DC Shoes have partnered with Portland-based character creators, UNKL, on a limited edition sneaker and toy set. The kicks and figure both feature a black and green color scheme with glow-in-the-dark accents. The figure in question is the SUG, one of UNKL’s signature characters, who hails from Iceland and is here to help the people of the world. The collaboration stays true to SUG’s story, keeping the details consistent right down to the medicine bag he carries. DC is no stranger to working with artists and musicians, though this may be one of their first collabs that is equally appealing to both sneaker and toy collectors. Only 450 DC x UNKL Double Labelâ„¢ Graph and SUG packs have been produced. These will be released this Friday, January 23rd from 6-9 p.m. at 5&A Dime during the AGENDA tradeshow in San Diego.

Site mainstay Scott Rench (aka Yosoh) was one of the proud winners of the UNKL UniPo-By-You contest, and his piece is finally for sale. The Chicago-based ceramic artist and illustrator was chosen from more than 400 entries. He would like to build an artist co-op if he won the lottery, likes to eat melted cheese and sugar, and is one of my favorite pals. Congrats Scott! Go buy yours now at rotofugi for a whopping $7.95, and support independent artists.

The crew at UNKL, famous for their UniPos, SUGs, and everything else they’ve ever done, just released something only the possessor of the finest Ivy-League education could contrive: UniPoker. Like it’s name suggests, UniPoker is a brilliant mix of fun and figurines, landing their owner with two of the four royal UniPo figures and a deck of customized playing cards. Common to anything good debuting this close to the holidays, the UniPoker set comes packaged in a “really cool collectible tin,” perfect for filling up with fifties — er, cookies — to take along to your next tournament. ‘Tis the season, y’all.

Scott Rench (aka: Yosoh) has the kind of story we like to read about. An accidental designer and an unconventional artist, Scott fell into his current jobs in advertising and ceramics by chance, when a friend introduced him to a little program called Photoshop. Now, over 15 years later, Scott splits his time between developing effective ad campaigns for clients like Sony, creating shirts (and sinks!) for companies like Threadless (whom you no doubt remember from a recent SpearTalks), and accompanying his art to places like Art Basel in Miami Beach.

Lord knows it’s hard enough to do one thing well, so the fact that Scott has experienced so much success within all of his occupations — particularly after adding fate into the equation — is no small feat. Here, Mr. Rench discusses his past, his present, and how it was that the one led so favorably to the other.

JoshSpear.com: Before you met Larry Geiger, where was your life headed?

Scott Rench: That’s really hard to say, but my guess is a very different path. In graduate school I really struggled with whether to focus my creative efforts on painting or ceramics. I found painting to be easier but thought if I needed to pay rent it would be a whole lot easier to sell coffee cups then $800 paintings. Sometimes the easier road is not necessarily the better one. I suspect I probably would have gone back to my painting roots. I have always been an image maker and the idea of making brown pots has never really appealed to me.

JS: Walk us through the time-line of your life, post-Larry Geiger and up to today…

SR: Well, as I mention on my site, I met Larry in 1992, and he opened my eyes to the computer as a creative tool. I was blown away by what Photoshop could do. I could never get on the computers at school cause the Mac lab was rather small and design students were always waiting for a computer. When I did manage to get a computer I could feel the eyes burning a hole through the back of my head. It was not until one Christmas break that I had uninterrupted access to the Mac. The chair of the department gave me and my friend the key to the building. So we spent about 15 hours a day there, sometimes in coats and gloves with no heat. READ MORE…

Well yay for you! The fourth series of UniPo was such a hit that the crew at UNKL have decided to make more; the silver skeleton will be produced in a run of 500 and will be found at various retailers and on the UNKL site, but the pink version will be limited to 200 pieces and will only be available online. You’ll be able to grab one as soon as the calendar reads October, so start saving for that matching Halloween costume, and be sure to watch the UNKL blog for updates.

The new site of designer toy brand UNKL is up and running, and the new pages are rapturously stocked with all the characters we’ve come to obsess over plus a “whole crapload” of newbies. Blank UniPos, the new SUG and Ulligus figures, and the HazMaPo carbon Series are among the spankin’ fresh offerings, as is the awesome Wilco by UNKL six-pack. The re-boot also introduces their very own blog covering all the UNKL news you’d ever want to hear, including the latest on their upcoming CBS Saturday Morning Cartoon debut featuring a few knome-ish TinPos (which I didn’t know about but am now stoked about- now there’s a good show for a hangover). Congrats on the new site, guys, it looks great!

Toronto’s Format Mag, my favorite online fashion/urban art/all-things-amazing publication, just released a HUGE series of downloadable wallpapers. The great selection features over 70 high quality artist, sneaker, and general designs by some of the best urban artists around, as well as a few of the latest up-and-comers. Headliners include: Stamp Rodeo; TLFI (who you may remember from a recent SpearTalks); a bunch of UNKL x Futura; and Bijules. That’s obviously just a teensy taste of the collection, so head on over to get your desktop some fresh and free lovin’.

