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File:FWYHP.jpg
Cover design of Friends With You Have Powers!

Friends With You is a commercial art collective based in Miami, Florida, founded by Sam Borkson and Arturo Sandoval in 2002, that creates designer toys, particularly plush, and modular wood toys, as well as motion graphics, stop motion animation, and art installations that incorporate music. The Friends With You website states that they "make magical toys" that "help the every day person cope with the daily routines of their every day lives."

The work of Friends With You is distinguished by an aesthetic that is at once cute and bizarre, use of non-traditional materials, and a hand-made quality. Pieces are produced in small numbers, and are usually not re-released.

Friends With You toys feature entirely unique character designs, which departs from the plush design tradition of anthropomorphized animals, most notably the Malfi character and its variations. In addition to their names, dolls are given fantastic personas, and their distinctive personalities are described in booklet-style tags included with the dolls.

To date, Friends With You have produced 28 plush dolls, six wooden toys, and a small assortment of miniature figures. Additionally, they have exhibited work at the Hanna Gallery in Tokyo, 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco, and the MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art Miami in Florida, and have been commissioned to create motion graphics for companies such as Sony, MTV, Nike, and Columbia Records.

In October 2006, the German art press Die Gestalten Verlag published a Friends With You monograph titled Friends With You Have Powers!


Toy Lines

Plush Series 1

File:Albino Squid.jpg
A Friends With You albino squid plushie on a cat

Originally launched in 2002 Friends With You got their initial boom of recognition through this line of plush characters and beings known as "Friends". Featuring eight different "Friends" they are said to be derived from unimaginably small microbes that has been enlarged times one billionth its original size and then some[1]. They live in your breath and under the part of your brain used for wishing[1]. Each of the "Friends" represent an ability or power which is then shared with you when befriending them. The dark Malfi either brings you Great Wealth or Death[1] and is someone you should be careful around. The caterpillar-like Mr. TTT splits into three separate parts representing luck and is known to be three times as lucky as rabbits' feet and golden Horseshoes[1]. Red Flyer is known as the fabric of space, the earth, the air, the water, everything[1]. In Red Flyer's enlarged state, he offers invincibility and absolute power to his human companion[1]. The fluffy white Barby is a meditative and shy "Friend" who tends to wear a mask often. When you remove Barby's mask he will give you complete love and attention[1] if you ever need a light conversation or sort out a situation. King Albino gets rid of life discoloration forever[1] and is known as the agent for all albino animals as well as in chemicals such as bleach[1]. King Albino is useful for getting rid of all embarrassing moments to help you move forward in life. Albino Squid, considered the jerk out of all the "Friends", is helpful in reminding you what not to be. Though if you, yourself are a jerk then Albino Squid will help you kick the ass of all your competitors and help you rule the world[1]. Poppings is easily known as having the charm and charisma you've been wishing you had[1]. Carry a Poppins foot with you and you'll gain some of its unique qualities. Shoebaca can telecommunicate with you as his friend in order to help them with their life's toughest decisions. All you have to do is ask a question and concentrate to find the best solutions to all your problems[1]. Shoebaca also comes with removable kidneys. Together all these "Friends" form what is now known as the Plush Series 1. The original launch production of this series is considered very rare and hard to find.

Good Wood Gang

The Good Wood Gang became the second line of toys created by Friends With You and was released in 2005 and debuted at Kidrobot in Los Angeles on July 7th, 2005 and at Giant Robot in New York on July 8th, 2005[2]. Unlike the plush nature of Plush Series 1 toys Good Wood Gang was structurally built with wood materials. What really made this series unique was that they were peg based modular builds. Each toy came with a large assortment of pieces and accessories that could be put together via small wooden holes and pegs that attached to each other. Much like Legos each character still retained an aesthetic while being entirely customizable.

File:GWGGroup.jpg
Entire cast of Good Wood Gang

Each of the characters within the "gang" share the same background while all having unique abilities. Their back story indicates that they all come from the Black Forest as amulets from a time when children Gods owned these toys as wooden charms[3]. When these toys are treated with respect they may grant all your very wishes[3]. Black Foot, A.K.A Captain Bingo, is a black and golden cubic figure said to possess the potential for the ultimate life adventure[3]. The totem-like being known as Sweet Tooth is said to give its owner surprises[3]. Each of the heads that come with Sweet Tooth grant different things; 'Lil Bernie brings stress free-days while Baby Derwin gives either an amazing fortune or really bad luck[3]. Squid Racer is a robotic friend that is lead by the Singing Robot Head and piloted by faithful Elby and is known to be the hardest working and fastest teams ever[3]. Squid Racer uses its power of momentum to help you reach your full potential[3]. Mr. T.T.T. Burger, an alternation of Plush Series 1s Mr. T.T.T., is quite similar looking to a hamburger but comes accompanied by a Lucky T-bone[3]. Mr. T.T.T. Burger has been stated to help you enjoy the great life you have while satisfying all your indulgences[3]. Lastly there is baby-looking Lucky Doovoo. Lucky Doovoo is an ever- sleeping dream guide who can make dreams come true[3]. To help make your wishes come true write them on his trusty blackboard[3]. Lucky Doovoo also comes with three magical belly button trinkets you can attach to him; The Heart to concentrate on your relationships, the Power Ruby to concentrate on your goals, and the lollipop for carefree slumber[3].

