Lift Designer Toys & Gallery

"Created by legendary “Life is Hell” cartoonist Matt Groening, THE SIMPSONS is..."

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:11:00 -0500

“Created by legendary “Life is Hell” cartoonist Matt Groening, THE SIMPSONS is celebrating its 500th episode in February 2012, and Kidrobot is honoring the father of primetime animation in the only way we know how: making him into a 6-inch vinyl toy! Complete with goatee and glasses, director’s jacket, and pad and pencil accessories, it is the first EVER Simpsons Matt Groening vinyl toy. Available in-store at noon today and online starting now!”

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THE SIMPSONS: MATT GROENING 6-INCH on Storenvy

LOVESICK ARTIST PROFILE: CODY SCHIBI Cody Schibi is a freelance...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:28:30 -0500

LOVESICK ARTIST PROFILE: CODY SCHIBI

Cody Schibi is a freelance illustrator based out of Austin, Texas. His artwork has been deemed “gracefully grotesque” with a mix of precise, fine line detail and dripping watercolors that depict horrifying yet beautiful images. His creations have been inspired by an obsession with horror films (predominately from the 1980s) as well as friends & fellow artists.

View Cody’s work online at www.codyschibi.com & follow him on Twitter for regular updates at http://twitter.com/codyschibi.

LOVESICK opens on Saturday, 2/4/12 on will remain on display through 3/4/12. The opening reception is Saturday from 7 - 10 pm at LIFT, 228 W. 4th Street, Royal Oak MI 48067.

LOVESICK ARTIST PROFILE: JOSH BUCKENBERGER Josh Buckenberger is...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:22:51 -0500

LOVESICK ARTIST PROFILE: JOSH BUCKENBERGER

Josh Buckenberger is a Detroit artist with a dream, a mustache and a drawing implement in his hand. He studied Illustration at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and has since put his talents to use in a diverse range of fields from web design to parade float construction to art restoration. He has shown at C Pop Gallery, Northville Art House, Russell Industrial and other area galleries.

You can view Josh’s work online at: http://www.coroflot.com/jbuckenberger/

Tomorrow we’ll preview the works of the third member of the LOVESICK trio - Cody Schibi.

LOVESICK ARTIST PROFILE: HEATHER HANSMA Heather Hansma has been...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:37:01 -0500

LOVESICK ARTIST PROFILE: HEATHER HANSMA

Heather Hansma has been part of the lowbrow/pop art scene in Detroit since graduating from CCS with a BFA in Illustration in 2007. She has shown at a number of area galleries including Lift, 323East, Starkweather and 5 E as well as OhNo!Doom in Chicago. She has been busy breeding her Puff Buns series of cute and demented characters which can be found around town at such fine establishments as Goods, the Rust Belt and the above mentioned galleries.

You can view all of Heather’s new works at Lift starting Saturday, February 4th through March 4th as part of the LOVESICK exhibit.

Visit Heather online at hansmaillustration.com & follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/Hansma

Tomorrow we’ll preview the works of Detroit’s Josh Buckenberger.

The wait for a new series of Fatcaps is almost over! Series 3...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:30:00 -0500

The wait for a new series of Fatcaps is almost over! Series 3 will be available for purchase in-store and online starting at 11AM EST (note the EARLY OPEN time) on Thursday, 1-26-12.

Series 3 features designs by 14 artists including Scribe, Flying Fortress, KaNo, Sket-One and Devious.

We have a very limited number of Sket-One exclusive “Cover the Cap” fatcaps, free with the purchase of a case, while supplies last.

We’ll be hosting a release and trading party from 6-9 pm. You can bring along any series of toys to trade with other collectors. Sweets and soda are on us!

The cute, grotesque and surreal meet in LIFT’s first show...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:05 -0500

The cute, grotesque and surreal meet in LIFT’s first show of 2012! Metro-Detroit artists Heather Hansma and Josh Buckenberger are joined by Austin, TX illustrator Cody Schibi for the LOVESICK exhibit. Bask in all the adorable, horrifying and moody just in time for Valentines Day!

LOVESICK
new work from Heather Hansma, Cody Schibi & Josh Buckenberger
Saturday, February 4th | 7-10pm
Lift Designer Toys & Gallery
228 W. 4th St. | Royal Oak, MI
248.545.5245

SPREAD THE WORD!! Illegal reproductions of works by Glenn Barr...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:23:00 -0500

SPREAD THE WORD!! Illegal reproductions of works by Glenn Barr and many others are being sold by this Toronto operation. Let’s shut them down!

auniakahn:

Please pass along!

