Paper Or Plastic: Lowbrow Toy and Art Show At Box Gallery In a time when toys have transcended from playthings to collectibles, the market for limited edition and short run items has gone through the roof. Combined with the ever increasing trend for customization of basically everything leads to a entirely new vehicle for artists to ply their craft, developing one off and hyper limited toys that encompass designs that Mattel and Hasbro development teams could never dream of. The latest edition of the Lowbrow Toy and Art show, Paper Or Plastic, will once again spotlight more than 30 local and national artists working in the vinyl toy medium. The show is being hosted by Artists of Rubber City at The Box Gallery. Vividplastic, an online retailer of designer toys and limited edition collectibles is sponsoring the event. To create the toys the KidRobot Munny base figure was used. The figure is seven inches high and comes in a number of colors, but out of the box it has no distinguishable facial features or body markings. Artists use the blank toy as a canvas to paint and draw their imagines into a figure. More intensive designs include the addition of hair and accessories, like hats, necklaces and clothing. While the form originated in Japan – where else could this have come from – it has grown into a world wide following. The initial practitioners were influenced by punk rock scenes, though this has also changed as well, as street artists have also embraced the format to enact their visions. The original KidRobot Munny line has been expanded to include smaller and bigger base figures as well as cars in varying sizes. In addition to the toys, the show will also feature paintings and prints. Paper Or Plastic: The Lowbrow Toy and Art show will run from November 18 through December 31 at Akron’s Box Gallery. There will be an opening reception at the gallery on the November 18 from 5 to 9 p.m. with live music by The Comfort Clouds and Brooks Strause.