DesignerCon 2022 Recap

DesignerCon 2022 was back in full force with a huge turnout of exhibitors and attendees at the Anaheim Convention Center. VIP night was held on Friday night November 18th. There was a good amount of VIP attendees ready to purchase exclusives and to get first dibs on what exhibitors had for sale. Some of the popular booths were Medicom as well as 100% Soft, Secret Handshake Toys, Creature Bazaar, Science Patrols, Unbox Industries and many more. Super7, Joe Ledbetter, The Beast is back, Pop Mart, illest, Kidrobot, 3D Retro, Panels, Leen Customs, Gravy Toys, Rampage Toys, Paul Kaiju, My Plastic Heart, Toy Tokyo are just a few of the hundreds of exhibitors at Dcon this year. So many artists, companies from outside the USA like Punk Drunkers and Medicom teaming up with DCon for collaboration show merchandise. NFT's, NTWRK, Out of Order Art Show, Movie/TV inspired Vehicles were in the building like Ecto-1, TMNT Party Wagon, Pizza Planet Truck and Sally from Cars.

There was pretty much something for almost everyone at this show. Sofubi/Japanese Soft Vinyl Toys, vinyl figures, resin figures, plush, apparel, enamel pins, stickers, art prints, nfts, exclusives, limited edition drops, panels etc... 

If you're not a fan of lines or crowds then VIP Night is definitely worth it besides getting first dibs on most exclusives and releases.

Check out our pictures at the links below:

DCon 2022 Part 1

DCon 2022 Part 2

As always thanks to the Collecting Toyz team and shout out to V for the assist! See you guys at the next DesignerCon which is December 15-17 2023 in Anaheim.

Five Points Fest This Weekend

This weekend is Five Points Fest at Zero Space in Brooklyn! Get your Tickets HERE!!! 'Nuff said! Go get them exclusives!

LA Art Show Returns to LA Convention Center

 

The LA Art Show is just three weeks away! We look forward to welcoming you back when the LA Art Show returns to the LA Convention Center South Hall, January 19 to 23, 2022. We hope you’ll join us for the next exciting edition of captivating art from all around the globe!

With a focus on presenting engaging state of the art themes and the next edition of the compelling DIVERSEartLA program – exploring the nexus of art and the environment – the LA Art Show is gearing up for a spectacular launch of the 2022 Los Angeles art season while observing COVID protocols to keep everyone safe.

The first live show to showcase the NFT craze, the LA Art Show will once again present more eye-catching new media, digital and cutting-edge art trends. As the world adapts to the pandemic, the LA Art Show is gradually rebuilding its customary international roster of exhibitors, welcoming new and returning galleries from around the world. 

Don’t miss it! See below for ticket information:

 Purchase your tickets HERE!

Designer Con 2021 Recap

Designer Con 2021 had their own virtual con during the summer but they also had their in-person event held at the Anaheim Convention Center in November. There were still a good amount of exhibitors, artists etc... in attendance. Overall with how things have been regarding the health and safety protocols, the show was held and it was a solid event despite a lot of uncertainty with traveling and covid. Looking forward to all the shows that can be safely attended this year. Here's a link to our DCon Photos HERE. Enjoy!

DesignerCon Returns to Anaheim this November!

DesignerCon 2019 Returns To The Anaheim Convention Center
With An Impressive Lineup Of Artists, Toys, Collectibles, Prints, Original Art, Panels, Signings And Experiences From Around The Globe 

CONVENTION DATES 
November 22 - 24, 2019 

VIP Night | November 22, 5pm - 9pm
 General Entry | November 23, 10am - 7pm
General Entry | November 24, 10am - 6pm

Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
 

DesignerCon is returning the the Anaheim Convention Center! 14 years ago, DesignerCon made its debut in Los Angeles and established itself as the largest designer toy convention in the United States. In 2018, it outgrew its original home and expanded to three times its original size at the Anaheim Convention Center. The 350,000 square feet of programming space plays host to over 800 artists and vendors, including SuperPlastic, KidRobot, Mighty Jaxx, Gary Baseman, Ron English, Camille Rose Garcia, and Jim Mahfood, as well as street brands like Dumb Good. DesignerCon 2019 returns to the Anaheim Convention Center bigger than ever and just in time for holiday shopping, from November 22 - 24, 2019.

Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased at https://tickets.designercon.com/purchase.html

Saving the Best for Last: DesignerCon 2017 Recap

DesignerCon 2017 has come and gone in a blink of an eye. This year was the biggest and most crowded that DCon has ever been. Maybe it was partly due to the holiday weekend but we can say a lot of collectors came out in full force from all over the world to attend and to pick up exclusives from their favorite company or artists.

