In the world of designer toys, few stories are as passionate and dramatic as that of Mr. Shinichiro Kato! Like many creators, Mr. Kato didn't find his life's calling right away. How did he, after trying various professions (even becoming a pro-wrestler), finally establish his own passionately stylized brand, "ART JUNKIE"? In addition to his creative secrets, we will also reveal the upcoming BUTIGER limited collaboration special edition from Mr. Kato and Toy People! Let's dive into the details with this exclusive report from Toy People~
Toy People:Could you please tell us the origin of the brand name "ART JUNKIE"?
Kato:When I embarked on my design journey, I decided to use the name "ART JUNKIE" to express my passion for art and my pursuit of success.
I believe that one can only succeed by dedicating oneself to art as if it were an addiction. So, I started calling myself "ART JUNKIE" and began my creative activities. This name also became my brand name.
Toy People:What did you major in at school? And what jobs did you have before becoming a toy designer?
Kato:Before becoming a designer, I dreamed of being a professional wrestler and even went to the United States for training. In 1994 (at the age of 23), I trained as a wrestler but never officially debuted.
It wasn't until 2015 (at the age of 44) that my original character, "AJ Mask," officially debuted, and I served as his assistant. I even entered the ring to join the fight to help AJ Mask during matches.
After giving up wrestling, I tried to find a profession that suited my aspirations and had various experiences in sales, delivery, and as a factory worker.
At the age of 28, I decided to enroll in a design vocational school. At that time, not many people used Mac computers. I learned how to use Illustrator and Photoshop during this period, but the school didn't have specialized courses on character design. Much of my character creation process was self-taught through constant exploration.
Toy People:What was the turning point that led you to become a designer toy artist?
Kato:Initially, I studied design to become a T-shirt designer.
At that time, my characters "Shitman" and "Calmcat" gained some attention, and I received an offer to turn them into soft vinyl toys. This opportunity was the catalyst for me becoming a designer toy artist.
Toy People:Besides your own work, do you collect other toys or items? What new toy has recently captured your fascination?
Kato:I love the works of Go Nagai-sensei, so I often buy his soft vinyl toys like "Devilman," "Mazinger Z," and "Steel Jeeg." Additionally, I also purchase independent soft vinyl toys from artists in different countries based on my personal preferences.
Toy People:Could you please introduce us to your very first toy creation?
Kato:My first work was "Softman." I initially conceived "Softman" as a kaiju or monster-type character, but it wasn't well-received by the fans.
However, this experience taught me that "one must create a character that clearly belongs to a specific theme or style" to be more easily accepted, such as a cat, bear, yokai, kaiju, robot, and so on.
I feel it's very important to purposefully create characters that collectors would want to collect.
Toy People:How do you usually find inspiration for your toy creations? Do you have any special creative rituals?
Kato:I usually get inspiration from traveling, going out for drinks, watching entertainment shows, or just having fun. When creating characters, I don't just learn by observing other characters; I generate various ideas through my own real-life experiences.
Toy People:What kind of environment do you prefer to create in? Could you share a bit about your studio space?
Kato:I like to work in a comfortable, air-conditioned environment while drinking coffee.
Toy People:Among your many characters, could you introduce some of the popular ones and their creation backgrounds?
Kato:I love every character I've created. Here, I'll share the creation backgrounds of a few of them:
1.Calmcat
This character was originally born from a T-shirt design. I intentionally drew it in a shape resembling stacked manju (buns). Because the T-shirt design caught the eye of One up., they invited me to turn it into a soft vinyl figure. It later became part of the VAG project. (VAG stands for VINYL ARTIST GACHA, a capsule toy series by MEDICOM TOY featuring original characters from various artists).
A collector from overseas is extremely fond of this character, even getting it tattooed on his arm. He made a special visit when I was exhibiting in New York, which left a deep impression on me.
2.KingPacara
This is a three-headed beast king, a peculiar alpaca monster.
By design, I intentionally made it look not very strong but gave it an approachable feel. It has three different facial expressions.
3.Violent Cat
Created as a counterpart to the gentle three-eyed "Calm Cat," this is a violent and intimidating character. I also wanted to try making a medium-sized soft vinyl toy, so its size is about 19 cm.
4.Butiger
He was once a respected legendary tiger warrior who fought for peace.
After giving up fighting, he became obese, and his nose even turned into a pig's snout! To reclaim his former self, he once again vows to fight for world peace, but finds it hard to break free from his lazy lifestyle.
"Will he be strict with himself and reshape his ideal image?"
"Or will he remain lazy and stay in his unsightly form for the rest of his life?"
What does the future hold for Butiger!? It's very exciting to think about.
On a side note, he loves to eat daifuku. This time, I will be releasing the Toy People limited collaboration special edition on Toy People, and I hope all the collectors will love it. Please look forward to it~!!
Toy People:Besides creating, do you have any other hobbies? Please give your fans a chance to get to know you better.
Kato:Since having a child, parenting has been a very exciting thing for me!
While it's not exactly a hobby, parenting is a process full of new experiences that has also sparked my curiosity for the unknown. Seeing my son grow every day is my greatest joy.
Additionally, I enjoy watching pro-wrestling and combat sports, as well as short videos on YouTube and TikTok. I also occasionally go for a swim at the pool to relax.
Toy People:Finally, please answer this for us: "To you, what are toys?"
Kato:Toy are fun!
Art Junkie × Toy People's "BUTIGER - TOY PEOPLE Ver." will be revealed soon! Fans of ART JUNKIE, please stay tuned!
Follow Mr. Kato for the latest news!
→Mr. Kato's Instagram (Shinichiro AJ Kato)
→AJ Fanatics Fan Page
→ART JUNKIE Instagram