Dunny lovers dunno what sits inside the box

For Jason Grote, one particular Thursday in July wasn't a typical trading night at RobotLove. The 30-year-old delivery worker has frequented the Minneapolis toy store for two years to buy and trade limited-edition action figures. The third Thursday in every month is the official trading night, and Grote is always there.

"I pretty much stop in here every day to trade and meet new people," he said.

But this Thursday was different. It marked the release of the third series of the Dunny limited-edition action figures. RobotLove was one of 11 stores in the United States to host a release for it.

By the time a crowd of about 30 people had formed inside the store, Grote, along with a few other die-hard collectors, had already purchased a 25-box case of the small figurines and started opening them.

He hoped that through trading he could complete the series within the day.

This may sound like big-time toy craziness, but these figures aren't exactly the next Beanie Baby or Giga Pet.

Dunny devotees tend to be younger, hipper, more underground. Traders like Grote have an almost cultlike zeal for the toys.

A Dunny is a 3-inch-tall vinyl action figure created and distributed by Kidrobot, a company based in New York City. Each figure is almost the same: a soft, chubby creature with a large head and rabbitlike ears. But artists give each character a distinct look and ramp up desirability.

Some special-edition Dunnys are as tall as 8 inches.

The first Dunny series was created in 2004 by Tristan Eaton, designer, and Paul Budnitz, president of Kidrobot.

The 15 figures in the first series were sold in windowless boxes so collectors could not see which figure they were buying.

The third Dunny series features 15 action figures and two mystery, or "chase," figures designed by 17 different artists. Like previous series, the third one employs the blind-box packaging. According to the Kidrobot Web site (www.kidrobot.com), a single figure costs $5.95 and a case of 25 figures costs $134.95.

For some collectors, like Chris Burns of St. Cloud, Minn., it is the artistry that attracts them to Dunnys. The 21-year-old student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design discovered Dunnys in a London toy store. He now owns about 50 of them.

"I feel that it is part of the new art movement," said Burns. "Buying Dunnys feels special. These toys give artists a chance to get their name out."

The blind-box packaging promotes sales and trading. It is not uncommon for collectors to buy two of the same figure and trade the duplicate to another collector.

Heather Haymaker, a 30-year-old bookkeeper from Minnesota, went to RobotLove for her fiancé while he was out of town.

She made it her mission to find every figurine in the series and had managed to collect 15 out of the 17, even finding one of the mystery figures. She soon found a fellow collector who was willing to trade with her for a figure she didn't have.

For Web-savvy collectors, both Kidrobot and RobotLove, online at www.robotlove.biz, feature forums devoted to toy swapping.

For some of the more rare items, swapping is not an option, but outright buying is. Rare Dunnys show up on eBay for $150 and more.

Kristoffer Knutson, owner and operator of RobotLove, said he enjoys the community aspect of in-person trading.

"The shop gives them a place to go, a place to hang out, and a place to see the work instead of guessing online," said Knutson. "I definitely think it makes it more human."

By the time Grote had packed up to leave, he had shelled out more than $340, purchasing an additional case of Dunnys as well as 12 individual boxes. He said that he was cutting himself off after that.

"I consider it more than just a hobby," he said while opening his last boxes. "A hobby doesn't bring this many people together."