Money-making monsters
http://www.ryersonline.ca/articles/3068/1/Money-making-monsters/Page1.html
Rebecca Tucker
By Rebecca Tucker
Published on 02/13/2009
Ryha Tamasauskas, Adam Dunn and Bliss Man make monsters.
Their monsters have names and personalities. Some of them are pretty big, but for the most part, you could squish their heads in your hands. They don’t speak, but if one of them just doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the monster brood, the three former Ryerson students nip the little beastie in the bud.
“The thing about the monsters is, we really want them to be characters,” Man said. “We spend a lot of time on what they look like, but what’s also important to us is who they are.”
The monsters in question – intricately designed plush creatures fashioned in a studio on King Street West – are the backbone of Monster Factory, a company the toy makers founded in 2003. Since then, they’ve garnered attention both locally – at design fairs and Toronto’s twice-yearly One of a Kind Show and Sale – and at craft fairs and art shows in the United States and abroad.
But in the beginning, Monster Factory was a modest establishment. “We started this whole thing out of necessity,” said Man, “and the next thing we knew we had a studio.” As the three got more creative with their designs, they turned their friendly-looking monsters into fully developed characters with unique personality traits.
And people started to take note. “You can really get attached to these characaters,” Tamasauskas said. “We’ll design one, and someone buying it will say, ‘Oh, that’s just like my son,’ or ‘that’s just like me.’”
Monster Factory skyrocketed after the three travelled to the New York International Gift Fair. Unbeknownst to them, a style-hunter had taken note of their quirky designs and Monster Factory was listed in Esquire magazine’s Top 10 toy list. “One day, the phone just started ringing off the hook with orders,” Man remembers. “We were just sitting here trying to figure out what was going on, and then someone said, ‘Haven’t you seen? You’re on Yahoo.’”
Since then, the orders haven’t stopped. Monster Factory ships in about 200 pounds of stuffing a week – or 400 around Christmas – and they began wholesaling the monsters in Canada just last year.
And now that the monsters have found homes as toys for children and adults alike, the three partners are looking at expanding their monster empire. They’re staring down the prospect of putting their plush creations on TV.
“I’ve always wanted to do entertainment,” said Tamasauskas from Monster Factory’s main studio. “So we’re now working with an agency (in the United States) to take the brand further than we can take it ourselves. “We’ve been in talks with some production companies,” she added. “Nothing is definite yet, but it’s something we really want to make into a reality.”
Their monsters have names and personalities. Some of them are pretty big, but for the most part, you could squish their heads in your hands. They don’t speak, but if one of them just doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the monster brood, the three former Ryerson students nip the little beastie in the bud.
Money-making monsters
Ryha Tamasauskas, Adam Dunn and Bliss Man make monsters.
Their monsters have names and personalities. Some of them are pretty big, but for the most part, you could squish their heads in your hands. They don’t speak, but if one of them just doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the monster brood, the three former Ryerson students nip the little beastie in the bud.
“The thing about the monsters is, we really want them to be characters,” Man said. “We spend a lot of time on what they look like, but what’s also important to us is who they are.”
The monsters in question – intricately designed plush creatures fashioned in a studio on King Street West – are the backbone of Monster Factory, a company the toy makers founded in 2003. Since then, they’ve garnered attention both locally – at design fairs and Toronto’s twice-yearly One of a Kind Show and Sale – and at craft fairs and art shows in the United States and abroad.
But in the beginning, Monster Factory was a modest establishment. “We started this whole thing out of necessity,” said Man, “and the next thing we knew we had a studio.” As the three got more creative with their designs, they turned their friendly-looking monsters into fully developed characters with unique personality traits.
And people started to take note. “You can really get attached to these characaters,” Tamasauskas said. “We’ll design one, and someone buying it will say, ‘Oh, that’s just like my son,’ or ‘that’s just like me.’”
Monster Factory skyrocketed after the three travelled to the New York International Gift Fair. Unbeknownst to them, a style-hunter had taken note of their quirky designs and Monster Factory was listed in Esquire magazine’s Top 10 toy list. “One day, the phone just started ringing off the hook with orders,” Man remembers. “We were just sitting here trying to figure out what was going on, and then someone said, ‘Haven’t you seen? You’re on Yahoo.’”
Since then, the orders haven’t stopped. Monster Factory ships in about 200 pounds of stuffing a week – or 400 around Christmas – and they began wholesaling the monsters in Canada just last year.
And now that the monsters have found homes as toys for children and adults alike, the three partners are looking at expanding their monster empire. They’re staring down the prospect of putting their plush creations on TV.
“I’ve always wanted to do entertainment,” said Tamasauskas from Monster Factory’s main studio. “So we’re now working with an agency (in the United States) to take the brand further than we can take it ourselves. “We’ve been in talks with some production companies,” she added. “Nothing is definite yet, but it’s something we really want to make into a reality.”