From our good friends @ Shawnimals, and our newest sponsor, Rotofugi, check these sweet new Ninjatown Zipper Charms!

Perfect for all kinds of zippers, these new charms are fly (get it?).

They drop this Friday, March 12th. Get them here and here.

Are you fed up with the way that ninjas are portrayed in the media as always being in unreasonably perfect physical shape?  Do you feel that these unrealistic images and ideals put far too much pressure on young ninjas to look exactly like them?  Would you like a plush toy that portrays a REAL ninja with healthy curves?  Well, this is your lucky day!  Today marks the release of the next installment of the Ninja of the Month Club from our friends at Shawnimals, Notso Wee Ninja!

From Shawnimals:

Ninja of the Month: Notso Wee Ninja!

The 3rd of 12 all-new Ninjas has been revealed! Notso is surprisingly agile, despite his seemingly… ahem… unbalanced physique. He loves cookies, of course, but also uses them as currency and weapons? It’s all very confusing…

AVAILABLEWednesday March 3rd at 1pm CST!

From the tag:
More sumo than stealth, Notso can defeat Chubby Devils by literally throwing his weight around. And although his dietary habits are not part of Ol’ Master Ninja’s training regimen, Notso insists he’s following a disciplined cookie diet – he sees cookies, and he eats them!

Motto:
“Are you going to eat that?”

When you order this $30 product you get…

• A handmade 7″ × 7″ plush Ninja limited to 100 pcs.
• Signed and numbered fancy hang tag
• Fun accessories – A cookie with a munch taken out, and crumbs!
• A character sticker
• A character button

You can also purchase more Ninja of the Month merchandise like stickers, buttons, a poster and more, including a full SUBSCRIPTION, right over here:

http://shop.shawnimals.com/collections/ninja-of-the-month

More pics/link after the jump! (more…)

So, I really like what the Shawnimals crew with pretty much all of their endeavors.  We here at Nerd City are fans of their plush, their vinyl, and even their video games.  But, I’ve got to say that there’s something about this month’s Ninja of the Month Club entry, the Yeti Ninja, that makes it a personal favorite for me.  I love the look of the fur on the base ninja design, and the little snow man side kick is also super cool.  and, you’ve got to love a yeti ninja that is comfortable enough with its emotions that it’s not afraid to let you see it cry.

From Shawnimals:

Ninja of the Month: Yeti Ninja!

We are super excited for the release of the second of 12 all-new Ninjas made for Ninja of the Month! The Yeti Ninja is a force to be reckoned with, and yet is terribly lonely. He wouldn’t admit that, of course. He needs to keep his monster cred in mind after all.

AVAILABLE Wednesday February 3rd at 1pm CST!

From the tag:
This lonely, misunderstood beast of a Ninja lives in the snowiest, most remote parts of the Feroshi Mountains, without a soul nearby. Except for his BFF snowman pal named Rawr. That he made. With his own paws. It’s a little creepy, sure, but mostly sad.

Motto:
“Rawr… rawr, rawr… RAWR!”

When you order this $30 product you get…

• A handmade 7″ × 7″ plush Ninja limited to 100 pcs.
• Signed and numbered fancy hang tag
• Fun accessories – His snowman sidekick named Rawr
• A character sticker
• A character button

You can also purchase more Ninja of the Month merchandise like stickers, buttons, a poster and more, including a full SUBSCRIPTION, right over here:

http://shop.shawnimals.com/collections/ninja-of-the-month

More pics after the jump. (more…)

Our good buddy Shawn Smith and the Shawnimals gang have done it again. Their recently launched Ninja of the Month Club is coming @ you in a big way with their debut ninja: Baker Ninja.

As a fan of both martial arts and cookies, not in that order, I am super stoked to see that this was their first release.

The Ninja of the Month Club is just like it sounds, with Shawnimals sending you a sweet new plush ninja each month. Finally giving you a reason to look at the mail.

Learn more, and sign up for the Ninja of the Month Club here.

Listen to the Shawnimals gang on Nerd City here.

