Run Detail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Message from ArtToy Emporium: Accountability, Resolution, and Rebuilding Trust

To our collectors, consignors, customers, franchise partners, and the broader art-toy community:

We got this wrong. Not just the handling of a missing consignment, but the way we responded to the people who raised concerns. Instead of listening, investigating, and communicating with empathy, we relied on legal escalation and public statements that came across as dismissive. That was a mistake, and we are sorry.

We want to be direct about what we are doing now.

1. Resolution with the collector
We have reached a financial resolution with the collector whose consigned Labubu and “The Monsters” inventory went missing during the franchise ownership transition. The terms are confidential, but the resolution includes compensation and our commitment to cooperate with any lawful investigation into what happened to the missing inventory.

This resolution is not an admission of liability, and it does not determine who is responsible for the missing inventory or the circumstances described in the reporting. We are not making a finding about the U-Haul evidence or assigning blame to any individual or entity. But we recognize the collector’s loss, the distress this caused, and our failure to respond in a way that reflected our responsibility to the community. He deserved better from us.

2. De-escalation with Vigilante Vince
We are withdrawing all company-filed civil claims against Vigilante Vince and have asked our counsel to dismiss them. We are also withdrawing any company-initiated trespassing, targeted picketing, or disorderly conduct complaints connected to his reporting and efforts to serve civil process, and we will not support criminal prosecution arising from those activities.

We should not have treated independent reporting and peaceful service of process as a matter for arrest and restraining orders. We respect the role that independent creators and journalists play in holding companies accountable. We are not asking Vince to remove his video, retract his reporting, or stop speaking. We are not conditioning any resolution on silence. We invite him and the collector to share any evidence they are willing to provide with our independent investigator and with law enforcement.

3. Independent review and cooperation
We have retained an independent investigator to review the franchise transition, inventory controls, and the handling of this dispute. We are preserving records, security footage, and communications. We are cooperating with law enforcement and encourage anyone with information about the missing inventory to contact us at [dedicated email/hotline]. We will publish a summary of the independent review when legally and operationally appropriate, with appropriate redactions for privacy and ongoing investigations.

4. New protections for consignors and collectors
We know statements are not enough. We are implementing new corporate oversight policies to protect consigned inventory during franchise transfers and prevent anything like this from happening again.

Immediate and ongoing changes include:

• A central consignment registry with itemized intake, photographs, serial numbers, condition reports, and documented valuations, accessible to consignors.
• A Consignor Bill of Rights making clear that consigned items remain the property of the consignor and are not franchisee assets.
• Written consignor authorization required before any consigned item is moved, sold, transferred, or disposed of.
• Independent inventory audits at every franchise ownership transfer or closure, with reconciliation reports provided to consignors.
• Advance consignor notification before any ownership transfer involving consigned inventory.
• A corporate hold on franchise transfers involving consigned inventory until the new audit and transfer protocols are fully in place.
• Chain-of-custody and security requirements, including loading-dock logs, after-hours removal controls, and extended retention of security footage.
• A Consignor Protection Program with a dedicated claims process, mediation, and corporate escalation for missing or disputed inventory.
• A non-retaliation policy protecting collectors, consignors, employees, and independent creators who raise good-faith concerns.
• A whistleblower hotline and mandatory training for corporate staff and franchisees on consignment law, ethics, and inventory handling.
• A Collector Advisory Council and quarterly public compliance updates so the community can see whether we are meeting these commitments.

We are also reviewing our public-communications and legal-escalation protocols so that future disputes are met with investigation and de-escalation first, not threats and lawsuits.

We understand why so many people are angry. We understand why trust is broken. We are not asking for sympathy or a quick forgiveness. We are asking for the chance to prove through action that we have learned from this. Over the next 30, 60, and 90 days, we will publish updates on the independent review, the new consignment protections, and the Collector Advisory Council.

To the collector: we are sorry for the loss and for the way we responded.
To Vigilante Vince: we are ending the legal escalation and will not retaliate against your reporting.
To the collector community: we are sorry, and we are committed to earning back your trust.

This is a first step, not the end of the work.

ArtToy Emporium Corporate
[CEO Name]
[Date]
Media contact: [email/phone]
Consignor hotline: [phone/email]

Short social media version

We got this wrong. ArtToy Emporium has reached a financial resolution with the collector whose consigned inventory went missing during a franchise transition, and we are withdrawing all company-filed civil claims and company-initiated complaints against Vigilante Vince. We are not asking him to remove his reporting or conditioning anything on silence. We are cooperating with law enforcement, retaining an independent investigator, and launching new consignment protections—central inventory registry, independent transfer audits, written consignor authorization, a Consignor Bill of Rights, and a non-retaliation policy. This resolution is not an admission of liability, but it is an admission that our response failed the community. We are sorry, and we will report back on our progress in 30, 60, and 90 days.