Archive for January, 2009
So this post has dual significance. First, Jay-Z is one of the best and most influential rappers to ever grace us with his words, and he’ll be playing an inauguration-eve performance on January 19th at the Warner Theatre in D.C. Second, this track has been around for a while but I thought it was appropriate seeing how Brooklyn needs some love and the kid J* Rock is about to go really really hard these next few weeks in D.C.
The Hope Obama Action Figure is an homage to famed artist Shepard Fairey’s iconic red, white, and blue illustrated poster image of Obama that still dots countless shop windows and residential yards. If there is one defining image that this moment in time will be remembered by, the HOPE image is it. The Inaugural Obama Action Figure celebrates this unbelievably exciting time in American history. As Barack Obama graces the world stage for Inauguration 2009, the gold-suited Inaugural Obama Action Figure will be gracing toy collections across the country. Each edition is limited to 3,000 pieces and will never be produced again. Each box has its own unique number stamp-engraved into the cardboard. Due to extremely high demand and limited quantities, there is a 12 piece per customer limit on each figure. The figures will be sold exclusively at JailbreakToys.com for $20.09. (We couldn’t help ourselves, it seemed so much better than $19.99.) If you want one, better come get one before they’re gone. Just sayin’.
I don’t know if everyone has already seen this but it’s new for me. Building off his now legandary poster design, Shepard Fairey does it again with his creation of Obama’s official inauguration poster. This time around he infused classic American symbols with his iconic image, constructing a sophisticated design that in its own way shows how far our country has come. Fairey’s work sparked a generation’s intrique with modern politics and his street art has become as synonymous with the 2008 election as the president-elect himself.
The event, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is free to the public and will be broadcast from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST by HBO on Sunday, Jan. 18.
Mega blog Gawker recently devoted an entire post to the “Obama Merchandise Classification System.” They broke it down like this: official crap, media crap, knick-knack crap and offensive crap. Curiously, the Obama action figure was missing entirely from their heavily researched crap manifesto. Maybe we at Jailbreak Toys should thank the folks over at Gawker for leaving us off their list of crap. I guess they couldn’t find the space to have an entire category about transcendent, fucking-sweet crap. We could be shooting ourselves at the lost opportunity to be featured on the most trafficked blog on the web, but instead we’ll bask in the knowledge that the limited edition Barack Obama Action Figures will be going on sale tomorrow! Pick one up, then sell it on e-bay for 5-to-10 times its value. Just a suggestion. On a side note they gave a nice shout-out to our boy Shepard Fairey whose equally (well really on a much more global, ubiquitious, will-last-forever scale) transcendent poster of the man himself has sold out! Check it out: http://gawker.com/5129334/the-obama-merchandise-classification-system?skyline=true&s=i
The Obama Action Figure, released by Brooklyn-based Jailbreak Toys in 2008, took the toy world by storm, flying off shelves at huge retailers like Urban Outfitters and Borders, making appearances on the Conan O’Brien, The View, in People and Essence magazines, as well as inclusion in the National Museum of American History collection of Presidential memorabilia. Jailbreak Toys founder Jason Feinberg a.k.a. J*Rock had no idea during Obama’s early campaign that this designer toy would ever reach the level of success that it has. “I came up with the idea to create the figure before the first Democratic Primaries,” said Feinberg whose first limited edition is now fetching up to seven times the retail price on eBay. “There was more than excitement surrounding Obama’s campaign, there was engagement and I wanted to find a way to support his message.” As the Presidential Inauguration approaches, two new limited edition Obama Action Figures will be sold exclusively at JailbreakToys.com. Breaking from the conservative dark suit of the original Obama Action Figure, J*Rock will be releasing the Limited Edition Inaugural Obama Action Figure in a funky, fresh and very shiny gold suit, while keeping the action figure Washington, DC-ready in a classic red tie. An homage to famed artist Shepard Fairey’s prolific campaign posters, the Hope Obama Action Figure was created by Nelson X Ascensio for the ART + ACTION = OBAMA 08 exhibition in New York this past October. Ascensio was inspired by Fairey’s iconic red, white, and blue illustrated image of Barack Obama that so recently dotted countless shop windows, residential yards, and even Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2008 cover. Shepard Fairey and Nelson X Ascensio, both allies of Jailbreak Toys, were pleased to grant permission to apply the design to the special Limited Edition Hope Obama Action Figure. Going on sale January 12th at JailbreakToys.com, the 3,000 limited edition figures will undoubtedly sell out quickly. The 6” figures have eight points of articulation and are numbered and packaged in an illustrated window box. Sign up for the Jailbreak Toys newsletter to receive word of the Jailbreak Toys founder, Jason Feinberg a.k.a. J*Rock, is available for interview to discuss the immediate success of the Obama Action Figure, the release of the two limited edition Obama Action Figures, and the entire Jailbreak Toys line. Media requests may be directed to Jenn Breckenridge of agitprop media group via email at jenn@agitpropmedia.com.
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