Background
The T+CP venture, the collaboration between Tomenosuke and Circus Posterus, has produced some of the best sofubi vinyl figures of the past few years. Among those is a new series of pocket-sized sofubi figures that go by the name - Pocket Sideshow.
The Pocket Sideshow series features four figures, with each design from a different Circus Posterus artist. There’s Otto from Brandt Peters, Penelope from Kathie Olivas, Sproot from Chris Ryniak, and Snowshoe from Amanda Louise Spayd.
Thanks to Tomenosuke, we’ve been able to get our hands on the first Pocket Sideshow colorway. It’s soft black vinyl painted with shades of orange. Also, there’s a limited run of unpainted black figures…if that’s your thing.
The Facts
Pocket Sideshow
Manufacturer: T+CP (Tomenosuke + Circus Posterus)
Artists: Amanda Louise Spayd, Brandt Peters, Chris Ryniak, and Kathie Olivas
Material: Sofubi (soft vinyl - Japan)
Dimensions: About 3” tall
Points of Articulation: One each (neck)
Designs: Otto (Brandt Peters); Penelope (Kathie Olivas); Sproot (Chris Ryniak); Snowshoe (Amanda Louise Spayd)
Edition Size: Painted – 100 pieces; Unpainted – 60 pieces
Pricing: ¥4,650 ($40.00) per 2-pack
Packaging
These came poly-bagged without being carded. That’s fine for me, as it’s not likely they would stay trapped in those baggy confines for very long. So there’s not much to talk about here.
Our Opinion
I’ve been a fan of the work that Tomenosuke and Circus Posterus have done with some of their larger sofubi figures. In a marketplace that’s currently lacking the number and quality of vinyl toys that it had two or three years ago, the T+CP collective has pretty much carried that torch. While the Pocket Sideshow series is a little smaller (hence…fitting in your pocket), it still features the same quality as its larger brethren.
The series features four figures, each one being from a different Circus Posterus artist. We’ve seen previous T+CP collaborations based on the works of Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, and Chris Ryniak, but this is the first sofubi we’re seeing designed by artist Amanda Spayd. Otto (Peters), Penelope (Olivas), Sproot (Ryniak), and Snowshoe (Spayd) are all cast in black vinyl, with the painted version featuring orange elements (as well as additional paint colors).
The Pocket Sideshow figures are available in both painted and unpainted editions, with the painted version (100 pieces) being more readily available than the unpainted (60 pieces). Each figure features a single point of articulation at the neck, which is just enough for a figure of this size. Also, the sculpting work on especially Otto and Sproot wouldn’t be possible if they went with more articulation.
With series such as this, I normally tend to subconsciously choose my favorite. With the Pocket Sideshow series, I think that award would go to Chris Ryniak’s Sproot character. Some of that might be due to my 4-year-old son’s insistence that Sproot was an angry brussel sprout. But I think the series features four very strong sculpts from four really great artists.
They’re currently available for $40.00 for the duo (painted and unpainted). There are additional colorways planned, including the Winter Colorway that will be available beginning on Wednesday December 10th 2014.
Check out the following to pick one up:
Circus Posterus: $40.00 per 2-pack
Tomenosuke: ¥4,650 per 2-pack or ¥17,280 per full set of 8 pieces
