// mimobots in action | Photo Credit: Dan Urbano
Individuality does not have to stop while on the computer doing homework because the mimobot® Designer USB Flash Drives is walking the red carpet and quickly becoming the new celebrity in the electronics world. The product blends creativity and style into the much needed USB. Everyone will find the Mimobot for them since they come in a variety of designs and colors to choose from. The very creative, Mimoco Company, designed an array of Mimobots for each series. Never has being in the library been so artistic!
Art Nouveau Magazine: What is a mimobot and what separates it from other technological advances similar to it?
Nicole Rosano & CEO Evan Blaustein: A new breed of pop art for the masses, mimobot® Designer USB Flash Drives take the Urban Vinyl idea of toys as collectible art canvases and add not only the functionality of portable digital storage, but also the artistic potential of a digital canvas. With these unique attributes, mimobots are truly a creative and original new media concept. Each mimobot character delivers exclusive content in a way that is unlike any other. They are pre-loaded with the mimobot soundByte™ Application that plays custom sounds when mimobot is inserted into a computer, a desktop personalization suite, and rich media like games, music, and the originally produced mimoZine™ Digital Magazine - the world’s first USB flash drive-distributed magazine. As much a vehicle for the digital art it transports, as they are character-based art pieces and practical storage devices, mimobots are the answer to the question “Why shouldn’t the creativity and individuality of my digital lifestyle be reflected in the way I transport it?” mimobots are available in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB capacities, produced in limited editions, are hi-speed USB 2.0, compatible with both Mac and Windows, and are enhanced for Windows Vista's ReadyBoost technology.
ANM: How are the designs or ‘themes” for the mimobot created?
Mimoco: We choose to work with designers, artists, and licensors that inspire us as a whole and that also have a digital media component to their work that will translate to the mimobot concept of a content distribution vehicle. There are so many qualified entities out there that we are just getting started!
ANM: Can you tell us a little bit about the current products for sale now?
Mimoco: mimobots are available in three distinct flavors. The first are original mimoco creations: residents of the Planet blõôh and drivers of the mimobot storyline, they are the mimobot Core Series. Second is the mimobot Artist Series, an ongoing collaboration delivering original designs by some of the finest contemporary character artists worldwide representing a cross-section of pop art genres. Third and finally are officially licensed crossovers of your favorite entertainment franchises like Star Wars, Happy Tree Friends, Halo, and Domo.
ANM: How was the mimobot created and by who? (or what team of people?)
Mimoco: The mimobot concept and backstory was the brainchild of CEO, Evan Blaustein and his wife Cécile. Evan worked with industrial designer Baron Brandt and engineer Todd Taylor to ensure that the mimobot is as functional as it is artistic. Rounding out the original team are Yahid Rodriguez and Dino Alberto who created the Core Series of mimobot characters, and Scott Seraydarian who contributes to the mimobot backstory, mythology, and universe.
ANM: How does the mimobot compare to its competitor’s?
Mimoco: A mimobot is not comparable to any competitors. Yes, there are novelty USB flash drives but they don’t have the artistic form, design concept, or digital media component of a mimobot. And yes, there are many designer platform toys out there but generally they have no functionality beyond the toy aspect.
//Happy Tree Friends mimobot Series | Photo Credit: Dan Urbano
ANM: What other products are available through Mimoco?
Mimoco: We make T-shirts, Vimobot™ Pure Vinyl Art Toys presented in blind assortment and a blank Do-It-Yourself version for you to customize. We also sell toys, fashion, and accessories that we like, and believe might not have the exposure they deserve and are not widely available.
ANM: Can you tell us about your company and the products you distribute?
Mimoco: mimoco is a designer toy studio meets consumer electronics brand based in Boston, MA. With a mission to bring style and soul to personal tech devices and to inject interactivity into the underground Art Toy movement, the first fruits of our vision are the delicious and fresh mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives. mimobots are little friendly data fiends! Feed the 2" monsters all your essential data (tunes, pics, presentations, docs, etc.) and transport your files in style wherever you go. mimobots lead the creative revolution in personal electronic accessories and functional designer toys - truly a marriage of art and technology!
ANM: Where can the mimobot be purchased?
Mimoco: Primarily online from the mimoco website – www.mimoco.com. Our first retailer was Giant Robot in NY, LA, and San Francisco. The line is now carried worldwide by many retailers such as modern art museums shops (MoMA, MCA Chicago, MCA Sydney, MOCA Miami, etc.), as well as Art Toy boutiques like Kidrobot, Magic Pony, and Rotofugi, and lifestyle institutions such as Colette in Paris, and more mainstream outlets like Urban Outfitters.
ANM: How does the company plan on marketing the product in and outside the United States?
Mimoco: As a startup, most of our marketing has revolved around press coverage since the first mimobots were launched in 2005. Through that - and because the product is so engaging, creative, and original - we've built a viral community both in the US and abroad (mimobots may actually be more popular in Western Europe than they are stateside). Now, though, we're growing quickly, and we've started developing more traditional marketing strategies: we have ads in a few select magazines and websites. The challenge is to convey just what a mimobot is. It's more than a toy with memory in it - it's pop art, fashion, media, and characters that people can relate to. It's a way of expressing oneself, much like designer sneakers and bags. We want people to know that, yes, your flash drive CAN say something about you. For that, we're considering campaigns highlighting the expressive, fashionable aspect of mimobots - beautiful people, dressed in very distinct ways, sporting mimobots as accessories. In addition, we go to tradeshows all around the world - we've been all over the US, Europe, and Asia. The more people see us, the more they understand the deeper aspect of what we do, so the biggest thing is to be seen and comprehended.
To find out more about mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives please visit www.mimoco.com