Stealing Art from Artists (Exp: Lori Earley, Sarah Joncas,Martin Wittfooth, Tom Bagshaw, Jeff Soto, Glenn Barr, Natalia Fabia, Mia Araujo, etc….) and Selling as Prints of their works illegally. Please share widely and lets please get them taken down.

http://munin.co/

His Email: a_munin@hotmail.com

His FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/amunin

Owners Website Information:
Registrant Name: Alex Munin
Registrant Organization: munin.co
Registrant Address1: 172 Vaughn Rd.
Registrant City: Toronto
Registrant State/Province: on
Registrant Postal Code: m6c3a4
Registrant Country: Canada
Registrant Country Code: CA
Registrant Phone Number: +1.6472284753

Huck Gee Signing - Friday 01/06/12 at LIFT We’re...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:35:00 -0500

Huck Gee Signing - Friday 01/06/12 at LIFT

We’re thrilled and honored to be on Huck Gee’s signing tour for his new book, The Art of Huck Gee! Huck will be signing at LIFT on Friday from 6-8pm.

The white cover Tour Edition is limited to a run of 800 and available only at his tour stops. The standard red cover edition of the book is also available from LIFT. Book may be purchased at the event or pre-ordered online, in-store or by phone starting today. Pre-ordered books will be available for pick-up at LIFT on Friday or to ship out on 01-09-12.

Huck is recognized as one of the original innovators of the custom art toy movement. His work has been shown around the world and resides in the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He has collaborated with a number of brands including Kidrobot, Coca-Cola and DC Shoes. This book is a retrospective of Huck’s work during the past decade, from custom collections to limited series to production variants.

In the words of Kidrobot founder Paul Budnitz, “Huck Gee is the greatest custom toy artist on the planet” and it’s our pleasure to host him during his tour stop in Detroit.

MORE INFO…Check out this FAQ!

Huck Gee is heading out on an 11 city signing tour for his new...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:24:41 -0500

Huck Gee is heading out on an 11 city signing tour for his new book, The Art of Huck Gee, and Lift is excited to announce that we’re stop number two for the toy-customizer-extraordinaire.

Huck will be signing copies of his 150 page, full color book, on January 6th from 6-8pm. As if the night wasn’t already awesome enough, you can snag a white cover edition of the book available only at the signing tour.

The Art of Huck Gee Book Tour at LIFT
Friday, January 6th | 6-8pm
224 W. 4th St - Royal Oak, MI

Jesse Hernandez’s Calavera Dunny goes on sale today...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:42:11 -0500

Jesse Hernandez’s Calavera Dunny goes on sale today starting at 11AM. $75 and limited to 1000 pieces worldwide. Our local customers get first dibs but we’re hoping to put a few online shortly after 11.

Extended Holiday Shopping Hours

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:31:00 -0500

We’ll be open extended hours through 12-23 for Hanukkah and Christmas shoppers since we know many of our customers are procrastinators (the apple doesn’t far fall from the shop)

TUE 12/13 11am-9pm

WED 12/14 11am-9pm

THU 12/15 11am-9pm

FRI 12/16 11am-9pm

SAT 12/17 11am-9pm

SUN 12/18 12pm-7pm

MON 12/19 11am-10pm

TUE 12/20 11am-9pm

WED 12/21 11am-9pm

THU 12/22 11am-10pm

FRI 12/23 11am-9pm

SAT 12/24 11am-5pm

Thanksgiving Weekend Deals

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:20:00 -0500

Want to save big on gifts from Lift for the holiday season? On Small Business Saturday (11/26) **for the first 30 minutes only** take 30% off nearly everything* in the store! This deal starts at 11 AM and ends at 11:30 AM.

ALL WEEKEND - clearance toys & apparel 50-80% off

FRIDAY - 20% off all apparel & bags

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - 20% off books*, 25% off blind box toys*, 30% off Uglydoll products

ONLINE CUSTOMERS - The 30% off special will run in our web store on Saturday 11/26 from noon-12:30pm EST. Use code: 30-30

* Excludes a few newer releases including Chinese Zodiac, Bentworld Cans, Bearbricks, Crusty Dunny, Gummy Lamps, new book releases & Beardhead. Some products will be limited to 1/customer. Sorry, no additional discounts can be applied.

