BUILT DIFFERENT: Japanese Soft Vinyl Toys | HOW they're made, WHY they're special

This video is about the world of SOFUBI (soft vinyl toys made in Japan). Soft vinyl toys are "a whole 'nother monster", in more ways than one, all the way down to how the molds are made. Vinyl pulling is a unique, time-honored, slower-paced process that has produced some of the most pleasant plastic figures on earth.
VINYL WONDER - DURABLE VINYL PAINT
www.vinylwonder.com/
WONDER GOBLIN VINYL TOYS
www.wondergoblin.com/
MAX TOY CO
www.maxtoyco.com/
NEIL EWING / BOMBASTIC PLASTIC
www.bombasticplastic.com/
BWANA SPOONS
goopygravy.com
MAGITARIUS
www.magitarius.com/
LAST BASTION STUDIO
www.lastbastionstudio.com/store
CANDIE BOLTON
www.candiebolton.com/
LOW TECH STUDIOS
www.lowtechstudios.com/
HOW IT WAS MADE: JOY RIDERS & SKY KING (Fantastic HOW-IT'S-DONE info!)
www.thebeastisback.com/blog
FUTURETROISTIC ART MAGAZINE (Thank y'all for featuring Steady Craftin!)
www.FutuRETROistic.com
RUDE PANDA
/ rudepanda
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VIDEOS REFERENCED OR SHOWN IN THIS EPISODE:
The Great Process - The world of sofubi you don't know!
• あなたの知らないソフビの世界！ソフビ人形がで...
Rampage Toys - How to make SOFUBI
rampage-toys.blogspot.com/2011...
Making Toys - Como se hace el SOFUBI? Visitamos una FABRICA...
• ¿Como se hace el SOFUB...
Mighty Jabba's Collection - SOFUBI
• I'm obsessed with Japa...
Sharmeleon - Japanese Sofubi Toy Factory Tour
• JAPANESE SOFUBI TOY FA...
KaijuKornerAndy - Japanese Soft Vinyl (sofubi) Toy Factory
• Japanese soft vinyl (s...
Wonderbot - • Wonderbot Tutorial - D...
What is Sofubi? - • What is Sofubi?
Brandon Bwana Spoons - • Summerslime 5 Bonus Tr...
AllMovieJapan - • 株式会社カミジョー　ソフビ用の金型・モールド...
Plastic Fantastic: Japan’s obsession with soft vinyl toys
• Plastic Fantastic: Jap...
Bearo - Japanese Sofubi Toy Technique "Bucket Method"
• Japanese Sofubi Toy te...
Dongyuanxing - Shenzhen soft vinyl sofubi toy making factory
• Shenzhen soft vinyl s...
Don Kratzer - SOFUBI - Made in Japan
• SOFUBI - Made in Japan
Japanese American National Museum - In the Clutches of Kaiju
• In the Clutches of Kaiju
70 Years of Service: Post-WWII Reconstruction in Japan
• 70 Years Of Service: P...
The Repatriation of Celluloid Dolls from the USA
• The Repatriation of Ce...
SOFUBI TOY FACTORY
• SOFUBI TOY FACTORY
EVIL ROY STUDIO - Making Urban Toy
• Making Urban Toy | Scu...
SPACERAMBLER - Sofubi Vinyl Resin Toy Sculpture - Graybeast
• Sofubi Vinyl Resin Toy...
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[@vinylwonder]

Wow! Thank you so much for making this video and for the shout out! You've explained the mysterious process of sofubi so clearly and beautifully, better than I've ever seen. You're the best!

[@lindahoang5123]

Hey Wonder Goblin!!! So cool to see two of my favorite artists in one video!

[@vinylwonder]

Hey Linda! So sweet of you to say that! Thank you!@@lindahoang5123

[@mixymixee]

Y'all do magical work together!

[@stewartbeaumont7847]

The slow horror of Crafsman watching Oto7 malfunction is peak comedy

[@richardlee3679]

The Crafman is like the Bruce Lee of toy production, looking all around the world at every culture he can find for tricks and techniques to work into his own style. Man's a Craf-Fu Master.

[@sunderark]

"I digest" made me chuckle out loud. I love you, Crafsman.

[@spitrat202]

Me too

[@wesofoz]

King Jaguar!!!!! I'm so honored you included my original character in his sofubi form

[@TheCrafsMan]

What a fantastic character! Super impressive work, my friend!