This was also the last year that DesignerCon will be at the Pasadena Convention Center. DesignerCon has definitely grown and they still had artists & vendors on the waiting list to get a booth even though spaces were already filled. In all the years that we've been attending DesignerCon, it was never this crowded. Even towards the later hours of the show it was jammed packed. We were stuck in Hall C on Saturday shuffling down the aisles. It felt like SDCC.

Review: Contemporary Krampus - A Modern Look at an Ancient Legend Curated by Mike Drake

Contemporary Krampus : A Modern Look at an Ancient Legend Curated by Mike Drake. Mike gathered over 50+ artists to have them create their own Krampus. Mike has been interested in Krampus since 1997 when he came across a Juxtapoz magazine. Contemporary Krampus is 118+ pages on glossy heavy stock paper. This is a Soft Cover Book and measures 8.5" x 11".
 
The text inside can be a bit hard to read since you have to make sure you open the book wide enough to read the text on the inner edges. That's the one complaint. Other than that we enjoyed reading it and looking at all the artwork inside.

VIZ MEDIA AND AUTODESK ANNOUNCE ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL TO BENEFIT EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Digital Art Anthology Features Works By 54 Renowned Pop, Comic And Graphic Novel Artists; A Portion Of The Proceeds Will Be Donated To Build Change’s Reconstruction Efforts In Nepal

San Francisco, CA, October 14, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced a special collaboration with leading design software company, Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), to release ART FOR HOPE: NEPAL, a poignant digital art anthology to benefit the victims of the devastating earthquakes that ravaged Nepal on April 25^th 2015.

Contemporary Krampus + Ripley's Believe It Or Not Halloween Event

A new book displays Krampus themed art of 70 artists from around the world. Author and Krampus expert Mike Drake to sign book at Ripley's Believe It Or Not Halloween Event.

New York- For the 1st time ever, Contemporary Krampus gathers more than 68 diverse artists from around the globe to create new images of Krampus. From renowned artists like Angus Oblong to up and comers like Peter Skullkid, each image has been hand selected by curator of curiosities and Krampus aficionado Mike Drake.

Empire's Comics Vault Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con Saturday May 2, 2015

Empire's Comics Vault

1120 Fulton Avenue, Suite K
Sacramento, CA 95825

If you're in the Sacramento Area, make sure to stop by Empire's Comics Vault Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con this Saturday, May 2nd at 9AM. 

Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con 2015

On Saturday, May 2, Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con will take place! Here are the highlights:

• We're giving away 20,000 free comic books.
• West Coast Avengers and other cosplayers.
• Sac Pro Wrestling will feature wrestling out front.
• Sac City Rollers' roller derby athletes will be there.
• Wandering Boba food truck!
• Meet local artists, painters, writers, and more!

FCBD Mini-Con is Saturday, May 2, 2015.
Doors open at 9:00 a.m.

ETERNAL CON RETURNS TO CRADLE OF AVIATION JUNE 13 -14

MEET POWER RANGERS, WWE LEGENDS, COMIC BOOK STARS + MORE IN PERSON AS ETERNAL CON RETURNS TO CRADLE OF AVIATION JUNE 13 -14

The "Long Island" Comic Con: A Pop Culture Convention Experience Right in Your Backyard

Garden City, NY -- After the success of its past two events in June 2013 and 2014, ETERNAL CON (The Long Island Comic Con) returns with a huge 2-day extravaganza June 13 & 14 2015, taking place at the Cradle of Aviation’s Reckson Center, Garden City, NY.

Show Hours:

Saturday June 13th: 10:00am - 7:00 pm

Sunday June 14th: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Big WOW! ComicFest 2015 Recap

Last weekend, The Big WOW! ComicFest was held at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA. This is the Bay Area's Biggest Comic-Con since Wondercon has not had a presence in the Bay Area for quite a few years now.

San Jose Convention Center

The weather was perfect. The show was great this year! It did get a bit bigger than last year or maybe we're not as jaded as we were the previous year. You can't compare this to say SDCC or Wondercon as those shows are filled with Movie/TV Studios. There were lots of artists and vendors selling their merchandise from cosplay weapons, replicas, toys, collectibles, comics, art, t-shirts and lots more. What we would love to see more of is indie toy makers. We know there are more of you out there!

UDON Entertainment Announces Capcom Fighting Tribute Art Initiative

Fans of Capcom’s many timeless fighting game series have already proven they are some of the most creative and talented fans around with the incredible art they submitted for UDON Entertainment’s Street Fighter Tribute and Darkstalkers Tribute art collective projects. Now they have the chance to show the world their passion and raw talent once again, as UDON today announces the latest entry in their line of tribute art books – CAPCOM FIGHTING TRIBUTE!

Perfect Square's Hello Kitty HELLO 40 - A Celebration in 40 Stories

(So busy the past few weeks with traveling for various events etc... and the last of the traveling is done for this year.)

