What is your favorite toy show and why?

As this whole scene explodes in popularity, we're seeing shows pop up all over the place. From artists doing their own things like @Paulkaiju and @Rich, resellers like Mandarake's Sofvi Rally, DCON's crazy growth taking up a couple of airplane hangers, Five Points, indie shows like Taste of the Orient and Kaiju Cult (which is THE BEST TOY SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF TOY SHOWS BELIEVE ME NO COLLUSION), it's hard to keep track and what's true today ain't true tomorrow (DCON seems like a ton of sofubi makers won't be there this year and certainly not next).

So what shows are you digging the most and why? What has turned you off?

 

Who's not going to Dcon this year? I really love that show. I was so happy that Rich made it out last year.
I think Paul's summer slimes are my favorite, even though I wasn't able to go this year.

 

Rich isn't going I know for sure (security treated people pretty shitty)

Mori isn't coming and I believe that means everyone Mori tables with as well, but I could be wrong. That was another shitshow by security

I heard that this is @Paulkaiju's last year but haven't heard that from the man himself

And in general, it looks like a lot of Japanese artists just aren't venturing out westward that much anymore. Ishi wasn't at DCON last year nor FPF and the year before he got all his shit seized by Japanese customs so he had nothing to sell

 

I've been to all three Five Points shows, they started out strong and have gotten progressively better every year.

I'm going to Dcon for the first time this year, curious to see how it compares.

 

Will be sad if dcon goes down the tube for sofubi before I can make it to my first

Mori quitting did sadden me a bit, but off the top of my head there's still Gargamel, Itokin Park and Pushead among the big names. Plus Skulltoys and Punk Drunkers have made it to Five Points the last two years without Mori, so maybe PDS and Goccodo will still be at dcon. Although I know Gang of Hope and Tokyo Death Squad are different 'crews'.

Anyway, I'm lacking perspective having only been to shows in the northeast, and would be interested to see other people's opinions. But Death's Vault is pretty special to me. My first show was Rich's collaboration with Ish last year, and the new lotto format meant the whole afternoon was pretty chilled out. Now it's a chance to see people I haven't in a long while, with some sick toys thrown in. Loved last Five Points for the same reason, especially since it's still small enough that you can see everything in a short while, and spend the rest of the day hanging out.

 

I don’t think Pus will be at DCON this year, but you should get that from someone on better authority. I’m just a dumb southerner at the end of the day.

 

Dumb my ass. My brief stay in the South convinced me that, voting habits aside, y'all are a better crowd than mine

 

on the west coast you just cant beat Summer Slime. on the east coast, theres no other stops besides deaths vault for me. both shows emphasize the aspect of community and really cater to the making sure the collectors enjoy themselves WHILE also picking up amazing art. the fests are cool but with every new wave of collector it just becomes more and more about which booth youre sprinting to and which line youre sitting in.

 

DEATH'S VAULT
ALL OTHER GALLERIES SUCK​

 

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, DCON, it tolls for thee.
Man that really sucks that sofubi is dropping from their radar. The show was definitely cooler in Pasadena than in Anaheim; it just felt more corporate overall and less "we love this scene and it's creators!". The hordes of people for RxH and PDS and Refreshment is pretty lame, but what can you do. If sofubi does indeed drop off, I guess I won't be paying $70+ for "vip" tickets anymore. It sucks but it seems to inevitable.

 

That is what I am trying to do with Kaiju Cult: provide people a fun show (food & alcohol w/ vegan options, we premiered Budfoot at the last one and had both an 80s viking horror metal band and dark synthwave artist) and an easy, simple way to buy some cool art.

I'm a pretty meticulous person in general so when I go to cons I have my list of what I'm hitting, where it is and at what time, but yeah, running around DCON certainly wasn't the fun part, nor is standing in poorly managed lines/crowds.

I just want to buy cool shit easily and more importantly, quickly, so I can go back to generally hanging out with people.

I was genuinely astounded at the amount of people waiting in line to buy breakfast cereal. But one of the good things about DCON's size is running into shit you otherwise wouldn't have known about. That's how I ended up with your tanuki on my desk

The VIP tickets have become a necessity. A lot of artists said they were basically sold out from just VIP sales. Some artists hold back inventory but that is very spotty. And Hell, if I was an artist, it would be nice to just make my money quickly and then hang out vs. being stuck behind a booth all day.

I will say DCON needs to perhaps institute some line/lotto standards or something. RH/PD was a fucking nightmare last year.

 

I'm definitely gonna go with Paul and Summer Slime. Even before he thought of the name for the show was had done shows at Five&Dime, for which I only had the chance to spectate once, and didn't even really know what was going on. DCon 2013 was my first actual toy show, and I loved it, and also got familiar with a lot more artists and toys than what I knew. His transition from 5&D to Gunnzo started in 2014, and that was my first, actual PK/solo show, and I've been hooked since! With that show I just feel like Paul and Melissa's positivity oozes and bleeds all over everyone and everything at these shows. It's like the positively charged pink slime in Ghostbusters II. Chika opening her doors through Gunnzo is extremely welcoming, and comforting, and to top it off Paul and Mel cater some goddamn delicious tacos and drinks for everyone in attendance. It just can't be beat.

But my second close would've been DCon until it was kinda killed for me last year. Joe, Paul and Headlock were my only save graces, outside of obviously seeing so many good people. The Hundreds being there was pretty rad, too, I won't lie. But I missed my chance to meet Bobby and Mr. Cartoon, so that was sad.

