ARCHIVE: The UNKL Army Amazes with "Amerkin Wasteland"

Article originally published 06/04/2007 at toytoons.com

The people behind the abstract world of UNKL have always been about expressing their creativity in unique ways. Starting in 2000 as an artistic outlet for co-founders Derek Welch and Jason Bacon, UNKL has grown into one of the pioneering forces in the new age of urban vinyl.

On May 19, UNKL partnered with Hecklewood Gallery in Portland, Oregon to give fans the chance to experience Amerkin Wasteland. This one-day exhibit featured UNKL’s abstract take on the themes of greed, corruption and oil.

On display were new customs of the well-known JunPo and SUG, not to mention a number of artwork and prints by the artists at UNKL. During the show, we were able to track down UNKL co-founder Derek Welch and get answers to a few questions on the present and future of the UNKL company.

UNKL will again have a booth in the ‘Urban Vinyl’ section of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. They will not only bring along new products to display but will also be creating customs on-site at their booth! Aside from showcasing new lines of their popular HazMaPo, UniPo and SUG figures, UNKL will be debuting Ulligus. This is a new character that has been described by Welch as a ‘SUG dog’. At SDCC, fans can purchase their own Ulligus as part of two different exclusive 2-packs. The Urban Recovery and Search & Rescue 2-packs will feature Ulligus and SUG in two distinct paint variations. Other exclusives available at SDCC will be a Carbon Series of three unique HazMaPo figures and an extremely limited (only 40 pieces) run of a pink HazMaPo.

One of the driving forces behind UNKL is Bacon and Welch’s belief that they will only sell products that they enjoy creating. This started at the very infancy of UNKL, which began as a way for the duo to find a balance between the creative needs of themselves and their customers. Because of this, distribution of UNKL product has been largely kept to smaller retail and web outlets. However, this could change as UNKL is in negotiation with distribution giant Diamond. UNKL’s partnership with Diamond could ultimately lead to the mass-market presence that the company has not yet seen with their current products.

When asked about this, Welch expressed that any mass-market distribution would likely be done with new products under a different name. Welch stated that the UNKL brand would remain and would be used for more traditional ‘in house’ lines, including HazMaPo & UniPo.

Bacon and Welch are hoping that the large scale distribution of new products will pave the way for the duo to create a number of new and exciting UNKL projects. One of these projects has already become a reality, as UNKL has partnered with the folk-rock group Wilco to create a number of vinyl figures. The Wilco Six-Pack features each band member in an UNKL-ized form. The Wilco figures will also be available for purchase at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

UNKL also plans to work with the band to allow distribution of the figures on the band’s website as well as on any upcoming tours. Welch let us know that he has been in touch with other artists and groups (both local and international), but no deals for additional figures have been finalized.

Like anything that UNKL is involved in, any future music-themed products will depend on how interested the creative forces at UNKL are in the music. Ultimately, they will only spend time working with artists that they are passionate about. However, you can expect more music-themed product from UNKL in the future as it gives the founders more creative power to work with the bands and music that they love.