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About That TOYSREVIL Walking Exhibitor



None too long ago, the organisers of the annual "Singapore Art Book Fair" offered a new category of vending at the show, dubbed "Walking Exhibitor", whereby one could essentially travel around the venue and exhibition times on foot, with a strapped-on "suitcase display", along with a by-now-iconic drawing of the proposed notion (seen below), which got folks' responses - primarily from creators - mostly of the negative variety, which was how I (as an "outsider" to "the game") knew about this...!



Like selling cigarettes in a jazz club, or mobile kachaim puteh sales, or at least that was my immediate (internal) response! But I very quickly had my own point of view to all of these too, but before I could opine beyond my own imagination(s), the following was released by the organizers of the book fair, hereby cancelling the open call and option:



I would still want to share my own POV (after the fact anyways), needing to narcissistically get this off my chest, so please bare with me, cheers.



I am hardly a "(professional) publisher" by any repute, although it has been my secret wish for decades - which started out by wanting to illustrate comicbooks, which morphed into wanting to self-publish, influenced greatly by Big-O magazine back in the 90s, of the possibilities of creating content but not necessarily needing to be trapped by the "polish and frills" (:p). The idea of a fanzine became more tangible when I self-published two issues (technically a issue-and-a-half) of "I LIKE TOYS" nearly a decade ago...



The first issue was limited to 100 copies, which I both gave away to strangers in Bangkok (Sealed in brown manila-envelopes as each package borne different inserts, like stickers and posters etc - ala "blind bag"), and as well offered them online via my eShop (Issue is technically "Free" so customer borne cost of mailing etc), while issue #1 & 1/2 was released and put on sale in my own TOYSREVIL-booth at Singapore Toy Games & Comic Con, both circa 2012.



The reality had been I was able to do so coinciding with my own physical activities, but honestly would never had the gumption to engage in my own booth/stand to hawk my zines. Sure if I had mad-money I could throw out to fulfil my selfish-desires, but that's now how my world works out, innit? LOL

I had not explored further issues, even though I had them prepared(ish), because the sheer pre and production would not be able to be sustained, if I did not have a tangible outlet for not, beyond my online presence. At some point I was even contemplating renting a copier machine (which I did not know if such arrangements existed lol)! Anyways....

I_LIKE_TOYS_Issue_1_1:2_01
I_LIKE_TOYS_Issue_1_1:2_02
I_LIKE_TOYS_Issue_1_1:2_03


Then when I first saw this idea of "Walking Exhibitor", it clicked for me, being a totally indie creator-wannabe which did not have deep(er) resources, but had the opportunity to promote my wares physically like this, was kinda exciting and intriguing, I'm not going to lie!

At first the "$150" price-tag put me off quite a bit, but in comparison to rental of an entire booth, the price-point was "feasible" and affordable, versus a full-on table (much less a booth), which'll no doubt need more than a table cloth and merch scattered on the table-top, innit?



With the set-up. I could have copies of my zines available, alongside merch like stickers and none-too heavy doo-dads (keychains and pins), and honestly would be kinda fun! I know I am not exactly a "booth-babe" people might view as (I would not be surprised if folks saw me and ran away LOL), but its something I could attempt by myself, perhaps? I might not be a naked "John Cena" holding a placate at a Awards Show, but...

Now I am aware that I am not deep in the game enough to know what it is/was other creators felt, and they have the right to their opinions and thoughts on the notion ... but to this particular wannabe-self-publisher, a possible low-barrier with lower-stakes option is now no longer an option, alas ... and here we are "stuck" in a state of rooted prebuilt-booths and shops lined up in convention halls.

I remember when GoodGuysNeverWin Toys pulled along their luggage and make-shift toy-stand-displays for their "pop-ups" at conventions, and I'd appreciate and enjoyed the guerilla-style idea, and honestly felt these are needed to add some punch to the scene... but perhaps folks might have felt this would have "cheapened it"? At least this was the vibe I'd felt associated with the "walking exhibitor"-notion ...Like I said, I'm not deep in the game, and am just a "pedestrian" here :p



My memories flashback to the late-80s, when studying design at Baharuddin Vocational Institute, and when @basheergraphic first come to our classrooms brandishing a luggage bag filled with art books (before they had their storefront), which we could physically browse/flip thru and preorder. Call me "sentimental", but I remember the joy of flipping thru a physical pages of book(s), instead of scrolling up-and-down, or swiping left-to-right (fk I sound like a geriatric old dude here, inning? BAH) :p

Sure I could do a online release of I LIKE TOYS, and had actually done so back in 2014 (with a themed "Horror Edition Special"), but I feel it kinda defeats the purpose of a self-published tangible zine, IMHO.

And it's a little bit more than just "presentation" versus "content"... well at least it has been for me for a good few years :)

And while I've blogged about the zine, I'd done more on THIS dedicated Facebook page and even a Tumbler .. and at least that still exists if ever I decide to escape the shell of self-expectation I had built up ~ LOL

So whatever imagination I've had with "walking exhibitors", they would remain unfulfilled, at least for this year, innit?

Cheers,
Andy TOYSREVIL



The 2026 Edition of Singapore Art Book Fair happens August 28th to 30th, 2026 (@ T:>Works -72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road). Further event info via singaporeartbookfair.org / Seek updates via instagram.com/singaporeartbookfair.
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