Art Toy, all photos copyright Thibaut Malet
Imagine if you will, a world in which Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the founding father of the Lego Group, had stuck with his original profession, carpentry, and didn’t make the technological leap to create toys made from ultra modern ABS plastic in the late ’40s. Now, continue that fantasy into the current Lego range and marvel at what the classic minifigure could have looked liked if it had been hand carved from solid oak!
That’s exactly what French designer Thibaut Malet has created with his “Art Toy” figures. The not-so-minifigs stand about 11cm tall – about three times the size of their plastic counterparts. Malet has said very little about them, apart from the fact that their limbs aren’t actually poseable, preferring instead to let his beautiful photography do the selling for him, and it sure works!
Just look at that beautiful packaging!
In addition to the minifigs being hand carved, they’re packaged in hand-folded recycled cardboard boxes, hand stamped by Malet with his logo, and protected by the wood shavings left over from their creation. Each of the limited edition run of 20 has its number carved into its feet. Only 16 of them were left for auction on the French eBay site at the time of writing, with bids ranging from €40 and upwards. They end on the 28th November and I expect them to go a lot higher than that.
Be sure to check out Malet’s site to see the all of the beautiful photographs of the Art Toys and his other wonderful wooden creations, including bike accessories, custom USB drives and some stunning architecture.
Exquisite detailing on the arms and legs
