Bit Figs: Wave 15

A small selection of new and rare items have been added to the Culture Pirates shop, including GITD Space Series 1, and for the first time online, the original Animal Series 1 Display!

We're officially 3 years into the Bit Figs vending venture, and it's still a trip to find these little Quarter Munchers in the wild, especially now with the Glyos Space Series in full rotation.

There is also a new subset of Ninjas hitting vending machines in select areas, and we're working on some exciting bonus content to level up the gameplay... more info to come in the fall!

Bit Figs: Pheyden

Bit Figs: Crayboth

Bit Figs: Glyan

Bit Figs: Qualloid

Bit Figs: Astroloc

Reconstructed

Rediscovered

Reconfigured

Thank you for a great rollout of Bit Figs Space!!

Now that everything is shipped and settled we have put back up the Complete Unpainted Set of 25 for a limited time. Grab the entire crew in one shot or beef up your Bit Battalion!

New exclusive colors to come this summer!

Cube Maneuvers

Bit Figs: Space Series 1

The new series is here: Bit Figs Space Series 1!

Each character - Pheyden, Crayboth, Glyan, Qualloid, and Astroloc - comes in 5 different colors, available now in random color 5-packs and a very limited edition Complete Unpainted Set of 25  featuring each character in every color! Check the Culture Pirates shop for a couple other new goodies as well.

Over the coming weeks and months, Bit Figs Space will be popping up in vending machines across North America, thanks once again to our friends at SSM Vending! The rare painted figures will remain exclusive to the vending market for the initial rollout.

It's surreal to finally pocket this mini galactic gang. We hope you all have as much fun collecting and playing with these as we did making them. Happy hunting!

The New Familiar

Bit Figs: Animal Series 3

Get ready for wild mini-adventures with Animal Series 3: Safari!

Five all-new characters to collect, each available in five unique colors. Look for them in vending machines across North America this fall (featuring the elusive painted figures), and grab mystery 5-packs now at the Culture Pirates shop. Also check out the shiny, new hologram eggshell stickers just added.

Matt and I had a lot of fun creating this series, which features some of my personal favorite Bits to date. Tiny travelers hopping across crocodile heads can finally be played out on my desk! Thanks once again to Josh and the Dumphy family at SSM Vending for helping us bring these pixels to life.

It's pretty exciting to see the fourth series of Bit Figs hit the streets in the span of one year. We are equally thrilled knowing there are more to come by early 2018... the next round may take things to another dimension.

Bit Figs: Wave 6

The new wave of Bit Figs is available now at the Culture Pirates shop!

Mega Bit Pheyden Cosmic Wave Starcrosser is not only the first to feature special effects plastic and the new belt paint app, but these figures were run in a lower durometer for extra pliability. In hand they have a softer "minifig" feel, similar to the old Japanese Keshi lines. A limited number of unpainted sets are available as well.

Also in store is the debut of Animal Series 2: Marine Bit Figs! Five all-new coastal characters are available now in mystery 5-packs. They'll be floating around vending machines nationwide this summer where you'll have the chance to score a super rare deluxe painted figure!

Rounding things out is the second series of enamel pins, featuring new colors for Iken and Oni. We've also restocked the original glow-in-the-dark Glyos Button Set 1.

As a special thank you to all early supporters, here's a limited time offer:

Enter discount code COSMICWAVE at checkout for 20% off any order $25 and up! Expires this Friday 6/9 at midnight.

Thanks and have fun!

Ku Jumble Suit

Iken Jumble Suit

Bit Figs: Animal Series 1

Our initial brainstorming sessions for SSM Vending covered a lot of ground. Aside from the usual suspects from the Glyos System, Matt, Michelle and I started experimenting with our own take on classic vending toys. One of the ideas that came from SSM was to try some animals in the Bit Figs style, as they are a staple in the industry.

What seemed like a straight-forward task of creating popular critters in a 3D pixel style was trickier than originally thought. We knew the majority of these would be unpainted, and so all of the necessary detail had to be worked into the sculpt, as opposed to painting features like eyes and mouths. There was also the goal of giving these tiny guys personality. I remember collecting those ceramic figurines that came free with Red Rose Tea. They had a nice consistency throughout the line, but they weren't the most lively bunch to play with... Once we had solved the aesthetics of the eyes and sitting positions, we started to feel really good about the possibilities.

