A few years ago, I wrote about Sucklord, the New York artist who made bootleg action figures. Well, he happens to feature in a book called The Bootleg Bible alongside a variety of toy bootleggers including Dano Brown and Marquee Marauders Club:
[…] the book includes a bootlegging 101 guide, which takes the aspiring bootlegger through each step in the toy-making process; from finding materials to sculpting to packaging. It’s helpful advice from some of the best in the bootlegging industry.
Interestingly, bootleg toys can be one of a kind or reproduced, it all depends. But no matter their availability, they’re all made in a low-tech, DIY and homemade way without any pressure to mass-produce them in factories. This makes them extra special, as artists are free to make whatever ideas drift into their heads without the need for corporate consent or approval, not to mention the large budgets and risks that usually combine in the development process.
Excerpt from Creative Boom
Another toy bootlegger who features is Obvious Plant, someone I featured on our sibling site, Playrface.