STRANGEco's Mozzarella by Tokidoki
with Jager

Bullies beware! STRANGEco's newest toy by designer Tokidoki is set to clean up the school yard. Don't let this cute cow-girl fool you, Mozzarella is packing heat and is taking aim at bullies and other no-good-nicks. Tokidoki's founder Simone has made a name for himself not just in the Designer Toy circuit but also in the fine art world and most notably with his design talents. But most recently, his toys' Japanese style has made them hot commodities. It's interesting to note that Simone is actually Italian. He loves the Japanese culture, so Tokidoki is sort of a look at Japan through his eyes. But I digress, on to the toy!

Mozzarella is a simply designed toy with clean lines both on the sculpt and paint application. The toy itself is smooth with the only ridges being around the face, the triangle of blue hair, and very subtle presses for the eyes and mouth. She sports three points of articulation at the arms and neck. Not too many, but enough. I like how her right arm is curved in such a way that without the gun you can have her pose with her hand on her hip. The paint apps are crisp and simple with brown spots on the cow hide and a nice darker blue accent around the light blue hair. She also has two orange horns and yellow earrings. These are separate molds so they can swing about from left to right. The only complaint I'd have with this toy is how blank the back is. It seems something more interesting could have been done to the back of her head particularly. The only details straying from the crisp style are the cheeks. The girly, "fleshy" cheeks have an undercoat of a darker paint. They aren't quite rosy, but not the same tone as the rest of the face. It's hard to tell whether this is a girl in a cow suit or some sort of cow-girl anomaly. I like to think the latter. She heads up the Moofia with her tommy-gun and silver bullet buddy. The gun fits very snugly in her arms, and she stands sturdy with and without it. This bullet is smiling because he's happy to take down the local lunch money thieves. The bullet itself is shiny metallic silver. It's a really nice accessory and looks great on its own. If there were a bunch of different designs, like on the box, I'd be inclined to seek them out for display.

The packaging is some of the best I've seen since the Turtlecamper. The box looks like a big carton of milk. The front sports a nice window display and the sides have Tokidoki art covering them. The back has a brief story of Mozzarella as well as a bio of Tokidoki. Also, the inside is covered in illustrations! A very fun box! I was worried when I first saw the box that I would have to open the top like an actual milk carton, but was relieved to find a flap on the bottom.

Mozzarella makes for a great toy if you're looking for something cute with a nice story behind it. The simplistic style is a great homage to the Japanese culture and I always love when something so cute has an almost gritty backstory.

STRANGEco keeps producing high quality vinyl, and when you compare this toy to their Observer, it's clear to see they have a toy for everyone. Check out their site and see if they have something you'll dig.

You can pick this little cutie at Freebento.com. They also have a wide selection of Japanese imports and their Designer Toy section is growing all the time.

If you enjoy reading about Designer Toys (who doesn't?), you owe it to yourself to check out our page with all our coverage.

Article ©2006 MillionairePlayboy.com. All characters are property their original owners.