Paper Lives (and has a rocket pack)
by Steve Radtke on February 2, 2010 
In spite of the predictions, the web has not killed our attraction to the printed page. In fact, the web has opened new doors for using paper to allow people to share and embrace printed art.
One cool trend that demonstrates this is the hobby of papercraft. Constructing 3-D objects out of the flat printed page has been around forever, but it has become super-hot with a dose of influence from the Japanese toy market. And it has opened doors for illustrators and character designers to create 3-D versions of their creations.
Before, if you wanted to create a custom toy of your design, it likely involved plastic, a massive financial investment, and a lengthy production time. With papercraft, you design your character, create a pdf, post it to a blog, and within minutes someone halfway around the world can be holding your character in their hands. Instant collectible!
And while some of the work being done is extremely intricate and challenging to build, some of the most interesting pieces are simple to do with minimal experience, and stunning in their simplicity. Some particularly brilliant work can be found on Marshall Alexander's site: www.marshallalexander.net.
At the GS offices, we have more than our fair share of toys invading our desks and shelves. So I thought it was about time we have some GS toys join the fray. Below are pdfs you can download and print to create your very own GS Rocket and Spacemen. (Any likeness to the GS founders is completely coincidental.)
What I find cool about this hobby is that the entire movement is focused on open and immediate sharing that only the web can provide. Artists create these with the sole intent of sharing their work with other people around the world – for free! It's the ultimate open-source art form. And it isn't possible without web and print working together.
So if you have a little time, a sharp X-Acto blade, and a color printer, you too can own your own GS Rocket Action Team ... some assembly required.
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