Sofubi is a word Japanese which derives from English. It is the Japanese pronunciation of soft vinyl, PVC plastic material, while Sofubi specifically refers to a toy soft made in Japan, which is made of PVC plastic material.
Godzilla, the king of Kaiju (monster in Japanese), is the first Sofubi toy born in 1966. It was produced and sold by the well-known Japanese toy company Marusan Corporation, so we can say that it created the Sofubi.
To understand what Sofubi toys really are, you have to understand that they have a texture unique and a strong visual impact.
She incorporates cultural elements into her appearance, including the reflexión about current world issues, the personal emotional expression of designers or artists, and can become focused on exploring pathways of curiosity, which can be highly attractive to many wealthy, mature collectors.
Sofubis Blobfish (left) and Sphynx (right). Source: 86fashion
Sofubi toys can be divided into two broad categories: one is the SFX series and the other is the Designer series.
The SFX Sofubi refers to all those figures made as prototypes, such as Godzilla, Ultraman and other monster toys. soft produced and sold by the company Maruzo.
But the above company is not the only one that sells Sofubi toys, as Bullmark, M1 and independent toy manufacturers are also representatives of the field of Sofubi toys.
Most collectors who like SFX Sofubi pay to get their hands on a piece of history and that is why Ultraman and Godzilla, characters that were present in every child's childhood, are so popular.
As for the Designer Sofubi are created by toy artists, illustrators, sculptors, or collectors from traditional toys, combining mythological stories, cult movies, painting, art, and even political characters to create new characters., and of course, some of them are the result of the of construction and reconstruction of the classic roles in the history of the films.
Image of a Japanese Sofubi toy. Source: 86fashion
Therefore, Sofubi toys, which are independently created by designers, have more artistic value than SFX Sofubi.
This is due to the fact that the image of the designer Sofubi is always more grotesque and interesting, since it satirises the political situation from the perspective of a toy, with some cultural criticism.
As for what these toys cost, well, it can only be said that they are not cheap at all because their price is determined based on two aspects: number of pieces and size.
The more pieces a Sofubi toy has, the higher its price, and the bigger it is, the more expensive it is.
Sofubi are more expensive than other plastic vinyl toys due to their complicated (and artistic) production process and difficult purchasing channels.