January 15, 2002

4:01 PM

Semi-famous Seattle artist Jim Woodring, author of Frank (zipped pdf comic), has created some nifty toys for Japanese vending machines (flash, click red sphere -> products -> jim woodring).
posted by skwm (5 comments total)

If you liked those comics link above, here's a bunch more: Frank's Funeral, Sprank, Manhog Behind The Face, The Palace of Horrors (partial story), and Yams!.
posted by skwm at 4:02 PM on January 15, 2002

and if you like that sort of thing, you might be interested in the work of Kenji Yanobe.

The connection is probably not immediately apparent, however, at the one Yanobe show I managed to see (at Babilonia 1808 in Berkeley), he had built a huge vending machine that distributed toys and various survival devices. Unfortunately it took yen, and there wasn't really any on hand. I would have loved a souvenir. I'm still kicking myself for not buying any of his monographs -- the photos he took at Chernobyl are incredible. (and the ones on the web, unfortunately, do them no justice.)
posted by fishfucker at 4:25 PM on January 15, 2002

Great link. I love Woodring's work. I met him once at a Dallas Fantasy Fair, where he, Archie Goodwin, and a few other pros led a small group of attendees outside to lean up against the outside of the strange Speed Stick-shaped hotel we were in so we could marvel at the weird curves.
posted by rcade at 4:31 PM on January 15, 2002

I a big fan of JW. Anyone know how to purchase these toys in the US?
posted by grumblebee at 8:46 PM on January 15, 2002

has created some nifty toys for Japanese vending machines

Oh, I thought the toys were for the vending machines to play with. That would have been something to see :)
posted by Foosnark at 8:42 AM on January 16, 2002