TOYCON, Asia’s biggest and longest-running convention for toys and collectibles, cosplay, comics, gaming and digital entertainment, held its 19th onsite convention in the Philippines recently at the SM Megamall. We’ve prepared highlights of the convention just in case you’ve missed it!
After a few years of hold up because of the pandemic, pop culture fans and collectors were finally able to get together for this year’s biggest pop culture event.
Those who have been attendees of TOYCON for the longest time know that Voltes V is a staple character in the heart of the convention and its followers. That is why for this year, Voltes V takes center stage again – but also as part of a promise made by the convention’s event partner, Quiccs, back in 2019 to launch the trademark TEQ-63 in Voltes V style only at TOYCON.
But let’s cut to the chase and talk about what happened over the weekend.
What was new for this year’s convention? Aside from the toys and collectibles display and merchandise, there were also online selling seminars, live auctions, and livestreams (brought by Lazada); as well as VIP Access, NFT workshops, and Bulletpunk BitWars art (brought by Smart Signature).
#SmartToyCon Day 2 highlight: NFT Talk where @heypaulroots discussed Crypto and NFT 101. @quicccs gave us inside scoop on Bulletpunk Bitwars too! 👾 pic.twitter.com/rdrVBpyBvb
— SMART (@LiveSmart) July 9, 2022
The retail floor had the biggest collectibles of comic, movie, anime, and gaming characters with its own TOYCON Collectors Gallery and more than 250 exhibitors. The Megatrade Hall was jam-packed with all the convention-goers, collectors, and cosplayers.
There were also lots of Funko Pops in different characters and sizes that were displayed, sold, and given away by Funko Fanatics Philippines! They also released exclusive figures with celebrity signings for the attendees. To make sure you’ll get the image of what we mean by “different characters”, here is a photo of the largest Jollibee Funko Pop at the event (there were even Darna Funko Pop Figures too).
The convention also had the TOYCON Creator’s Alley and the Artist Alley – where the top Filipino toy creators and top comic book artist/s showcased and sold their works, creations, and designs to the public. The alleys had a lot of foot traffic because many collectors wanted to get dibs on their figures, sketches, arts, merchandise, and a lot more collectibles.
Aside from the exhibits and hundreds of booths, TOYCON 2022 also held the PInoy Pop Culture Icon Awards on the 3rd day. There were also lots of performers such as bands and Filipino idol groups that entertained the audience.
The World Cosplay Summit Philippines also presented the Award of Invitation to the Philippine representatives for the 2022 World Cosplay Summit competition that will be held in Nagoya, Japan this August 6-7.
And of course, there was also the biggest Voltes V Licensing and merchandise exhibit during the convention.
Speaking of Voltes V, the casts of the upcoming Filipino live-action anime adaptation of the anime entitled Voltes V: Legacy from GMA Network, together with the director Mark Reyes, shared some updates about the show’s premiere which is set to happen in 2023.
That’s not all, the stars of the upcoming ABS-CBN TV show Darna also graced the convention on its third day. Jane de Leon, Joshua Garcia, and Zaijan Jaranilla held a meet and great at the event and also signed several Darna Funko Pops owned by toy collectors. The official trailer of the show was also premiered at the convention.
TOYCON also hosted plenty of giveaways and raffles for the attendees, including a premium Thor Prestige Statue and other collectibles.
Because the turnout of this year’s event was more than successful, the organizers announced that the next year’s TOYCON PH 2023 will happen at a larger venue – which is at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on June 9-11, 2023.
See more photos from the TOYCON PH 2022 below: