Vespa Va Vroom!

Edition of 10, on OpenSea

Taking somewhat conflicting inspiration from Quadrophenia and the many amazing movies of El Santo, this mysterious luchadore and his Vespa search for adventure in downtown Los Angeles.

Photographed in 2004, this now-classic image of a kit-bashed luchadore figure was featured in the monograph "Art-Toys" by Brian McCarty, published by Baby Tattoo Books in 2010. A print of "Vespa Va Vroom" is currently housed in the Sir Elton John Photography Collection.

To reward early collectors, Vespa Va Vroom! is starting at 0.06 ETH, with the price increasing by 0.01 ETH for each subsequent NFT in the edition. So #10/10 will be 0.15 ETH, #9/10 will be 0.14 ETH, and so on down to #1/10 at 0.06 ETH.

Biddies / B.I.T.DZ (Back In The Days)

Edition of 10, on OpenSea

Left to right:
Biddies Breakin’, 2004
Circus Liquor, 2004
Star Strip, 2004

Back in 2004, Brian McCarty spent a day driving around Los Angeles with Oakland-based artist Roy “Ghetto Gheppetto” Miles, photographing his Biddies / B.I.T.DZ figures. The toys, designed and independently produced by Roy, “represent the blueprint and spirit of the original Hip-Hop pioneers.” While honoring the heroes who forged the culture over its first twenty-five years, Roy acted as a pioneer himself. He blazed a path for countless others to follow, showing fellow artists that they too could mass produce their own characters in factories overseas. Roy’s work influenced the entire Art-Toy movement and made “Urban Vinyl” part of its DNA.

The resulting photos from that day are being offered as a series of NFTs on OpenSea:

Biddies Breakin’ was shot at Hollywood & Highland on the Walk of Fame. Inspired by early 80’s B-boys like Crazy Legs and the Rock Steady Crew, “Tre is a classic South Bronx breaker who is never seen without his box. He is always in battle mode.”

Circus Liquor was shot in North Hollywood at the iconic location and features the character O’Shay. According to Roy, “O’Shay is my tribute to the west coast emcees and is of course a direct reference to O'Shea Jackson, better know as Ice Cube.” Roy’s character is described as, “Rough and ready. O'Shay is a streetwise rapper from the ill streets of So Cal. He represents the gangsta spirit and speaks for those who never had a voice before him.”

Star Strip was photographed outside of a popular strip club on La Cienega Boulevard on the edge of West Hollywood. The character “Imperial One” (seen out front) is inspired by Slick Rick aka The Ruler. “Don't let his laid back flow and slick appearance fool you, the Imperial One has skills beyond any one M.C. If you want to battle him, you better bring an army because this royal rapper speaks from both sides of his brain.”

Note that Star Strip will be an air drop, reserved for those that purchase the other two.

Mullet Heads

Edition of 10 (+2 AP), on OpenSea

Left to right:
Golden Rule, 2003
A Night in the Drunk Tank, 2003
Twin Arrows, 2003

For his second NFT drop on OpenSea, Brian McCarty is going back to his first Art-Toy collaboration from 2003. When he left Mattel, Brian was determined to make a name for himself within the growing designer toy scene. He spotted the Mullet Heads™ at Soap Plant / Wacko in Hollywood and shot one at a nearby convenience store. He hoped to impress the company behind the figures – Achy Breaky Toys (ABT) – and turn them into a client, but things turned out better than he could have planned. Coincidentally, Achy Breaky’s HQ was just a few doors down from the Golden Rule liquor store. So, when the unsolicited photo arrived, it made one hell of an impression. They quickly became more friends than clients, especially since no one was making much money back then, and the ABT crew graciously helped to connect Brian to an amazing community of artists, designers, and companies.

Over the next several months, the Mullet Heads accompanied Brian on his travels, and he found opportunities to shoot them at some pretty amazing locations – including the drunk tank of the Trousdale County Sheriff's Department in Hartsville, Tennessee. It was where Brian’s mother had spent a large amount of her youth, but before you go thinking bad things about his “mama” – her father was country sheriff. She had grown up, in part, living in the attached jailhouse. Artimus (AKA “The Carney”) felt right at home within its thick walls.

In the years since my mom lived there, with jailhouses falling out of favor, it had been converted into an office, but the drunk tank has remained basically the same. While smashing my nose against the bench to get the angle, the thought occurred to me: "I wonder how many people have thrown up in here." I haven't felt clean since.

The Mullet Head known as “Speed Fry Jr.” was shot at an iconic Route 66 landmark in Arizona. Twin Arrows had been closed since 1995 and was slowly decaying, but it seemed like the perfect place for him and his pet armadillo Baggins to be hanging out, aimlessly killing time.

Note that “Twin Arrows” will be an air drop, reserved exclusively for those that purchase the other two.

Past offerings:

Free Range Furilla

Edition of 10, Sold Out

Brian is entering the world of NFTs on OpenSea, fittingly with the most stolen photo from his Art-Toys body of work. Since it was shot in 2004, "Free Range Furilla" has taken on a life of its own and spread across the internet via memes, blog posts, profile photos, and random collections of "cute" photos, usually without credit. The toy, designed by Torren Orzek and produced by his company FUSE, has long since sold out, but Furilla will always be out there, running wild and free. From Brian:

I sought to capture a Furilla as it regressed into its pure form, playing in the endless expanse of White Sands, New Mexico. To do this I had to hike deep into the dunes, unleashing the Furilla as far from civilization as possible. Out there, with the vast terrain and overwhelmingly quiet sound of blowing sand, it’s like being on another planet. The only remaining connections to reality come from the occasional fighter jet above from nearby Holloman Air Force Base and the friends that accompany you. Trusting the group that hiked out, Furilla was able to let go and really be free.

"Free Range Furilla" is the first in a series of planned NFTs that will highlight some of Brian's best known work from his Art Toys collaborations and preserve them within the blockchain. Stay tuned!

ISIS Theft of “Gaza Cinderella”

1/1, Sold on Foundation

To fundraise for the War Toys® nonprofit organization, Brian is offering a unique NFT on Foundation of his photo that ISIS stole and turned into an online propaganda piece. The original photo "Gaza Cinderella" (left) was shot in 2012, using locally sourced toys in the Gaza Strip. It was inspired by an art-based interview with 10-year-old "Amara," showing her intense fear of missile strikes.

The theft and alteration (right) was discovered in 2015 by the image tracking service Pixsy. Their blog post about the unusual find soon led to worldwide press attention from dozens of outlets around the world including the Washington Post, BBC World Service, and El País.

Even now, Brian is still upset about theft. ISIS took a photo about a young girl's profound fear of airstrikes and turned it into something that promotes an organization that has committed countless atrocities. Taking it back and auctioning the image to support War Toys' mission of peace feels like a great ending to the story.

The winning bidder can expect air drops that include the original ISIS image (as discovered on Twitter). All proceeds will be donated to War Toys®, a California based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.