I say this with no shame: I want my MTV. In the ’80s, people used to mean it when they uttered those four words, but when the ’90s came roaring in with demands to rake in more viewers, MTV changed their format to include more generic, mass-appeal programming. But redemption has come in their QOOB TV; an experimental channel, QOOB’s main medium is through Italian cable TV but it’s been streaming live through its Italian Web site — and now with an American incarnation — for ages, allowing those in the know to watch new music videos, uninterrupted, one after another for 24 hours a day from wherever they have an Internet connection (sorry, Josh, you’ll need a fast one). The vids from indie and alternative artists like Bloc Party and UNKLE are mixed in with really stellar short films and digital animations submitted from viewers through the site, a place for social networking that works as a breeding ground for digital-shorts filmmakers. QOOB puts up the ones they like most in between music videos, essentially launching unknowns to their broad audience of viewers, and they’ll even go so far as to give you money for your submissions. In other words, it’s a totally revolutionary take on programming, giving MTV back the reputation for progressive TV that got us all joining their church in the first place. I’m eternally grateful for QOOB, because I’m still with it and can maintain my side of the discussion over the crappy Mark Ronson “Stop Me” cover (I beg to differ, darlin’. That song is the JAM. –ed.) with friends over IM from here in Sao Paulo.

Everybody’s favorite giant Icelandic protector of humanity is back – and this time he’s equipped to wade in and put himself in harm’s way when FEMA types can’t (or won’t) go themselves. The new SUG figures from UNKL will be joined this summer by Ulligus, a brand new character. Ulligus is an endearing dog-like sidekick featuring many of the same design elements. Only limited quantities will be available in the two colorways — 40 of the yellow Urban Recovery line and 250 of the orange Search & Rescue series. Keep an eye out for the debut of Ulligus and the new SUG figures on Friday, July 27th at the San Diego Comic Con. Just in time too, given the crazy weather throughout most of the country so far this summer, we may need rescuing from our rooftop, a flooded overpass, you name it.

(Our UNKL Archives are here)

Sammy and the guys over at Hecklewood seem to do a superb job of getting behind the scenes with (and into the minds of) artists we love. In preparation for their upcoming UNKL exhibition called ‘Amerkin Wasteland,’ they recently uncorked some exclusive material from vinyl toy “co-consipirators” Derek Welch and Jason Bacon. Take a look at Hecklewood’s post to see some great montages and some first looks at the newest – and in my opinion – the greatest UNKL offerings yet. The super-limited edition Carbon Series HAZMAPOS you see here, are set to be amongst the debuts at this summer’s Comic Con show in San Diego. Sammy also hinted that they’re going to be dropping a new UNKL x Hecklewood collabo t-shirt next weekend at the show, and that’ll be one nasty shirt if they continue with what they did with their Thielke collabo shirt a couple months ago. I’ve included the full flyer for the show after the jump for those of you who will be in Portland next weekend.
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We’d been waiting with baited breath to see the winning entries for UNKL’s UniPo-By-You contest, and yesterday, that email came. Even more exciting than finding out they had over four hundred sumbissions for the contest was from all over the world was seeing house favorite Scott Rench in the winning line-up. The UNKL Fan Series will hit the shelves in late 2007. Congratulations to all the winners!

Word just landed in my inbox that our friends from UNKL teamed up with indie-rock superstar (and apparently UNKL toy obsessed) front man Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. They’re getting ready to release the “six pack” six-figure set of the guys in the band at this years Comic-Con in San Diego in July. The results, as you can see above are totally hot. UNKL recommends to set them up anywhere, put on “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” kick back and enjoy the show– we agree.

Ever wanted to design a UniPo? One of those cute little toys the guys over at UNKL have basically become world famous from? Now is your chance– use there product template (download here), submit it via email or snail mail and cross your fingers. They’ll be picking their favorite submissions for a full production run– you’ll get a case of 20 to enjoy and they’ll spread your Unipo all over the world. The due date is March 9th, 2007– so get cracking.

Designer toys make great gifts, from the Pee and Poo toys to Lego Mindstorm’s– here are our picks from the vaults. Enjoy!

• Pee and Poo: The Unflushables: I know some of you wouldn't as much as entertain the idea of buying someone the gift of Pee and Poo… Continue Reading

• Lego Mindstorms NXT: When I was a wee lad, I played with Legos. To me, Legos were those little plastic blocks that came in different colors and sizes; the sky… Continue Reading

• Star Wars Mimobots: We have kept you informed about Mimoco's gradual release of their Star Wars Series 1 Mimobots, and we're happy to report that Series 1 is now complete… Continue Reading

• The Moofia: A sneak peak at the ultra-cute new mini figure series from STRANEGco and tokidoki. The hottest stocking stuffers this season, for sure… Continue Reading

• Super Bastard Toys: It's simple, fun, and inexpensive gift time. Our pal Undoboy has parlayed his abundant design talent into these Super-Bastard art characters… Continue Reading

• UNKL Toys: New SUGs, the Tactical Unit team member working for you are finally here, courtesy of UNKL… Continue Reading

• Hazamapos: I've always been a big fan of the UNKL toys, especially the Hazmapos series. In celebration of the super-special B1 Series, UNLK created a limited… Continue Reading

This Thursday, October 26th from 6-8pm, Kid Robot San Francisco is throwing a release party for the new UNKL UniPo toy series. They have all the first series plus a very limited-edition 6″ version, only 100 made (shown here). Kid Robot SF is located at 1512 Haight Street, but if you’re in San Francisco, you probably already knew that– we love that store. This is going to be a fun party! Full flyer for the event after el jumpo.

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