Collecting Art Toys: What's Going On Anyway?

What is Urban Vinyl?

Urban Vinyl is street-smart, three-dimensional art. First seen in the 1990s in Japan, the phenomenon has exploded westwards, gaining its name from the new millennium's canny, urban culture and the vinyl of the figures themselves.

Available only in collectible, limited editions, each figure is a canvas decorated by a named designer. These 'art toys' have presence, character, individuality and history; each one has a whole world to inhabit and a story behind its creation.

Urban Vinyl is the latest, hottest trend; it's challenging, confrontational, even contentious. There are many different kinds of distinctive, 3D shapes and stylised character representations. From the best bands to the stars of stage and screen — you'll find them here as you've never found them before.

Like all art, it can be extremely valuable. Rare figures, 'chase' figures and signed figures, exclusives and experiments — there's a fantastic sub-culture surrounding the collection of Urban Vinyl toys!

And it's not all vinyl. The 'art toy' sensation has grown to incorporate designs made from wood, metal, plush, cloth or latex. To find out more about the artists, their characters, worlds and canvases, please visit our online guide.

At Forbidden Planet, we're on cutting edge of modern artistic culture. Every year, our Buyers travel the Trade Shows, seeking out new concepts. Among their destinations, they visit the San Diego Comic Con — the ultimate exhibition of the latest art toys. Here, each artist features a small number of extremely collectible limited editions — and we're quick to secure them for our customers.