Bellhedz by Taco Bell are Urban Vinyl Toys given away at there shops when ordering a Kidmenue. There Slogan is “Think outside the Bun” but somehow they really like ripping off Kidrobots Platform.
I find it a clever strategy from Taco Bell to start with collectibles in Kidsmenues (Here in Asia it is more than less common to have crossovers with brands especially in Hongkong but they take the original Figure) and it seams like urban vinyl is getting a boost and is back bigger than it never has been before.
We have maybe to start to think about Copycats in the Scene more and more and about protecting intellectual properties of Toy artists as well. As well Company’s like target are going to sell more and more urban vinyl and the trend looks like getting more mainstream at all, but maybe with the wrong concepts and with “Ripp OFF’s” and others who are going to be the “Winners” so what do you think about it.
Images of Bellhedz from Taco Bell
Images by Rondo Estrello
Feal free to enjoy some real.
dragonHO is trying to find the balance between Hope&Desire VS Needs&Wants :-) + Wana be an Exponentialist - Searching the Key 2 different things in life... THe EnD Is AlWAyS Chaos - Interested in Technology and Art and Design especialy in things which are making life more colourfull... Experiences as: Creative Visionary Officer, Creativ Director, Designer @ the Moment finishing his Master Degree in HongKong
I think this will create positive and negative feedback. I can see why the UV collectors and artists might be miffed but at the same time it really is cool. It is a Kid Robot knockoff but that’s what these guys do. I think this will be good for Taco Bell. It’s similar to when a great indie artist goes mainstream. It pisses purists off but also exposes the art to a wide audience. Nothing is sacred… i’m still going to go get some.
Jep its a big “Honour” for the Trend and as we have seen and heard about things like target is setting up urban vinyl Areas in there store things like this would have come, but for example the industry in Asia there is Qee who does official Cooperations with Brands and as well for Example CI-Boys and companys take the Original “Brand” and did not make RIP OFFS of them…
F kidrobot. They steal your money any chance they get. Oh so you only like One artist from this series. Well tough luck you have to buy blind boxes until you get the one you want. Oh that one just happens to be 1 in 88 Sorry. tough luck.
F kid robot.
Ever go to one of their stores and see the common one on display that you really want. Then you ask them Hey let me buy one. and if it is not the 5/20 one that is RIGHT FUCKING THERE and let me trade you. They say No, sorry.
No love for the kid robot. And seriously It is in the shape of a FRIGGING BELL. Like there hasn’t been a ton of other vinyl that resembles a dunny.
Whatever
If anyone on here knew the way QSR promotions work this is a big deal. I truly understand the way some might feel about this imitating designer toys but as a promotional toy this is brilliant. The guys being mentioned in the blogs on the net (Mikko Meronen and Tom Tretter) Are extremely talented guys. I worked with one of them and I know the work of the other. Yeah they borrowed heavily from Kid Robot but from what I can see they did their homework avoiding legal issues. I work for a competitive agency of Strottman and we are all very jealous that we didn’t try this ourselves! They did this right because everyone is comparing this to Kid Robot. If it looked like anything else it would of fallen through the cracks. EMAK worldwide made a huge mistake letting Mikko Meronen go! In this little indusrty we work in he is as good as you get. And Tom, That guy could be working for any major studio and his affinity for toys keeps him in the promotions realm. Yeah I’m a little biased to these guys but if you only knew how this industry works you might understand a little.
Burger King should be strangling their creative team!
Great job Tom and Mikko!
Strottman hit the goldmine hiring the two of you!
all it’s doing is making people more anxious to get the Taco Bellhedz and showing what a bunch of Cry babies Kidrobot is. SO JUST BECAUSE IT DIDNT COME FROM “KIDROBOT” IT’S NOT A LEGIT DESIGNER TOY? wahhh! somebody’s ripping off something thats been ripped off. so is obey a rip off too?
@g-money, i think kidrobot has no problem with other brands and there are plenty other brands of designer toys like, qee, trexis, tofu just to mention some of them.
Its just like the bellhedz using as some people now saying rmore than less the same bodyshape.
Compare the designs of them as well with the KR dunny designs from the latest series.
If bellhedz would have there more uniq design and shape noone can do realy anyting against it, cause it is not forbiden to make your own plattform and when they want to define it as designer toy the commuity decides if one product is realy a designer toy or not – i know there is at least a market for happy meal toys collectors already.
But fact is that they directly ripp them off lke the HI-Phone the I-Phone but this was on the black market and not distributed by anamerican company and in this way the whole concept is for marketing purpose and someone may winn once a big price with this, blindbox giveaways are common in Hongkong or in Taiwan and many other Asian countrys so it was just a question of time until america copycats this concept.
@TheJacen
doesn’t this happen to everything that was once cool but then saturated by market place? was bound to happen….mass produced vinyl toys – not cool.
some of you guys are really fun, really! Like the one complaining that kidrobot steal your money since you have to buy many blind boxes to get the design you want…. are you kidding? the whole vinyl scene is based on this, so stop whining or go and collect mattel. Taco bell is just the latest big brand to jump on something grown in the underground and use it just to make money. There’s no art involved, no payoff for the community, nothing except the same old story: multinational corporation steal fresh ideas from others and ruin the whole thing. So F..k you taco bell and death to false vinyl!
