WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- July 29, 2002 -- Sideshow Collectibles has entered into a partnership with Morpheus International for the creation of collectibles and fine art pieces based on the art of such Morpheus talents as Alien designer H.R. Giger, science fiction conceptualist Wayne Barlowe, and caricaturist Sebastian Kruger www.krugerstars.com. The newly formed partnership will create collectible products under the joint brand of Sideshow / Morpheus Collectibles.
Sideshow is a leader within the world of collectible figures producing a highly acclaimed collection of contemporary and archival character representations based on film and television licenses, as well as historically accurate reproductions in the military and western genres.
"Partnering with Morpheus provides Sideshow with the unique platform to broaden its collectible offerings through the 3D realization of some of the finest fantasy, Sci-Fi and caricature art on the planet," explains Greg Anzalone, Sideshow's president.' "We could not be more pleased by the establishment of the Sideshow / Morpheus Collectible brand."
Morpheus has been the leader in publishing and selling fine art of the surreal and fantastic for over a decade. Operating a fine art gallery in Beverly Hills, as well as a successful art publishing business, Morpheus has positioned itself perfectly to expand upon this firm base into the world of collectibles. The reputation Morpheus has earned throughout the fine art and fantasy fields is a special one indeed and matches perfectly with the production and marketing capabilities of Sideshow.
"It's great for us at Morpheus to finally have a partner that matches us in such a synergistic way. I see us just blasting off the launch pad and exploring a wide array of fruitful ventures. We are going to set new standards with the type of product released through our joint venture. Fans are going to be amazed."
This melding of talents and capabilities should bring an exciting new dimension heretofore unseen in the realm of figure collectibles. The partnership will focus on high-end pieces that bridge the gap between collectible stores and art galleries. Two of the first pieces scheduled for release, "SPELL I" by Giger and "THE DECURIAN" Inferno bust by Barlowe, will be displayed in Sideshow's booth at this year's San Diego Comic Con being held at the San Diego Convention Center on August 1-4 2002, and will be viewable on both the Sideshow and Darkworlds site on July 31, 2002.
Morpheus will be selling direct to it's customer base primarily on its large new fantasy portal: www.darkworlds.com, while Sideshow www.sideshowtoy.com, will handle direct sales on its site, as well as much of the wholesale distribution. The art pieces will be realized by in-house talents from both Sideshow and Morpheus. The partnership has several exciting new pieces in development, which will debut in 2003.