[@mattkaufenberg7797]

Thanks so much for the shoutout! The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever❤🙏

[@DoYouLikeMyNameDude]

5:45 A brief explanation is that the different liquids have a their own thermal properties. Oil can release more heat energy and remain at 100 degrees than toluene can. If the vinyl cures clear when heated over a long period of time then this makes sense as the toluene can only transfer so much heat energy into the vinyl before the liquid near the mold cools. Just by changing liquids you can achieve quicker or slower curing times using the same setup with little to no temperature adjustment. In other words, if you want a burnt egg put it on a red hot frying pan, and if you want a warm egg put it on a red hot sheet of thin aluminum foil.

[@2degucitas]

Toluene is carcinogenic. Having an open vat of that stuff 24\7 terrifies me.

[@machineman6498]

Are we sure that’s toluene and not salt?

[@TheCrafsMan]

@@2degucitas This is why I say it with a question mark at the end, because it *seems* fairly unsafe... but when you talk to someone who actually pulls vinyl, they'll probably say "It hasn't killed me yet." :|

[@neilewing6803]

I think the whole toluene thing came from a factory visit video rampage did years ago… we don’t use toluene. It’s a salt oil bath. In the furnace tank the salt doesn’t boil and disperses heat evenly.

[@-_._._-]

Craftsman you really deserve millions of subscribers. Your video editing quality is top notch. I hope viewers take the time to share your videos around more. You should have 20M subs by now, your videos are SO GOOD.

[@matta2939]

I love seeing OTO7 and CrafsMan interact together. I hope to have a OTO7 sitting on my desk someday!

[@j4hrul391]

Ditto!

[@MightyJabbasCollection]

I'm so happy to see this video! I've been obsessed with sofubi for a while now and this is a great intro. Also very excited about the upcoming sofubi from Crafsman! (Also thanks for the brief shoutout taken from my own video about sofubi)

[@TheCrafsMan]

Hey buddy! I was going to message you directly on Instagram to be sure you saw the final thing. :D The footage from your visit is SO nice, my friend. Also... I think I got the soft vinyl "infection" now. LOL!

[@ScruffyLookinRGB]

I was almost positive you would be featured in this video somewhere 😉 congratulations 🎊 👏

[@lastbastionstudiostv]

We're so honored to be called out in this video!!!!!

[@mikec1554]

Softnicity. I love being here

[@volttherobot]

What a cool episode/history lesson - my Maker has an old windup “cat chasing a ball” celluloid toy that has “made in occupied Japan” on it. Looks like you have a lot of cool stuff going on, congrats on being featured in that magazine! Nice to see (and hear) OTTO7 again. And having a vinyl toy of him being made- whuuuut?!? xoxo

[@rudepanda8300]

So cool, Crafsman!!! It's such an honor to have you in the FutuRETROistic magazine!!! I'm so excited to order my OTO-7!!! Thanks for such an edu-taining video!!! 🐼🐼

[@RvnKnight]

Goto-San is someone special. I check Max Toys and saw that the kaiju kitty is only made in HIGHLY limited runs, but I will adopt one at some point.

[@TheCrafsMan]

Goto-San's smile is infectious! Seems to REALLY enjoy the process. Wonderful. :) And I'm after a Kaiju Kitty as well! :D (The one I showed was on loan from my buddy James' personal collection.) Such a cool little design, isn't it?

[@RvnKnight]

@@TheCrafsMan I was thinking about something after finishing the video, I know you did rotocasting, but I couldn't recall the material. I was thinking about setting up a rotocasting machine with simple plaster mold and putting some of my Cast-a-Mold 25T in it just to see if it would work out in a similar manner.

[@TheCrafsMan]

@@RvnKnight : Both Smooth-Cast 65d and 45d can be rotocast. The 65d is what I used on the Free-Range Chicken, and it kicks pretty fast but it's fairly rigid. Whereas the Smooth-Cast 45d is a bit softer (esp. when in a thin shell / rotocast form) BUT it does take longer to fully cure.

[@RvnKnight]

@@TheCrafsMan that is extremely helpful to know! Thank you!

[@Dameinthewild]

Crafsman doing a "how It's made" video. I'd be fascinated by a whole series of these. Especially because you've already done such a good job of introducing us to these basic concepts. So when you talk about what the process allows compared to injections molds, etc. I know what you mean! :D

[@soulkeephl]

I, for one, welcome our new vinyl Oto7 overlords

[@MakingToys]

This is a great video! Thanks for including and giving credit to my work!

