Kotobukiya is one of Japan’s most famous toy stores, with dolls that date back to 1947. In 1983, the company branched out to original model kits with “Armament” and their first licensed kit in 1985, with “King Godzilla”. From there, Kotobukiya kept building and, in 1989, ventured into soft vinyl statues known now as ARTFX statues.
In the recent years, they started to release “BISHOUJO” (pretty girl) statues which include some eye opening takes on a few of horror’s greatest icons, including Freddy Kruger, Edward Scissorhands, Jason Voorhees, and Chuck and Tiffany from BRIDE OF CHUCKY (an oddity in the series because Tiffany was already a woman). Japan is known for exaggeration and these figures are definitely over emphasized, but they do suggest a market for female horror icons.
Overall, the Kotobukiya BISHOUJO line gives the world an alternative universe of expertly designed horror greats that look pretty darn unique. These 1/7 scale statues have zero articulation, but most include extras which include (weapons, an extras head and more). Some of the new releases that may be hitting the stores this year sometime include Ash and Pinhead.
These statues range in price $130 and up and can be found at local comic book shops and on Amazon.
