Edward Low's Top Toys of 2024
EDWARD LOW: It is the time of the year again for the annual affair with Toysrevil to share my Top 10 Toys of the year. I am Edward Low aka Drawdelow, a toy designer and occasional collector.
2024 is once again full of ups and downs, travelling around to attend toy events and meeting many like minded people is definitely the upside of it.
EDWARD LOW: One of the best achievements is we managed to self-publish My Artist Story with a few Malaysia Arttoy Showcase members, a magazine where we interview fellow toy designers. By the time you are reading this, we are either printing the latest issue or it is already out in the market. So do check it out!
I have been controlling myself pretty well over the years in terms of buying. 2024 is the year of the Dragon and it is my year, but surprisingly I only bought 1 dragon themed toy.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #10: Little Green Dragon by Meego Studio
EDWARD LOW: Met them at the first ever Super Toy Fest in Kuala Lumpur. Finally Malaysia has its own designer toy event and I'm glad to see a few overseas brands attending. First time seeing @meego_studio and their products in person. The Little Dragon caught my attention the most because it is the year of the dragon. It comes in 2 colours, green and gold. I opt for the green one simply because it is the basic dragon colour.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #9: Wavedoggg iPear by Chaossui
EDWARD LOW: First met @chaossui at Elefun Pop Art and Toy Show, Shanghai 2023. Her illustrations caught my eye, especially her 4 eyes Wavedoggg. Met her again at Elefun Pop Art and Toy Show, Hong Kong 2024 but still unable to afford her Wavedoggg. So I bought the iPear and an art print instead. It is a pear shaped dog with glow in the dark rocks inside. Still aiming to own one of her Wavedogggs in the future.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #8: Kaichudento Obake by Blue Tengu
EDWARD LOW: When I was working part time at Akari Store, a toy shop in KL. One fine day Desmond walks into the shop and we have a little chat. Get to know that he is a lecturer who brought his students on a trip from Singapore to KL. Turns out he designs toys (@blue_tengu) as well but yet to participate in any toy events. Fast forward a few months later we met again at Super Toy Fest, KL. I got this Kaichudento Obake, a Japanese Yokai with a modern twist where it sucks out energy from batteries. No wonder my phone is always low in battery when near this thing.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #7: ChknBall Z by Creon Chknhead
EDWARD LOW: Been knowing Creon and Monique for years, they were in town to attend Super Toy Fest. It was their first time in KL and it’s my best opportunity to convince them that Malaysia’s food is better! They stayed back for a few days to spray some walls and be a tourist after the event. I think I did quite well as I can’t recall them being hungry and Creon even bought back a few packets of the spices to recreate the dishes. Got this ChknBall Z from @chknhead for being a not bad host.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #6: Fux by Garbage Toy
EDWARD LOW: First discovered @garbagetoyyyyy on social media when his quirky out of shape characters caught my attention. His sense of humour and randomness in designing his characters really stands out. Never met him in person yet but only interacted online. Saw his creations when in Hong Kong and immediately knew I had to own one. Although I had difficulty deciding which to get but finally decided to go with the Fux. Hope to meet him in person this year.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #5: Mala Bear & Ryan River Child by Ryan Animal
EDWARD LOW: I got to know @ryananimal_toy when a friend of mine asked to buy a blindbox at Taipei Toy Festival 2023. Didn’t pay much attention to it and only knew it is a series of pregnant animals with either male or female babies inside. After following Tony on social media and reading his creations in detail only to realise the character’s names are mostly direct translation from Cantonese. Might not make sense to others but for me it added another layer of characteristics to each piece. I managed to get the chase version of River Child with dragon phoenix babies in it when in Pop Toy Show SG. Then in TTF, the bear series is available and I knew I needed to get the sun bear as I myself have a Malayan sun bear character too, named Dudu.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #4: B3 & Cabbit by VYNC & Winnie Yippe (@wync.world)
EDWARD LOW: I knew Vincent and Winnie for years and in 2024, we had a chance to be booth neighbors at Elefun Pop Up and Toy Show, Shenzhen. Basically I was third wheeling them throughout the trip and we really bonded well. I guess. They gave me this B3 & Cabbit to thank me for taking care of them during this trip but in fact they are the ones who have been taking care of me. They continue to take care of me and provide me advice and suggestions about my work after the trip until today. Really appreciate this friendship.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #3: Gravy by Trampt x Trexii