[@MushyMonkey]

The algorithm just threw me this channel for the first time. I'm shocked you don't have 10 times as many views. I love the stop motion and puppetry! I'm subbing and liking

[@TheCrafsMan]

Thank you for giving one of my videos a chance! I really do appreciate that, and the very kind words!

[@GojiGuy]

Great video! I'm Alex from Seismic Toys and this video does such a great job explaining why we do what we do! And what makes the process so unique.

[@shakestheclone1995]

OTO7 For President Of Earth

[@TheCrafsMan]

Oooo Mercy! He’d probably light it on 🔥 , knowing him…

[@shakestheclone1995]

@@TheCrafsMan I’m pretty sure someone has beat him to that

[@yotoeben]

Seriously such a good video CrafsMan! Thank you so much for shouting out The Beast is Back/Chris Lee, following him online has introduced so much of the toy making community to me- even have made some friends at toy shows talking about his work! Such a genuinely great artist!

[@UncleJessy]

Man this video was packed with amazing toy content. Loved every second

[@TheCrafsMan]

Thanks for watching, Uncle Jessy! Glad you enjoyed it. :D

[@bonuslifeart]

I haven’t been this invested in the day-to-day life of a puppet since Mr Socko entered my life.

[@Urushi12kitty]

hi craftsman, i love your videos! thank you for doing a video on sofubi, they're a niche hobby here (mostly with tokusatsu collectors) so its nice to see them get some love! Fun fact: a lot of dnd monsters were inspired by a bunch of ultraman figures and sofubi that the creators stumbled upon!

[@nataliadeavilapires2136]

Thanks for being just a wonderful addition to KZbin Crafsman thank you.

[@CapedKong]

This is the perfect video to refer people to when introducing them to sofubi now. I love it.

[@user-nd7rg5er5g]

The lightbulb with feet was adorable.

[@andy-in-indy]

One of the GI Joe customizes I know, Skunk Works Customs, speaks glowingly about Wonder Vinyl paint. The soft vinyl process you showed is similar to the way they made the original GI Joe heads. Their heating process was much faster than what was shown here, and the kept them in motion while they heat cured. The opening for the neck post was then pushed out with a sharpened tube. It is not hard to get plastisol, and many people use it to make custom fishing lures. That PVC is usually very soft (Shore OO instead of Shore A like silicone molds).

[@nellkellino-miller7673]

I have never cared about or been interested in plastic toys as an artform, but praise the algorithm!. Big love from the graffiti/calligraphy/hiphop world!

[@Rody_le_Cid]

konnichi wa, always a good day when a Crafsman video comes out! I lived in Tokyo 6 years, hope you enjoyed yourself.

[@Lockdown_502]

Uhhhhh so the algorithm recommended this video and I'm friggin glad it did! This is amazing. Great production. Informative and funny!

[@TheCrafsMan]

Thank you for checking out one of my videos! I do appreciate that, as well as the nice comment! Hope you stick around with us! :D

[@chriskind]

My goodness gracious. Crafsman plus how it's made. I can't absorbe it! Too chilllll. Also non glove set of craftsman hands. I feel like we just saw the Sasquatch. Your love to other vinyl creators is beautiful. Love it.

[@sirarnie9837]

Reminds me of those Mold-o-Rama toys.

[@robinkat]

So happy to see that puppet face again!!!

[@sophiegoose]

Great video! Sofubi is such an interesting genre of toys and art. The unique manufacturing and painting processes make them so interesting, they've really got a vibe like nothing else in the collecting space. It's so neat holding a piece that you know someone literally pulled from the mold by hand and/or meticulously painted. They have such a strong handmade vibe, gives me the same feeling as holding a hand-wittled wooden figurine or a vintage toy from the mid 1900s or earlier where it was crafted near entirely by hand. The price can be very high but you're paying for the process, the labor, the ability of the artist's sculptwork to come out in the final product and the feel of the materials once you have it in-hand. Such neat little chunks of vinyl, honestly.

[@weaz549]

Timing! I just bought a piece by and artist named gargamel at a toy show the same day this video came out. Never heard of sofubi until yesterday, but the piece was cool and spoke to me.

[@freakyfarm170]

I know this video isn't about puppets but the way my heart went "BaBOOM" when I saw the Wonder Bot puppet I made in a Crafs Man video!

[@paulkiefer3893]

Max toy and bwana spoons is where I started my sofubi and kaiju collecting.

[@eggi5569]

Wow, it's been years since i've seen your videos pop up on my feed, mr. Crafsman. The quality of your videos has clearly taken a sharp upturn since you showed us different things you like. Very glad to see content creation is working out well, can't wait to see more!

