Top 10 Philippine Toy Convention 2013 Attractions

SM Mega Trade Hall 1,2,3 – SM Megamall , Mandaluyong City -Philippines

long line of crowd at the entrance of Toy Convention 2013

Toy conventions plays a huge part of the Philippine pop culture . There are  things that happen at conventions such as announcements, promo items only available at the convention , product samplings , toy exhibits,  celebrities, raffle, freebies and parties, just to name a few.

 Philippine Toy Convention 2013 limited edition baller

Philippine toy convention is the highlight of the year – In fact this event is labeled as one of the most attended toy convention in this part of Southeast Asia ! , If you know where to go and what to look for. Take a look at some of the top things to see and do at the 12th annual Philippine Toy Convention.

Philippine toy collectors during the open forum

1.) Toy Collectors and their Exhibits

One of the reasons to visit toy convention is to see fellow toy collectors and their collections.  In a public forum hosted by the organizers of the convention.  Toy fanciers shared their knowledge about their toys and how they started to built their collection.

King of Philippine Comedy -Dolphy and King of Philippine Movie – Fernando Poe Jr. life sized bust

While  some collectors  started their own collection from the”  gifts ”  given to them by their parents , relatives, friends or god parents .  I met some  toy collectors who are third or fourth generation of collectors .  Their collection are mostly built-up from the collection of their father  , grandfather  or even great grand father.

hoards of people looking for toys and other stuffs

2.) Toy Sale

Buying rare and limited collectible toy series can be the highlight of any person visiting a toy convention . I have seen a lot of rare toy collectibles at the toy convention but i had to limit my purchase  .

Nao –  The first humanoid robot  in the Philippines

 NAO is an autonomous, programmable, humanoid robot developed by Aldebaran Robotics, that with its over 1500 units distributed worldwide is the world’s most used humanoid robot. The toy was launched in 2011 and was formally introduced to the Philippine market last year .

Spin Go motorcycles

Traders and Dealers  will definitely  source them from different parts of the world .  From vintage tin soldiers, to hot-wheels die cast toy cars, to limited Juan dela Cruz merchandize items , Life-sized action figures  , custom made life sized statutes  and a whole lot more stuffs.

Ariga Toys Collectibles

Agriga Toys  was created by 3 guys who appreciate Japanese Culture, whether it be anime, the figures, and the like!

Contact Person : Mr. Gladwin Tan

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Arigatoys

You can source them in the toy convention . Not to mention building your own network of  contacts, new circle of friends and people with the same passion over their collection and other collectible stuffs.   Get shopping!

Mr. Ramon Berris  member of various stamp clubs and collecting  societies

While roaming around the convention site, I was amaze to see some fellow collectors also buying some stuffs.

3.) COMIC Book characters becomes ALIVE ! – There are always fun products that go with comic books. Action figures, movies, toys, statues and just about anything you can think of, and some stuff you haven’t, will be at comic book conventions. This is a great way to find some one of a kind items that will be perfect for your collection.

spider man cosplayer

4.) FREEBIES !  a visit to the annual toy convention will surprise anyone. Freebies items from soft drink , oreo cookies , candies ,  magazines, posters , complimentary tickets, environmental -bags, toys , t-shirts , button pins, key chains,  children’s vitamin  to a whole lot more !

Coca-Cola Philippines gave away thousands of 300 ml. coke in plastic bottles  during the convention

Free ball pen courtesy of Revoltech -Philippines

Beng- Beng Chocolate Bar

Beng-Beng chocolate exhibit gave away some samples of their chocolate bars

Oreo cookie mascot together with the PR head

Oreo Philippines gave several packs of oreo cookies to the children and participants of the Toy Convention 2013. Aside from the freebies , The oreo mascot provided a photo opportunity for the people in the convention area.

4.) Convention Limited Collectibles Item –  I have been following the  Toy Convention for more than a decade .  Everyone loves to have something that no one else can get, and at conventions this is almost always the case.

limited  Philippine toy convention collectible items for sale

Many publishers, toy-makers, and the convention itself will offer things that you can only find at the convention. It might be  a limited edition foil cover comic, a toy or action figure, button pins, t-shirts , mugs  or a piece of art. These tend to go fast, so remember the tag line ” Supplies are available while they last ” .

