Philip Lee makes toys that disrupt our logic boards with mushy feelings.
The Hong Kong designer, known for his cute Classicbots line inspired by classic Macs, will launch two new toys this year that should bring a twinkle to the Apple of your eye.
Pre-orders have already begun for a 12-inch plush toy reminiscent of the 1980s Macintosh with movable limbs and six pixelated velcro-backed shapes to create expressive faces on the screen. This is his second Mac plush. The original was roughly the same size as a Mac.
For obvious copyright reasons, Lee’s Classicbots can not include Apple branding and logos. But he is able to borrow the familiar shapes and add details likes disk drives and back panels to make fans remember a beloved machine from the past.
Photo courtesy of: Philip Lee
Apple-inspired toys with global appeal
“The reception of my toy line, so far, has been great,” Lee told Cult of Mac. “There are a good number of fans who are either Apple fans or people who collect designer toys.
“Around two-thirds of my customers are from the States and the rest is truly international… from big and small countries, from Japan to Malta, from Germany to Slovenia.”
We profiled Lee in 2018 as his molded plastic robot toys began to take off. He now has a toy company called playsometoys. Last year, he was a finalist for “Break-Through Artist” at the Designer Toy Awards.
His toy likeness of an ’84 Mac comes with a font suitcase (in robot hand) and a friendly-faced mouse. He also has Biondi blue and tangerine-colored robots that are ringers for the iMac G3. He can view these and more in the stories listed below this post.
Photo: Philip Lee
The Mac plush is the result of a collaboration with Dark Label HK, known for designer plush. It can be ordered here for $67 and is expected to ship in April.
Fans of the classic iPod will want to watch for Lee’s next creation on Kickstarter, where he will crowd-fund a toy version of the music player called iBoy.
Photo: Philip Lee
The campaign is scheduled to launch March 17, but Lee shared photos of the prototype with Cult of Mac. All the limbs are attached with magnets for a posable iBoy. There is even an earbuds accessory to complete the look.
“Although it does not have any electronic parts or practical functions, the dial turns and the buttons click so you can fiddle with it when you are bored or stressed out,” Lee said.