[@fableagain]

That cat kaiju is adorable 😍😍😍

[@Therealmrmeow]

Oto-7 bringing some drama to the Crafs-shed! Love that you are into soft vinyl! what cool and crazy designs! I think that soft vinyl has a more artistic aesthetic than most toys. Some other toys designs are certainly great, especially vinyl figures and such but there is certainly something special about those soft vinyls that makes them right at home in an art gallery.

[@TheCrafsMan]

MR. MEOW in the hizz-ouse! :D Sincere thanks for the kind comment, and honestly for just hanging with me all this time!

[@carlosmtabi4706]

😁thx for the video, i lived in Japan as a child, & that smell of the vinyl in the toy stores is one of the things that has stuck in my memory 50 years later, wish i still had some of those toys!

[@critic2o5]

Absolutely wonderful video, as an amateur toy artist I'm thankful for you and your content everyday!

[@slimehousetv]

Crafsman doing Sofubi is a game changer 🙌

[@SabrinasWorkshop]

That Kaiju kitty is my new favorite thing ❤😺 Thanks for the hard work and care you put into your videos, they are always a treat!

[@EMMmaximino]

nice i remember candy bolton when she just started out, and watching her grow and grow and grow, shes' got beatiful toys

[@DVSNCREW]

Wow! Ma, I made it! Thanks for including the Ruski Mouski, Crafsman! 🙏🙏🙏

[@kristenlee2357]

I loved the altered King of the Hill clip😂

[@quinnhaase3587]

Welcome to the world of Sofubi! I’ve been collecting for a few years now and I really love this community. I’m even working on my own custom Sofubi! Yours looks like it will be amazing! I can’t wait till I go to Japan next month to see where it’s all made!

[@wehttam5kin632]

Love soft vinyl, I grew up with kaiju figures. Never really knew what all went into making them, so interesting

[@thebachelorslife964]

I love your videos craftsman. This video is cool for me because I work in a chemical plant making vinyl.

[@luckyrabbithead12321]

Thank You, Sir. You are beloved.

[@Oliver-ke5es]

Mechs being an agricultural, mining, construction platform make the most sense to me. Being able to swap out different devices onto the arms to clear forests, excavate, ect. That’s the main reason in my mind at least for making it bipedal.

[@Moonguided]

"Softnicity" is going directly in my word rotation. You are amazing as always.

[@PKTCrafts]

Your videos always amaze me man. The quality is so high it’s almost funny

[@TheCrafsMan]

I appreciate that SO much, my friend.

[@muccia7328]

You and otto 7's interactions are hilarious and delightful 😊 i hope otto 7 enjoyed his trip 😅

[@deadringer444]

This is my first introduction to your channel and I am absolutely delighted

[@APG2112]

Very interesting realm of toys I have never given much thought to. This video sums it up nice and neat. Shifting gears,I don’t know which is more soothing….the music track or the calm,cool,creole accent of Crafsman. It’s like chopping up toy shop with Dr. John. Thank you Crafsman for your time and effort.

[@ELDENRANGOON]

You speak with the voice of a calm sentient landscape. Subscribed. ❤

[@TheCrafsMan]

Wow. Thank you so much!

[@TheRealAlpha2]

Incredibly informative video on a process of of toy making I never knew about. In all the DIY efforts you already do I can imagine you seeing this and wanting to experiment with it yourself, immediately.

[@selinabirkin1344]

crafsman is a lovely example of how much hard work and dedication and magic goes into aspects of life i hardly even think about most days

[@oliverdelaenfield2]

I couldn’t care less about vinyl toys but you had me all the way to the end, educational and relaxing!

[@Brutzkrieg]

I have been so excited for you to enter the world of sofubi!

[@trevann8213]

Crafsman I am in your discord and was there when you talked about doing more like documentary long videos and I think this is the perfect craftman style documentary video format (I'm only 5 minutes in rn tho as I write)

[@marsfeathers]

That vinyl wonder paint scratch test had my jaw dropping with shock, wow!! Love to see a small business making leaps in the hobby

[@dirtymick01us]

19 minutes and 15 seconds ago I didn`t even know this was a thing. Thanks, Crafsman! Such a cool video.

[@davesculpts]

I was just thinking its been a while since we had a toy video, really informative and interesting man, definitely need to look into some equipment for sofubi production 😀

[@TheCrafsMan]

DAVE! :D Mannn, while researching this video I got the BUG again to sculpt a figure. And ohhhhhhh snap, your designs would be so nice in soft vinyl!

