Meet Luke from Cupco.net. I lovely fellow skates, illustrates and makes the craziest dolls on the planet. We love Cupco and so should you…you wretches!

Site: www.cupco.net

FMCS: Hi Luke how’s things?

Things are going good and crazy. I just returned from my Australian honeymoon which was followed pretty quickly by a death in the family. Up’s and downs. Lots of work. Putting SPEKS.com together and working like mad.

FMCS: Tell us about you history, how your mum and dad put you together? And in your last life were you plant, fish, animal or human?

In scientific terms my father inserted his wangdoodle into my mother’s mufflet and I came out of there 9 months later. I don’t remember that.

I’m told that I pissed on the doctor’s face as he displayed a fine, healthy son to my mother. In my last life I was a germ and the next evolutionary and karmic step from there is human. After this life I’ll go back to germ.

FMCS: Where are you currently living? And do you work out of the same location?

I’m living in Sydney which is a nice place but not particularly arty or crafty. Also the service in this city is the worst. For me, customer service is a very important. However after living in Tokyo for 5 years maybe my standards are a bit high.

FMCS: Can you beatbox? If not can you do ‘the robot’? If not why? These are both very useful skills to have!

I thought I could and I thought I was good until heard my wife doing it. She is so bad that it comes out sounding awesome. I can lay down a basic beat which she riffs all over.

FMCS: Tell us about Cupco! How long has this all been running? How did it originate? Where is it going?

Cupco! started about 5 years ago in Tokyo. I had a lot of free time after my teaching job so I started putting together my first website and making papier mace dogs and monsters and things took off from there.

I started making felt dolls two years ago in 2004 for a show the Fewmany Shop/Gallery. The show was called SATAN LOVES CUPCO! I made about 35 dolls for that show.

The reason I started making felt dolls was out of pure frustration. I was (and still am) working with a toy company to try and make my designs into vinyl toys. I’ve been doing that for a few years now and it is a very slow and frustrating experience.

I went to a show in Ginza, Tokyo and it was based on SKULLS. So I got the design for the Cupco Doll head. The following week I went to the same gallery and saw a plush doll exhibition featuring Friends with You and Mumbleboy and GAGA Inc. After that I decided to start making plush. I like plush because I can make anything I want without having to think about market pressures or customer’s likes and dislikes and taboos. Also I find sewing very relaxing and meditative.

FMCS: What / who / thing kicked off your interest in illustration / design / animation?

I failed high school art after I tried to white-out my marks and change them all to As. My inspiration since then has been a very long FUCK YOU to Mrs. Ndelkovich who was my high school art teacher. As you can see all my work is based on vengeance and spite.

FMCS: Are you exhibiting at the moment? Where can we see you? Also do you plan to exhibit more internationally?

I haven’t done any shows for a while but I’m always up for one. Calling any benefactors and/or philanderers out there. I’ve got a few little things going on. Pimpmydoll is happening in Rome and I’m lining up something in Spain. There’s other stuff coming up but I am contractually bound to silence.

Actually 80% of my dolls are sitting in a box in the Flying Cat warehouse somewhere in Hong Kong. So if some gallery/shop owner out there somewhere wants the whole CupcoDoll gang to come to their town let me know!

FMCS: Carlito has just run into the office…He has a problem and has a body he needs to get rid of any helpful hints how he can do this?

I just read this:

Those we could not get in from the German wire continued to swell until the wall of the stomach collapsed, either naturally or when punctured by a bullet; a disgusting smell would float across. The dead faces changed from white to yellow-grey, to red, to purple, to green, to black, to slimy.

Goodbye to All That Robert Graves

So I would check the corpses face color and then go and rent Weekend at Bernies.

FMCS: Luke tell us what rings your bell?

Hanging with my wife and cat and drinking cocktails on the balcony amongst the trees. And travel.

FMCS: How do you find people respond to your work? What’s been the strangest, funniest criticism you have received?

I’ve had a few death threats mainly in response to my Suicide Bomber and Osama bin Cupco dolls. I guess the upcoming Hamas series won’t be too
popular in some circles too. I liked living in Japan because of the fact that the people were so non-judgmental.

They look at something and just kind of soak it in. Whitey’s (Yanks, Aussies, Poms) are much more uptight about what they see and how they react to it.

FMCS: Do you keep animals? And if so, for what purpose?

I have a cat. I have trained her well. She is ferocious. We hunt together. Tonight we hunt!

FMCS: How do you kick back and relax when you are not working?

I like to tool about on my skateboard and ride my bike and do stickers and get down in my workshop and crank up the power tools!

FMCS: What have you next got planned with Cupco?

My current project is a collaboration called SPEKS which I’am doing with Wrecks from Japan.

We will get the best stuff around for our online shop. SPEKS is currently the only place to buy CupcoDolls in the whole world! Also keep an eye out for Cupco! Shoes, underwear and vinyl!

FMCS: Let us know your favorite top 5 web sites?

I never go on the internet so here’s three:

SPEKS.com
wrecks.jp
APAK
bwana spoons
yukinori dehara

FMCS: How did you find out about FMCS?

You found me. How did you find out about Cupco!?

FMCS: From Mrs Ndelkovich your high school art teacher.

FMCS: Any words of wisdom for our readers?

Avoid wisdom at all costs

FMCS: Shout outs?

SPEKS.com, Wrecks.jp, APAK, Bwana Spoons, Yukinori Dehara, Happy bunny, Misery, Elphonso, John Burgerman

FMCS: Thanks for the interview Luke

Thanks for the opportunity FMCS!

Site: www.cupco.net

SUPERDUDE INFO
Straight off the mean streets of LA. Bring him to your house and he will steal your money for Meth and pimp your daughter!

The first international collaboration between CUPCO! And Wrecks is SUPER DUDE for Speks.

The SUPERDUDE collaboration series consists of 5 super-exclusive homeless-alcoholic yet strangely optimistic middle aged dudes. Hand-cut, Hand-sewn, Hand-printed by CUPCO! Design by Wrecks.

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