Plush Series 2, The Burger Bunch, and Other Toy Lines

Following the design of Malfi from Plush Series 1 was a second plush line only featuring Malfi with different variants and powers. The most notable changes to the Malfi design were color variations and alternate facial expressions. A reproduction of the regular Malfi design was created for the series. Smiling Malfi still retains the black tone but instead of having a saddened face he is now glowingly smiling and is said to enable limitless fun[1]. Super Malfi retains Smiling Malfi's expression but with a pure white tone and randomly polka dotted in red, light blue, and light green. Super Malfi can bring luck by rubbing his magical polka dots[1]. Lastly, Naked Malfi keeps the same exact design as the original Malfi but with all dark tones replaced by a nude skin color pink.

File:FWYLCrew.jpg
Top: Smiling Malfi, Super Malfi, Malfi Middle: The Boy Bottom: Bumble Grump, Mr. T.T.T. Burger, Muffin

Roughly around the same time as the release of the Malfi based Plush Series 2 a team of toys known as The Burger Bunch was launched. Each of the toys had the distinct ability to have their parts moved around or shared similar to changing out the stacked ingredients in a hamburger sandwich. There were three friends in The Burger Bunch. Bumble Grump is an imaginative baby that gets into wild adventures. Mr. T.T.T. Burger, a different burger looking version of Plush Series 1's Mr. T.T.T., was magically awakened by Bumble Grump[1]. Mr. T.T.T. Burger makes everyday filled with delights[1]. The adorableMuffin is considered a shapeshifter that can turn into anything he wants, but only sometimes[1]. The pieces of all these toys can easily be interchanged between each other to create unique looks and sizes.

Alongside the release of The Burger Bunch Friends With You created The Boy. The Boy was summoned from outer space with his best friend Penelope the invisible white elephant who loves magical cherries[1]. The Boy uses a special transmutation device that has unknown abilities and powers but seems very important to whatever The Boy's secret mission is. Due to a our planets atmosphere being different from what The Boy is use to his body structure changes as well as the molecules that make him up[1]. The large secret behind The Boy is unknown but will save the earth and and all the people too[1]. As well as the toy The Boy was also a strong focal character in the installation and performance of Cloud City at MOCA.

Solo Exhibitions, Commissions, and Major Projects

Group Shows

  • 2003 - See this and Die - The Creek, Miami, FL
  • 2003 - Stick em’ up - OBJEX Art Space, Miami, FL
  • 2003 - Russian Doll Show - The Worst Gallery, Portland, OR
  • 2003 - Little Cakes Book Show - HPGRP Hanna, Ginza Tokyo, Japan
  • 2003 - Nike Lab:_Mr. Wizard the Legend of Speed – New York, NY
  • 2003 - Nike Lab:_Mr. Wizard the Legend of Speed - Los Angeles, CA
  • 2003 - SHIFT MOV Animation Festival - Tokyo, Japan
  • 2003 - Appetite for Mutilation - San Francisco, CA
  • 2004 - Subcultures Toy Show - Mark K. Wheeler Gallery Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • 2004 - Pictoplasma - Future is Now Gallery, NY, NY
  • 2004 - Plushtastrophe - Basil Hallward Gallery, Portland, Oregon
  • 2004 - Plushtastrophe - Double Punch Gallery, San Francisco, CA
  • 2004 - Plushtastrophe - Magic Pony, Toronto, Ontario
  • 2004 - Characters by Design - Gray Matters Gallery, Dallas, Texas
  • 2004 - Aqui Uzumaki - HPGRP Hanna, Ginza Tokyo, Japan
  • 2004 - Characters at War - Zentralbuero, Berlin, Germany
  • 2004 - Pictoplasma - Berlin, Germany
  • 2004 - Neighborhood - Studio Berlin, Germany
  • 2005 - Hide and Seek with Hello Kitty - Hong Kong, China
  • 2005 - Plushtastrophe - Black Market, Los Angeles, CA
  • 2005 - MOVE Conference: Stories in Motion - New York, NY
  • 2005 - Optic Nerve - Official selection - MOCA, Miami, FL
  • 2005 - Project FOX - Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 2005 - Everywhere Show - Mendenhall Sobeiski Gallery, Pasadena, CA
  • 2005 - Hanging By a Thread - The Moore Space, Miami, FL
  • 2006 - MTV Underground Toys - The Showroom NYC, NY
  • 2006 - Demons to Diamonds - Locusts Projects, Miami, FL
  • 2006 - Pictoplasma 2 - Berlin, Germany
  • 2006 - The official FriendsWithYou Bootleg Show – Helium Cowboy, Hamburg, Germany
  • 2007 - Guild – Galerie Perrotin, Miami, FL
  • 2007 - Art Parade – Deitch Projects NY, NY
  • 2007 - TMDG Design conference– Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 2008 - Hexagon - Miami Art Space, Miami FL



  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t http://www.friendswithyou.com
  2. ^ http://www.vinylpulse.com/2005/06/good_wood_gang__1.html
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l http://www.strangeco.com/Features/goodwood/index.html
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