Unkle Wiki

Prototypes and Unreleased Merchandise

Throughout Mo'Wax's timeline there have been more than enough merchandise released to keep even the most hardcore fans happy, but there have also been several ideas and collaborations which never happened, such as plans to work with Lego, and creating the first Mo' Wax shoe with Clarks.

Some unreleased prototypes and ideas which have never been seen include a James Lavelle X Converse X Supreme X Stanley Kubrick shoe, unreleased Bape and Medicom collaborations,[1] and future releases similar to their Dolce Visualis project with Mike Mills, this time featuring Future and Massive Attacks 3D.[2] More toys were also planned including, "an International Traveller edition of former Beastie Boys keyboard player, Money Mark, complete with plaid travel slacks and gold-rimmed shades; a 12" Futura 2000 action figure and 3D models based on drawings by...3-D"[3]

Some prototypes eventually saw release in some form. A glow in the dark Unkle 77 VCD figure was created, but not mass produced. Silver, red, white, and black variations of the Unkle 77 Toy were also created, and can be seen in magazines, but were not widely available.

Unreleased Clarks collaboration

Prototypes and Unreleased Merchandise
Year1996
TypeShoe

In 1996 Mo' Wax proposed a collaboration with shoe company Clarks for what would have been the first Mo' Wax shoe collaboration, but which was left unreleased and unrealised.

Unkle 77 Prototype

Unkle 77 Prototype
Unkle77Prototype.jpg
Availability1997?–

The Unkle 77 Prototypes were designed by Ben Drury and were based on the pointmen artworks of Futura2000. They would eventually become the Unkle 77 Toy released in 1998.

The prototypes were featured on a page in the December 2001 issue of Lodown Magazine, and one of the prototypes was later shown at an exhibition of UNKLE related work in 2003 at the ICA, London. The Urban Archaeology: 21 Years Of Mo' Wax book released in 2014 also featured several images of the prototypes across two pages, and dates the prototypes as being designed in 1997.

See also the alternative coloured Unkle 77 figures on our Unkle 77 Toy page.

Mo' Wax Lego

Mo' Wax Lego
Availability1999–

In 1999 Mo' Wax proposed a collaboration with toy company Lego which would enable people to use blocks of samples to build their own songs. The concept was designed by Ben Drury, Andy Holmes, Tony Feltwell, and B. Weaver according to the Mo' Wax 21 book. In May 2020 James Lavelle described the ideas as follows:

"The one collaboration which has nothing to do with sneakers or anything like that, but would’ve been the ultimate was when we were looking to try and do something with LEGO, where we’d get the bricks and each brick was going to be a sample. And then you could make tracks out of the bricks. So you could buy The Prodigy, and you make Firestarter out of the bricks or something. So we wanted to do a sort of Mo’ Wax Lego collaboration that we were developing, but that didn’t happen."[4]

Figure by Giovanni Estevez

Figure by Giovanni Estevez
1999 MW Giovanni Estevez 2.jpg
Availability1999–

In 1999 Mo' Wax proposed a collaboration with Giovanni Estevez who had previously featured in Mo' Wax's URBAN ARCHEOLOGY exhibition in 1997, the Urban Archaeology: 21 Years Of Mo' Wax exhibition from 2014,[5] and 2014's Nike X Mo’ Wax Build and Destroy Collectioncollaboration with Nike.[6]

In 2014 James Lavelle recalled the collaboration stating, "I met him [Giovanni Estevez] 19 years ago. He did work on UNKLE stuff and Mo’ Wax stuff. There’s a toy with him that never came out that’s in the book. It’s a skateboarder toy of one of his characters. He is one of my closest, most dear, best, best friends. He’s like my brother. I have of some of his work that he did for me on my arm. When you’re designing the thing I want a certain amount of connection to what we’re doing so it connects you in a way that’s subtle and justifies the work to me by giving it context."[7]

Giovanni Estevez and James Lavelle later collaborated on the Nike X Mo’ Wax Build and Destroy Collection in 2014.

Unreleased Vans collaboration

Prototypes and Unreleased Merchandise
Year2001
TypeShoe

In 2001 Mo' Wax proposed a collaboration with shoe company Vans but it was left unreleased. The shoe was designed by Ben Drury.

Figure by 3D

Figure by 3D
Availability2001–

In 2001 Mo' Wax had plans to release a figure designed by Massive Attacks's 3D, but it remains unreleased. The figure was designed by Ben Drury based on artwork by 3D.[8]

Futura Doll

Futura Doll
Availability2001?–

In 2001 Mo' Wax had plans to release a figure, or doll, designed by Futura similar to the 3D figure, but it remains unreleased. The figure was described as "Futura doll (with rubber suit and accessories, glow in the dark eyes)" with a March 2001 release date planned.[9] While it sounds similar to the RAH UNKLE figure which was released in 2004, James Lavelle has said in interviews that during this period of Mo' Wax there was a another Futura figure planned around the same time as the 3D figure.Citation Needed


External Links

Ben Drury feature containing Unkle 77 prototype images (archived)

Image of Unkle 77 prototype at ICA 2003

Image of Unkle 77 prototype with stand at ICA 2003

Interview with James Lavelle discussing collaborations

References

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