A big part of my family’s move to Louisville is the fact that there is a toy culture here. By toy culture, I mean people who like toys (old and new), they hang out and talk about them, there are places to buy them [like Ultra Pop! and the amazing Antique & Toy Mall], and that social activities centering around toys and cool comic/monster art actually exist here.
According to Paul LePree owner of Ultra Pop! the toy scene in Louisville is, small but growing. According to my husband, Bernhardt Geyer aka Happiness Bastard, “It is a good city for [toys], and “Keep Louisville Weird” really sums it up. This is a great city for anyone coming into anything; it seems that you can always find a group of people interested in what you like and that they will DO something about their interest instead of just talking or complaining. I kind of feel like the positive ooze from Ghostbusters 2 is running under Louisville…”
“I know more people here who are into toys in a big way than I did while I was in [art school and working for a toy company in] Ohio,” claims DC Direct toy designer Jonathan Matthews. “Pretty much all my friends are some sort of nerd or another, the vast majority being the toy variety… One interesting thing about the ‘scenesters’ here is that many of them customize toys or design toys, or in some other way throw their own creativity into a hobby that really only requires money and shelf space. I don’t know if this is specific to the region or indicative of toy collectors in general, but it certainly gives myself and other collectors here more to talk about.”
Paul LePree, Kevin Kallbreier, Bernhardt Geyer, and Jonathan Matthews are four fancy gentlemen who love toys. Geyer and Matthews make toys, and LePree and Kallbreier’s love of toys inspires them both to give back to the greater good, including fostering local artists and using their connections to help the world. LePree carries cool toys, books, and artwork in Ultra Pop!, and one of the things that makes the store so great is that he is constantly finding new local artists to fill his walls with their work, providing some meaningful experience to people who want and need exposure.
“I have always loved toys,” says LePree, “and I still get a feeling of excitement when I get a new figure whether in the store or for my personal collection. I love the aesthetic and design of a plastic or vinyl figure. I also appreciate the process involved in taking a 1 dimensional drawing and turning it into a 3 dimensional figure.”
Kallbreier feels just as passionately as LePree. “Like many other kids I grew up with an obsession for Star Wars…all things Star Wars. My obsession never went away, but only grew! I started to venture out and get involved in other things like art. Paul LePree and Ultra Pop! were a HUGE influence on me. Not only would I buy books/shirts from his store, but he turned me on to the modern Japan vinyl (kaiju) toys that I’m now obsessed with.”
“I have been into monster toys since I was 4,” adds Geyer. “The first thing I remember was my Uncle Ken sitting me down with the Aurora Frankenstein at my grandma’s kitchen table and teaching me how to paint. After that, my Aunt Lisa and my mom got me my first Godzilla on a trip to Boston when I was 5. The Godzilla is pretty special – it’s made of the old school hard vinyl that you don’t see much of that these days. The love has been growing since then.”
“GI Joe and He-Man figures were exciting for me as a kid, but I didn’t start collecting toys until I got the job sculpting them. My love for toys was reignited through working on projects. It seems choppy to say it that way, because getting back into that mindset was more organic than it sounds…” adds Matthews.
LePree, who has a history in retail, came up with the idea for Ultra Pop! “after taking several trips to Los Angeles and seeing shops like Giant Robot, Whacko, and Kidrobot. I decided that I wanted to combine my personal passion and interest in art, toys, and pop culture with the desire to have my own shop.” Geyer, Kallbreier and Matthews all cite LePree and his store as a local inspiration. When Geyer first met LePree, he was just beginning to roto-cast. LePree encouraged him to sell pieces in Ultra Pop! and from that boost, Geyer started a successful side toy business under the name of Happiness Bastard.
In fact, many people have gotten their first opportunities on the walls and shelves of UltraPop!. Indeed, the store is THE place to meet some “great collectors and characters,” says Matthews. According to LePree, “I always wanted to create a space that would bring local artists together and create more of a cohesive scene locally. The support and encouragement I get from local artists inspires and motivates me to always want to do more with the shop. My mission has always been to get more art in peoples homes, and luckily I have been able to do that. I am always on the lookout for new talent; most of the artists that I work with I have met in the store or at various art events around the city.”
Kallbreier has a similar motivation with his Kentucky Fried Hardcore (KFHC) website. “The website started one year ago just as a place to share pictures of toys. It now encompasses a lot more. I now try to promote other artists & companies that I think are cool as much as I can, as well as cover local art shows, concerts, or whatever else that I get into. I’m planning a lot of cool stuff for 2012 including some artist collaborations and exclusive releases.”
Kallbreier’s intentions turned into more than just promoting after the tsunamis that devastated Japan. He took his interests in Japanese vinyl and used the forum he created to host a raffle on KFHC. All of the proceeds went to the Japanese Red Cross to help victims. “I wanted this to be an affordable way for the average person/collector to be able to help Japan and also have a chance to win something really cool. I got artists/companies from the US and Japan to donate prizes (prints, original art, custom toys). I got a good mix of up and coming artists along with some pretty popular ones. The response was overwhelming. Over 40 artists/companies stepped up and donated prizes. I was able to sell over 500 raffle tickets and raise a good amount of money for the Japan Red Cross! It was a HUGE success.”