5.) Contests , Games and Raffles – Buying an entrance ticket during the toy convention not only entitles participants entry to the galleries but also on- the spot raffles  , forum,  games, concerts  during the convention.

 Superman poster limited edition winner

6.) Cosplay– Cosplay dressing up is a lot of fun, and the attention that goes along with that is even better. If you have a great costume, chances are that you will be mobbed by people asking to take their pictures with you. It is almost like you are a part of the convention, delighting convention goers with your beautiful cos-playing skills .

Philippine Cosplay Princess  Ms. Aloida Gosiengfiao

Ms. Alodia Gosiengfiao is a cos-player, artist, model, blogger, performer, pianist, commercial artist , product endorser ,  figure collector and BJD enthusiast residing in the Philippines. She had a booth in the toy convention where fans can take pictures and autographs 

E-Boy  cos-player

E-Boy is a television fantasy sci-fi drama , The story revolves around a child robot who was given human characteristics that led him to a journey where he will learn what being human is all about. The series was aired by ABS-CBN channel 2 from January 30 2012 to April 13, 2012.

2 teenage mutant ninja turtles

Most conventions also hold a costume contest, which has some great prizes associated with it. There’s nothing like being cheered by hundreds of other comic and anime  fans for having that award winning costume.

 Super Mario cos-player

Mr. Prince Poi is a Super Mario cos-player , a Flow artist and a Fire Dancer

He joined the toy convention just for fun and to meet fellow cos-player.

Contact : (0915-2936931)

Robin and Penguin

Hero Channel , is partnering with the local organizers of the toy convention – the winner of the event will represent the country in the World Cosplay finals in Japan.

7.) Other Collectible Items– Other collectible items ranging from Coke, vintage items such as vinyl records, movie posters , car plates , coins , watches, army dog tags , banknotes , key-chains , stickers , fancy hats,   K -Pop and J-Pop merchandise also make their way to the toy convention. Sometimes  hard to find items can be bought  by visitors .

Coca-Cola collectible items like mugs, toys, school supplies, clock etc…

movie posters, car plates

Philippine Dog Tags

This stall exhibited some authentic Dog Tags from the Vietnam War , They have their store in SM North EDSA , SM Fairview and SM Megamall.

Contact: (0917-821-8247)

old vinyl record for sale

K-POP and J-Pop merchandise

8). Meet and Greet Comic Artists and Authors – Meet and greet comic book illustrators , budding young artists and have a chance to see how comic characters are created.  The organizers of Toy Convention and Komikon had a special partnership which allows comic book illustrators , authors and publishers to participate in the convention.

Mr. Freely Abrigo ( comic artist)

comic book artists and illustrators

9.) Celebrities 

You can meet  actors and actresses from your favorite films and television  shows, and even the big names of today making appearances, signing autographs, and posing for pictures.

Mike ” Pekto ” Nacua a television celebrity together with admiring fans

                                                                  

television interview

The Philippine Toy Convention is the place to spot big name stars . The celebrities and media PR’s are starting to get that these conventions are a great way to get the word out about their films or latest works .  Aside from celebrities , television stations have an extensive coverage of the event. Not to mention photo journalists, bloggers and social media people .

10. ) Unique Products and New Releases

PR practitioners , marketing executives and product brand specialists would always troop to toy convention . This is the target audience that should receive the most attention when you market a new product.

Consumers of this age, gender and social and economic background will be most receptive to the new idea and will, most likely, buy your product.

educational toys

local distributor of Nao robots and other educational toys

 Toy Convention 2013 organizers

Note: I would like to ” Thank” all the board member of the Toy Convention 2013 organizers and Mr. Azrael Coladilla .

long lines

Tip:  Since 2012 , The toy convention organizers had  tie-ups with SM ticket https://www.smtickets.com/marketing/index_v2 counters where visitors can buy their tickets several weeks before the actual event. This will minimized the long lines which stretches up to the second floor of SM Mega mall.

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/307844446015602/

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