A Word With 28-Year-Old, Seasoned Artist/Toy Designer Johnny Draco About His Career & His New "Cheeky Mouse" Toy
If you’ve been following me, you know that I’m into designer/art toys. I follow a lot of designer toy accounts on Instagram and regularly check out the dealers’ websites to see what they have available. Naturally, designer toy companies pop up on my feed from time to time as sponsored posts. One day, toy manufacturer Mighty Jaxx came across my screen. I decided to check out what they had available and was impressed to see what they had to offer.
I noticed that Mighty Jaxx had a page on their site dedicated to the artists that they work with. I went searching to see if they had any Black artists on the roster. Being an amateur toy collector, I have been interested to know just how many Black people are in this space (there aren’t many). I came across one Black artist on Might Jaxx’s site: Johnny Draco. I clicked on his page to see which toys he designed and he had one listed by the name of “Cheeky Mouse.” The description for Cheeky Mouse reads:
From owning the most coveted kicks to crashing the most raving parties, Cheeky Mouse never misses a single beat of the urban pulse.
Inspired by the Hypebeast culture, Cheeky Mouse is fresh from head to tail. This little beast knows what's trending and rocks it his own way with a nostalgic touch. Stay connected with pop culture and your inner child with Cheeky Mouse by Johnny Draco!
CREDIT: Instagram
As a broke hypebeast, such a toy is right up my alley. Cheeky Mouse is a vinyl, black and white mouse rocking a hoodie, jeans and sneakers in his B-boy stance standing at 8” tall. It is being produced in a limited edition of 150 figures and is slated for release in September 2020 (though that may be pushed back because production has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak in China). The price for each is $120. I’m definitely grabbing when I get my paper straight.
For a little background on Johnny Draco, he is a 28-year-old, self-taught artist from Atlanta who now resides in Denver. He was educated at the prestigious HBCU, Morehouse College, in Atlanta where he majored in political science and had aspirations of becoming a lieutenant in the US military, according to 303 Magazine. He decided to become an artist full-time after a chance internship at ABV, an ATL-based marketing agency, design studio and gallery. He eventually landed his dream job at renowned designer toy/apparel/lifestyle accessory company Kidrobot as senior concept designer. Through Kidrobot, he has done three figures for the popular Dunny line, three TEQ63 figures and various mini-series for giants such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. For these projects, he designed everything from the toys themselves, the tech packs (explained later) and the packaging. He left Kidrobot two years ago and now creates at his own studio, Realize. In addition to toy design, Johnny is disciplined in graphic design, illustration, painting, animation and (more recently) 3D animation.
I reached out to Johnny Draco to get some more info about himself, his art and endeavors. He agreed to sit down and we did MeWeFree’s first official interview. Check out what he had to say below.
CREDIT: Instagram
Where does the name Johnny Draco come from?
The name Draco has always been a nickname from high school. I'm not sure where it came from, but my friends randomly wanted to give me a name, so that kind of stuck through the years. If you had to tie it into something, you could date it back towards draconian law. Draconian law was very strict, which come into how I work. Strict in practice of my art form.
You’re a self-taught artist. At what point did you discover you were nice?
I am a self-taught artist, but I have been painting traditionally since I was about 6-years-old. I got bored of doing art that way and always painting what I see. Sort of stopped doing art altogether in middle school. I started art again in college which is when I started to take things serious again. Having an alternate view on making money in the artistic sector really helped, instead of the traditional view of joining the military.
Did you go to school for art at all?
I've never gone to school for art. There were a couple times that I entered into art fairs and random people would pay/sponsor me to take summer classes. I actually hated these classes so I would literally drop out of them every time because they were telling me how I should do things. I've always imagined art as a free form without limitations, I guess.
What is your inspiration to make the art you make?
When I was in high school, KAWS was a big inspiration to me. Nowadays, I take inspiration from traveling and just observing the world for what it is. By doing this, random ideas and inspiration spark. Even if I'm just sitting outside and people watching.
What was your breakout moment?
I think my big breakout moment was when I was in college on track to be an officer in the Army. I literally dropped everything one day and never came back to my ROTC classes. Decided to pursue art instead. It was a really tough decision since my father was in the Army. He had very high expectations.
How did you get into toy making?
I first got into toy making when I first found out about Kidrobot in high school. I used to buy their overpriced clothes and toys all the time. When I got out of college, I managed to get my dream job [at Kidrobot] in Boulder, which is why I moved from Atlanta in the first place. Very tough decision, but from there I started making toys with the company having three Dunny and three TEQ63. Also got the opportunity to work with companies like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network in creating mini-series.
What is the process behind getting a toy made?
The process of making toys is different for everyone. But to simplify it, toys start out as sketches, followed by a layout/map of what the toy looks like. This is called a tech pack. From there it is modeled in 3D, or hand-sculpted so that it can be reproduced in a factory, or if you have your own setup, they are replicated in your own garage.
What has been your experience as a Black person in this space? There doesn’t seem to be many.
There aren't many Black people in the toy world. I've had some problems in the internal sector of Kidrobot, but as far as the actual toy world, there has been nothing but support for what I have done.
What projects are you most proud of?
I'm pretty proud of my first two projects, the first being Mr. Watt. This was the first Dunny I've ever created and it was something that I carefully planned out from top to bottom. The second project was the first TEQ63 released by Kidrobot. It was a pretty rushed project and I spent all night working on it. People enjoyed the piece way more than I thought and it sold out in five minutes. Never imagined anything like that would happen.
Mr. Watt 5” Dunny (CREDIT: Instagram)
TEQ63 Titan & Deadbots (Credit: Instagram)
What moved you to make Cheeky Mouse?
Cheeky Mouse was a satirical approach towards the current culture of streetwear. Streetwear literally used to be a beast of its own, actually giving individuals style. Everything nowadays is hyped. Cheeky represents the hypebeast showing off what he has even if he can't afford it.
When does Cheeky Mouse officially drop?
Cheeky should officially release in the fall. There has been some delays in production, but I'm hoping to get my hands on the product soon and should be selling some pieces on my shop as well.
CREDIT: Instagram
What can people look forward to from you in the future?
People should look forward to the projects I'm working on at my studio Realize. We are planning to release some new toys, get into more mural work, animations and other interesting projects.
What advice would you give to folks trying to enter this space?
The most effective advice I can give to someone trying to enter any space is to do your research, buy books, watch videos. Learn as much as you can even if you think it won't help you now, it can possibly be useful later. Don't focus on creating your own style. Your style will come as you continue to create. Lastly, CLOSED MOUTHS DON’T GET FED. Asking is everything, even if someone says no. Take a chance, because you have nothing to lose.
You can follow Johnny Draco on IG at his personal account, @johnnydraco_, or his official website: www.johnnydraco.com.
You can keep up with Realize at @wehaverealize, or the official website: www.wehaverealize.com.
Preorder Cheeky Mouse here.