BOYCOTT TACO BELL UNTIL THE BELL HEDZ ARE DEAD. This Boycott started yesterday and will continue until they remove all Bell Hedz from all locations. Thousands have already joined in this boycott. MIKKO MERONEN of Strottman should have thought twice before ripping off Kid Robot. He better have a damn good lawyer. Strottman should be ashamed of themselves for hiring this thief.
Brown charlie why don’t you move out of your momma’s basement and get a job! Stop wacking off and smoking dope! Boycott Bellheads? How about boycott shitty health care or war or something important!
Your a douche bag!
I boycott Brown Charlies
all it did was make more people want to buy the taco bell bellhedz more, the taco bell here in culver city and santa monica are almost sold out …. i guess taco bell won this round…
and it only showed what a bunch of cry babies all these so-called hard core vinyl toy collectors are
TACO BELL BOYCOTT WEEK 2
My heart goes out to all of the people at Kid Robot that MIKKO MERONEN OF STROTTMAN ripped off. Several industry sources have confirmed that Kid Robot has issued a cease and desist letter to Taco Bell, and Taco Bell has been cooperative. I have received thousands of emails from people joining the boycott until Taco Bell removes all Bell Hedz from all locations. The public is tired of corporate scandals where big companies pick on the small guy. Taco Bell has an opportunity to do the right thing here. First, they need to issue a public apology and remove all Bell Hedz. Second, they need to settle with Kid Robot. Finally, they need to show that they do not associate with companies that rip people off and hurt their livelyhoods. The Taco Bell investors will be hurt by the fallout of this as well, similar to the Bernie Madoff investors. MIKKO MERONEN AND STROTTMAN have been around long enough to know how badly this will hurt Kid Robot. Yet, they had no creative ideas of their own and ripped them off. On their website it says they understand what motivates and inspires kids. Is teaching kids to steal motivating and inspiring? MIKKO MERONEN thinks so. Finally, here is my advice to the STROTTMAN employees that keep trying to save their jobs by writing comments on here. It’s time to dust off your resume and make a run for the border!
Haha you people are funny. First of all kid robot would never win this lawsuite and taco bell
Won’t stop selling these and expect more series to come. As for hating these things how bout don’t buy them? “Id Robot will not loose money over these crappy knock offs just like cheap superman toys at the dollar stores don’t hurt dc. Kid robot is kinda of a rip off but they make some cool ass stuff so it equals out.
No please, go ahead. Make Taco Bell stop selling Bellhedz. I’ve almost got them all, and when they’re gone, I’ma sell ‘em on eBay and make enough to buy all the cool Dunnys & Munnys I can’t afford because they’re too expensive!
Seriously folks, it’s like this: EVERYTHING YOU LOVE WILL EVENTUALLY BE COPIED, CO-OPTED, SUBVERTED, PERVERTED, DILUTED, DUMBED DOWN, REPACKAGED, AND SOLD TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T GET IT BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T CARE FOR LESS THAN HALF WHAT YOU ORIGINALLY PAID FOR IT.
THIS IS THE TRUTH EVERY FANBOY SECRETLY FEARS.
I think it’s great that Taco Bell has put more edge into their kid’s toys. Creating thinly veiled novelty sex toys is briliant. Young people today are more sophisticated about sexuality and this hits the mark. Congradulations Taco Bell! Or should I say Dildo Bell? Ps If Taco Bell is going to sell sex toys will Spencer’s Gifts start selling tacos?
The last time I was at Disney Land, I saw they have there own line of vinyl toys too…
TACO BELL BOYCOTT WEEK 3
Congratulations to all of you who continue to join the boycott! As of today, YUM BRANDS stock is down -6.13% since the boycott began. Taco Bell has seen their profits tumble since the boycott began and they will keep going down. During the same time, Del Taco profits have doubled. None of this would have happened if Taco Bell would have done the right thing and apologized and pulled their rip off designs off the shelf. The boycott continues to grow in numbers and more and more customers are switching to Del Taco. Our industry sources tell us that STROTTMAN has been secretly interviewing creative directors from neighboring agencies to replace MIKKO MERONEN. We think this is a good start and a public apology should follow. We will continue to boycott Taco Bell until they remove all Bell Hedz from all locations. Kid Robot’s lawsuit against Taco Bell and STROTTMAN will only get bigger the longer the Bell Hedz are on the shelf. The people have voted with their pocket books. Hopefully the good that will come out of this is that future rip off artists will think twice and not want to join MIKKI MERONEN on the wall of shame.
A rally? really? It’s pretty sweet that they’re giving away stickers and toys but I really don’t think KidRobot has much of a case. They weren’t the first ones selling random miniature figures. Japan has had this thing called Gachapon for ages. For the record I do enjoy Dunnys and Munnys and the whole Urban Vinyl style. I just don’t buy them because I feel they’re overpriced. College student here, I’ve got bills to pay and food to buy.
Also KidRobot better start suing Disney. They already came out with Dysney Vinylmation.
http://www.disneystore.com/vinyl-figures-vinylmation-urban-2-series-figure-3/p/1250624/301000/