EDWARD LOW: My year 2024 became more bearable thanks to being given an opportunity to be part of the @trampt team. We were building the catalog on the platform for months. I get to discover more amazing artists and works out there. Artists and collectors should really check out Trampt as the upcoming features are really benefiting everyone, especially fellow artists. Shout out to Keegan who sent these Gravy as a token of appreciation for being part of the team. I am forever grateful for this opportunity.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #2: Adventurer Sam Sam - Bruce Lee by Kennywork x PAWS
EDWARD LOW: Every year I’ve been consistently adding Bruce Lee inspired toys to my collection. After getting the Sam Sam x Bruce Lee series and getting it signed by @kennyswork2006 when I met him in Hong Kong. How can I say no to the Bruce Lee edition of Adventurer Sam Sam? It is a licensed piece but in a blindbox series with other designs. Thanks to my friend Darrel’s lucky hand, he managed to pick this out on the first try. He used up his luck to help me and couldn’t get what he wanted though.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #10: Galaxy Gang - Bruce Lee by Tooplastic
EDWARD LOW: Another Bruce Lee licensed piece by one of the fastest growing brands, @tooplastic. They did release two Bruce Lee figures but I found that this is more special as it also includes their own IP, Galaxy Gang. Knew Gino through social media and bonded after attending several conventions together. Seeing how well Tooplastic is doing this couple of years, I just have to get this when in Hong Kong.
EDWARD LOW: Nothing much to look forward to in terms of collecting but maybe a few more Bruce Lee inspired toys in 2025. Mainly is still wanting to grow the designer toy community in Malaysia. Side projects like My Toy Hoard and My Artist Story both play a part. Although now everyone is crazy with blindboxes and I guess it is somewhat a good sign for designers like myself. Hopefully sooner or later they will get bored of blindboxes and pay more attention to us. Events like Super Toy Fest help too and hope for a better designer toy scene in 2025!
You may follow me on IG for my works
instagram.com/drawdelow
My Artist Story magazine
instagram.com/myartiststory
MY Toy Hoard Facebook Group
Edward Low's TOP TOYS OF 2023
Edward Low's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022
Edward Low's #TopTenToysof2021
Edward Low's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2020
#TopTenToysof2019 by Edward Low
Edward Low's #TopTenToysof2018
Edward Low's #TopTenToysOf2017 On TOYSREVIL
2024 is once again full of ups and downs, travelling around to attend toy events and meeting many like minded people is definitely the upside of it.
EDWARD LOW: One of the best achievements is we managed to self-publish My Artist Story with a few Malaysia Arttoy Showcase members, a magazine where we interview fellow toy designers. By the time you are reading this, we are either printing the latest issue or it is already out in the market. So do check it out!
I have been controlling myself pretty well over the years in terms of buying. 2024 is the year of the Dragon and it is my year, but surprisingly I only bought 1 dragon themed toy.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #10: Little Green Dragon by Meego Studio
EDWARD LOW: Met them at the first ever Super Toy Fest in Kuala Lumpur. Finally Malaysia has its own designer toy event and I'm glad to see a few overseas brands attending. First time seeing @meego_studio and their products in person. The Little Dragon caught my attention the most because it is the year of the dragon. It comes in 2 colours, green and gold. I opt for the green one simply because it is the basic dragon colour.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #9: Wavedoggg iPear by Chaossui
EDWARD LOW: First met @chaossui at Elefun Pop Art and Toy Show, Shanghai 2023. Her illustrations caught my eye, especially her 4 eyes Wavedoggg. Met her again at Elefun Pop Art and Toy Show, Hong Kong 2024 but still unable to afford her Wavedoggg. So I bought the iPear and an art print instead. It is a pear shaped dog with glow in the dark rocks inside. Still aiming to own one of her Wavedogggs in the future.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #8: Kaichudento Obake by Blue Tengu
EDWARD LOW: When I was working part time at Akari Store, a toy shop in KL. One fine day Desmond walks into the shop and we have a little chat. Get to know that he is a lecturer who brought his students on a trip from Singapore to KL. Turns out he designs toys (@blue_tengu) as well but yet to participate in any toy events. Fast forward a few months later we met again at Super Toy Fest, KL. I got this Kaichudento Obake, a Japanese Yokai with a modern twist where it sucks out energy from batteries. No wonder my phone is always low in battery when near this thing.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #7: ChknBall Z by Creon Chknhead
