taipei toy festival 2007 wrap-up: event image links and visitors' reactions
the Taipei Toy Festival 2007 [blogged] had ended last week and for those who were unable to attend (*raises hand at back of the class*) - there are bountiful online locales to view the festivities and many varied toys on display, which i have categorized into event-DAYS, as well as addition event-image links (in no order of preference thanks):DAY ZERO:
- LuciferJ (cool set-up pics)
DAY ONE:
- LuciferJ (including AV actress pics)
- Sichi's Flickr
- VinceToysStudio (including some Bart Qee customs)
DAY TWO:
- LuciferJ (great selection of "alternative" vinyls)
- Sichi's (personal) flickr
- VinceToysStudio
DAY THREE:
- Sichi's flickr (incl after-party pics & Taipei nightlife)
- VinceToysStudio
DAY FOUR:
- LuciferJ
- VinceToysStudio
OTHER WEB LOCALES:
- Andy Woo's flickr-stream (untagged)
- MCA Evil's flickr-stream (tagged)
- StrangeCo's excellent event page
- Veggiesomething's flickr-stream (untagged)
KAIJUKORNER TTF Report:
Part 1 / Part 2 / part 3 / Part 4 (featuring what must be the ultimate-autographed Trexi!) / Part 5
i asked three collectors who'd visited the Taipei Toy Festival 2007; namely Vince (of VinceToysStudio), Jamie (of LuciferJ) and Andy B (of Kaiju Korner - who also writes for toy-related articles in print, look for his articles in upcoming Clutter Magazine) for their reactions and personal opinions ... /// CLICK HERE TO READ
TOYSREVIL: how was the TTF this year, compared to previous years'?
VINCE: it was fun to go TTF this year ... met some guys I never met before and talked to some collectors ... Actually not many "MUST HAVE" pieces for me but, it's nice to go there and smell some fresh vinyl toys ... LOL!
JAMIE: i did attend TTF last year, although lots of stuff have been re-displayed this year ...
ANDY B: I've attended every TTF. This year's show was AWESOME - bigger and better than ever! In only its 4th year, the TTF has exploded into Asia's top event for designer toys, hands down. I'd go so far as to say it's the world's second most important show, after SDCC.
TOYSREVIL: man, how i wish i was there! how was fan reaction to TTF's offerings? what is your reaction?
VINCE: I think it's definitely better than last year ... More booths and more funny stuff ... but for real collectors, there are not enough exclusive stuff ... I mean some of them are different color versions only, not designers' newest stuff. That means TTF should think about this and they can "make" more profit next year ... LOL!!!There were many HK & Japan based collectors who came here this year, and this never happened before (not that crowded) ... So I think the (Taiwan) market is growing for sure ...
JAMIE: i am more into 12" figure this year (Winson, Kenny, and William from Brothersfree), cuz there aren't much good vinyl (except 18" Knuckle Bear and Adam Ape).
ANDY B: People slept outside overnight for a chance at the offerings, so I'd say they were in major demand. Quite a few dealers there sold out of a large portion of their stock. All in all, everyone I talked to was very happy with the outcome.
Fans also LOVE getting autographs and sketches here, and the designers were super accessible and friendly. There were tons of signing sessions, and nothing but smiles and good times all around.
TOYSREVIL: accessibility is key - otherwise there is no difference than just buying from a toyshop, yeh? IMHO, of coz :p ... anything else you guys liked and/or hated?
VINCE: the (Toy2R) Simpson show was awesome!! ... and I must say that TTF's ticket is damn cheap if compared to SDCC or any toys festival ... haha!
JAMIE: Kidrobot didn't put a lot of effort into TTF this year ... didn't see any Dunny, only Mori Chack's Gloomy and some blind box, feel a little disappointed.
ANDY B: I had a great time. Mostly I talked with old friends and made new ones. It was great seeing the mixture of western vinyl, kaiju, one-off art pieces, 12" figures, paper figures, multi-media, and on and on - a really excellent sampling of different design types.
TOYSREVIL: how do you think the TTF can be improved next year?
VINCE: TTF should think about the space of the show ... I don't think the waiting line of every booth is well-planned. That's why I couldn't take much good photos! HAHAHAHAHA!
VINCE: About booths, it almost mostly focused on HK & Japan-based companies ... that's good but some big US based companies didn't join the show. yes KR came here but not many good stuff just gloomy bears and kozik series ... I can say people here want more ... maybe the market here is not that deep or mature so some companies don't want to come here?
More designers coming to TTF would be better ... the auction on the last day was a cool idea, it brought lots of fun I believe (I'm wasn't there ... haha ... just imagine that)
ANDY B: Everyone was saying the same thing - the TTF needs a bigger venue. With thousands of people crowding into the show at peak times, it was sometimes difficult to move! Looked at another way, that's a sign of just how successful the show was!
Check out http://kaijukorner.blogspot.com/ for tons of pics of the show. Hope to see more folks from overseas in Taipei next year!
TOYSREVIL: cheers for your time and trouble guys. and i hope to be able to attend TTF next year and maybe actually meet you all in person! :)