Weekend Hours:
FRIDAY 11AM - 9PM
SATURDAY 11AM - 9PM
SUNDAY 12PM - 6PM

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

We’ve restocked Tic Toc Apocalypse, one of our favorite...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:00 -0500

We’ve restocked Tic Toc Apocalypse, one of our favorite blind box series from Kidrobot and Amanda Visell!

The apocalypse is right on schedule thanks to the creatures, demigods, and harbingers of doom in this mini series from Amanda Visell. Winged gnomes, wooden dragons, poop laying unicorns, and other fabled beings are here to cheerfully usher in an era of global catastrophe.

Collect all 14 mythical destroyers, including the 2 chases, but give up any hope of suppressing their destructive powers. Available again in-store and online.

Honor, stealth, and cookies above all else! Pocket Wee Ninja...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:38:00 -0500

Honor, stealth, and cookies above all else! Pocket Wee Ninja Plush is 4 inches of flat fleecy Ninja-y goodness from the phenomenally fun world of Ninjatown, created by Chicago-based Shawnimals. Built on kindness, ninja star-shaped cookies, and lightning-fast Stealth Hugs, Ninjatown hosts a variety of Wee Ninja characters, who train all day and ninja all night.

Available now in-store and online for $10 ea.

The master of pop, Joe Ledbetter, lends his iconic style to the...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:52:35 -0500

The master of pop, Joe Ledbetter, lends his iconic style to the Chinese Zodiac with this new series of mini-figures from Play Imaginative! Each vinyl figure stands between 3-4” tall and comes packaged in a window box. Available now in-store & online.

These adorable Gummylamps just arrived from Jailbreak...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:25:36 -0500

These adorable Gummylamps just arrived from Jailbreak Collective! Choose your flavor and then give their tummy a squeeze to activate the LED light inside. Available now in-store and online.

The Art-o-Mat has been restocked with brand new awesome! The...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:39:00 -0400

The Art-o-Mat has been restocked with brand new awesome! The slots have been taken over by rabbits, celebrity zombies, robots & more. Check out a full list of whats currently *kerplunking* out of the machine by visiting here.

Renegade spray paint cans are primed to bomb the streets with...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:00:05 -0400

Renegade spray paint cans are primed to bomb the streets with this new blind box mini series from mastermind artist MAD. Inspired by his sold-out 2007 Bent World Vandals Series, Spray Cans are here with a total of 16 designs ready to make their mark on society. Each character is “Bent” with an angled posture and equally crooked personality. Each can comes in two versions – a “new,” fresh from the hardware store, and a “used,” dripping with paint and well-placed tags from MAD and some of his favorite artists, including kaNO, Marka27, Jesse Hernandez, Scribe, Pon, Brunson and Sket One. Each 2-inch figure features a removable cap, articulating arms, and makes the telltale metallic rattle noise when shaken. Bent World Spray Cans drop soon in-store and online for just $8.00/blind-box, These are sure to leave a lasting impression on collectors, artists and VANDALS!

With a cigarette, carrot nose, two eyes made out of coal, (and...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:05 -0400

With a cigarette, carrot nose, two eyes made out of coal, (and maybe a LOT of yellow snow), Crusty Dunny is sure to get you smorkin’ for 2011’s holiday season. This 3-inch vinyl heathen is getting into the spirit with a top hat, carrot nose, booze bottle, and cigarette. And, given the changes in the world, it is no wonder that this Dunny has a Chase that is disappearing fast… a hapless victim of global warming. 1 in 6 has suffered at the hands of the CCC (Climate Change Conspiracy), with a vinyl puddle for a body and x’s for eyes. Crusty comes out to play SOON! in-store and online. Seasons Smorkin’s!

Gary Baseman has been criss-crossing the country on his signing...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:23:00 -0400

Gary Baseman has been criss-crossing the country on his signing tour for Toby’s Secret Society and he’s been leaving a trail of awesome new drawings in his wake. Check out more over on his Facebook page and then head over to the Kidrobot Kronikle to take a tour of his studio.

You can also take home your very own Toby, or assorted secret society member, by snagging a blind box in-store or online.