Been trying to find time to check out Perfect Square x Sanrio's Hello Kitty HELLO 40 - A Celebration in 40 Stories (plus one for good luck) book. As you can see from the picture above, this is a hardcover book. The book is approximately 9.25" x 9.25". There are 143 pages and are conveniently numbered starting from inside of the front cover.

Back Cover

There are 40 + 1 stories inside from numerous artists such as David Horvath, Martin Hsu, Chanmen, Debbie Huey etc... Hello Kitty doesn't talk because she doesn't have a mouth. She does show emotion through her expressions. As many of you know before Hello Kitty Con, it was revealed that Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. This was a shock to many but with Hello Kitty Con, Exploring the Supercute World of  Hello Kitty Exhibit at JANM and of course the HELLO 40 book to help us understand and know who Hello Kitty really is.

MondoCon Announces Panels, Screenings, Exclusives and more...

FIRST-EVER MONDOCON ANNOUNCES LINEUP OF

PANELS, SCREENINGS & EXCLUSIVES PLUS ARTISTS, SPECIAL GUESTS AND MUCH MORE!

International array of talent, world premieres, exhibitors and exclusives

descend on MondoCon September 20 & 21

J-POP Summit Festival 2014

2014 J-POP SUMMIT PRESENTS A DAZZLING LINE-UP OF MUSIC ACTS AND ARTISTS PERFORMING LIVE AT SAN FRANCISCO’s ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF JAPANESE POP CULTURE IN JULY

Pop & Rock Stars May’n, Tokyo Girls’ Style, DAICHI, Una, YANAKIKU, Pinky Doodle Poodle, and the Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass to Play the Annual Summertime Bay Area J-POP Extravaganza

San Francisco, CA, May 29, 2014 – The 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival, San Francisco’s annual celebration of Japanese pop culture, music, fashion and film, is proud to announce a potent line-up of artists and live bands set to perform during this year’s event. “POP Is Our Tradition” is the theme for 2014 and this year’s festivities will be highlighted by the appearance of a unique array of top Japanese pop, rock and Kawaii acts.

The 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival will be held in San Francisco’s historic Japantown district on Saturday and Sunday, July 19^th and 20^th. FREE live concert sets by some of Japan’s hottest pop and rock acts will take place throughout both days on the Pagoda Main Stage in Japantown’s Peace Plaza as well as at a special open-air live concert, “J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE,” in city’s downtown Union Square on the evening of Saturday, July 19^th.

Headliners scheduled to perform this year include pop/rock/anime singer May’n, the popular idol group Tokyo Girls’ Style, which makes its first-ever U.S. appearance at J-POP SUMMIT, the return of the amazing beat box vocal skills of DAICHI, a special musical performance by Harajuku fashion model/singer Una, the U.S. debut of the kimono cosplay duo YANAKIKU, and the hard rocking sounds of J-rock bands Pinky Doodle Poodle, and the all-girl punk rock trio, The Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass. Details and specific set times will be posted on the official 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival website at: www.J-POP.com.

The annual J-POP SUMMIT is FREE to attend (although certain activities will require a modest admission fee) and has become one of the largest events in the United States dedicated to showcasing the many sides of Japanese pop culture and fandom. Attendance in 2013 exceeded 80,000 people.

2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival Music Artists:

May’n – Special Appearance AT UNION SQUARE ON Saturday, JULY 19^th &

HeaDline Show at SLIM’S S.F. ON Sunday, JULY 20^th

Japanese pop/rock/anime star May’n (pronounced “Main”) is known as the singing voice of Diva of the Galaxy Sheryl Nome from the blockbuster anime film, Macross Frontier, as well as many other popular anime series. Her powerful rock and pop vocal style has drawn critical acclaim and legions of fans. In addition to a very special appearance at J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE, the 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival proudly presents a May’n Special Live Concert at the famous SF live venue, Slim’s (333 11^th St., San Francisco, CA 94103) on Sunday, July 20^th, at 8:00pm. Advance tickets are available along with special VIP show packages that include an exclusive artist meet-and-greet. (Quantities are limited) More details on the Slim’s show are available at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/mayn-live-concert-at-slims.

Tokyo Girls’ Style – Two live shows On July 19^th & July 20^Th

Tokyo Girls’ Style is a massively popular Japanese teen idol vocal group and will make their U.S. debut at J-POP SUMMIT this year. The group will perform at J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE on Saturday, July 19^th, and also on the Pagoda Main Stage in Japantown on Sunday, July 20^th. Tokyo Girls’ Style consists of 5 teenage girls whose funk and disco sounds infused with glossy urban appeal have garnered the group a massive following in Japan. Additional info is available at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/tokyo-girls-style.

