Winter Break Project- The Munny

During last semester I became interested in Kidrobot vinyl designer toys called Dunnys.  These are touted as not being toys but as art for ages 15 and up.  They are the same basic body shape that Kidrobot then has artists create onto like a canvas.  They are then reproduced and sold in blind boxers so the consumer doesn't know which one they are getting.  By making some Dunnys more rare than others these items quickly become collector items worth hundreds of dollars.

Kidrobot also makes Munnys, or a do-it-yourself version of the Dunny.  This allows for a person to create a highly personalized vinyl piece of art.  They come in different sizes ranging from a couple of inches tall to giant 18 inch behemoths.  While at a coffee shop that sold Kidrobot merchandise I mentioned them to my sisters, one of which ended up buying me a Munny for Christmas.

The version I got was a 4-inch Christmas Mini Munny that can be hung like an ornament.  I ended up removing this hook that screws in.  It came with red and green markers, a blank candy cane accessory, and an accessory that appears to be a sign like a person in a picket line would use.  None of these included items ended up being used.

At first I was completely baffled on what I should do with this project. The first problem with a project like this is that there are too many options to go with.  Limitations needed to be set so a clear and precise idea could be formed.  I naturally lean towards simple and clean design, and since Jamie advised me to explore this natural tendency I decided to make this my first limitation on myself.  How little could I add while still making an object that is personalized and complete?

I began working on this Munny by researching what others had done with theirs.  These blank canvases basically have unlimited potential as people paint them, add on more structure using modeling clay, and use fabric for realistic clothing.  The majority of my research brought up Munnys that were pushing the limits of complexity.

My first strong idea was to create a hillbilly.  I would add simple black buttons for eyes, paint him flesh color, and I would make him a pair of overalls. These overalls would become the important part of the Munny since they would become the most detailed part.  They would show to the audience that the creator, while working simply, was purposefully working this way as a stylistic approach.

The first step was to take the Munny apart and add supports for me to hold on to while painting.  Taping the joints was done so that nothing could get on them so the pieces would still fit together.  Since vinyl is not the best choice for painting on a primer coat was also necessary.  After painting a matte finish was applied to protect the paint from chipping.

At home production method for drying.

The next step was to create the overalls.  This began the evolution of this project to its final actualized form.  After creating blueprints for the overalls I cut them out of the denim and laid the initial plans over the Munny body.  Needing to resize became apparent.  After two more iterations of overalls I realized that this plan was being hindered by my lack of experience with creating clothing.

I stopped production to begin rethinking my plans.  New plans included a professional boxer or an Olympic swimmer.  Going past these juvenile plans I went back to my visual research in hopes of finding something to react to.  Once again I noted the complexity in them.  I jumped from this overuse of complexity to my new plan that would celebrate the efficiency of simplicity.