Background

After working together on the Monsters & Misfits shows, Tomenosuke and Circus Posterus have teamed up to release several vinyl figures under the T+CP name. One of those sofubi figures is the Calliope Jackalope from artist Kathie Olivas. It was released at Designer Con 2012, and – unfortunately for those reading this – quickly sold out. Hopefully, this is just the first in a series of colorways.

The Facts

Calliope Jackalope
Manufacturer: Tomenosuke x Circus Posterus
Artist: Kathie Olivas
Sculpted by: Yohei Kaneko of Mirock Toy
Material: Sofubi Vinyl (Japan)
Dimensions: 8.5” tall feet to hat (7” tall seated)
Points of Articulation: 5 (hat, neck, legs, tail)
Edition Size: 120 pieces
Pricing: $95.00

Packaging

We received this figure before it was released, so we didn't get a chance to see the final production packaging hands-on. But the bagged figure included the above pictured header card.

Our Opinion

There are few artists whose characters have the distinctive look of Kathie Olivas' Misery Children. Each of the little kids feature a big forehead and a pair of large, almond-shaped eyes. We've seen plenty of them in paintings and as customs, but there have only been a handful of original production vinyl toys from this Circus Posterus member.

A collaboration between Circus Posterus and Tomenosuke, the Calliope Jackalope is a sofubi vinyl made in Japan. It's difficult to show the quality of the actual vinyl material. But here's an analogy: “Chinese-made vinyl is to Japanese-made vinyl, as hamburger is to filet mignon.”

Not only is the vinyl and sculpting of the highest quality, but the paint work is near perfection. A total of 8 spray masks (propeller, full face, broken antlers, eye area fill, eye pupil, lips, belly and zipper) were required for the Calliope Jackalope. So that means every color on the figure, from the silver on the chest to the light shading on the cheeks and mouth, uses a different mask. When finished, the figure has a nice, glossy look to it.

One thing you'll need to decide is how you'll display Kathie Olivas' Calliope Jackalope. I'd recommend placing it on a shelf ledge so that the legs can be turned downward. But if your shelving isn't that stable, you can always turn the legs to mimic a seated position or set it on top of something (do they still make those plastic pizza box tripods?)

Unfortunately, this version is sold out over at Tomenosuke. It does appear that there will be other variant colorways (this version is labeled #1) released in the future. But if you're looking for this specific version, it appears the secondary market might be your only avenue. For a vinyl piece of this quality, it's well worth the listed retail price of $95.00. (Probably why it sold out so quickly)