An Annual Congregation of Toy Connoisseurs and Popular Culture (A Toycon 2016 Day 2 Coverage)

Toycon was on it's 15th year. The Biggest Toy Convention in the Philippines started out small and gradually became bigger and bigger in terms of Exhibitors, dealers, sponsors and attendees. It became so big that the organizers behind Toycon announced last year that the 2016 Toycon would be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay on June 10-12 from its usual SM Megatrade Hall in Ortigas. Many became happy with the news while others became low-spirited due to its distance from some enthusiast's home and a potential spike in ticket price.

Fast forward to 2016. Toycon reported in early 2016 that they have teamed up with Pop Life Entertainment Ltd. to deliver a one-of-a-kind Convention experience. Dubbed Toycon Philippines 2016 + PopLife FanXperience, the organizers "aims to boost pop culture further in the Philippines" by providing a bigger venue, rare exhibits like an exhibit featuring collections from Legendary Comic Book writer Stan Lee, partnerships with large Toy Companies like Funko and Celebrity guests like Kristian Nairn as Hodor from Game Of Thrones and Dean Cain as Superman on the Adventures SupermanTV series. Woop!! That's some amazing news. But how much will the ticket be? The organizers have kept mum on the subject and rumors are circulating that the ticket price will be 500php from its usual 150php price. Basically a 250% increase. A few weeks after Toycon they announced that a One-Day pass for Toycon 2016 will be indeed 500php. Many were furious and expressed their distaste on social media. The organizers seemed to notice it and appeased the people by offering "Discount Packages". For 1000php you get 3 days, so you get 500php off. For a VIP pass worth 3000php you get a 3-day pass and a lot of freebies. For a whopping 10kphp Legendary Pass you get a ton of freebies, including a Limited Edition 22-inch tall Voltes V vinyl figure as well as an early access to the convention. So you're like a Toycon God, in a way. But when you look at it, 500php would be the lowest amount for a Toycon ticket.

Now complain as much as we would want, the organizers will not lower the price. We just have to accept it, it'll just be a hard pill to swallow. I bought the tickets and plan to attend the second day with my girlfriend. On the first day news came out on social media about the organizer's lack of coordination and late opening of the event. The line queued far from the entrance leaving some attendees tired and wet from the rain. One of the main attractions on Toycon is a 3-story tall statue of Voltes V, one of the granddaddy of Japanese Super Robots and one of the "Ultimate Trophy Toy" for Toy Collectors (due in part to being a slight contributor to Philippine History). Attendees on the first day who wanted to see the giant robot up close were disappointed, as only the feet and legs were assembled during that time. Truck ban and customs were believed to be the cause of the delay.

Nonetheless, many attendees were excited with the numerous photo-op sessions from the large statues and main celebrity Kristian Nairn and Dean Cain being courteous to the crowd. Thanks to social media, I have a clear mental picture of what to expect from Day 2 of Toycon.

My girlfriend and I went to SMX Convention Center at 12pm. There was no line so we were able to get inside quickly and bask in the air of the Toycon Experience. A large part of the floor was devoted to the dealers and merchants. There were a lot of Toys to choose from, ranging from Funko Pops to Die-Cast cars. There are also ones who are selling cosplay gear, geek-related t-shirts and the usual solicitors offering Credit Card applications and Charity work. Now, despite the large floor size of the dealers, it was not enough. Traffic of people would still form on the back of you when a guy in front of you would stop and check out what the dealers are selling. I joked to myself that previous Toycons you would collide with a person when checking out Toys. Now you would just get brushed on a body part when checking out Toys.
There were also numerous glass cabinets displayed as well on a specific floor, showcasing a specific Toyline from various Toy Groups or a Toy Collector. Honestly, I have never thought a Toyline with a Cult following, like say, Zoids, for instance would garner a Toy Group. But hey, that's what Toycon should be. A meeting of like-minded individuals celebrating their passion.

Now, a really, really REALLY large part of the floor was provided to the PopLife FanXperience. Large statues were there, like the 3-story tall Voltes V (now complete) Funko Pop versions of boxer Manny Pacquaio, UFC Fighter Conor Mcgregor, Minions and Groot were there to greet you and to take a selfie. You can run around there and not bump into anyone. The stage was there as well, offering live music from J-Pop group Electric Ribbon and DJ Kazu as well as Q&A from the celebrity guests. I was not really into the celebrity guests, but to each his own.

I got some good Toy hauls. I got a lot of Godzilla items ( I'm in a Kaiju fix now) a Marvel Legends figure and a hardcover comic book for a steal. I also got some freebies like posters and stickers as well. It was a good Toyhunt.

my toy hauls

Now, after personally experiencing Toycon 2016, I felt that the floor was not utilized well. The dealer's floor should have been a little bigger. Toys should have been given more spotlight. More well-known celebrities (Robert Downey, Jr. or Akira Toriyama, perhaps?) More lighting on some statues and exhibits. And for heaven's sake, the ticket price man!!! Call me a cheap bastard, but thinking about the Philippine Economy, with 500php I could buy a decent action figure or a full meal for 3. Toy Collectors like myself rely on haggling and prices of Toys not being too expensive so the money we save will be placed on more Toys or a cab home. And helping a fellow collector out, "Toy Karma" as they say.

