September 17, 2018

Thailand Toy Expo 2018: Part 3

Thailand Toy Expo 2018: Part 3
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curated by YellowMenace (44+ images)

  The amazing thing about the Thailand Toy Expo is that there is such a wide range of art toys to see. In this final look back at the expo, I focus on smaller indie toy makers & local Thai talent. Thailand has large & constantly growing community of quality original toy designers. 

Super Ton (Thailand) - 5 pics
"Shabu Suke"
Super Ton @SuperTonSculptor via: YellowMenace blog
   ▶ Check out more from TTE2018 in PART 1 & PART 2


   A special shout out to The Toy Chronicle & Toys R Evil, these 2 dedicated designer toy blogs are awesome at covering the often complicated & overcrowded toy market. I used these sites to source & confirm the creators of many of the sculptures, even though I get business cards & take photos of artists' display info it is still sometimes difficult to know the designer or company producing the toy.
Super Ton @SuperTonSculptor via: YellowMenace blog
Super Ton @SuperTonSculptor via: YellowMenace blog
Super Ton @SuperTonSculptor via: YellowMenace blog
Super Ton @SuperTonSculptor via: YellowMenace blog


   I enjoy art toys because I see them as low-brow sculptures, but I'm not a collector or deep dive fan. It's strange that most hardcore toy fans don't see themselves as art collectors. I think it's because the high-end art market is filled with investors & art snobs who aren't necessarily passionate about the creation itself, but rather the notoriety of the artist & projected appreciation of the asset.



Mountain Toys 主理人 (China) - 4 pics
Mountain Toys 主理人 (@mountain_toys) via: YellowMenace blog
Mountain Toys 主理人 (@mountain_toys) via: YellowMenace blog
Mountain Toys 主理人 (@mountain_toys) via: YellowMenace blog
Mountain Toys 主理人 (@mountain_toys) via: YellowMenace blog


   I've been a casual fan of art toys for about 2 years. It has been a complicated journey trying to wrap my head around this fandom. Unlike most 2D art, there can be several people involved in the creation of a single product. 

   1. The process begins with a concept, which can be from a dedicated toy designer employed by a large toy company or a well known artist working in other media contracted for a one-off run. The big companies like ThreeZero can license popular characters from anime & movies which appeal to a broader fan base. 

   2. The next step is the design & sculpt which is often done by 2 separate artists. Side note, this critical element is wildly underappreciated & too often uncredited by larger production companies, although this is slowly changing as more toy connoisseurs demand to know the creators.     



BlackSeed Toys (Hong Kong) - 2 pics
BlackSeed Toys by Kenneth Tang via: YellowMenace blog
BlackSeed Toys by Kenneth Tang via: YellowMenace blog


   3. After that a prototype needs to be produced, if there are complex moving parts, such as with mech dolls, an engineer might be involved.

   4. Then the sculpture requires painting, like comic books there are a few artists who specialize in adding color & sometimes even fabric clothing to the toys. Many companies release an unpainted version for hobbyists to decorate themselves. These "blanks" can also be sent to other famous artists for group shows or limited editions, such as Kidrobot's "Dunny" or MediCom Toy's "B@erbrick". All of this further complicates crediting the creators of the toy.

   5. Finally the toy needs to be mass produced & distributed to specialty toy shops & online retailers. Smaller indie toy studios often do limited run lotteries & mail their final product directly to collectors.

   It astonishes me that so many independent toy makers manage to create high quality art toys with fewer than 5 people involved, some go at it completely solo.



Next Level Toys - 5 pics
Next Level Toys (@nextleveltoys) via: YellowMenace blog
Next Level Toys (@nextleveltoys) via: YellowMenace blog
Next Level Toys (@nextleveltoys) via: YellowMenace blog
Next Level Toys (@nextleveltoys) via: YellowMenace blog
Next Level Toys (@nextleveltoys) via: YellowMenace blog


Classic Anime Toys @ Amazon


Huskyx3 (Hong Kong) - 3 pics
Huskyx3.com via: YellowMenace blog
Huskyx3.com via: YellowMenace blog
Huskyx3.com via: YellowMenace blog

Korn Doll (Thailand)
Korn Doll via: YellowMenace blog


Be@rBrick Designer Toys @ Amazon


HW Studio (Thailand) - 3 pics
by Worawit Hathawee
HW Studio (Thailand) by Worawit Hathawee via: YellowMenace blog
HW Studio (Thailand) by Worawit Hathawee via: YellowMenace blog
HW Studio (Thailand) by Worawit Hathawee via: YellowMenace blog

Soul Happy 郭超 (China) - 4 pics
Soul Happy 郭超 via: YellowMenace blog
Soul Happy 郭超 via: YellowMenace blog
Soul Happy 郭超 via: YellowMenace blog
Soul Happy 郭超 via: YellowMenace blog

Kelvin W Studio "Teletobi" - 3 pics
Kelvin W Studio via: YellowMenace blog
Kelvin W Studio via: YellowMenace blog
Kelvin W Studio via: YellowMenace blog

Plamanhobby x Trim Toys (Thailand) - 5 pics
Plamanhobby x Trim Toys via: YellowMenace blog
Thaiju "Mama Nak"
Plamanhobby x Trim Toys via: YellowMenace blog
Plamanhobby x Trim Toys via: YellowMenace blog
Plamanhobby x Trim Toys via: YellowMenace blog
Plamanhobby x Trim Toys via: YellowMenace blog

Benzilla (Thailand) "3Balls"
Benzilla (benzillabkk.com) via: YellowMenace blog

Stella A13 (Thailand) "Bullky"
Stella A13 (stellaa13.com) via: YellowMenace blog


Art Toys @ Amazon


Flabjacks by Ton Mak (Hong Kong) - 3 pics
Flabjacks by Ton Mak (flabjacks.com) via: YellowMenace blog
Flabjacks by Ton Mak (flabjacks.com) via: YellowMenace blog
Flabjacks by Ton Mak (flabjacks.com) via: YellowMenace blog

Handsome Studio (Korea) - 3 pics
Handsome Studio via: YellowMenace blog
 "Uncle Mermaid"
Handsome Studio via: YellowMenace blog
Handsome Studio via: YellowMenace blog


Monkole Toy Studio (Thailand) - 2 pics
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"Schrodinger Meow"
Monkole Toy Studio (@monkoletoy) via: YellowMenace blog


● Check Out My: Art Toys Pinboard


Monkole Toy Studio (@monkoletoy) via: YellowMenace blog