Ian Ziobrowski
Contents
Biography
Ian Ziobrowski, born and raised in New York, is an artist, whose main focus is toy design. Born in 1985, Ian has always had a natural ingenuity for art and design and the instinctive ability to bring his ideas to fruition.
His innate talents in drawing and painting evolved through the time of his college years at FIT where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration. At FIT, Ian was able to develop his technique further and learned to work with new materials.
After experimenting with vinyl, Ian was able to hone in on his passion for toy design. Ian spent hours upon hours in his studio, creating pieces here and there, but it wasn’t until 2009, that he found what would be his calling in the toy industry.
In April of 2009, NUGGS was born. NUGGS was Ian’s introduction into his success as a toy designer. The artist was inspired to create a character that portrayed self made prosperity and the ability to live the ‘American Dream’ without following society’s standards of the path to getting there.
NUGGS was Ian’s first character in the NUGGLIFE collection, and now sits with unruly personalities such as Crook ED, THUGZ, Smokey, DEA , and most recently, Rusty the Clown. The characters in NUGGLIFE represent a very specific lifestyle – independent, laid back, but on the grind, and not the 9-5 one. They carry cash in their pockets, and through they appreciate the law, they try to stay away from it.
While most of Ian’s NUGGLIFE collection and other pieces are made by custom requests, his work can also be seen in art shows on a national and international level including Art Basel, Comic Con, and Designer Con and in stores and galleries including Kidrobot, 1AM Gallery, 1xRun and My Plastic Heart.
Designed Toy Releases
Toy Series Participation
Customs & Show Pieces
- Puck Little Painter - custom for The Goblin Squad, 2021
- Stroll - "Stony Stroll" custom for The Stroll Show, 2020
- Dunny - 3" "Leafy's Spirit" for Gift Wrapped, 2018
- Companion - custom for Misappropriated Icon, 2018
- Drone - custom for the Drone Blank Show, 2018
- MadL - "Tree Fort Gro-op" custom, 2017
- Piece(s) for Gift Wrapped, 2017
- The Blank - custom for The Blank Show, 2017
- Night King - "Nugs in the Belfry" custom for Bats in the Belfry, 2017
- Piece(s) for Yetimageddon, 2017
- TEQ63: Zero1 - custom for the TEQ63 Crew Zero One Custom Show, 2016
- "NYC Grow Tower" for Toys & Towers, 2016
- Dunny - 3" "Nuggtron V420-G13" custom, 2016
- Piece(s) for The Holiday Extravaganza, 2015
- Geekwok - custom for the Custom Geekwok Show, 2015
- Dunny - 8" "Nugmad" for the DTA Dunny Show, 2016
- Piece(s) for No Toon Left Behind, 2015
- Piece(s) for Reinvention, 2015
- Bearchamp - “Smokey the Bear Champ” custom, 2015
- MadL & Micro Munny - 12" "Smokey's Glasshouse" custom, 2015
- Nohwitz - "Nuggwitz" custom for Nohwitz All, 2015
- Piece(s) for Arsenal of Artists - The Recruits, 2015
- Junior - custom for When Hell Freezes Over 2, 2015
- Piece(s) for Art Without Borders, 2014
- Lolligag - custom for Vive La Lolligag!, 2014
- Billy - custom for Blamo 5th Annual Custom Show, 2013
- Pollen Kaiser - custom for the 2013 Anniversary Custom Show, 2013
- RAAR! - custom for The Custom Raaar! Show, 2013
- Deadbeet - custom for The Deadbeet Show, 2013
- Piece(s) for New Beginnings, 2013
- Fonzo - 6" "Fonzo Growhouse" custom for Fonzo Love NY, 2013
- Dunny - 3" "Scrumptious Nugs" for Unmasked, 2013
- Piece(s) for Blow Me, 2012
- "The Green Apple" Apple custom for I'm a Bad Apple, 2012
- Custom for The Candy-Coated Custom Show, 2012
- Dunny - custom for The Dunny Show, 2012
- Munny - custom for They Came From The Streets II, 2012
- Dunny - 3" "Smokin Clause" custom, 2011
- Dunny - 3" "Federal Agent" commission, 2011
- Dunny - 3" "Bride & Groom" commission, 2011
- Dunny - 3" "Green Lantern", 2011
- Piece for Cast in Plastic, 2011
- Munny - 4" "Nuggywolf" Kracka custom, 2011
- MadL, Dunny and Labbit - "Nuggy Growstation" customs, 1x 10" MadL, 7x Dunnys, 2x Labbits, 2011
- Qee - "Nuggs - The Original Hedge Clippa" custom for the NYC♥QEE show, 2011
- Dunny - 3" "Sabretooth" custom, commission, 2011
- Qee - 20" custom for Qee to the City, 2010
- Dunny 3" "Nuggy Eater", commission, 2010
- Dunny - custom for The Almighty Dunny Show, 2010
- Munny - 8" "Nuggzilla", 2010
- Piece(s) for Little Monsters, 2010
- Marshall - 3" custom for the Tenacious Toys Custom Marshall Series 1, 4 pieces, 2010
- Marshall - 3" custom for the Tenacious Toys Custom Marshall Series 1, 1 piece, chase 2010
- Qee - 8" "George Nuggington" custom for The Civil War and our Founding Fathers, 2010
- Piece(s) for Multiversal Group Show, 2009
- Custom for the 3D Canvas Show, 2009
Images
George Nuggington Qee
NYC♥QEE Nuggs Qee
Green Lantern Dunny
Smokin Clause Dunny
Scrumptious Nugs Dunny
Nugmad DTA Dunny
Leafy's Spirit Dunny
Nuggtron V420-G13 Dunny
Fonzo custom
Smokey's Glasshouse MadL/Munny
Tree Fort Gro-op MadL
for I'm a Bad Apple
Smokey the Bearchamp
Junior custom
Nohwitz custom
for Toys & Towers
for Bats in the Belfry
for The Stroll Show