[@davesculpts]

@TheCrafsMan your video has me itching to create a new toy 😄 I've been a small bit hesitant to go back to resin casting as I felt there was alot of wasted material in the process but sofubi looks like a great alternative 😀 I'm going to go sculpt something new right away while I have the motivation 😄

[@Frank_wow]

I love your videos they are so cool

[@Rezmason]

You make a great first impression, craf 🤩

[@jamescorvus6709]

This is the video I've been waiting for

[@mkayultra1024]

Love the Crafsman Deep Dive ❤

[@CarlKeeling1881]

CRAFSMAN!!!! ALL RIGHT!!!!

[@toddmartyjoe]

Glad I stumbled into this video. I love your super chill voice and humor! What a great video. I'm gonna look for more of them!

[@will6258]

Your skillset never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for all the effort you put into your work. It really is a joy to watch.

[@danthemakerman]

Thank you for the education.

[@thetoycave82]

I learned about toys I never knew about today. Thanks Crafsman.

[@gabbysned2434]

thank you so much for this video, cool to see a lot of familiar names in here!! i love my little sofubi collection -- hope to see more people joining this fun community!

[@NicoleHam]

This video is one of the best things ever, pure zen for me. I got into making toys literally last year -- I'm not fully 'anywhere' with my career in it yet, but I hope to get there one day. A part of me is searching for kinship with Japan's hand in the toy trade as well, being of Japanese Descent -- I STG my brainstem has just been obsessed with fabrication and creature-design since I was out the womb. ANYWAY, as per usual, brilliant videos man. Really appreciate this, even though I've been getting into sofubi (and own a few pieces from some people here!!!) -- SOFUBI is life, toy-making is the best de-stresser a few investments in materials can buy. What a cool and awesome community. ALSO-- The Vinyl wonder good vibes are so real. Won't forget DCON 2022 and me just buying a ton and having a lovley convo with the seller(s) there. Plus the paint is HELLA good, even on resin

[@isaacpimentel6482]

I love this channel, you are not entertaining, but very educational! This is a process many fans are passionate about, but unfortunately a lot of artists are very lip sealed about the processes, while you give the people a high quality scholarly level of explanation! Awesome channel

[@MsSayanna]

First time watching one of your videos. Saw those adorable kaiju kitties over a year ago on pinteres and now I know that the world of toys and craft is so vast and fascinating. I've never been into collecting that much, but these days it's growing on me. Thank you, it was truly interesting video, will be surely checking out more! Now i want to make a toy myself

[@MrFractalrabbit]

This is excellent! Thank you for making this!

[@gairkarohncatarn4527]

Thanks for making this video, never even heard of these until you covered them here

[@roadkillraker]

Awesome dive into a nostalgic way of making the toys we grew up with. Many old vinyl toys were handed down to multiple generations they were so durable.

[@cerisekappes580]

Awesome video!!! ❤❤❤

[@anneo3754]

Awesome! It's nice to see how things are made 😊

[@emperorhadrian6011]

My soft vinyl Ultraseven is the crown jewel of my collection. Big appreciation of this video.

[@Young-bx2pf]

Your videos are beautifully well made

[@Brocollipy]

Excellent video. Many thanks!!

[@chubbichicken]

This video is fantastic!

[@lnecbaal]

thank you man, love these sorts of videos. really comfy

[@jonathangehman4005]

That was such an interesting and pleasant 19 minutes and 15 seconds, I think I'll watch it again

[@Ricstroh]

What a great video!

[@ecwprincezbya]

This is the chillest How It's Made episode

[@TOKYOTOYBANZAI]

Holy cookies! Wish id’ve known you were here man!! Stoked to finish this video after work 😮

[@tearybiff1839]

This was such an awesome video 🥹🥹🙏 thank u sm crafsman

[@xSpaghettyx]

Oh this is wonderful

[@Skaramine]

Way way back, my first Sofubi was an Eleking from Ultraman, sold under the brand Godzilla and Friends. I want to say that this was before 1980, and he had arm, waist and neck articulation. He was well played with. This was a wonderful behind the scenes video.

[@Skaramine]

The difference between "Bandai mass market" and Sofubi is apparent later in the video. Even the mass produced vinyl figures have a great charm, but finding the small artists is eye opening.

[@punkdrunky]

Amazing video!! Thanks for sharing the world of sofubi 🍻🍻

[@yenshintoys]

This is so awesome! Thanks for highlighting the world of SOFUBI