Android8 is the new shop on the block– so we won’t tease them for that, they’re holding their own. They have a very sweet selection of toys and goodies, so if you haven’t yet, check ‘em out. I’m proud to announce the first (and not last) Android8/Josh Spear collaboration. We’re looking for new toy designer talent, some fresh creative genius. The Android 8 Vinyl Toy Design Contest: Design a bad-ass vinyl toy. The winning submission will be produced (entirely paid for) and distributed by Android 8. The winner will be selected by Anrdoid8’s curator and myself. Extremely simple rules after the jump, send in a picture of your concept–made in raw materials or on the computer.

Rules for entry:

1) One design entry per person.

2) Accepted file formats: jpg, ai, and psd.

3) We will contact the winning submission. However, other submissions may receive feedback based on potential for possible production in the future.

4) Winners will be chosen by Android 8’s curator, and Josh Spear.

5) We will not accept any submissions later than June 1st, and the winners will be chosen that day.

* Send All Submissions to glen@android8.com

The Japan Society in NYC has an going on right now called “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture”–curated by Takashi Murakami (you have probably seen his work for Louis Vuitton, drawing on handbags,etc). The exhibit sounds absoloutly amazing, exploring the culture of postward Japan through its art and popular visual media, from the perspective of Murakami himself–one of Japan’s most celebrated artists. “Focusing on the phenomenally influential subcultures of otaku (roughly translated as “pop cult fanaticism”) and its relationships to Japan’s artistic vanguard, Takashi Murakami explores the historical influences that shape Japanese contemporary art and its distinct graphic idioms. The exhibition’s title, Little Boy, refers to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, clearly locating the birth of these new cultural forms in the trauma and generational aftershock.” It runs through July 24th, so be sure to check it out if you’re in the area.

Secret Handshake has a small collection of “Artist Design T-Shirts”. They say they’re here to “save you from the milk and water threads that have become the standard in the T-shirt industry”. What’s great is it’s independent. All the artists are selected by them, and they have an online gallery full of their artists work. Everything is limited edition (to keep things fresh), and they’re all printed on beefy american apparel t’s.