There's always room for improvement, I guess, and the organizers just gotta remember, at the end of the day, you would remember your Toycon experience not from a selfie from a Large statue but when you finally got that toy that you've been looking for a very long time.

Toy Karma.

- "the king"

A Grand Convergence of Buyers of Assorted Playthings ( Toycon 2013 Coverage )

Sometimes, there are occasions in a year on a person's life where he has the highest regard. He (Or She) would do the extra work so that he/she would go on leave to go to that occasion to meet with friends or persons with the same interest and talk for hours on end, see the newest trends or find that elusive item that they have been searching for. There are sacrifices to be made, but it can be rewarding.

This is what the 12th Philippine Toys Hobbies and Collectibles or Toycon 2013, is all about. Held last June 14-16 at the SM Megamall Megatrade Halls 1-3, it is a large gathering of toy and pop culture fans. There are forums, display booths, various contests, media coverage and of course, merchants that sell TOYS, TOYS AND MORE TOYS!!!

I was able to attend the Convention on the second day ( June 15 ) by myself. My officemate was supposed to come with me, but other important things got in the way. It was fine with me, I can "toyhunt" better alone. I was at the Megamall by 12pm, and was surprised with the short line on the ticket booth. I was then confronted by a Marshall and said to me that the end of the line was at the other side. Slightly embarassed, I went to the end of the line. It wasn't that long and I got to the ticket booth for less than 5 minutes. The ticket price is 120php and you get a free Man of Steel bookmark and included on the ticket are discount stubs on the Big Boys Toy Store. When I already went inside, I prepared myself and my wallet and turned "ON" my toyhunt mode.

Halls 2-3 are where the merchants are, and there are a LOT. There's almost something for everyone: vintage toys, gundam models, videogames, anime figures, comic books, posters, indie comics, vinyl records, magnets, keychains, coca-cola products, art toys, lego sets, movie props, action figures, sentai, super robots, transformers, diecast cars, statues and even cosplay (costume play) accessories. The only trouble that you have is there are a lot of people, and not much space. So when a guy in front of you sees something that he likes from a merchant and would stop and check it out, it would cause "traffic" and would be burden from some. But in an event like this, you'd know what to expect.

Famous merchants are also present at Toycon as well. Big Boys Toy Store seemed to have the largest space   ever for a merchant selling mostly toys. They have 70% more floor space than the usual merchant does. Greattoysonline.com is there as well, mostly selling Anime stuff. Toy Empire, Maxicollector and Sideshow Collectibles has finely-detailed statues and 1/6th figures from different movies on display, which you can buy as well ( probably would cost you an arm and a leg...and another arm.) There are display cabinets for showcase only on Hall 2 by various toy groups, but mostly feature 1/6th action figures.

Hall 1 is where most of the food stalls are and the stage is. There are parlor games being done during my stay there, plus a panel about DC Comics' Justice League as well. What I noticed is that even though they have speakers and microphones used on the stage, you cannot hear what they are saying on Halls 2-3. I'm guessing they still haven't fixed that yet during my stay there, or it was meant to be like that to prevent consumers from being distracted by the noise.

At a function room in Hall 1 is where most of the display cabinets from numerous toy groups are located. I was kind of early to go there, as most of the display cabinets are not yet filled up. Even the various statues on one side of the Function Room are not yet set up. You can see a statue of Wolverine wrapped in bubble wrap. Near the exit of the function room are submissions from the custom toys category. Again, it appears the contestants have not yet submitted their entries so it is not yet filled up. Zoids Philippines, Robot Collectors Haven, Pinoy Toy Kolektors, DieCast Collectors of the Philippines, Vintage Toy Lovers and Philippine Bricksters are just one of the groups featured on the Function Room. 

As usual, an event like this garners attention from the media and advertisers, and some of them are trying to promote their products to the attendees. A booth from an FM station was there doing some parlor games to the amusement of the crowd. I saw Survivor Philippines Celebrity Doubles Edition finalist Maey Bautista in full cosplay gear, doing a segment for her TV show. There is a local online gaming company that lets you play their game son a huge screen TV. There is a leasing company handing out flyers. Warner Brothers Philippines had a large space in Hall 2 devoted to the Man of Steel and their next attraction, Pacific Rim. Coca-Cola was handing out free "Sakto" bottles. I was supposed to get one, but I again realized that there was a long line. Pinoy Big Brother Unlimited housemate and car show vixen Jahziel Manabat was there as well, representing Zoids Philippines, eager to pose for the libido-fuled males with cameras. There are cosplayers present as well, ranging from Spider-Man to Kamen Rider Black. 

What I like about this event is there are a lot to buy from and to see and do, not unlike TAGCOM last time
 ( check it here ). Heck , there's even a merchant selling vinyl records!!! ( I saw an opened the Beatles "Abbey Road" album for just 3000php. ) During my rounds at Toycon, I was able to purchase a Marvel Legends Sabretooth, DC Signature Collection Platinum and Tin from the Metal Men, a DC Comics Infinite Crisis comic book and a  handful of diecast cars. I wanted to buy more, but I was trying hard not to overspend. I went home tired, but satisfied with the event and my hauls. 

Here's to us Toy Nerds!!! Cheers. 

- "the king"