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Youtooz — a leader in gaming collectibles
When it comes to exclusive gaming collectibles, there are plenty of options for gamers to peruse. There’s McFarlane Toys for the intricately minded and Funko with their Pop! figures, and for those who don’t know, there’s also Youtooz and their collectible figurines and plushes. A megalith in the gaming figurines space, Youtooz has partnered with dozens of fandoms and universes to release hundreds of exclusive, limited-time figures.
From the most prominent names in entertainment to smaller content creators, Youtooz has earned lots of experience working alongside some of the most iconic players in modern gaming. They’ve built a dedicated community of fans and don’t show any signs of slowing their growth. With plenty of live and pre-release sales planned over on Youtooz.com, they are worthy of keeping an eye on.
Who are Youtooz
Based in China and Vietnam, Youtooz started as a small-time figurine maker focused on quality and detail instead of a mass-produced commodity. They began with figures and fandoms that were undeniably popular to get themselves noticed. As they grew, they made sure to grow with the gaming community. They make sure to include content creators and popular streamers of games they cover as a way to give more to fans.
The figures are produced in Shenzhen, China, then assembled and painted by hand. Every figurine featured on Youtooz is a limited-time deal. Once the figure has sold out, Youtooz will never feature them again, and the only way you can pick one up is from a third-party marketplace. In this way, Youtooz has earned a dedicated following of collectors, investors, and fans.
Partnerships
Over the years, Youtooz has managed to cover more than the gaming industry. They’ve released a figurine for just about every area of pop culture you can think of. Movies, TV, graphic novels, and anything in between. Their website boasts an impressive list of content creators and entertainment conglomerates.
They have Chuckie and Reptar from Rugrats–which may be too old for some of the younger generations to recognize–, and they’ve got Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. There’s the Dragonborn from Skyrim, Vault Boy from Fallout, and Eleven from Stranger Things. They also have LaurenZSide, PointCrow and Superhorrorbro figures.
And that’s just what’s currently available.
In the past, they’ve covered Crash Bandicoot, Avatar the Last Airbender, and tons of Spongebob Squarepants figures. Our favorite so far is the South Park collection. Somehow, they managed to capture the art style of South Park and its characters–specifically Farmer Randy Marsh–to a perfect degree.
Youtooz: how they’re created
The process of creating a Youtooz figure–everything from start to finish–can take anywhere from 3-6 months. Since the team is dedicated to detail and quality, the sampling times can stretch for weeks. Their usual process goes something like this:
Sketching the concept
Youtooz reaches out to a content creator or IP about producing a figure for them. They ask that creator or IP to provide some ideas and sketches of how they would want their figure to look.
This starts a back and forth process where Youtooz and the figure designer explain precisely what they’re looking for. Youtooz looks for input on the packaging in addition to the figurine during this process. They encourage creators to tell a story with their box and make the display window something unique. Once the sketching is complete, Youtooz moves on to a 3D model.
3D rendering
For every figurine on their website, Youtooz offers a 3D viewer. Probably because they’re so proud of their 3D handiwork, and why wouldn’t they be? Creating their 3D model can take over 25 work hours to complete. Once completed, the 3D model is sampled.
Prototyping
In the process, there isn’t a large-scale mold created for the figure yet. For now, the figure is molded with casts of each individual part. It is touched up by hand and sent off to the creator or IP for inspection.
Inspection is quick and easy. Does it look good or not? If not, then it’s back to individual molding until they get the design just right. If the creator or IP says the figure is good to go, then Youtooz gets ready to mass-produce the figure.
And by mass-produce, we mean they’ll make a couple hundred. Hardly mass-produced by other companies’ standards.
Full production
But this is a big step in the manufacturing process, as now they can automate the figure’s creation and focus on the intricate parts: painting.
Each Youtooz figure is assembled and painted by hand. Yeah, you read that right. Youtooz employs over 1400 workers to get the job done, and each employee looks at their job with artistic responsibility.
By the time the figure is assembled, painted, and placed in its specific box, a single figure has seen over a hundred work hours from creation to release.
Youtooz future plans
Though Youtooz has already worked with Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Sony, they are only getting started with their partnerships, especially in the gaming department. Recently they put out figures for Poppy Playtime, and they almost immediately sold out. It’s a safe bet that nearly any other gaming partnership they have planned will end similarly.
If you scroll down to the bottom of their website, you can see some of their upcoming projects. While some of their to-be-released figurines are blacked out and remain a mystery, others are front and center. Dropping in the next few days are figurines for LilSimsie, Murder Monkey from Dark Descent, and AntDude.
Youtooz and Facepunch have a new collaboration planned in the near future, featuring exclusively RUST content, a video game developed by Facepunch, They are clearly trying to include gamers from the entire gaming spectrum.
Youtooz’s figure-making format and extreme attention to detail may be the future of collectibles. Taking the time to ensure all parties involved are as happy as possible with the product–and not just the figure, but every part of the product, including the packaging and release. Assembling each figure by hand and visually inspecting each one for defects while also touching them up by hand is a level of meticulosity not seen in other companies. It’s something that puts Youtooz ahead of their competition and is what will keep them healthy and growing for some time to come.
Gaming + Youtooz = Awesome
While there are plenty of different collectible companies with which gamers can decorate their home spaces, there aren’t many that offer hand-painted figures of beloved streamers and content creators. And while a single gamer’s entertainment preferences may run far and wide, there seems to be one collectible company that will always have gamers covered.
Youtooz is a successful, dedicated, reliable manufacturer of gaming collectibles that’s been around for years and will be around for years more.
If you’re looking for unique, one-of-a-kind collectibles that will almost surely appreciate over time, look no further than Youtooz. If you’re a gamer that wants to support your favorite streamer, check out their figure on Youtooz. And if you’re someone who wants to spruce up your gaming pad with something a bit more lively, Youtooz has you covered.
Again, don’t forget to check in on their upcoming Rust releases!
