Country” property.

If you know of such a style or have suggestions, please do not hesitate to inform us about it. We like to exchange ideas and are grateful for any suggestion.