Ivan Cros: Toys, Graffiti, Art

Ivan Cros is a multimedia artist, illustrator, and designer of collectible toys with a street art background. He was the co-organizer of four custom toy and street culture festivals-exhibitions, Platform (2018–2021), in Ufa. Among his main characters are Bat Boy and Heart Attack.Where do you live and work? How favorable are the conditions for your activities there?I live in Ufa, where I have my own home workshop, and the environment is conducive to development. I have a sculptor friend, people with a 3D printing studio, and an industrial paint booth nearby. Everything needed for production is within a 30-minute drive from my workshop. I have a home printer for printing and (almost) everything necessary, if that’s even possible, for creating figures. I would prefer to cast models instead of printing them and subcontract this work in order to focus on developing universes and designing new characters and worlds. A user picture

When did you start working with toys?

In 2014, I sculpted my first prototypes out of clay, hoping that one day I could cast them. There were already workshops in Ufa making miniatures, and they offered collaboration, but at the time, I couldn’t afford such "major" investments. In November 2020, I printed my first figure on a home printer.

What were you doing before this? Tell us about your creative journey.

I’ve been drawing since childhood, starting around 1994. Later, I got involved in the first wave of graffiti in the 2000s, observing a lot, mostly the scene in America, collecting together the information I needed bit by bit using dial-up internet. In 2012, I created my first character – Bat Boy. In 2016, I decided to return to my roots and become a professional artist. I’ve participated in many group exhibitions and held four solo ones. I also organized the Platform street art festival in Ufa for four years, and this festival showcased custom Kidrobot figures from my friends around the country and abroad.

How would you describe your art?

Many ideas are generated in my head: some are easy to realize, while others take years or require me to wait for the right method to appear – for instance, with the advent of 3D printing, it has become easier to create figures, and large, one-time investments in production are no longer necessary. Since I’ve been painting with spray cans for a long time, I understand that any surface can become a canvas for creativity, whether it’s a blank figure or a chair.

I constantly ask myself: "What if I do it this way – will it work? And what about this way?" In general, my mind works like a scientist's after six years of studying biology – interpreting what I’ve seen and combining it with available resources.

Tell us about your characters and platforms.

I have two main characters: Bat Boy (a guy from Ufa) and Heart Attack.

I created Bat Boy in 2012 and drew him a lot on walls and canvases. Once I got a 3D printer, I modeled him and realized there was no going back. Later, he got several body variations, and so many different paint jobs that I don’t even know where they all are now.

In 2023, I realized I wanted not just another Bat variation, but a new character. That’s when I came up with the concept of Heart Attack – a heart-shaped character who guards its owner and their interests. He’s a bit messy, can’t keep track of everything, but he firmly believes that he’s the one in charge, not the brain. After all, "you can’t command the heart," and "you should always follow your heart."

How do you assess the state of the Russian designer toy market? Who are your buyers?

The market is in its embryonic stage, like in the first week after conception. My customers are people I’ve gathered over the years through social networks and word of mouth. Occasionally, buyers appear out of the blue.

Is there a toy designer community in Russia? How would you describe it? Do you consider yourself part of it?

Initially, we had a small chat group of about 10 people. Two to three years ago, I talked about how an exhibition of figures from the chat participants would give the community a boost. Now there are 25 of us, and our numbers are growing. The potential is enormous, and given the current situation, we can easily create demand for our products and the market. I consider myself one of the first ten toymakers to join the RUTOYS community.

In your opinion, what are the prospects for designer toys in Russia?

The growth is endless, and we’ve set the starting point. The activity of collecting, as a type of human behavior, needs a starting point – the main thing is to begin. After that, it’s about achieving goals: "collect all Russian artists," "collect all iconic ones," "get on the pre-order list for rare items," and so on. Regular exhibitions and support from patrons will drive the growth of demand and direct attention to our products. Where there is attention, energy follows.

Tell us about the people who, in your opinion, have had a significant influence on the development of designer toys in Russia.

Zakhar Evseev [Zak Mini Monster], Dmitry Oskes.

What’s the difference between a designer toy and a classic small-form sculpture?

I don’t see any differences. The production methods don’t matter, it could be plastic, ceramic, or clay. The main thing is style and aesthetics. I consider designer toys to be a technological branch of sculpture.

Why are they called toys if no one actually plays with them? Do you think the name is appropriate?

I think it’s more appropriate to call them "figures." They’re called toys because they’re usually made of plastic, resemble cartoon (fictional) characters, and sometimes people do play with them. I don’t pay much attention to these terms. If someone wants to play with my figure – that’s cool, because, as George Lucas said when visiting a collector who had a farm full of Star Wars toys: "Toys are meant to be played with. I don’t understand why he keeps them all packed up in boxes."