Bought, sold and modified, toys are no longer a child's plaything, but an adult's too. The craft of changing a toy into a completely new model is taught at the 1AM art gallery.

The SOMA district gallery, whose name is an abbreviation for the First Amendment, opened in 2008 and offers classes on modifying toys, as well as graffiti and stenciling.

Toy modification is a trend that is appealing to those who want to fight the mass manufacturing of toys, or "big boxification," as Lily Black, the class instructor, put it.

"Turning Barbies into Darth Vaders is sinfully delicious," said 37-year-old Black as his reason for teaching toy modification.

"Toys are how we teach ourselves about the world," he said, adding how these unique toys can create a different world.

Those interested in changing the world through toys can pay $70 and sign up for three meetings lasting an hour and a half each.

Over the course of the class, students under Black's guidance can learn the basics of altering manufactured toys into their own creations. Equipped with saws, files, screwdrivers and various metal and plastic pieces, students change a small monkey-shaped toy, called a Munny doll, into figments of their imagination.

"I've always liked vinyl toys and my boyfriend collects them, and I haven't had an opportunity to use my creativity," said 23-year-old Gina Pan, who was in the process of making her doll into a symbol of affection for her beloved.

Another student, Lise Miller, 28, decided to learn the tricks of transformation due to the creativity she's possessed since childhood.

"I made stuff all my life -- I did dollhouses and I used to make miniatures at my old job," said Miller, as she sawed an arm off a figure to make it look like Marie Antoinette.

Looking fresh out of the box, the glossy toys are a popular commodity among collectors and connoisseurs. Many purchase these one of a kind creations in stores like Super7 in San Francisco's Japantown, where skilled artists sell their toys for prices as high as $115.

Toy modification classes classes are offered at 1AM until November.

For more information on classes and gallery viewings, visit the 1AM web site at 1amsf.com.