Giant Robot

I love the idea of Giant Robot… but this particular location, ehh, it’s okay. It’s more like a gallery/​warehouse than a store, in that you saw the same things every time you went in & the turnover ratio was waaaaaay low. Like most of the inventory was the same in 2011 as in 2008. Some of the things were WAY overpriced too. (I’m not really talking about seeming more expensive because of the exchange rate, or being the designer things, but $ 68 for the stuffed flowerhead? smh.)
But alas, the store is gone now. :-(

I’m tempted to give Giant Robot 5 stars, but something kept holding me back.
Maybe it’s because they closed this location? Maybe because I go broke from this store because I always end up buying something? Maybe because I waste too much time in here?
But no lie, I’m such a huge sucker for all the amazing goodness that oozes from this store. I was on a search for Be@rbricks since Kid Robot didn’t have any left in the stock and lo and behold, Giant Robot had a load of them. Made my day.
Sad to see this place go):

Just a cool little store in the Haight neighborhood of SF. I was ditzing around and ran across it.
Cool art, books, toys, fun adult stuff, awesome tshirts. All the cool Japanese stuff you dont need, but love to buy.
My friend Jessica would love this place. and I could totally see my friend Lisa’s art in here.
Check it out if you head to SF!

It was pretty amusing to read some of the other reviews for GR. And how much they apply to me.
I, too, am a kid at heart. I love collecting toys. And those blind boxes kill me. I must have vinyl figures. And this store carries everything I love. Uglydolls, Gama Go, Domo, Pantone mugs, spider boom, gloomy bear, totoro, you name it. If it’s Asian, they’ve got it.
Add on the posters, books, apartment deco, clothing and you’ve got the best place ever to shop for gifts. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but name any store that imports its items from Asia that’s cheap. AND artistically designed. And I’ll retract my statement.
My advice: don’t go in with a full wallet. You’ll walk out with an empty one.

Cute! Cute! Cute! My favorite is the Kaikai Kiki Co stuff.
Also love the books and magazines here.
Not a fan of the location, however.

If Asian-​Americans don’t band together and support stuff like Giant Robot, then where will we be culturally?
you need to support stuff like giant robot, it’s like the earlier asian version of Heeb Magazine which made it fun to be Jewish. you want stuff like Margaret Cho, weird articles on skin-​lightening cream and Asian fruit and chicks that do kung fu.
If you don’t have stuff like this, then think of the alternative. You want to see a world where there are asian americans who don’t go to medical school, who become artists and filmmakers, comic book artists, people who say the F word and don’t buy louis vuitton purses.
I mean, we need diversity both in culture but also within the cultures, right?
The zines, prints and books are the best part, as well as the gallery and little events. that’s really the most important thing any store should do and people should be good about buying stuff to keep that up.
maybe we can somehow work them into infiltrating more product design companies so there is better stuff like jeans for short people shaped like asians and even more snowboarding goggles designed for asian faces. that’s part of another evil plan,
but hey, who would’ve ever thought 15 years ago we’d have someone as cool as margaret cho?

This store literally has everything I could ask for and need in life. Toys, Books, Art Gallery… What adult nerd/​collector could ask for more?
Whenever I’m in the area I have to make sure to stop in, and at least view the art gallery, since I’m not in SF as often as I’d like, it’s refreshing to see new art everytime I get a chance to visit.

my first experience with giant robot was when i lived in LA, and the SF location doesn’t let me down. i’ll admit that i’m not much of a toy/​figure collector, but i do enjoy the occasional graphic novel and literature. the SO collects munnys/​dunnys and cucos figures, so we usually have to stop in when we’re in the area.
more recently, she’s been crazy obsessed with the de la soul 3-​pack and won’t. let. it. go. still hasn’t found it, and my patience is at level orange.
oh, help me find the strength.

Giant Robot is an extremely dangerous store for me. Why, you ask?
I’m a sucker for blind box and capsule toys and this place definitely feeds my addiction. If it’s cute, sparkly, and outright random, I’m going to buy it. No questions asked. Don’t ever leave me in this store for more than an hour: x
Uglydolls: check. Domo-​kun collectibles: check. Aspergillus oryzae plush dolls from Moyashimon: triple-​check. The fact that I can find Moyashimon paraphernalia makes me happy :)
I also love going there to check out the art gallery: it’s my favorite part of the store.

Another fun store in the animé set I went into during my friend’s stay. This had many similar items as Gama-​Go yet focused on more popular mainstream items such as Domo and Uglydoll.
I wouldn’t have pegged this store to be plopped in the Haight more like SOMA or some place more industrial but it fits in it’s own right.
I don’t think I’d find myself coming back because it’s not my style but it definitely lit up my friend’s face for sure. I guess that’s what it’s all about.

If Kid Robot is the Nordstroms of the plastic doll world than Giant Robot is the Macy’s. You’ll find everything to satisfy your «yes, I’m an adult but I love toys still» need (or collection) at prices that won’t break your roll.
Everything from dolls to shirts to prints and books. Not really big on service — either of the employees said a word to us — but I guess that’s part of the scene when you step in here.

