Image via Complex Original
This year the hype for rapper toys reached an all time high when rumors that Travis Scott’s McDonald’s meal would include him as a tiny action figure started to surface. Unfortunately the meal didn’t come with a toy and instead it was awarded to five lucky winners—two of them are already attempting to resell it for millions on StockX. Although we’ll likely never be able to obtain these action figures, it got us thinking about what other great rapper toys are out there.
It’s difficult tracing what the first real rapper toy was. No Limit Records dropped a talking Master P doll draped in army fatigues to promote P’s single "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" in 1998. Then there was a 1991 Vanilla Ice doll that looked like a sus Ken Barbie, which we honestly don’t need to remember. But thanks to the art toy movement of the 2000s, there are now plenty of artists who craft well-designed rap toys. Many of these aren’t simply rappers turned into toys, but figures with their own creative twists that make them unique art pieces to display.
Although the hype for art and vinyl toys feels like a trend that died in the Aughts, these toys never get old. Just look at Drake’s video for “Toosie Slide,” where he shows off two 2009 KAWS “Dissected Companion” sculptures from Medicom Toy. As KAWS gained more mainstream popularity as an artist, the value of his toys skyrocketed within the past 10 years. Meaning the toys on this list may even appreciate in value within the next couple years.
Here are the best rapper toys of all time.
Trap Toys Action Bronson “Action Hero” Toy
Where: traptoys.com and eBay
When: 2015-Now
How Much: $70-$550
Trap Toys is a bootleg rap toy company based in the United Kingdom. For the past five years, they’ve built a cult following within the art toy space for making intriguing action figures of rappers mashed up with popular cartoon or pop culture figures. For example, Nas is turned into the vampire “Nasferatu,” MF Doom is Simpsons-ized into MF Duff, and Eazy-E meets Masters of The Universe as Eazy-He. “Traditionally, toys and action figures are made to accompany popular films, TV series and comics. We are doing the same thing but for Hip-Hop,” Trap Toys told 2DopeBoyz in an interview. Personally, our favorite Trap Toy is this “Action Hero” figure of Action Bronson, because it reminds us of the mixtape cover of Rare Chandeliers. Since Trap Toys produces their action figures in extremely limited runs—as little as 30 units—they sell out of toys instantly when they drop. The best way to get your hands on them is to sign up for their mailing list and turn your Instagram notifications on. Other than that, you’ll have to dish out a couple hundred dollars on eBay.
Travis Scott 'Rodeo' Action Figure
Where: stockx.com
When: 2015
How Much: $1,900
One of the most recognizable rapper toys ever made is the Travis Scott action figure prominently featured on the cover of the Houston rapper’s debut album Rodeo. The action figure was made by Dan Chung, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and artist who specializes in making 1:6 scale, hyper-realistic and poseable, action figures. In an interview with Complex, Chung said the figure was entirely handmade. “The body was heavily modified to reflect Travis' slim build, and the clothing was a custom look I created from various pieces that were re-tailored for a precise fit,” said Chung. “For the shoes, I was going to sculpt a pair of Yeezys, but in the end decided to go with the Old Skool Vans to match a photoshoot he'd just done.” The photos used for the album cover were shot by Kevin Amato and the figure later appeared prominently in the Hype Williams-directed music video for “90210.” A couple days after Rodeo dropped in September, Scott released a pre-order for these action figures online for $150. Although the ones released to the masses didn’t look exactly like the one on the cover, it’s now a highly sought collectable for diehard Travis Scott fans. The figure has sold for as much as $1,700 on StockX. Although that’s a hefty price tag, it’s still cheaper than the $42,042,069 a seller on StockX is asking for one of five action figures produced for the rapper’s recent McDonald’s collaboration.
Euphoric Supply ASAP Rocky 'Testing' Figure.
