The Philippine TOYCON is set to hold its 20th edition at SMX Manila on the weekend of July 7 to 9—and as part of the festivities, here are the highlights you should not miss, taking some paragraphs out of the official press release:
- TOYCON this year will feature almost a hundred toy exclusives from partner exhibitors, with top toy brands like Funko, Lego, Bandai, Hot Toys, Pop Mart, JoyToy and many others.
- World-renowned toy designers like Quiccs, Wetworks, Creon Chknhead, Arman Kendrick and more, add to the hype with their limited edition TOYCON releases.
- MINDstyle partners with TOYCON to bring another FanXperience to Manila, as it brings the latest trends in art toys plus Pop Asia exclusives. Fans also get to interact with top creators and designers like Punk Drunkers and Reen Barrera. Secret Fresh merch will also be available there.
- TOYCON’s mascot, TC-02, now has its event-exclusive Funko Pop! collectible toy. This adds to several Pop Asia exclusives catered to the Philippine market.
- Globe is this year’s event co-presenter and they are bringing in the Globe Playboxx Booth where one can unleash their inner child. They also bring the Globe Premium and VIP Passes loaded with awesome toy exclusives, merch and vouchers.
- The cast of Voltes V Legacy and its show-runner, Director Mark A. Reyes will have a fan interaction on the TOYCON stage. GMA will also bring in other stars to grace the event.
- Tokusatsu fans are also in for a treat: Tetsuo Kurata, aka Robert Akizuki, as he was locally known when he played Masked Rider Black and Black RX; and Ryosuke Kaizu, who played Red Mask in Hikari Sentai Maskman, are gracing us for TokuSpirits at TOYCON.
- Three Japanese groups are also set to perform at TOYCON courtesy of Ambox: Chicken Blow the Idol, Himegoto Zettaiichi and To Be Radical. This is aside from numerous local talents such as Pastel Mix, Ai’Dreamin, MiQx, STARLIGHT, Euphoria and ASFIRE.
- TOYCON also has live band performances throughout the weekend from Colliana, Re:ANIMUS, Glottis V, Saving Radio, Souldrift, Luisa, JP Cuison and Co. and HAIRGUM.
- The Cosplay KO heightens the excitement for individual cosplayers on Saturday with a P20,000 cash prize for the best anime, and the AnimeS Cosplay World Stars (ACWS) local qualifiers in the Duo Category and the Cosplay Pop Duo Contest liven up the TOYCON stage on Sunday. Celebrity Cosplay photographer Jay Tablante also conducts a Cosplay Photography workshop sponsored by Canon.
- Warner Brothers will feature Barbie the Movie and the DC superhero movie Blue Beetle. Paramount Pictures also joins the fray with a booth for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
- For the creators: The Comics Zone powered by Komiket, with top comic book artists and illustrators, and two Toy Designer Alleys with the best local and international toy designers including Hot Actor, Pucky, Chino Lam, Unbox Industries and more! Enjoy more than 80 toy exclusives to be released by more than 40 toy designers around the world!
- TOYCON Collectors Gallery has around 80 toy collector groups which will display their collections, with exciting panel discussions and competitions for Custom Toys, Toy Photography, Best Display and Awards for the Best Toy Collectors Group sponsored by the Philippine Toy Groups Association.
- This is on top of more than 250 booths you can sweep for rare finds!
- ALSO: There is a TOYCON ANNEX at the Mall of Asia Music Hall on July 8-9, Saturday and Sunday. If you can’t get into SMX, go straight ahead at the Annex.
See you at TOYCON 20 this weekend, July 7 to 9! Tickets for TOYCON 20 are available at SMTickets.com or onsite during the event dates at the SMX Convention Center. The Globe Premium Passes and Globe MINDstyle VIP Passes are available on Tickelo.com. …and if you happen to see me there, just say hi!
(Photos from TOYCON 2019 and 2022 via press release)