One of my favorite places to go for knick knacks for my office. Sometimes the stuff they have rotates into things that I just can’t find interest in othertimes I feel like I have to buy up the shop. Other then that, I can’t really say much else besides it’s a great place to find gifts for people.
I also love their small book selection and art room, it inspires me. Only other complaint is parking can be a pain, but then again it’s located in the Haight and that’s normal.

I visited GR on a recent day trip to SF, and I thought it was pretty great. The store itself was small and packed to the gills with toys (American and Japanese-​imported designs) and art books, including design, illustration, zines, and some graphic novels. The books selection is probably the more interesting part of the store, actually.
The toy selection was varied and eclectic, but nothing notable I hadn’t seen before. A nice selection, nonetheless. Similar to Double Punch in their inclusion of capsule toys and other very Japanese toys. I definitely enjoyed checking everything out, and picked up a Treeson set I’d been eying online. The guy who helped me was very nice, and enthusiastic about my choice (maybe it’s shallow to appreciate that, but it showed that he cared about what he was peddling as much as I did).
The only thing I was disappointed with was their gallery space, which is just the adjacent room. Perhaps when they have an official show there’s more to it, but when I was there the small room was merely wall-​papered with available prints. Nice to look at, but not the art space I’d imagined.
The shop is definitely worth a look if you’re interested in the pies GR has it’s fingers in (art toys and underground/​Bay Area-​SoCal/​Asian-​American/​urban etc. art).

3 and ½ stars.
I like this place a lot… but not as much as kid robot. But still it’s super cool, in a horrible way!
You see, I have this very very low self-​control issue when it comes to buying cute senseless items. Giant robot is one of those places where I can lose money to something that has no practical value in my life.
«OH MY GAWD! A GIANT RABBIT SMOKING A CIGAR! I MUST HAVE IT!»
After the initial awesomeness wears off, the items of choice sit around on a shelf somewhere, only to be remembered from time to time when life permits. Kind of a waste of money to spend lots of money on something that inflates you with joy for a few minutes and then sits around forgotten.
I also have poor self control with keychain capsule toys. I can’t walk by one of these stores without going in and buying a few keychains. At least this place didn’t have a bunch of Qee’s when I was in. Then all would have been lost.
Everything in here is seriously WAAAYYY cute! Nom nom nom nom nom…*drools*

Giant Robot has lots and lots of stuff to choose from. They dont have that many Vinyl figures to choose from but they do have a lot of interseting gadgets and mystery box figures. They also have a wide selection of books and t-​shirts with funny logos/​designs.
In the other room there are mainly paintings/​prints some of which I thought were kind of strange… you HAVE TO take a look… there was this weird giant of a sort pulling a line of naked women while walking amongts men hes ripped apart. strange stuff… its interesting like I wanted to keep lookinga t the details of everything going on but I also wanted to turn away.
Check it out ~

It’s not a huge store… which is why I’m amazed I could find all these little knick-​knacks all over the place. There was a lot of original art, a good selection of interesting books, toys, stuffed animals, and handy little gadgets.
I’ve walked Haight Street a few times, and this is the first time I’ve been into the store. It’s easy to miss as it’s half a block off the strip with all the stores on it. If you’re walking Haight Street and just enjoying the afternoon by peeking into random stores, don’t forget to check this place out!

Almost comparable to KidRobot, but I like this one better because of they have more stuff that I would be more likely to buy. There’s a picture of me in last purchase… a gloomy bear hat thingy. I don’t know. It was interesting to see, but after putting it on, I knew I was going to walk out of their with it. buhahahahaha Some kids hold teddy bears to sleep… I wear mine to sleep now kekeke
The attached gallery is pretty cool… lots of natural light but I’m biased about ugly dolls… there’s a lot ugly dolls at this spot… damn you ice bat!!!
;D

Tyte yo. I really liked a lot of the t-​shirts for sale here. Although some of them were a little heavy on the self promotion, for the most part they were very original and stylish. Higher priced, what you would expect for indie/​local made stuff.
In general great style. I neat place for fun/​progressive/​hipster/​innovative art, design, and culture.
If I had the money on me when I went there I would have bought the shirt that said «COFFEE».

I am generation X. This store is generation Y.
My grunge does not understand their grunge. Ours was effortless and sincerely slack. Their slack is actually an intricate artistic multiculturally aware postmodern commentary on things. We have stubble because we forgot to shave. They have stubble because it looks cool. They work very hard at their stubble.
So it is with great embarrassment I must admit that when you start to look at all this stuff, it is incredibly cool. Just, really, cool. Animé and stuff inspired by animé. Ugly dolls. Cards. Tees. Toys. Books on everything. Graffiti culture. You could spend hours in here, it is like a museum gift store or the museum itself. Even if it makes me feel my age.

TOKIDOKI dolls! They have them all here! WOOHOO! Yes, I spend a lot of $$ here too and not only do they have dolls, they have T-​shirts, stuff animals, books and stickers!!!
I like the second room that doubles as an art gallery. Definitely a fun place and I like how you can spend hours in there and no one will bother you.