TOY HUNT @ IAF2025: Liunic
Having featured both her ELLA colorways for Jakarta Illustration & Creative Arts Fair 2024 and for this year's Illustration Arts Festival, I knew I was searching for her booth/table and had forgotten to ask: If ELLA was a manifestation of the artist herself? The balled-braids were such an iconic representation, IMHO!
By the time I'd returned to @liunic's table (after filming my toy hunt), it had already been packed up and covered for the day, unable to snap pictures of table display (besides my glimpse in the low-res video :p), as well forgo'd the opportunity to bring back a ELLA with me.
The ELLA available was the "Bubblegum" Edition AKA the second colorway previous debut at Super Toy Fest late last month. As well I had enjoyed the BOX as well, featuring the illustrations of Martcellia Liunic, which honestly was a MAJOR bonus in the scheme of its all, IMHO.
This ELLA was one of my Top Five Pickups at IAF this year, as far as I was concerned, alas.
The Jakarta-based artist had mentioned there might be a new colorway (a "third") of the resin-made ELLA to be had at Pop Toy Show Singapore, so that's something to look forward to! And there's a possibility of a SOFUBI version too? What a wondrous @liunicland-landscape it would be to see all three lined-up alongside each other!
Also on show was a plush (Soft Toy) of ELLA, while not like a hangable charm (as is the trend these salad toy-days), was nevertheless adorable and gave a somewhat different vibe that that of the painted resin (even though form wise they were different from each other, even if character design was similar). Hoping folks'll be able to experience that at PTS too!
Of course @liunic is so much more than "just toys", but TOYSREVIL is a "toy blog" after all, innit? So let us celebrate the toy-joy she brings to our culture/scene, shall we?
