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"
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Huskyx3 (Hong Kong) - 3 pics
Korn Doll (Thailand)
HW Studio (Thailand) - 3 pics
by Worawit Hathawee
Soul Happy 郭超 (China) - 4 pics
Kelvin W Studio "Teletobi" - 3 pics
Plamanhobby x Trim Toys (Thailand) - 5 pics
Thaiju "Mama Nak"
Benzilla (Thailand) "3Balls"
Stella A13 (Thailand) "Bullky"
Flabjacks by Ton Mak (Hong Kong) - 3 pics
Handsome Studio (Korea) - 3 pics
"Uncle Mermaid"
● Check Out My: Art Toys Pinboard
