Designer Toys 101: What does Kaiju mean and what is it?

If you are new to this column, it is truly meant to be read from the beginning to the most recent.
Please start with the first installment, "What are Designer Toys?"

If you've ever seen (or at least know what) a Godzilla film is, then you already know what kaiju is. Some people would argue this example, but — to be honest — it is accurate. Kaiju is a Japanese word that means "strange creature" and was originally coined to describe movies and television shows staring monstrous beasts that were modeled after conventional animals, insects, household items, pretty much anything. One of which, the most famous of which, most certainly is Godzilla. Hit the jump to continue reading for the full explanation…

As I said, the term comes from the Japanese entertainment industry, particularly that part known as tokusatsu (trans. "special filming," which meant to imply any film or television show that relied heavily on special effects). These tokusatsu films were divide into three main categories:

• yōkai (trans. "strange apparition," which indicated supernaturally based productions including ghosts, demons, or the sort);
• kaijin (trans. "mysterious person," which indicated super-human masked individuals… think either super-hero or super-villain based); and
• kaiju (which we've already discussed).

"But what does this all have to do with Designer Toys?" you might be thinking. Well, the Designer Toy community embraced the term Kaiju to describe any strange or outlandish character done in that Japanese style, such as:

Kaiju toys are slightly difficult to nail down in terms of consistent factors. You could say they had to be actually made in Japan, but the one above on the far left was actually produced in China. Maybe they have to be made out of sofubi, a high-quality Japanese vinyl that tends to be softer… except the one above on the far right is actually cast in resin. A lot of them are usually hand-painted with colorful sprays, but as that grey undead dinosaur in the middle shows that's not a requirement.

So how do you identify Kaiju Designer Toys? The simplest method I can use is this: close your eyes and imagine the figure as a giant, rampaging through city streets, wreaking havoc in it's wake. Now have it fighting Godzilla. Did it look like it fit? If so, it's safe to call in Kaiju.

Next Week: How are Designer Toys made?

Designer toys used in the example set are (L-R):
"Stee Gar (Ebola Version)" designed by Jeff Lamm and manufactured by Unbox Industries, 2012
"Fossila (Debut Grey Goop Edition)" designed by Josh Herbolsheimer and manufactured by Super7, 2012
"Partyball" designed by Paulkaiju and manufactured by Super7, 2010
"Sushi Kaiju" designed by Paul Shih and manufactured by Hollow Threat, 2011