Sloo: Art figurines for creatives who want to speak out

Lifestyle brand Sloop Space has designed a 3D representation of the brand’s ideals “to be simple and minimal”. The result is Sloo, an art toy figure created for those “who wish to express themselves or to encourage speaking out and living life with passion and compassion,” explains Sloop Space.

Although designed in a similar shape to a childhood toy with movable joints, a Sloo figure measures a little larger at 69cm tall, making it more of a decorative ornament and collectible item. The shape of each figurine “is a round and curvy character,” in order to be portrayed as a “figure of speech,” says the brand.

Each Sloo figure is also painted and printed “in different visual expressions and designs to convey the messages and stories which the brand wants to share, similar to using different figures of speech in creative writing,” says Sloop Space. One example is ‘Me’, a casually dressed figure with no expression which displays the owner’s defiance in its simplicity. More detailed figures are also available including ‘Peace Please’, aiming to convey the message of “love your enemy and they will love you back,” available in a number of different clothing designs. Unique one-off artistic versions of Sloo are also available for those after something more distinctive. Made in collaboration with artists and illustrators including LeonLollipop and Mickco, each figure is “hand crafted to showcase the individual artists’ expressions”.

For creatives who particularly want to make their own mark on a Sloo figure, Sloop Space has a signature model, ‘Chalk’. A more versatile version of the model painted as a chalkboard, this version allows and encourages the user to draw on the figure as they wish. The moveable qualities of each figurine, including a rotatable torso, make drawing on it easy.

“We wanted to create something that makes it enjoyable to have, something that can allow you to emit your own sense of art and personal character, something that people can relate to and to display in their home or anywhere they want,” says Sloop Space’s founder and avid art toy figure collector, Ernie T. “We chose the chalkboard because it reminds us of when we first received knowledge in our classroom and that unconsciously, I think, everyone has a special connection with a chalkboard.”

Despite Sloo figures being available in a range of alternate designs, one fixture is its recognisable shape – albeit with an interchangeable right hand fist swearing with its middle finger. This bolder feature on each Sloo stems from wanting to emphasise “that everyone should have their freedom to express and to make their own statement when they feel the need for it.”

Founded in 2016, Sloop Space will continue to release alternate versions of Sloo figures, always striving to “promote self-expression and communicate positivity through their collections”.