Elder Gods, cryptid creatures, and classic wrestlers come to life as sofubi-style figures from Wandering Planet Toys and sculptor and horror artist Velikan.
The two Cryptid Combat 5-inch soft vinyl art toys named the Cthuluchador and The Ultimoth Warrior are now available through a special Backerkit campaign.
We spoke to Velikan and Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Chris “Doc” Wyatt all about the new figures in this exclusive interview.
How did the Cryptid Combat collaboration come together?
Velikan: Early last year, I created a kickstarter for the figures I hand sculpted. I tend to sculpt something and put it on Kickstarter to pay for the mold material to reproduce them. Doc pledged my kickstarter and immediately asked if I’d thought about licensing them for production. Of course I said yes.
Chris “Doc” Wyatt: We at Wandering Planet saw Velikan’s horror sculpts and we knew we had to make them as a line of toys. We love monsters, and we’ve always wanted to do a line of them. Seeing these sculpts, it was like– we’ve found it.
You blend the aesthetics of pro-wrestling with cryptids and Lovecraft mythos with the new figures. How did you create this blend and what aspects were most important to impart from all the influences?
Velikan: Cthuhlu is fun to sculpt and I usually do something with him during the year. My son is a wrestling fan and it just kind of happened! He has a few of those 80’s rubber wrestlers, you know the ones that were 8 inches tall and heavy enough to knock a kid out? Then I got the idea to merge it with that line of toys and my knowledge of 80’s wrestlers. It just became a fun thing that grew.
Wyatt: Phil thinks that’s how it happened. But what if the idea was actually transmitted by the elder gods from their home in R’yleh to his sleeping mind? Who can say?
The figures are super colorful. Why did you decide to highlight all of the colors in the figures?
Velikan: They were always supposed to be bright and gaudy like the old wrestlers. I am not a painter though, so the ones I sold on Kickstarter were only cast in one color. But thankfully Doc saw the potential and got hooked on the concept!
Wyatt: I love sofubi art toys. I follow like a million sofubi artists on instagram. I love seeing the artists come up with weird colorways. There’s something about a terrifying monster being in bright, friendly colors that’s always visually arresting.
Favorite wrestler and favorite cryptid?
Wyatt: My favorite Cryptid has always been Mothman. Dude knows when you’ve got chapstick in your hand or not. And he’ll warn you when to stay off a bridge that’s about to collapse. That’s important. That’s part of what I look for in a friend. But now Mothan’s also my favorite wrestler.
Velikan: I always liked Ryback, that dude was a beast! Cryptid is the penanggalan, it’s a vampire that has its head leave the body and fly around trailing its guts after it. I’d LOVE to make a wrestler like that!
Thought on the choice to create the figures in the sofubi-style?
Velikan: That was Doc’s idea, and honestly, as soon as he said it, I was on board. It just fits my sculpt style.
Wyatt: Yeah, I’m kinda addicted to sofubi. I buy too many of them. Might as well make some. It’s my partner Gavin’s fault. He got me hooked.
What can fans expect from the backerkit campaign in terms of extras and exclusives?
Wyatt: Let’s just say if you have lunch, and are looking for a place to put it… we might have something for you.
Velikan: We have some ideas and I don’t know what I am allowed to say…
Upcoming projects?
Velikan: I’m working on a second set just in case this one takes off, which after seeing the prototypes from China yesterday, I am confident we’re on our way!
Wyatt: A graphic novel I co-wrote with Luke Arnold for The Lab Press, called Essentials Vol. 1, comes out in paperback at the end of the month. It was originally published as a hardcover art book in a slip-cover, but now this “portable edition” is a light paperback and only $9.99. You can check it out at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and all the usual places. Your local comic shop can order it for you too, through Lunar.
