Designer Toys

Matt Casale

Being a child in the 70's & 80's, Matt's participation in what he calls the greatest toy revolution ever, makes him a card carrying member of The Greatest Childhood club, primarily thanks to his father. Growing up, his toy room was what would now be a pop culture museum, dedicated to the happiness of a child. Creativity has always played an important role in Matt's entire life; drawing, painting and sculpting from a young age. After graduating from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, with a BFA in Film in 1997, Matt worked on variety of studio, as well as independent film sets. All the while continuing to hone his sculpting skills, and appreciating everything geek. During this time, Matt worked on commission sculptures called Character Characaturs. It was around this time that Matt had his first solo sculpture show entitled Dream Mythology, at Show of Hands Gallery. Since Matt's discovery of the emerging designer toy movement, he has not only begun producing his own work. But in an effort to bring more attention to this art form, Matt formed an LLC called Unboxing Asheville, with the express purpose of creating *Assembly Required: Asheville's Designer Toy Expo. *Assembly Required occurred on Feburary 16th & 17th, 2019. Matthew J. Casale is an artist and sculptor currently residing in Asheville, NC, with his wife Jenni, son Ethan and 1981 Galaga cabinet.