Top 5 Toys - Jesse Narens

Jesse Narens is a visual artist and musician from Portland. He has also recently released his first vinyl toy the "Stegoforest" which you can learn more about and order here. Here's some commentary by Jesse about his collecting habits and his Top 5 Toys below.

"When it comes to toys, and everything else in my life, I am very picky. I used to buy everything that I thought was cool, but quickly realized I have a contradicting personality.. I get that panicked, "I need this" collector mindset, but then when my shelves get full I get anxious about having too much stuff and want to get rid of everything. After a few different sell offs, I noticed that certain toys never left. I've narrowed my current collection down to under 20 toys, and now when I see something new I really think about it before getting it. I feel like the toys I look for are random, but when I take a moment to examine them, there are two common themes. Cute and crude. Sometimes a mix of the two. These elements can be created easily, but to do so with character and charm is difficult, and that's what I am drawn to."

5) Woo (first release) by Butanohana

"There was a moment when I thought I was going to try and collect all of the Butanohana toys, but after one anxious sell off, this was the only guy that remained. I still love everything Butanohana, but this guy with his doofus face and pee-snow paint job is my favourite. This might change if there's ever a regular size Zazahn released.."

4) Sametan by Cometdebris (first painted release)
3) Kappa Shonen by Cometdebris (first release)

"Sametan was the first toy that made me pay attention to Koji's stuff, but Kappa Shonen was the one that made me fall in love, and then start to want his earlier toys that I had previously looked over. I want to be this Kappa's best friend. The things that inspire Koji's toys really show through in his interpretations, giving them a vintage charm hiding within a current and unique character."

#2 Chou Cho (first release) by Grumble Toy
#1 Wormrah (first release) by Grumble Toy

"I almost lumped all 4 of the current Grumble Toy minis into one, but decided to play by the rules and just pick my favourite 2 to finish off this list. Grumble Toy does cute, crude and full of charm perfectly, and the first release of Wormrah has been my number 1 toy for a long time. I feel like nothing will ever top it. Chou-cho comes in a close 2nd. Their small size makes it easy to take them with me wherever I go, and they are very photogenic."