For the past two years or so, I’ve been noticing small, rebellious (yet cute) robot characters adorned on t-shirts worn by skaters and backpackers all over SoHo while shopping in Manhattan.

Although it’s not typically my style, the clothing was still quite intriguing with its pop art and abstract designs. I learned the brand is called Kidrobot; and it is a whole lot more that just cute characters on a t-shirt.

Founded in 2002 by creator and designer, Paul Budnitz, Kidrobot started as just a limited edition pop art toy company. But with the growing popularity of characters such as Dunny and Labbit that lead to collaborations with top fashion names such as Marc Jacobs, Lacoste, and Nike, Kidrobot had no choice but to expand the global brand.

Now with toys, apparel and accessories high in demand, Kidrobot has stores in New York, L.A., Miami, San Francisco and London; toys that retail from $5 to $25,000 (with many toy prices appreciating with time) and an art exhibit in the world renowned MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC.

Kidrobot currently has an awesome sample sale at their NYC store starting today and going on until Wednesday (January 13, 2010). If you can’t catch that, Kidrobot can be purchased from select retailers worldwide and, of course, their website www.kidrobot.com.

Check it out and happy shopping!