On Friday of last week, it was revealed Charles M. Schulz’s beloved caricature, Snoopy, will undergo a “KAWS treatment” by OriginalFake to come in the near future. The collaborative “JOE KAWS” vinyl figure was confirmed by KAWS himself over the weekend with a release day sometime this week.  Donned in his “Joe Cool” alter ego, the anthropomorphic beagle now fashion a bright yellow “Joe Kaws” tee with sunglasses bearing KAWS‘ famous X-Marks.  Set to launch this week as OriginalFake store locations and select retailers worldwide.

Grease up the chainsaw bayonet on your Lancer Assault Rifle, we are going on a Locust hunt! The latest from animator Alex Kobbs is Bricks of War, the life and death epic of Gears of War 3, played out on the set of LEGO miniatures. With some customization touches, Kobbs recreated the horrid landscape from the number one first person shooter. There is even the ever ubiquitous blood letting , done cleverly with red clay. See whether or not Marcus Fenix was able to lead his Gears through the carnage and fight another day…

Need a way to train your brick laying skill? Or want venue where you can finally claim the title “Fastest Builder of the West”? Life of George may just be your solution. While we are talking about “construction” here, it is another kind, a miniaturize one. You see, Life of George is a new interactive game from LEGO. Available as an app for either Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, Life of George tests your LEGO brick laying speed and accuracy through a series challenges. Simply construct the form the app gives you within the allotted time and take the finished set with your iPhone/iPod Touch. The game’s algorithm will work on the accuracy of your copy and award you points. Best of all, you can match up with your fellow LEGO maniacs to see who’s the top “layer”. So who is George anyway? Apparently he’s an unofficial LEGO mascot, a LEGO Software Engineer who works for Warehouse Tech Incorporated. And according to his bio online, George “…is a dedicated worker, but he also enjoys traveling the world and having adventures…” Sounds like a LEGO maniac to us. The LEGO Life of George game set is now available at LEGO store locations and its online store.

Seems like the gang from Charles M. Schulz’s timeless Peanuts comic strip will undergo a “KAWS treatment” in the coming months. Seen in this cellphone image, a vinyl figure of that anthropomorphic beagle, Snoopy, donned in his typical “Joe Cool” persona. Except, its known as “JOE KAWS” now… The collaboration between OriginalFake, KAWS, and Peanuts, will encompass the vinyl figure of Snoopy as well as a set of tees in matching graphics. No information on availability and release date thus far though the recent Charlie Brown BE@RBRICK is a hint the collection might be release soon.

Who is the doctor that they go to see when they need to perform a high caliber collaboration with precision? Dr. Romanelli of course. And he has not lost his touch at all by the looks of his latest project. We reported on the CONVERSE x Dr. Romanelli earlier which is part of the same capsule collection and MEDICOM TOY is responsible for producing these Popeye and Beetle Bailey BE@RBRICKS. Both of the American comic characters are available in 100% size and 400% size with each sold separately in a custom designed packaging. No doubt fans would like to collect all four figures and they are all in stock at Project 1/6 right now.

One of the famous artworks from Ron English is the artwork for Super Size Me, and these toys are an extension of the graphic. A trio of figures were made by SECRET BASE in conjunction with online store TOY TOKYO and despite the market normality, all of these toys are made in Japan instead of China. One of the signature styles of SECRET BASE is the transparency finish and there are two transparent versions in this set, X-Ray Mc Super Sized in Hamburger and X-Ray Mc Super Sized Full Color. Last piece of the set is Super Sized Full Color, which is fully colored sans transparency. via: hayabusa.bz

Kidrobot Black, the special limited edition line created by Kidrobot founder Paul Budnitz and inspired by vinyl toys from the late ’90s, has teamed up with New York-based artist Tara McPherson on an 8-inch vinyl depiction of McPherson’s Lilitu painting. The Kidrobot Black charter is to commission its favorite artists to design high-end vinyl toys using the color black as a theme, and Tara McPherson’s succubus figure has been one of the more anticipated projects for Kidrobot fans. Limited to just 200 pieces and individually numbered, the Lilitu sculpture is done up in matte black with gloss highlights and an orange rose mane of hair. Retail is set at $250. Available now through the Kidrobot Black site and select retailers.

Somewhere in there, among the drove of reporters from every conceivable media and formats, is Edison Chen. Can you find him?

