Collected Con Los Angeles 2026 Recap

 

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Collected Con Los Angeles was held last weekend April 25-26th. This was the first time that Collected Con had a show on the West Coast. We were able to stop by for a little bit to check it out. It was organized really well and it was a very cool intimate setting. If you had always wanted to chat with your favorite artist or exhibitor there was ample time to do that. Lines were pretty short for exclusives and it was a relaxed atmosphere. There were a lot of people that showed up throughout the weekend. Got to say hello to some familiar faces. We took a few pictures and bought a few things which you can see in our pictures gallery above through our instagram. Overall, it was a great show and very well organized. Hopefully they will make it back to the West Coast next year. 

A Fast and Furious Legacy Exhibit at The Petersen Automotive Museum

 

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We had the chance to check out the Fast and Furious Legacy Exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Its been 25 years since the first movie from this franchise hit the big screen. The street racing culture with import cars was blowing up during that time. It was an experience like no other. Car shows left and right. Everyone fixing up their cars. The import car scene is still going strong. It's not as in your face like it once was though. This Fast and Furious movie was huge back in the day. It solidified the import car culture and street racing. It got me to personally work as a promoter for car shows in my area and then a job in an aftermarket car parts accessory company for a little bit. Enjoy the pictures from the exhibit above which you can see via our instagram. 

If you're in the Los Angeles area and a fan of the Fast and Furious movies we highly recommend checking this out. While you are there, you can see cars from other TV & Movies on display as well as vintage autos and much more.  

KAWS: FAMILY Exhibit at SF MOMA

 

KAWS: FAMILY Exhibit at SF MOMA ends May 3, 2026. This was the first time we had the chance to experience the larger than life sculptures from KAWS. Being in the Art Toy / Low Brow Art scene for many years, KAWS' figures were always sought after and highly collectible. So getting the chance to get up closer and take a look at the huge Companion, Chum etc... and the crossovers with pop culture characters such as The Simpsons, Sesame Street and so on was one of many things to cross off the bucket list. 

If you're able to check out any KAWS exhibit near you, we highly recommend you stop by and check it out. 

More pictures from the SF MOMA exhibit can be seen below:

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Collected Con Los Angeles 2026

Collected Con is coming to the West Coast. They've been in Chicago since they started back in 2024. If you don't know by now, the show takes place next month, April 25-26 at Magic Box in Los Angeles, CA. Get your tickets now HERE. They have limited VIP tickets still available as well as a weekend pass and single day passes. They also have an after party on Saturday which is a separate ticketed event at Lucky Strike LA from 7pm-11pm. So Cal has been missing a dedicated designer art show for a couple of years now since DesignerCon moved to Vegas. There's a lot of great artists and small companies that will be exhibiting at Collected Con such as Refreshment Toy who will be coming from Japan, 100 Soft and so many indie artists that you're just going to have to come to Collected Con yourself and see who else will be there. Stay Tuned for our coverage of Collected Con next month.

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DesignerCon Returns to Pasadena in June

 

 

Recently announced was DesignerCon returning back to its roots in Pasadena on Father's Day weekend, June 20-21, 2026. This show will bring back the focus of the smaller companies and artists that made DesignerCon a success. It was a small community of artists and companies that really embraced the designer and indie art toy scene from low brow art to graffiti culture and everything else in-between. DCon Pasadena was THE SHOW to be at to get your art and work seen. 

As DesignerCon grew, it outgrew the Pasadena Convention Center and needed a bigger venue to fit everyone that wanted to exhibit and to allow more people to attend. They moved to Anaheim before leaving California to Las Vegas a couple of years ago. Dcon Las Vegas will still take place in November and will still be the bigger show out of the two. 

We are looking forward to DCon coming back to where it all started. Those were some of the best times especially when the designer toy scene was taking off. Meeting up with other collectors that we would bump into at other shows and matching message board names to faces. So much nostalgia and good times with a lot of great people in the designer toy community. 

We hope to see some of the OG collectors that we haven't seen in a few years, come out to DCon Pasadena. You can purchase tickets for Dcon Pasadena HERE.  

Mr. Brainwash Art Museum

We got the chance to visit the Mr. Brainwash Art Museum in Beverly Hills, CA a couple of weeks ago before they closed down for good. It is uncertain if they will open at another location. 

First impression was this is a very unique museum filled with pop culture crossovers. Photo ops that can put you into famous paintings. Immersive areas such as a dark room with lights, disco balls and music playing. There is a small room with a tiny hall filled with mirrors which had scenery in it. Another room was a theater setting and they had Homer Simpson, Ronald McDonald and Lisa Simpson sitting in chairs so you could sit next to them for a photo op.  There are multiple levels and various rooms to explore. There are supersized paintings and larger than life sculptures. Artwork with a pop culture twist. The newest addition to their museum was their Disney exhibition at the third level. 

Admission was free during their last few days that they were open. Check out all of our pictures that we took below. 

D23 On The Road’s Home Alone 35th Anniversary San Francisco

Happy New Year! We are starting off 2026 with our first event coverage of the year. We attended the last stop of D23 On The Road’s Home Alone 35th Anniversary in San Francisco, CA at the AMC Kabuki Theater in Japantown on Saturday, Jan 3, 2026. There were 2 different times for the event which was 11:30am and 3:00pm. After we checked in and got our tickets scanned we received an event credential which was in the shape of an ornament that says Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal and it can be used as an ornament too. As we walked inside, D23 staff members were handing out decorative D23 tote bags which had very useful items inside. 

As we walked in through the theater lobby, we were greeted with 2 Home Alone banners featuring The Wet Bandits and Kevin. There was also a photo op which we did not get a picture of since other people were getting their pictures taken. We headed up the stairs to see a line for the concession. Restrooms were close by and the theater room that was used was on it's own side of the building so it's a great place for private events. There was also one more photo op which had a background of the Home Alone house, plane and The Wet Bandits' van.