Doll Fashion :: Sukra

Sukra creates hand-made clothing for dolls, and some of it is pretty darned cool, way better than anything my dolls ever came with. You can check out her flickr page that shows everything from grunge to goth, and more mainstream fashions as well. LINK

Or see what is currently for sale on her Etsy page under the shop name Sugar Baby Love. LINK

Samurai Wars :: Sillof

From the same guy who gave us steampunk Star Wars, comes the Samurai Wars, imagining the cast transplanted to a time long ago, in a country in the middle of the Pacific? Quite a hobby for a high school teacher! LINK

Creatures in My Head :: Andrew Bell

Andrew Bell is responsible for both two- and three-dimensional creature creations. I'm digging his illustrative style which make his 2-D monsters whimsical, and his 3-D figures are much more imaginative than your standard dunny. Check out his blog-style website that features both. LINK

Ozz Doll Factory :: Julien Martinez

Though Julien Martinez also makes "regular" dolls that are quite unique, I don't think you'd get me to post them on the blog if he didn't also make this more macabre selection. From afar, many of them appear to simply be ornate or antique dolls, but upon closer inspection you'll find the fangs of a vampire or the decay of a zombie. The details in both finishes and costume are pretty amazing. He has a website for his work at Ozz Doll Factory. LINK But he seems to save the dead dolls for his blog. LINK

Tiger :: Ducobi Toy

This series of five tiger artisan toys (two shown here) are handmade and have mother-of-pearl inlays! Ranging from 10 to 100 pieces, these limited editions also incorporate meaning, such as the cherry blossom for the transience of life or the carp for success and prosperity. Find more information and detailed photos at the Ducobi site. LINK

Potamus :: k.olin tribu

Maker k.olin tribu often collaborates with artists to create unique art toys. This time they teamed up with Frank Kozik (known for his rock posters) resulting in the anarchist hippo they call "Potamus". See more pics at their site. LINK

Zeitgeist Toys

Zeitgeist toys has taken the art toy to the next level with hand-painted porcelain and pewter toys, and chrome-plated dunnys. See more about their manufacturing process and the toys at their site. LINK

Steampunk Optimus Prime :: Encline Design

This custom creation is a steampunk transformer, converting from robot to a steam engine. Created by Encline Design, this is a one-of-a-kind action figure. See more photos here. LINK

Three A Toys

From what I can tell, many of the toy selections available from Three A toys are based on comic-book series. I particularly liked the creativity of the World War Robot series.

But even their packaging and website shows some really excellent graphic design. Check out all of the galleries to see the originals and submissions from customers. Some cool photography in the "Your ThreeA" section too. LINK

Twisted Fairy Tales Action Figures :: McFarlane's

In addition to some fairy tale themed action figures that are definitely not for kids, McFarlane's Toys has also created other toys that take a darker twist on our childhood fictions. See more of McFarlane's Monsters with a fairy tale theme here. LINK

The company also create's sports action figures but you can see a more complete listing of their science fiction and fantasy toys here. Warning that some are NSFW viewing. LINK

Action Figures :: Mike Leavitt

These are completely unique! Mike Leavitt has created action figures of artists - in the style of the artist's own work! When I first came across them, I think I looked up most of the artists in his "Art Army" just to see how they related. LINK

Action Figures :: Sillof's Workshop

Sillof re-imagines well known characters for whom we may have seen other action figures before. His site features lots of steampunked characters including the action league, lots of Star Wars, and the Avengers. Also check out his dioramas. You can tell he has a lot of fun doing these. LINK