We interview plenty of artists on Tilteed, so I figure, why not also get to know the wonderful bloggers who support our site?
SpankyStokes.com is a blog that focuses primarily on the world of designer toys. If you’re looking for daily updates on designer vinyl, resin figures, and the like, SpankyStokes has you covered! Not only does John write about toys, but he also features other great art finds like posters and t-shirts on his site. SpankyStokes has given Tilteed many mentions, including posts on designs like Greg Abbott’s “Foxes,” Uberkraaft’s “Old Skuul Kuul,” and alexmdc’s “Pirate Dragon.” Let us now get to know the man behind the toy blog!
Hello, John! Can you give us some basic info about yourself and SpankyStokes?
Hello there 
My name is John Adams Stokes III. During the day I am a Senior Graphic Designer for a major casino in San Diego county, and at night I turn into SpankyStokes and fight crime… lol, not really, but I do run a website called SpankyStokes.com that is primarily a news hub for urban vinyl toys, art, design, apparel, and pretty much anything I feel sparks the creative genius in all of us.
What got you into the world of designer toys? How many toys do you currently have in your collection?
Well, being a designer myself, I try to surround myself with inspiration, and during an AIGA “Y” conference here in San Diego, there was a booth setup by a local gallery/shop by the name of Subtext that had some Dunnys and Mongers on display and for sale… I picked up a few blind boxes from each and it was all over from there. I started to surround myself with these colorful 3D objects and as silly as it sounds, they totally brought joy to my life. It was like being a kid again. As I started collecting I went for it all, and over the past few years I have really honed in on my collection, keeping those items that I really like. Between the big and small pieces, I probably am looking at around 300-400 pieces
What gave you the inspiration to blog about the happenings of the toy culture?
It’s really funny how it all started. SpankyStokes.com was a personal blog about my life, and about the thing I did… as most blogs are. In fact, one of the first posts on my site was my dad and I building a gazebo for my mom The site really took on a life of its own when I really started to want more information about designer vinyl toys. I started doing research and at that time, there were only a few sites out there covering the genre, so I decided to share the information I was finding on the net via my site… fast forward 3 1/2 years later and the site is still up, I am still having a blast doing it, and don’t see ever stopping.
Along with collecting toys, you also customize them. About how many customs have you made? Do you think that you’ve improved a lot since your first custom?
Yeah, I try It’s really more of a hobby than anything as there are serious customizers out there who do this stuff for a living, and by the way are AMAZING what they do. It is such an inspiration and honor to be involved with the talents in our scene, and more than anything I am humbled to even be in some of the shows I am in. As for how many customs… I have probably made around 20 pieces give or take so far, and yes I feel as though my art has evolved, but I still strive to do better by trying new techniques and challenging myself to grow with each custom I make. I guess that’s a good attitude to have because once we get complacent, the work we do gets stagnant, and as a designer, that’s the last thing I want to happen.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
Wow… tough question as I have so many that I look up to, and so many of them now I consider friends… crazy how that happened. I guess I can rattle off a little list including TaskOne, Leecifer, MAD, Ferg, Mark Landwehr and Sven Waschk of Coarse, Chris Ryniak, DrilOne, Jesse Hernandez, Huck Gee, Reactor-88, Paul Kaiju, J*Ryu, Kevin Gosselin, Jon-Paul Kaiser, Ritzy Periwinkle, Ardabus Rubber, Hugh Rose, the boys from Rotobox, Cris Rose… man I can go on and on, and on. For sure I am missing out on so many, so let’s just say all the artist that I cover on my blog are my favorite hahaha, kinda like picking your favorite kid… you can’t!
I see that along with toys, you also occasionally blog about t-shirts. Do you have a large shirt collection?
Yeah I love shirts… in fact I have WAY more than my girlfriend does… should be the other way around right??!! I feel as though shirts and design go hand in hand so it was only natural for me to share this with my viewers… not to mention the crazy deals that are out there right now from sites such as Tilteed where you can get unreal shirt designs for dirt cheap… I am all about that!
What are your top three favorite Tilteed designs?
Oh another tough question as you guys have so many stellar artists… I would have to say my top three would be The Inner Workings of a Maniac by Craig Watkins… just love the creativeness that oozes from this shirt. Next would have to be Pirate Dragon by alexmdc… I mean a Pirate Dragon, that’s a win-win. My third pick is Happy Yeti by smoking. Yetis are awesome, especially happy ones, so this is a no-brainer for me.
Many thanks to John of SpankyStokes for sitting down to answer a few questions for us. Definitely stop by his awesome website and feast your eyes upon tons of fantastic designer toys!
