Beastie Boys are at it again with a set of three fully posable action figures for sale via their own website with proceeds going to charity. These figures may remind you of a similar set they put out back when Intergalactic Planetary came out back around the turn of 2000, and if you’re one of those collector folk who remember such an event and/or OWN said set, you’ll find that, yes indeed, these are the same trio in the same tin. They look so similar because they’re from the same run of 1,000 put out by A Bathing Ape‘s NIGO and produced by his Nowhere Limited production group.

Seeking an ancient interview by Internet standards, we’ve uncovered NIGO x BredBand talk conducted somewhere in the early 2000′s in which he speaks in detail about the figures and how they came about, along with who worked on them and how their clothing was made specifically by A Bathing Ape, in addition to a factoid about how NIGO had each of the Beastie Boys’ heads photographed 360 degrees for the project, but then lost his full set of the original photos. Indulge with us if you will:

Interviewer: What’s your deal?
NIGO: My name is NIGO, I’m 30 years old, from Tokyo. I started my clothing line namedA Bathing Ape in 1993 with my friend SKATE THING. And we started our toys section, Ape Play, and music label Ape Sounds in 1999. I released my own album, Ape Sounds,in 1999 which featured Ben Lee, Money Mark, Cornelius, U.N.K.L.E. and more. I will release a hip hop album featuring Biz Markie, Rakim, Beatnuts, GZA, and Flava Flav. And oh yes, Mario C remixed the tracks for the Ape Sounds remix album.
Interviewer: What other figures have you made?
NIGO: Futura 2000, U.N.K.L.E., SDP (A Japanese rap group) and Planet of the Apes figures, and myself.
Interviewer: How long does it take to make one set?
NIGO: Usually it takes 6 months or a year. But it took 2 years to make Beastie Boys action figures.
Interviewer: How many sets of the Beasties figures were made?
NIGO: 1,000 sets.
Interviewer: How are the heads made, especially the incredibly accurate faces?
NIGO: I asked Hama Hayao who is famous molding artist to make the face. He is so great.We took pictures of the Beastie Boys’ heads from every side, 360 degrees, as the data for the dolls. I lost the pictures though.
Interviewer: Do you make the clothes or does someone else?
NIGO: Yes. All clothing was made by A Bathing Ape. I made whole thing except face and body.
Interviewer: How did you decide on the outfits that they would come with?
NIGO: I tried to reproduce Hello Nasty album jacket for the action figures. And about the extraQuasar outfit, I and my friend Matt Takei had helped to find their uniforms in Tokyo when they had come to Tokyo for the Quasar tour. And I also helped to make their stickers to arrange the outfit with Beastie Boys’ direction. And Beastie Boys gave us their guitars as our friendship.
Interviewer: Is it safe to take them into the bathtub?
NIGO: NO WATER!!!

At the time the figures sold through GrandRoyal.com, aka the Beastie Boys 1992-2001 vanity record label which took a place on Beastie Boys records from the moment they left Def Jam Recordings to work with Capitol Records. The figures sold then for around $500 USD. The figures today cost $750, and all proceeds, again, go to charity. Two charities actually, that being The pablove foundation and Alex’s Lemonade Stand, both of these being foundations for childhood cancer.

The reason these fantastic figures are up for sale again after all this time is, first of all, the renaissance nature of the newest Beastie Boys record, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two”, as well as the appearance of these figures in the newest music video of the moment, made for the newest single off the album: “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” featuring the Beastie Boys and Santigold! Have a look at the video here:

As the original description notes, “these are some real limited edition, explicit, bottle service/ v.i.p. type items. And no, we are not trying to take you for all your Mozarell.” This “Motzarell” they speak of is of course the cash you’ll be laying down for said goods, and not taking it means they’re, again, sending it all in to the dialing charities. What the actual package contains is thus:

• 3 Action Figures (1 MCA, 1 Mike D, 1 Ad Rock – each 11.5″ tall)
• Action Figures come dressed in button down shirts, pants, and shoes
• 3 Doll Stands
• 3 White Jump Suits
• 3 Safety Goggles
• 3 pairs of Work Boots
• 3 Safety Vests
• 3 Belts
• 3 Japanese Decal Stickers
• 3 Extra Hand Attachments
• All inside a 16×12-inch metal box

This set also comes with the 2-disk special edition of the Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science complete with an 88 page full-color 11.3×11.3-inch book with photos and lyrics. All of this is, of course, while supplies last.

What do you think? Holidays close enough that you can toss a few dollars down on your old friends the Beastie Boys in a fabulous tin of three?