Where: @EuphoricSupply, euphoricsupply.com, eBay, and Grailed
When: 2018-Now
How Much: $15-$320
Euphoric Supply is an Instagrammer who has also gained a cult following for making bootleg rap toys. The 24-year-old creative, Julian Armstrong, has meticulously crafted toys decked out with blister cases of rappers like ASAP Rocky wearing a Testing jumpsuit or Tyler, the Creator in his IGOR suit. The rappers he’s made toys of have even co-signed him. “Tyler himself even reached out to me. He DMd me and we talked a little bit, and he's super inspiring. He told me to just keep doing it. He ended up telling me that he has the toy in his library at home,” Armstrong told Complex. Unfortunately, Euphoric Supply seldomly releases many of the toys he makes. If he does, they’re produced in very limited runs, are priced between $15-$150, and typically sell out quickly. You have better luck buying the few figures listed on sites like eBay or Grailed, which sell for as much as $320.
RYCA Kanyestein Figure
Where: toytokyo.com, whistleblowergallery.co, and at rycastore.bigcartel.com
When: 2006-Now
How Much: £65-£1,500.00 ($86-$2,000)
Ryan Callanan is a British artist who is better known as RYCA. Although he’s recognized for his printmaking and graphic art, Callanan has recently made some buzz for crafting art toys and sculptures inspired by hip-hop and pop culture. Some of his best work includes sculpted resin action figures of rappers like Kanye West and 2Pac—his “Kanyestein” figure is some dope commentary on how much we miss the old Kanye. Like other bootleg rap toys on this list, these were produced in extremely small runs. So you’ll be lucky to even find some RYCA rap figurines on eBay. But the most impressive RYCA pieces for any hip-hop head to display in his home have to be RYCA’s busts of Biggie, Eazy-E and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Callanan sells these for a hefty price tag, but they are undeniably incredibly detailed works of art rather than just simple desk toys. For those looking for a cheaper, and quirkier, home decor piece, check out RYCA’s “Buddha Smalls” pieces, which resemble Biggie as the Enlightened One. You can learn more about Callanan’s work by reading his interview with Whistleblower Gallery.
Ron English "Big Poppa"
Where: StockX, eBay, and iamretro.com
When: 2019-2020
How Much: $200-$3,500
Ron English is a name who doesn’t have to be introduced to any bonafide art or toy collector. The American contemporary artist first rose to fame as a street artist in the ‘90s by subverting billboards with his own ads that critiqued consumerism in America. He typically went after corporations like Camel cigarettes and McDonald’s, delivering social commentary on the unhealthy lifestyle choices their ads promoted. He coins these signature mash-ups between high and low cultural touchstones as “POPaganda.” Since 2005, English has been producing some of the most sought after art toys on the market—some of his limited edition figures resell for over $5,000 alone. One of his most iconic works is McSupersized, an oversized parody of Ronald McDonald—many of English’s most popular toys poke fun at mascots that promote unhealthy food such as Tony the Tiger or the Dig-Em frog from Honey Smacks cereal. This year, Ron English dropped “Big Poppa” which is likely his first oversized figure paying respect to an icon rather than critiquing it. In an interview, English revealed that his McSupersized character was actually inspired by Biggie himself. English has dropped this figure in several colorways in small production runs. However, the rarest ones are the ones embellished with Swarovski crystals, which were exclusively sold at an event in New York City for $3,500.
Rappcats J Dilla Toy
Where: eBay
When: 2016
How Much: $400
Anyone who collects hip-hop toys knows that Rappcats doesn’t just drop ill vinyl records but also some of the most bugged out vinyl toys as well. The Los Angeles-based record shop is owned by Madlib and Egon of Stones Throw records. To represent some of the legendary artists on the label, they really turned some of them into soft vinyl figures. Aside from this Rappcats MadGibbs figure, this figure of the late great J Dilla is one of the best toys ever made. First of all, it’s designed by Sintex, a graffiti artist from Dilla’s hometown of Detroit, which is why the figure has such an unique look to it that speaks to Jay Dee’s roots. The gear he’s dipped in includes a white Stüssy T-shirt, a Detroit Tigers fitted, a pair of sneakers with a Detroit Tigers logo, and a Donut chain. To top it all off, this toy Dilla is even holding an AKAI MPC3000. It doesn’t get better than that. Another edition of this figure replaced Dilla’s Stüssy T-shirt with the shirt he wore on the album cover of Donuts. Although Dilla is mostly revered as a producer, rather than a rapper, it was only right to shout him out on this list. Rest in peace, James Yancey.