 

There’s been plenty of intimate shows downunder I have attended alongside some of my best mates such as Soft Vinyl Mayhem, Soft Vinyl Garden and Xenoplasm. I even ran a show myself once with the whole “Soft Vinyl” schtick. I loved each one but perhaps the craziest experience for me was Superfestival 72 for I got to meet so many artists in a row, stock up on vinyl and see shit I never dreamed of before. Plus you just can’t beat the land of the rising sun.

Worst is still the RealxHead show run by Mattree. I still say fuck those arseholes to the moon and back.

 

TAG shows used to be my shit!! PK and MVH five minutes from my house?! YEP. not to mention seeing manny and aaron and connell! the lottos were fun and uhm also it was at a fuckin toy shop so you could pick up medicom stuff or tag produced stuff at the same time’

 

I'm just an equally dumb Northerner but can confirm . . . no Pushead at DCON.

. . . . and on that note, IMO SDCC 2008 was a classic show. Apart from riding high on the sofubi wave with the likes of Gargamel in attendance, S7 in the thick of vinyl production and TT importing some Japanese randomness (I think @datadub's groundbreaking Global Figure Symposium - and the first sighting of Mori on US soil - may have been a year or two later), the buzz created (not hype . . . just genuine excitement) by Pushead's Skeletal Carnival 3 featuring Usugrow, Mike Sutfin and himself was palpable, and the actual event superseded expectations.

Similarly Takeshit's attendance in 2012 (and I presume Hirota's in 2014 although I wasn't there), seemed equally groundbreaking, and these were only small pieces of a whole bigger show/experience/ with many other events and 'happenings' . . . not just a single swoop and grab event as seems to be the case with most show's these days.

I hear that SDCC is just a Hollywood studios pissing-contest these days with the big names just buying swathes of real-estate just to crowd out all the smaller, cooler stuff that made the event interesting. From 6,000 miles away DCon seems to be on the same trajectory.

Maybe it's just rose-tinted spectacles . . . but I can live with that too!

 

Yep, this is more than likely because in 20/20 a few AWESOME So-cal dudes are planning CREATURE BAZAAR as a one day event in Glendale. It's going to be more "Monster-centric" like the old days of "Mad Model Party" and other Horror cons of yore.
They are really working hard to get the sofubi back in line. Instead of DCon I would like to do some form of pop-up in LA or AZ later in 2020, also in talks on returning to NYC.
Time to change it up.

 

Gallery-wise: 2014 FOE 'Playing with Fire', 2016 DV 'Black Sabbath I' & 2017 DV 'Ring of Fire' will always be personal faves.
Besides being my first, FOE's relatively small space and attendance gave the show a more low-key/intimate vibe than any others I've hit since... though DV does come close.

Con-wise: Easily 2015 Dcon. The Secret Walls event made for a perfect nightcap to Saturday afternoon's buzzing and booth-bouncing.

Dcon was the event I'd look forward to all year but it seems the times are indeed a-changin'... Had fun last year, but as others have stated, the Anaheim move/expansion leaves a lot to be desired.

If this is Paul's last year, it will likely be mine as well. Guess it's time to finally book a trip for Summer Slime (should probably start looking at hotels now ). Curiosity piqued by this Creature Bazaar talk. That SS or both, will find a way to come out and catch up with you weird and wild west coasters... one way or another.

 

I absolutely love Paul’s one night show in Albuquerque at Stranger Factory. It usually falls on the weekend of my birthday and this past one fell right on my birthday. In addition, Brandt and Kathie invited me and my family to stay with them in their new hacienda along with Paul and Melissa. In addition to staying at Brandt and Kathie’s place, we all took a trip to Meow Wolf which was also a blast! Talk about one of the best birthdays ever! My son and Paul really hit it off, they were hissing and making monster sounds at each other all weekend.. (My son was nine months old at the time.. lol)

It’s a very intimate setting and I always get to see my fellow toy collector friends who I usually never get to see throughout the year. It’s not overly crowded which means you can usually score 2 pieces instead of just one, if you’re lucky..

 

Are you still doing the Stranger Factory show in March 2020?

 

I was at 2 of those 3...coincidence or not?

 

@Russblue11
Was trying to play it cool by not name-dropping but... ya got me

Meeting you and my one-and-only IRL encounter with @ungawa222 were certainly highlights (among many) from that FOE show... far outweighing the one (still) painful memory of the Sam 1-off that got away

 

DCon 2015 was the pinnacle of Dcon's for me. Since then it just hasn't been the same. I have now started going to smaller shows like Death's Vault, Stranger Factory and now Summer Slime. Every show has there own uniqueness and feel. I much prefer smaller more intimate settings like these shows. As far a favorite goes I love all of them but the Stranger Factory shows have a very sentimental spot for me. I drive there by myself and just get to enjoy some time for myself for a couple of days. They're all great in there own rights and there is no right answer but smaller show are definitely my preference. Creature Bazaar has me pumped though.

 

TAG was our little community playhouse, where i finally got to know many of the people i only knew from the forum, and a great place to get an education. I went to TAG events just to see everyone, and IMO we lost something special when it ended. DCON was great the last year in Pasadena. Summer Slime is everything you can hope it to be, and this year I got totally choked up by whole experience. Hoping to make it to the east coast.

 

if PK isnt doing dcon anymore then i probably wont go anymore. i can go to SD or ABQ and hop over to see rich in october and im set for the year lol