With CAPSLs Artist Jason Freeny Shows Us Once Again; It’s What’s Inside That Counts
One minute you’re an unknown artist working on a quirky new project; the next you’re being named Clutter Magazine’s Breakthrough Artist of 2011. Suddenly you’ve got an army of avid Facebook fans following your every move and your pieces are selling for $10,000 each. So where do you go from there? For Jason Freeny, who made his name by dissecting toys, the answer was fairly obvious. Today Freeny is launching his very own line of designer toys; CAPSLs. Available online at CAPSLs.com, CAPSLs are super-durable, interactive keychains with pocket-sized personality and just enough space to store your smallest goodies, like candies, mints, “prescriptions”– whatever it is that keeps you going (and hey, we’re not here to judge).
In 2011, Freeny’s “Pop Anatomy” sculptures gave us a very literal look inside of pop culture icons as Super Mario and Hello Kitty and launched Freeny into the spotlight with glowing write-ups in Gizmodo and High Snobiety, among others. With those pieces, Freeny started with mass produced toys and turned them into unique works of art. Now this web phenom is partnering with FCTRY, an independent product design firm, to turn the tables and mass producing his original creations for everyone to enjoy. For the first time, Freeny’s thousands of fans can each take home a piece of the rising star’s work.
“For my first line of designer toys, I wanted to add function” Freeny says. “ Everything else out there is all about form, but CAPSLs are actually useful too. And I wanted to add a 4th dimension, since so much of what I do focuses on what’s inside; CAPSLs let you go inside and actually use that space to store things.”
The first series of CAPSLs features 12 original designs ranging from sweet (Flower Bomb) to zany (Frog Squid). Tops and bottoms create an airtight seal, and they’re interchangeable, so you can mix and match with more than 100 combinations. In addition to the original 12, several special limited edition CAPSLs will be released over the next few weeks.
The full series is available for $99 and will include all original 12 plus 3 blind boxes. Individual CAPSLs can be purchased for $7.99 at http://www.capsls.com. Buy the full set and get a limited edition Medicine Man for free.
Connect with FCTRY. on Facebook to learn about how CAPSLs were designed, special releases and to connect with Jason Freeny at http://facebook.com/CAPSLs.
CAPSLs (series one) include: 3 Eyed Squid, 40 Watt, Bones & Band-Aids, Brain Monster, Daily Dose, Flower Bomb, Frog Squid, Happy Pill, Frog Squid, Peace Bomb, Shark Bomb, Spray Bomb, Squid Monster and Medicine Man (limited edition 300 available)