For each of these fellas, Louisville has been a great support to their interests, and meeting each other has helped them all thrive in their own ways. “Believe it or not, I have never really had friends that are into this stuff like I do here, and that has really created an environment I can thrive in,” says Geyer. “I got invited to Kevlo-con as soon as I moved here and felt right at home. Not to mention fresh off the boat I got a job at WHY Louisville running the print shop; the front is fun but Will has really turned the back into something that could rival Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”
A self-proclaimed member of “the Garbage Pail Kid Generation,” Geyer’s creative aesthetic comes from “this sort of cavity reality; bright friendly colors but something dark and bad for you at the same time. Like Beetlejuice: kids love that movie, but would you want your kids hanging out with Beetlejuice? Also, lots of old monster stuff, anything with a glow in the dark gimmick or lowbrow bootleg of something weird. I am not interested in the finely sculpted reproductions that are coming out today.”
When you buy a Happiness Bastard creation, it’s full on Geyer all the way. Printmaking comes in handy for him because he prints the packaging and makes the occasional t-shirt as well.
As for Matthews, he’s a self-proclaimed “local boy” and has been back in Louisville for six years after going to college and working for a toy company in Ohio. “When the toy company I was working for shut down, all the toy designers, sculptors, and engineers were blown to the four winds by other job prospects.” After that, Matthews went freelance and eventually landed the job at DC Direct. He’s been working for them ever since. “When I eventually moved home [to Louisville], I was able to buy a house and get a far superior studio than the one I had in Ohio because the cost of living here is so great.” In that respect, being in Louisville has been motivational for him in terms of creative space.
The thing that moves me is that all of these guys work to support Louisville’s local toy “scene,” thus making them thrive and putting Louisville on the “toy map.” They have all made good friends in the process. “What drives me to do what I do is to help the community and the artists involved,” adds Kallbreier. “It’s a pretty grass roots community, but globally I just hope that my efforts help out some of these artists, and it’s always good to raise money for charities. I have met so many cool people through collecting these toys, and I stay friends with many in the long run. None of this was designed as, or is, a way for me to make money. The toy scene in Louisville is pretty small, but with the help of Ultra Pop!, Happiness Bastard, Jonathan Matthews, and the KFHC, Louisville is starting to get some buzz.” And well deserved, I must add.
– Stacy Geyer
The Players
1) Paul LePree
Who he is:
Owner of Ultra Pop! on Bardstown Road aka The Godfather of all things vinyl.
His message:
“Support local art and local business. Don’t settle for crappy pre-framed art. Buy art that means something to you. Go to Ultra Pop! We’ve got some great shows planned for you over the next year.”
2) Kevin Kallbreier
Who he is:
Local toy altruist and promoter. He started a toy convention here in Louisville. “KEVLO CON started as a joke a couple years back, and each year it is getting bigger. KEVLO CON 2 was a blast. This year, we had a roto-casting demo along with fireworks. Toys, prints, and shirts were given away, along with a lot of toy talk. Each year I announce it on the KFHC website.”
3) Bernhardt Geyer
Who he is:
Self-taught roto-caster and monster enthusiast, the printer at WHY Louisville, alias “Happiness Bastard.” I also married him.
What is roto-casting?
“The process isn’t really that complicated, you create a mold, there are plenty of different ways. Pour in plastic of your choice, seal the mold shut and start to spin it around. This coats the sides of the mold with plastic and makes the final form hollow instead of solid. I do it by hand, I don’t have room for a machine, and it keeps my guns up to par.”
happiness-bastard.blogspot.com
4) Jonathan Matthews
Who he is:
Sculptor for DC Direct. Long story short, he makes a lot of Batman and Superman sculptures.
What he studied in art school:
He received BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design majoring in illustration. This lead to “a job at an advertising agency for my first real illustration gig. I did a lot of marker layout stuff for ads there and a bit of full blown painted illustration. I stayed there about a year before getting hired by a local (to Columbus, OH) toy company and have been sculpting ever since.”
A little about his work:
“The sculpts I do are your traditional action figures and some statues thrown in for variety’s sake. They are all DC superhero characters and can be found almost exclusively at comic book shops. Generally, an assortment of action figures (4 to 6 characters) will be sculpted by multiple artists. Occasionally, I’ll do the sculpture for a whole assortment, but not very often. For each action figure I sculpt, I’ll have to engineer the joints into the figure and be sure they have a sufficient range of motion. For all hinge and pivot joints (that’s elbows, knees, waist, etc) I cut disks of hard foam on a lathe and craft a little pivot point that I’ll have to cut into the action figure at the appropriate spot. I cut each joint specific to character and location on the figure’s body. Each sculpture I do is unique, so the joints are too.
For ball joints (neck, shoulders and sometimes hips) I use a sphere in the top part of arm or neck and cut a socket into the female end of the joint (into head or torso, as required). The final engineering for ball joints is done at the factory.”
What is a statue compared to an action figure? “
A statue is basically a larger scale static figure. More detail and of course, no articulation differentiate it from an action figure. A popular scale for comic hero statuary is 1/6th (12 inches high) and more recently 1/4 scale (18 inches high). In my experience, statues are used to clutter up your house, take up space in your basement and/ or garage and generally annoy your wife if you happen to be married. Oh, and they look great while doing all these things!”
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This article is…fantastic. I have some roots in Louisville and never realized how this toy scene has popped up. I’m totally hip to new and old toys and I definitely love the “Hey kids!…I’m totally hilarious…buuuut…I might eat your brains when you’re not looking.”-Beetlejuice-esque stuff. After reading this I will definitely be making plans to visit Louisville soon and check out this semi-underground treasure of a hobbie/badass-ness.