The other struggle was choosing which species to go with! We managed to narrow down a very long list into pets that we have had personal connections with- dogs, cats, bunnies and chickens. Like most people on planet Earth, we've loved and lost canines and felines, and wanted to pay tribute to these household guardians. My wife Heidi and I have also had rabbits for years, and as a result all of my nieces and nephews are smitten by our long-eared friends. The Doughty's also have chickens. A lot of chickens. After planning out the color palette that poor Bit Chick became a Duck, but she will not be forgotten.

Finally, the pig was a top choice because of our love for the color pink, and, well, Minecraft. That game is still played weekly at Onell HQ by the kids, and it's our tip of the cap to a property that helped propel the 8-bit retro style we love so much into the mainstream. One of my neighbors growing up also had a pet pig, and I'll never forget the noises he would make while scarfing down banana chips.

I promised this entry would be short (whoops), so I'll save more development chat for another post. Let's cut right to the good stuff:

Presenting Bit Figs: Animal Series 1! Five new 1" figures to search out and collect, in both painted and unpainted versions. These will also be popping up in vending machines across North America starting this weekend!!

Thanks again to the Dumphy family at SSM and for everyone's support so far. We have even more Bit Figs related projects nearing completion, one in particular that has a much deeper connection to the Glyos System...

Cheers!

Bit Figs: Ninja Series 1

Ninja Mania continues!

It's with great excitement that we can finally announce the nation-wide rollout of Bit Figs! Onell Design has partnered with SSM Vending, a family-run operation out of Mesa, Arizona and one of the leading distributors of bulk capsule toys. Since reaching out to us a little over a year ago, the Dumphy family has worked closely with Matt and I to bring not one but TWO all-new Glyos compatible series of Bit Figs to the vending markets across North America!

The first set is Bit Figs Ninja Series 1, featuring 5 unique characters: Tana, Iken, Urai, Ku and Oni. Each 1" figure comes in a variety of colors, and in the classic "Quarter Muncher" tradition, will be offered in assortments of common monochromatic and rare painted versions. All figures feature a Glyos compatible fit function on the base.

When I was a kid, long before the term "blind box" was a thing, some of my favorite collectibles came in the form of mystery prizes. My twin brother John and I would typically fight over who would get the better toy from the cereal box, or we'd inhale Cracker Jacks until that tiny paper packet fell into our sugar coated hands. But good vending machines had an extra special appeal to them. Not only could you see your potential winnings, you could keep trying until you popped open a treasure (or emptied your pockets). Our trips to the grocery store with Mom always ended in excitement, as we knew once the food was being scanned, we could run over to the wall of vending machines and scope out the selection.

During those early years, there were 2 things that dominated playtime as we approached the '90s - Nintendo and TMNT. If we weren't crashing our mutant action figures into each other, we were smashing buttons trying to survive even 10 minutes of Ninja Gaiden. Throw in a handful of Lego sets and Monster in My Pocket mini figs and you pretty much have our childhood in plastic.

These innocent memories are what fueled the concept behind Bit Figs. To see this project now reach full production with national distribution is beyond what we ever could've imagined. The vending machine element, something that Matt and I have wanted to explore over our 9+ years of production together, is the clincher for this match made in coin heaven.

The Ninja Series is just one piece of what came out of our initial meetings with SSM Vending. The second series previously mentioned will be revealed in another (much shorter) post. Stay tuned!

We would like to thank our good friend Josh Dumphy and his entire family at SSM Vending for believing in this line and taking this journey with us. None of this would be possible without their knowledge and expertise within their unique market.

Thanks to ALL of you for the continued support. Every year we are more amazed by how tight this community of friends and fans remains. Truckloads of Bits in capsules are currently en route to neighborhoods along both the East and West Coasts, and should span the US within the coming weeks. Parts of Canada and Mexico should also see some upcoming action. We'll let you know here (and on the Bit Figs networks) where to start looking.

Happy hunting!!  -Marcus

Note: This first round will be available strictly through vending, but we have some super limited edition colors coming next month - sign up here to get on the list.