# Happiness Dampening Toys Tear Drips Are Sad Little Vinyl Characters By Katie Cordrey | Published 2010-04-08 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tear-drips References: [rotofugi](http://rotofugi.com/toyscart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=3915) & [teardrips](http://www.teardrips.com/) Tear Drips vinyl characters were designed by Travis Lampe, first as hand-stitched, hand-painted pieces that were part of an exhibition called Fantasy Cryland, then as part of a series of art toys by Squibbles Ink and Rotofugi. The Tear Drips website says, “Tear Drips are so very very sad—but in a perky and disarming way. Actually, that’s not true. They aren’t perky or disarming at all. Just sad.” There are twelve total designs in the Tear Drips series. They stand 5 inches tall and sell for $9.95 each with no choice of design. Or, you can buy a case that has one of each design for just under $120. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.0/10 - Popularity: 16% | Activity: 5% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/toys) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Vinyl Art Toys:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create unique and collectible vinyl art toys that cater to different emotions or aesthetic preferences. - **Sad Characters:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a range of sad characters in various forms (toys, animations, merchandise) that resonate with people's emotions and create a connection. - **Limited Edition Collectibles:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce limited edition collectibles with exclusive designs to foster excitement and drive demand among collectors. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Toy Manufacturing:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate innovative materials and technologies to not only create visually appealing toys but also evoke emotional responses. - **Art and Design:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Combine art and design principles to create unique products that explore and express various emotions. - **Merchandise and Licensing:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborate with artists and creators to develop merchandise and licensing opportunities based on unique and emotionally resonant characters and designs. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Plush Toy Collectibles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urupochachan.md) - [Nostalgic Blind Toy Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/teletubbies-say-hello.md) - [Emotive Plush Collectibles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/care-bears-caring-cuties.md) - [Emotional Exploration Plushes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emotional-baggage-by-solobo-toys.md) - [Tissue Box Record Sleeves](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fall-out-boy-album.md) - [Comforting Plush Collectibles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cloudheads.md) - [Expressive 3D-Printed Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solobo-emotion-friends.md) - [Artist-Designed Toy Lineups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/art-toy-series.md) - [Empowering Tween Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bff-by-cry-babies.md)