Michael Lau — Lazy Yan — Set of Two (2 Complete Figures) — Both Original Boxes Hand-Signed by MC Yan of LMF — 2001 A.Room Productions — Hong Kong Urban Vinyl
An exceptional pairing of two complete original 2001 Lazy Yan vinyl figures by Michael Lau — the Hong Kong artist widely recognized as the founding figure of the urban vinyl movement and the "Godfather of the Designer Toys" — presented in a uniquely meaningful configuration: both original boxes have been hand-signed by MC Yan, the founding member of LMF (LazyMuthaFucka) whose persona Michael Lau directly modeled the Lazy Yan character on. Each figure remains sealed in its original factory plastic packaging, with all included accessories (Adidas trainers and two caps per set) also still in their individual original sealed bags. This is the single rarest possible configuration in which to acquire this object.
✦ The Critical Context — Lazy Yan IS MC Yan ✦
Michael Lau modeled the Lazy Yan character directly on MC Yan, the rapper, graphic artist, and founding member of LMF — LazyMuthaFucka — 大懶堂, the most influential Hong Kong hip-hop group of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The figure's name itself encodes the connection:
★ "LAZY" — from LAZYMuthaFucka (LMF)
★ "YAN" — from MC YAN himself
Having MC Yan personally sign the original boxes of his own action-figure incarnation produces a layered authentication unique in designer-toy history: the subject of the figure has signed the figure's own packaging. The result is comparable to a portrait sitter signing the frame of their own portrait — an object simultaneously authenticated by the artist (Michael Lau, through original production) and by the subject (MC Yan, through hand signature).
For collectors of Hong Kong urban vinyl, Asian hip-hop ephemera, or designer-toy history, this configuration represents an exceptional convergence point that is unlikely to recur on the open market.
The Figure (Each of Two):
Lazy Yan was produced in 2001 by A.Room Productions for Michael Lau as part of his early-2000s expansion of the urban-vinyl format that he had pioneered with the landmark 1999 "Gardener" series at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Each Lazy Yan figure stands approximately 14.5 cm (5.7 inches) tall and is produced in articulated vinyl. The complete set as issued by A.Room includes:
Why Michael Lau Matters:
Michael Lau Kin-man (劉建文, b. 1970) is recognized internationally as the founder of the urban-vinyl style within the broader designer-toy movement, and as the artist who arguably created the contemporary collectible designer-toy market as it exists today. His 1999 "Gardener" series of 99 twelve-inch action figures at the Hong Kong Arts Centre is widely cited as the foundational moment of the global urban-vinyl movement. He has been featured in Forbes's "20 Trends Sweeping the Globe" (2008), exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, in London, Paris, and Tokyo, and his painting Wall of Jordan sold at Christie's Hong Kong in 2016 for HKD $1,375,000. Christie's hosted his major retrospectives "Collect them All!" in Hong Kong (2018) and Shanghai (2019). His brand collaborations include Nike, Jordan, Puma, Carhartt, Porter, Maharishi, and Casio G-Shock — a catalogue that places him at the intersection of street culture, design history, and contemporary fine art.
Why MC Yan and LMF Matter:
LMF (LazyMuthaFucka / 大懶堂) is widely considered the most historically significant hip-hop group in the Cantonese-language tradition, active 1993–2003 with a celebrated reunion in 2009. MC Yan, as a founding member, MC, and visual artist, has been central to the group's identity throughout its history, also pursuing a parallel practice as a graffiti writer and street artist that has placed him at the cultural intersection where Michael Lau's own practice operates. In the period 1999–2003, three figures defined Hong Kong street culture as a coherent international force: Michael Lau in designer toys, LMF / MC Yan in hip-hop, and the Subcrew streetwear scene. The present object — a Lau figure of Yan, signed by Yan — sits precisely at the documentary center of that triangulation.
Bibliographic Details:
Condition Notes (Honestly Disclosed):
Excellent condition throughout. Each of the two Lazy Yan vinyl figures remains sealed inside its original factory plastic bag exactly as issued by A.Room Productions in 2001; the figures have never been removed from these bags and have never been exposed to direct light or atmospheric contact. Each set's accessories — Adidas trainers and two caps — also remain individually sealed in their original factory bags. Both original boxes carry MC Yan's hand-applied signature on the exterior; light handling consistent with 24+ years of careful storage may be present on the box exterior surfaces; please refer to all detailed photographs for exact condition verification of every component. Stored in a smoke-free, climate-controlled environment. Sold as-is — buyer assumes responsibility for any decision to break the factory seals.
Why This Matters:
Michael Lau's early-2000s vinyl figures have been the subject of significant secondary-market appreciation over the past decade, driven by major museum and auction-house validation of the designer-toy category as a serious contemporary-art format. Pristine sealed examples of any single Lau figure from this period are increasingly difficult to source; matched pairs in sealed condition are notably rarer; and the additional authentication by the figure's own real-world subject is — to our knowledge — without direct equivalent on the secondary market for this character. This is the configuration in which a serious archive of late-1990s / early-2000s Hong Kong street culture would acquire the object.
For Collectors:
This pair is well suited to serious collectors of Michael Lau's vinyl-figure work, urban-vinyl and designer-toy archivists, Hong Kong street-culture historians, Cantonese hip-hop ephemera collectors, contemporary-art institutions building documentation of late-twentieth-century Asian street culture, and any collection focused on the historical intersection of designer toys, hip-hop, and graffiti / street-art practice. The pair is equally suited to long-term preservation as a sealed archival object or to careful display as two of the most fully documented examples of the Lazy Yan figure currently obtainable.
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Shipping Methods:
Both signed boxes and their sealed contents are wrapped in acid-free archival material, cushioned with foam supports to prevent any flexing of the original packaging or contact with the hand-signed surfaces, and double-boxed in a rigid carton with corner protection. Particular care is taken to preserve every original factory seal and the integrity of MC Yan's hand-applied signatures on the box exteriors. Ships from Tokyo, Japan with full tracking and insurance.
[ For United States Buyers ]
Import duties and taxes are already adjusted and covered by the shipping costs. There will be no additional charges or customs fees for the buyer upon delivery.
[ For Other International Buyers ]
Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
AkaMaru Trading Co.
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