On August 29, 2026, SpankyStokes.com published a post about THE NINE. For anyone outside the scene: SpankyStokes is one of the oldest and most-read destinations for designer toys, vinyl toys and art toys worldwide – the site where collectors of KAWS, Kidrobot and sofubi discover their releases. That a resin sculpture from Germany now sits there is no coincidence for us; it's a goal we've been chasing since the first cast.
What SpankyStokes says about THE NINE
The post is titled “No Ball Needed… THE NINE From AKCNSTUDIOS Is Ready To Run Through Defenders!” and describes the figure as exactly what it's meant to be: not a typical art toy release, but a collectible sculpture. The author sees a striker frozen just before the explosive first step, grinning because he already knows how the play ends – and sums the piece up as powerful, clean and full of motion, “like a collectible ready to sprint right off the pedestal”.
Read the full post here: SpankyStokes – THE NINE From AKCNSTUDIOS.
And yes, the code from the feature works: with SPANKY20 you save €20 on your order in the shop.
Why a blog feature is worth more than 10,000 impressions
Instagram shows a figure for three seconds. A feature on SpankyStokes stays up, gets indexed by Google and is read by exactly the people who already have KAWS, Bearbrick or Kidrobot on their shelves. For a studio that works without a gallery and without wholesale, it's the most relevant stage there is. After the feature on THE NOIR in June, it's already the second in three months – and the first for a figure that brings football and art toys together.
THE NINE – the facts
- Size: 20 cm
- Material: Resin, handcrafted – every piece individually
- Editions: Black and Colour, 20 pieces each
- Certificate: hand-signed, with a personal greeting card
- Signature detail: visor with white slit lenses – the handwriting of the NOT A TOY collection
- Origin: digitally modelled, finished by hand – cast in resin, hand-sanded and refined, made in Germany
The striker as sculpture
In football, the number 9 is the position that decides games – we wrote about it during the World Cup summer and after the final. THE NINE translates that moment into an object for the shelf: next to the framed jersey, in the office, in the studio. No bobblehead, no fan merchandise – a sculpture that works as a design object even without the football connection. The season is on, so is the Champions League. Good timing.
About AKCNSTUDIOS
AKCNSTUDIOS is the designer art brand of the artist AKCN. Under the NOT A TOY label, limited designer sculptures in resin are created – from the first stroke to the signature, one pair of hands: digitally modelled, finished by hand, cast in Germany, every piece individually sanded, refined, numbered and signed. New to art toys? The beginner's guide for collectors covers the basics. Contact: studio@akcn.de · Instagram @akcnstudios
FAQ
What is SpankyStokes?
An English-language blog for designer toys, vinyl toys and art toys that has published releases, reviews and unboxings from the scene for many years and is read internationally.
How many THE NINE are there?
Two editions – Black and Colour – with 20 pieces each. Every figure comes with a hand-signed certificate.
Does the code SPANKY20 work in the shop?
Yes. The code from the SpankyStokes feature is active and takes €20 off your order.
Is THE NINE a toy?
No. The collection is called NOT A TOY – THE NINE is a limited resin sculpture for shelf, display case and interior.
ART BELONGS WHERE ICONS LIVE.