Pharrell Williams by Medicom Toy
Where: medicomtoy.co.jp
When: 2016
How Much: ¥27,280 ($263)
Without question, Medicom Toy crafts some of the best toys to come out of Japan. Aside from Be@rbricks and KAWS toys, the Japanese toy brand’s Real Action Heroes line makes some of the most detailed action figures in the game. Although the line typically releases figures of comic book and anime characters, they have released a handful of toys based on real musicians. Aside from Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams is the only musician who has ever gotten the Real Action Heroes treatment. This Pharrell Williams action figure captures Pharrell’s look from the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014, where he wore some Timbs, jeans, a red Adidas track jacket, and that ridiculous oversized Vivienne Westwood hat. This toy honestly commemorates a historic moment for Skateboard P since he won three Grammys that year for his work on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and one for Producer Of The Year. FYI, this is one of the only toys on this list that is still widely available at retail, so snag one while you can.
Madvillain Toy
Where: eBay
When: 2007 & 2016
How Much: $500-$700
Three years after Madlib and MF Doom dropped their groundbreaking collaborative project, Madvillainy, they hit up Kidrobot to produce a vinyl toy of their iconic Madvillain character, which was originally drawn by James Reitano. The figure was 10 inches tall, included moveable arms, and came in green and black colorways. Nearly a decade later, Rappcatts reproduced this figure, with the original members of Kidrobot’s team that designed the first one, to celebrate the release of the 2016 Madvillain single “Avalanche.” After KidRobot crafted this toy, they went on to produce a figure of Madlib’s rap alter-ego, Lord Quasimoto—complete with a brick and spliff.
Raekwon by Concrete Jungle Studio
Where: concretejunglestudio.com
When: 2017-Now
How Much: $150-$300
Ever since the Jersey City-based toy company, Concrete Jungle Studio, released an epic 9-inch tall resin statue of Killer Mike and El-P of rap duo Run The Jewels, they’ve been pumping out some of the most creative rapper toys we’ve ever laid our eyes on. Aside from releasing detailed figurines of MCs like Kool Keith and Sean Price, their recent releases featuring members of the Wu-Tang Clan are standouts. They’ve dropped statues of members like Raekwon donning a Polo Snow Beach anorak, Champion sweats, and Nike Air Force 1s, with a butcher knife and gold chain as accessories. What makes Concrete Jungle Studios figures unique, aside from their incredible eye for details, are the superhero embellishments they also deliver. For example, the arm of their Ghostface Killah action figure can be replaced with a bionic arm that shoots blue flames out of Ghost’s palm or have Raekwon’s head emit ice blue flames.
Snoop Dogg by Kidrobot
Where: eBay
When: 2014
How Much: $300
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Doggystyle, Snoop Dogg teamed up with the famed art toy company KidRobot for an exclusive 7-inch tall vinyl figure. The figure featured Snoop Dogg donning a jersey that resembles the Pittsburgh Penguins one worn in his 1994 music video for “Gin & Juice,” a pair of shelltoe Adidas, locs sunglasses, and a fat blunt in his mouth. This KidRobot toy retailed for $40 and now fetches around $300 on the secondhand market today. A follow-up toy featuring Snoop rocking a Springfield Indians jersey was supposed to also be released but never came to fruition. Although this KidRobot toy is a more recent iteration of Snoop Dogg, some props must be given to Vital Toys, who produced two Snoop Dogg action figures in 2002.