EDWARD LOW: Been knowing Creon and Monique for years, they were in town to attend Super Toy Fest. It was their first time in KL and it’s my best opportunity to convince them that Malaysia’s food is better! They stayed back for a few days to spray some walls and be a tourist after the event. I think I did quite well as I can’t recall them being hungry and Creon even bought back a few packets of the spices to recreate the dishes. Got this ChknBall Z from @chknhead for being a not bad host.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #6: Fux by Garbage Toy
EDWARD LOW: First discovered @garbagetoyyyyy on social media when his quirky out of shape characters caught my attention. His sense of humour and randomness in designing his characters really stands out. Never met him in person yet but only interacted online. Saw his creations when in Hong Kong and immediately knew I had to own one. Although I had difficulty deciding which to get but finally decided to go with the Fux. Hope to meet him in person this year.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #5: Mala Bear & Ryan River Child by Ryan Animal
EDWARD LOW: I got to know @ryananimal_toy when a friend of mine asked to buy a blindbox at Taipei Toy Festival 2023. Didn’t pay much attention to it and only knew it is a series of pregnant animals with either male or female babies inside. After following Tony on social media and reading his creations in detail only to realise the character’s names are mostly direct translation from Cantonese. Might not make sense to others but for me it added another layer of characteristics to each piece. I managed to get the chase version of River Child with dragon phoenix babies in it when in Pop Toy Show SG. Then in TTF, the bear series is available and I knew I needed to get the sun bear as I myself have a Malayan sun bear character too, named Dudu.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #4: B3 & Cabbit by VYNC & Winnie Yippe (@wync.world)
EDWARD LOW: I knew Vincent and Winnie for years and in 2024, we had a chance to be booth neighbors at Elefun Pop Up and Toy Show, Shenzhen. Basically I was third wheeling them throughout the trip and we really bonded well. I guess. They gave me this B3 & Cabbit to thank me for taking care of them during this trip but in fact they are the ones who have been taking care of me. They continue to take care of me and provide me advice and suggestions about my work after the trip until today. Really appreciate this friendship.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #3: Gravy by Trampt x Trexii
EDWARD LOW: My year 2024 became more bearable thanks to being given an opportunity to be part of the @trampt team. We were building the catalog on the platform for months. I get to discover more amazing artists and works out there. Artists and collectors should really check out Trampt as the upcoming features are really benefiting everyone, especially fellow artists. Shout out to Keegan who sent these Gravy as a token of appreciation for being part of the team. I am forever grateful for this opportunity.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #2: Adventurer Sam Sam - Bruce Lee by Kennywork x PAWS
EDWARD LOW: Every year I’ve been consistently adding Bruce Lee inspired toys to my collection. After getting the Sam Sam x Bruce Lee series and getting it signed by @kennyswork2006 when I met him in Hong Kong. How can I say no to the Bruce Lee edition of Adventurer Sam Sam? It is a licensed piece but in a blindbox series with other designs. Thanks to my friend Darrel’s lucky hand, he managed to pick this out on the first try. He used up his luck to help me and couldn’t get what he wanted though.
TOP TOY OF 2024 - #10: Galaxy Gang - Bruce Lee by Tooplastic
EDWARD LOW: Another Bruce Lee licensed piece by one of the fastest growing brands, @tooplastic. They did release two Bruce Lee figures but I found that this is more special as it also includes their own IP, Galaxy Gang. Knew Gino through social media and bonded after attending several conventions together. Seeing how well Tooplastic is doing this couple of years, I just have to get this when in Hong Kong.
EDWARD LOW: Nothing much to look forward to in terms of collecting but maybe a few more Bruce Lee inspired toys in 2025. Mainly is still wanting to grow the designer toy community in Malaysia. Side projects like My Toy Hoard and My Artist Story both play a part. Although now everyone is crazy with blindboxes and I guess it is somewhat a good sign for designers like myself. Hopefully sooner or later they will get bored of blindboxes and pay more attention to us. Events like Super Toy Fest help too and hope for a better designer toy scene in 2025!
instagram.com/drawdelow
My Artist Story magazine
instagram.com/myartiststory
MY Toy Hoard Facebook Group
Edward Low's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2022
Edward Low's #TopTenToysof2021
Edward Low's TOP TEN TOYS OF 2020
#TopTenToysof2019 by Edward Low
Edward Low's #TopTenToysof2018
Edward Low's #TopTenToysOf2017 On TOYSREVIL