Finally, the CLOT x Disney retail concept known as Man Is In The Forest opened its door in Taipei City in the midst of fans and supporters over the weekend.  Situated in the trendy Xinyi District and near the once tallest building in the world, Taipei 101, the new store front featured a sparse layout designed by Makoto Azuma. Best known for his landscape creations, especially those done with fellow designer Kazuki Kuraishi, Azuma cultivated the store’s unique interior, quite literally. With special sponge-like planting blocks developed by Japan’s Suntory Midorie, Azuma nurtured more than 10 species of horticultural flora into a shape most identifiable with Disney – Mickey Mouse’s ears.

Derived from a pivotal juncture in Disney‘s animated classic Bambi, Man Is In The Forest is a distinctive take by CLOT‘s Edison Chen, Kevin Poon, along with Disney’s Ben Yue, on the intuitive relationship we all have with Disney animations. A fact especially discernible within the many other creative types involved in this project, including X-Large, MEDICOM TOY, SSUR, PAM, Bounty Hunter, Vanquish, 84/74 Lab, and more… Besides as a temporary storefront that will be offering limited edition items from the said group of designers.  The grand opening, with Edison Chen as host, marked the mid-point of Traveling Mickey Charity Auction, where fans can bid on one-of-the-kind Mickey Mouse vinyl set.  Half of the auction’s proceeds, along with certain merchandise sales from the store, will benefit local youth programs aimed creative development.

CLOT x Disney – Man Is In The Forest – Taipei
4F-10, No.12, Songshou Road | Map
Xinyi District, Taipei City Taiwan

After its stops in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the CLOT x Disney retail concept known as Man Is In The Forest will be making its landfall in Taipei City tomorrow. Derived from a pivotal moment in Disney‘s animated classic Bambi, Man Is In The Forest is a distinctive take by CLOT‘s Edison Chen, Kevin Poon, along with Disney’s Ben Yue, of the intuitive relationship we have with Disney animations. A fact especially discernible within the many other creative types involved in this project, including X-Large, MEDICOM TOY, SSUR, PAM, Bounty Hunter, Vanquish, 84/74 Lab, and more… The temporary store front will be offering limited edition items from the said group of designers, plus others, at the trendy Xinyi District of Taipei City with Edison Chen presiding over the grand opening event. In the meantime, here is a glimpse of the retail space in the midst of preparation for the opening.

CLOT x Disney – Man Is In The Forest – Taipei
4F-10, No.12, Songshou Road | Map
Xinyi District, Taipei City Taiwan

If you’ve ever had occasion to wonder how many LEGO bricks it would take to assemble a full-sized Ford Explorer, you’re in luck — the answer is 380,000. More pertinent facts: it takes 22 designers over 2,500 hours to complete the build, and the replica vehicle would weigh in at 2,654 pounds (including a 768-pound aluminum supporting base). We know all this because the LEGO Explorer has already debuted at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, and it will soon make its way to LEGOLAND Florida, via a trailer with transparent sides so motorists can view the special LEGO construct while it’s en route. Once there, it will be a part of LEGOLAND’s Ford Driving School for Children, in which participating kids can experience driving their own vehicles at a maximum speed of three miles per hour. Click through to see a time-lapse video of the making of the LEGO Explorer. via: Autoblog

Pioneering vinyl toy artist Michael Lau is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his Crazy Children series with  the release of a 12″ Crazy Children King, aka Child F. Included with the 12″ figure are a cardboard-box throne, crown, cloak, slipper, and a miniature Crazy Michael figure clutched in the hand of the Crazy Children King. Priced at $3300 HKD ($425 USD) and limited to just 800 pieces, the vinyl CC King will be available through crazysmiles.com starting September 29th.

Release Date: September 29th, 2011 (Thursday)

In a few years, “buyer’s remorse” will be a thing of the past, at least when it comes to buying LEGO sets. During last week’s Intel Developer Forum 2011 in San Francisco, engineers at Intel presented their latest image recognition technology. With the help of LEGO, packaging of the pixelated terrariums will now double as visual reference to an augmented reality. Buyers could see the actual LEGO, built and finished, virtually all before any green backs exchange hands. What’s more, this wasn’t some concept but actual off-the-shelf merchandise. Simply visit participating LEGO dealers and try it under specially marked kiosk to see your future LEGO set comes to life. via: Engadget