Max and Ben are joined by Shawn Smith, Jen Brody, Montgomery Perry Smith, and Eric Uchalik of Shawnimals and they discuss the past, present, and future of the Shawnimals brand.  Episode 68 of Nerd City is the greatest thing ever.  You should probably listen to it.

Pics and links after the jump…

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The always super-awesome Renegade Holiday Craft Fair is in Chicago this weekend.

A great place to get sweet craft-oriented gifts from local artists, this is one of the best events of the holiday season. Plus our good buddies the Shawnimals crew will have a table.

So don’t be a filthy grinch. Be there.

Last night, during the recording of Episode 68, our friend Eric Uchalik (of Shawnimals fame) showed Nerd City this kickass sculpt of his original character, SuperFungo.  Bravo on a super cool paint job on this picer- it really makes the details pop! I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this project goes, as Eric plans to cast resin multiples of this figure. Watch this space for more news as it develops.

More pics after the jump. (more…)

Our good buddy Shawn Smith and the crew @  Shawnimals has done it again. Check out this super adorable Land Lump from the plush world of Professor Fliggins.

Limited to 100 only. Get one here.

Congrats to our pal Shawn for the inclusion of his design the 2009 Dunny series from Kid Robot.  Awesomeness!

From Kid Robot:

DUNNY SERIES 2009

Get ready for Dunny editions of Devilrobot’s To-Fu Head Son and Mori Chack’s Gloomy Bear, plus a new bunch of wild figures equipped with the necessary accessories to wreak havoc on your collection. Keep an eye out for 2 chases that slipped into the line-up, plus Golden Tickets redeemable for an elusive 3-inch Dunny by the NYC-based artist, Pon.

Join us for our Dunny Series 2009 Trading & Pre-Release Parties on September 9 at all Kidrobot stores and select retailers. Celebrate the release of the series, meet fellow collectors, get your trade on, and win awesome prizes!

Dropping September 10, these 3-inch figures will be available at Kidrobot stores, kidrobot.com, and select retailers for $7.95 each.

Artists in this series include Amanda Visell, Andrew Bell, Amy Ruppel, Brandt Peters, Dalek, Devilrobots, Gary Taxali, Mori Chack, Huck Gee, Jeremyville, Kozik, Kronk, Luke Chueh, Mad, Pon, MR. Shane Jessup, Shawnimal, SupaKitch, Travis Cain, and Thomas Han.

PopCult is a new nerd consultant collective composed of Devil’s Due president Josh Blaylock, Nerd Citizen Shawn Smith of Shawnimals, producer Christian Beranek, and hip-hopper Murs,  amongst others. It appears PopCult will consult on all matters of Nerdery, including production, marketing, and event planning.

Although it appears Nerd City’s invitation to join was lost in the mail (it happens), we will do our best to cover all the happenings from this exciting new Chicago-based Nerd organization.

Man, I wish I was going to SDCC.  Yesterday, Rotofugi revealed their official plans for the con:

Welcome to the Rotofugi Somewhat Infrequent Update SPECIAL PRE-San Diego Comic Con 2009 Edition!

If you were with us last time you learned that we’re getting ready to embark on an epic roadtrip….to San Diego Comic Con!

In just a few short hours we’ll be hopping in the car and heading south by southwest with the eventual goal of getting to San Diego in time to set up at Booth 4930.

We’ll be eating tasty road food, listening to lots of audio books (Neal Stephenson’s Anathema was my choice) and most importantly…Twittering. Just follow us @rotofugi to keep up with our progress and maybe get a chance to win a little something here and there (think trivia).

Now…on to the good stuff…here’s some of signings and the stuff we’ll have for sale once we get there….

Saturday 12 Noon-1:45PM

Chris Ryniak Signing and Special Release

The Lake Monsters Big Muscamoot
Fire on the Water Version

What was originally meant to be the very first Lake Monster is now a reality! A little bit of trouble with the first batch of vinyl we received delayed this release but we’ve re-grouped, got new vinyl and won’t ever trust that factory with glue again. Orange vinyl with red, orange and yellow sprays. FIRE.

