Elegab

It’s finally here! Ningyoushi.com opened their new retail store, double punch, in San Francisco, California in May 2004. Double Punch is located in North Beach district and only a couple blocks from the beautiful bay. After many years of being part of the online toy community, Ningyoushi has decided to begin their vision of the collector’s haven – a place where cool toys, merchandise and art harvested from designers worldwide, can be found under one roof. You can experience the trendiest collectibles from Japan, limited edition designer toys, art, clothing and books that you’ve only been able to see on the web and magazines! Double Punch also features a gallery space in the mezzanine level featuring art and exhibitions from local artists. Elegab is the creative alias of Japanese artist Naritada Shintani, renowned for his distinctive contributions to the sofubi (soft vinyl) art toy scene. His work is characterized by imaginative and often whimsical kaiju (monster) designs that pay homage to traditional Japanese monster culture while incorporating unique, contemporary elements. Elegab’s limited-edition releases are highly sought after by collectors, often distributed through lotteries due to their popularity. His figures are available through select retailers and platforms specializing in designer toys, such as Toy Art Gallery. Max Toy Co’s Kaiju Eyezon is turning 5 years old, and to celebrate its birthday, Mark Nagata is preparing a very special show at the San Francisco store / gallery Double Punch. The show opens Saturday, November 3rd, 2012 until Dec 2nd, 2012. Special guest artists, Todd Robertson and Will Long will be there. The poster for the show was illustrated and designed by Javier Jiménez.