Lucky Uckys
When it comes to toy-hunting, we need all the help we can get. It doesn’t matter if you are trolling your local big box store, out hunting at flea markets, or scouring the aisles at Mandarake Japan – You can use all the luck you can get.
Apparently David Hovarth thought so too.
You may recognize David as being one half of the duo that created the UGLYDOLLS. Well, David is also a Japanese toy collector, and he knows all about the toy hunt. After making tons of trips to Tokyo over the years to search for Japanese toys, David decided to pay homage to one of his favorite types of Japanese toys – the Keshigomu – the mono-color rubber figurine.
Keshi figures were popular in both the US and Japan in the early 80s, most notably through the M.U.S.C.L.E. figure line, which were imported Kinnikuman figures from Japan. There are a few hallmarks of Keshigomu, and David hit all the right notes with this one. The material, the finish, the size, and even the mold lines are the same as with the vintage figures.
The toys come in sets of four and are blister carded. The cards are great as always, with cool and fun sayings all over. One thing I love about Uglydoll merchandise is that the packaging gets almost as much attention as the toys themselves.
“The inspiration for the Uglydoll Lucky Uckys came to Sun-Min and David while roaming the streets of Nakano in Tokyo, Japan as they were searching for old toys and rare collectibles. They imagined spirit guides helping them seek out the rarest and hidden treasures, and soon after that day, the Lucky Uckys were born. We Hope You Enoy!” – From the card back
There are 12 Lucky Uckys, and each comes in one of five colors, making for a total of 60 to collect. Each color is a different kind of luck!
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Blue = Lucky+1
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Yellow = Fortune
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Orange = Magic
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Purple = Secret Power
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Tan = Epic Win
In this set we got:
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Ket (blue)
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Peaco (orange)
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Ox (Flesh)
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Jeero (Yellow) I think…
The package says that you can have a “Spirit Guide in your Pocket” and that is true because these do not like to stand up on their own much. Some of the designs have legs that are so spindly that there’s no way they are going to stand on their own. This group shot was carefully set so that the ones who could not stand could lean on those who could.
WHY THESE ARE COOL
I dig these for several reasons. One is the fact that it is a direct tribute to one of the most iconic, yet underappreciated toy lines shared by American and Japanese kids of the 80s. I like that these are free of any hipster vibe. There is no blind box. There are no chase versions. You can see exactly what you are getting right off the bat. I also love the fact that these are affordable. At about $5 a pack there’s nothing from keeping you from grabbing these on impulse. I also dig that David is “one of us” in a sense, and he managed to tie in something that WE love into the larger Uglydoll mythos. Most of all I think they are fun little dudes to play with that would bring a smile to even the most jaded collector’s face.