$60

A small number of pieces will be available AFTER SDCC via lottery. We’ll announce details later. Thanks!

Saturday 2-4PM

Ohm Signing and Special Release

Pure Tcho! Captain Biceps by Muttpop

Tcho! figure design Ohm will be on hand to sign and doodle on a blank version of his Captain Biceps design (not shown…it’s the cool robot one!). Limited to just 50 pieces!

$15

Sunday 12 Noon

Special SDCC / Wonder Festival Summer Dual Release

The Lake Monsters Big Muscamoot
Booskamoot Tribute Version

This tribute to one of our favorite Japanese pop culture characters is a dual release at SDCC as well as at Wonder Festival in Japan. Orange base vinyl with ivory, brown and yellow sprays and a fine misting of silver paint to give a rad pearlescent finish.

$60 at SDCC - Limit One
¥5900 at Wonder Festival

A small number of pieces will be available AFTER SDCC via lottery. We’ll announce details later. Thanks!

Available All Days

Handmade Pocket Devil by Shawnimals Debut Release

A new pocket plush, handmade by the fine Shawnimal folk makes it’s debut…with special SDCC Tag!

$15

Available All Days

The Lake Monsters Big Muscamoot Discount Factory Reject Unpainted Figures

These are the not-so-perfect pieces of vinyl our factory sent us (the reason the Fire on the Water Release was delayed). Some have ill-fitting arms, some have glue drips, some just aren’t right….so we’re selling them off cheap! Mostly they look pretty darn good, they just weren’t good enough to be made into final releases (we’re picky). DIY anyone?

$30 each

Available All Days

Rotofugi Toy Nerd 09 T-Shirts

Chances are that if you’re reading this…and will be attending SDCC, then this is the shirt for you. Be proud of what you are in this 100% Cotton Tee! We are! Sizes Small through XXL.

$16 each

Other Stuff

We’ll also have a good supply of Ninjatown Micro Plush, Marshall Series 1 and Tear Drips Series 1 on hand plus a couple Inked Pulp letter press prints and some neato buttons to pique your interest. So, if you’re going to be at SDCC stop on by Booth 4930 and say hi!

From Shawnimals:

Check out the all-new Pocket Plush addition: Pocket Scrub! He’s a plush soap, except he doesn’t actually clean you.

Look for it Wednesday July 1st at 10am CDT direct from the Shawnimals online shop.

Limited to 300 pieces, with a numbered box. Each Pocket Scrub comes with a unique name, so you won’t know the name of your Scrub until you get your box! Will it be Larry? Or maybe Thelonius? Or perhaps even Antoinette?

Get your new plush soap best friend here.

From Shawnimals:

Phew! We thought for sure Professor Fliggins was a goner, deep inside the Dark Forest being ‘tortured’ by Mr. Demon. Luckily, the oh-so-skilled Pink Ninjas were able to save the day!

From the tag:
“With her Candy Star aerial assault this Pink Ninja is sure to save the day. Beware of her lofty, bubble gum balloons and sassy demeanor!”

Size: ~ 9” x 9” x 3”

Each month Shawnimals will release a new discovery…

• An all-new handmade plush character
• Tagged with its description and numbered
• Limited to 100 pcs
• Each comes meticulously packaged with brown paper, tied with a cotton string
• Special accessories – one stick of Ninja Gum?!
• Character-specific artifacts – this time a grape-flavored Candy Star! (not really candy)
• A goody bag filled with a sticker and two special buttons!

These monthly releases have an MSRP of $40 each plus shipping. First come, first served!

Get yours here.

On a sad note, A.Okay Official, the super cool designer toy/apparel store and gallery, has closed. We here @ Nerd City are truly sad to hear about the news. One of the best places to see cool art from Nerd Citizens Joey Potts, Shawnimals and the like, their innovative art shows will be missed.

Check out this great video featuring Shawnimals!  Vimby gives us insight into the Shawnimals creative process and features a behind the scenes look at the Shawnimals studio.