Anti-Toy Story

Besides acne, cracking voices, and slobbery first kisses to rival a St. Bernard, the worst thing about hitting puberty is giving up your toys. Bye bye, Barbie. Sayonara, stuffed animals. G.I. Joe, you’re retired from active duty. Thank God for the collectible vinyl/resin toy fad, which allows teens and adults to stock their rooms full of chubby round dolls, er, “sculptural toys,” without looking like complete losers.

Chat with local toymakers including Roy Wasson Valle and Kill! during the opening reception for “The Resin Collective” at Red Hot Robot. The exhibit features more than 100 handmade toys from national and international artists -- but go to the mall if you’re looking for a plaything, because these one-of-a-kind resin sculptures are not for kids.

“Die-hard toy collectors think of it as art,” says store owner Jason Kiningham. “Resin sculpture has gained popularity in the last few years, but this is the first show of its kind showcasing lowbrow artists.” Looking at UK sculptor Cris Rose’s vibrantly colored robotic birds and Australian DaddyMack’s awesome Futurama-style alien sculptures, we’re thinking “lowbrow” is code for “way cooler than that boring museum crap.”