As part of the U.S. debut of Tokyo Girls’ Style, the J-POP SUMMIT Festival and the 2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF) will also present the U.S. theatrical premiere of Count Five to Dream of You, an inspiring feature film starring Tokyo Girls’ Style set in all-girls high school that captures the short-lived and unforgettable moments of adolescence. Also set to premiere is Kotodama – Spiritual Curse, a J-horror movie about a haunted school based on the bestselling book “Gakkou no Kwaidan,” in which members of Tokyo Girls’ Style play the leading roles. Both films will screen at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema following the group’s special appearance. Advance ticket sales start on June 3^rd at the JFFSF website at: www.JFFSF.org.

Daichi – Two live shows On Saturday & Sunday July 19^th & July 20^Th

The 23-year-old Japanese human beat-box, DAICHI, taught himself his amazing vocal skill beginning at the young age of 10. Without using any instruments or machines, DAICHI can create more than 50 different sounds using only his voice, and moreover, can play rhythm beat and sing melody simultaneously. DAICHI is known internationally for his talents and he has opened for the likes of Boys II Men and collaborated with numerous singers, dancers, DJs and performers. DAICHI will perform at J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE on Saturday, July 19^th, and also on the Pagoda Main Stage in Japantown on Sunday, July 20^th. Additional info is available at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/daichi.

UNA – Two live shows On Satruday & Sunday, July 19^th & July 20^Th

Una was formally a charismatic shop assistant in Harajuku and began her modeling career in 2010. It didn't take her long to begin appearing regularly in numerous fashion magazines. With her beautiful looks and edgy fashion style Una represents a new type of model capable of expressing not only Kawaii style but also showcasing other cool aspects of Harajuku culture. Una also has a budding singing career and has performed with top artists including Katy Perry and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. She will appear at J-POP SUMMIT in support of her newest single, “BOOM BOOM BOOM,” and will participate in this year’s HARAJUKU KAWAii!! fashion events as well as perform at J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE on Saturday, July 19^th, and also on the Pagoda Main Stage in Japantown on Sunday, July 20^th. Additional info available is at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/una.

Yanakiku – Live Performance on Saturday, july 19^th

YANAKIKU is a unique Japanese kimono cosplay duo consisting of members Yana and Kiku. In 2013, they performed for international audiences at Hyper Japan (London) and TIFFCOM (Japan) and have garnered a massive following for their costume and dance performances. YANAKIKU makes their U.S. debut at the 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival and will perform on the Pagoda Main Stage in Japantown on Saturday, July 19^th and participate in the Festival’s cosplay contest and events. The duo will also host a meet and greet session and have a selection of merchandise available for sale to attendees. Additional info is available at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/yanakiku.

Pinky Doodle Poodle – Live performance on Sunday, July 20^th

Pinky Doodle Poodle is a high energy, female fronted rock band from Tokyo that formed in 2008. The group features lead vocalist/bassist/guitarist Yuria, a successful Japanese anime singer often heard in popular video games in Japan as well as on solo records and with her band Honey Bee. Pinky Doodle Poodle just completed their first full-length record which was produced by Goo Goo Dolls member Robby Takac. The 10-song self-titled album, Pinky Doodle Poodle, was released worldwide in the spring of 2014 on Takac’s Good Charamel Records. Pinky Doodle Poodle will perform on Sunday, July 20^th on the Pagoda Main Stage in Japantown. Additional info at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/pinky-doodle-poodle.

The Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass – Live Set On SaturdaY, July 19^th

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass is an all-girl punk rock trio from Tokyo and returns for their third consecutive concert appearance at J-POP SUMMIT. A favorite with Festival-goers, the band plays in support of their two newest releases “Proclamation” and “Live in Brooklyn.” Catch the Akabane Vulars on Strong Bypass on Saturday July 19^th for a powerful live set on the Pagoda Main Stage. Additional info at: http://www.j-pop.com/2014/akabane.

Stay tuned for additional J-POP SUMMIT Guest of Honor, programming and event announcements!

About J-POP SUMMIT Festival

Launched in 2009, J-POP SUMMIT Festival is an annual street fair held in San Francisco, CA that celebrates Japanese popular culture. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, film, art, fashion, gaming, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival has become a prominent platform to showcase the latest pop trends and creative innovations from Japan.

The 5^th annual J-POP SUMMIT held in July 2013 welcomed more than 80,000 attendees, making it one of the largest Japanese festivals in the United States. In addition to the original Festival held in Japantown, new attractions include the J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE concert in downtown San Francisco, the Bay Area’s premier dedicated Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, and sake-tasting and fine foods events at the POP GOURMET Food Festival, which have each further enriched the experience. Additional information about J-POP SUMMIT Festival is available at: J-POP.com.