The Philippine TOYCON, Asia’s longest-running culture convention for toys, collectibles, and various pop culture fandoms, starts Friday, June 8, at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, in Pasay City with an impressive line-up of guests.
The Philippine Toys, Hobbies and Collectible Convention (TOYCON) is Asia’s longest-running convention for toys and collectibles, cosplay, comics, gaming and digital entertainment. Now on its 17th year, TOYCON continues to make the Philippine pop culture scene the most dynamic and the most fan-centric experience in the region. The leader and pioneer in the Pop Culture events scene, TOYCON attracts 30,000 visitors annually from all over the country and even from its Asian neighbors.
Leading the list of guests is comic book industry Hall of Famer Neal Adams who reinvented Batman’s look to the blue-and-gray color scheme. He is also responsible for creating Batman villains Ra’s al Ghul and Man-Bat, and revitalized other titles such as Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and X-Men.
Performing before the TOYCON crowd would be APL.DE.AP, South Korean singer-songwriter Hyolyn who is a member of the K-Pop girl group Sistar, and Japanese pop idol group KissBee.
The Black Eyed Peas, star APL.DE.AP would be performing with Janice Javier to raise awareness for their “We Can Be Anything” advocacy campaign.
Another guest is Kelly Hu who starred in blockbuster films such as Sorceress Cassandra in The Scorpion King, and as the villain Lady Deathstrike in X-Men 2. She also appeared in the popular TV series The Vampire Diaries and Arrow. Kelly also did voice acting for animated series Phineas and Ferb, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and in video games such as Mortal Combat X and Batman: Arkham Origins.
Also attending ToyCon 2018 is Filipino-American actor Dante Basco who is popularly known for playing Peter Pan’s sidekick Rufio in the 1991 movie Hook alongside Robin Williams. He is also the voice actor for the fire-bender Zuko in Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jake Long in Disney’s American Dragon: Jake Long cartoon series, as well as various video game characters.
An actor from the Power Rangers franchise will share the TOYCON 2018 stage. Michael Copon’s breakout role was playing the Blue Ranger in last year’s Power Rangers: Time Force movie, but he was also known for his roles in the TV series One Tree Hill.
Another guest is Kevin Grevioux who is best known for his role as the lycan Raze who fought against vampires in the Underworld film series, which he also co-created and co-wrote. He also appeared in films such as Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake, The Mask, and Steel.
According to Cholo Mallillin, Event Marketing Head for TOYCON PH, this year’s event aims to give Filipino pop culture fans a playground experience with a community that shares their common interests.
“What we want to give TOYCON fans every year is a sense of belonging with various fan communities. We bring in guests and experiences that bring fans back to why they collect toys, cosplay, read comics, or rewatch their favorite TV series or movies in the first place,” Mallillin said.
Mallillin added that more guests and attractions will be announced in the coming days and even on the opening day itself.
Among the other attractions in TOYCON 2018 is “Sikat Ka Toy!”, the Philippine’s first ever toy design contest. Artists and toy aficionados can submit their designs for a chance to receive more than Php 30,000 worth of prizes and the opportunity to have their winning toy design produced for limited sale.
Other attractions for this year include toy exclusives from the popular Funko toy line, as well as toy exhibits and launches from global designers, Anatoy from South Korea, Coarse from the USA, Deewy from Malaysia, Playhouse from Thailand, and Hidden Fortress Manila featuring the works of premier Pinoy toy designer Quiccs Maiquez.
TOYCON POPLIFE FanXperience 2018 regular day passes and FanX VIP Experience passes are available in all SM Ticket outlets or through www.toyconph.com.
This year’s TOYCON even will run until June 10. (Based on news release)