Toy Art PH | Toy Festival 2018

12.16.2018 – For those uninitiated the Designer Art Toys are not the stuff you see at department stores like Rustan’s or Myer’s. Not even in big toy shops like Toy World or Toy Kingdom. These special toys are not even playable for kids. Art Toys in general are more of a lowbrow art piece. Though we’re not claiming to be experts how it started or where it came from its simple that the Designer Art Toys are like those contemporary art paintings that you see in galleries. The only difference is they’re not that uber expensive that most art enthusiasts can afford and behind that is also they have their own event.

That’s where Art Toys PH: Toy Festival 2018 begins for the Designer Art Toy community in the Philippines. It’s similar how Komikon resurrected the local komiks scene, but this one was a long process. Because Art Toys in general is a very niche interest in the hobby scene. It was a long process of and interest in this genre is not like in comparable to what Funko Pop is getting into now.

In the Philippines, Designer Art Toy culture is slowly getting into everyone’s conversation. You’re not buying a brand or property like Funko is doing with their products. You’re buying art in toy form from the artists who conceptualized, designed, and hand made the toy in their original ideas. Although some would say they are ‘toys’ like what every kid is playing with, but its not they are art pieces physical forms of their creations.









The difference an “Art Toy” and a convention toy is that they are not the toys that you’ll buy for your child. It’s a toy version of a painting only sculpted from the artist’s ideas that took a lot of hard work. Most Filipinos won’t understand what they are as the value of these toys are not that you can haggle or get a discount. They are works of art not playable but for display and appreciate the concept behind it. Just like the paintings in the gallery only this ones you can take home without selling your kidneys to own one as they are produced in limited numbers that you can afford.

With that Toy Art Philippines was the very first and let’s hope not the last that will cultivate local artists into sculpting and creating their own brand. It’s like Komikon where they created their independent komiks, but in the form of a sculpture with its own background story that came directly from the artist.











Toy Art PH: Toy Festival 2018 was the brainchild of five passionate individuals and the two-day event kicks off with three guests featuring Quiccs, Carlo Cacho of Wetworks, and Lu Sim aka Messymarru LEGO Mecha. The event was held at the Sixinch Gallery ust a few meters to the main Secret Fresh Gallery at the Ronac Art Center in San Juan, Manila.

Secret Fresh Gallery before was known as Fresh Manila that has been one of the pioneers to promote and distribute some of the Designer Art Toys in the country from its humble beginnings back to the old location near a TV network that grew into cultivating the local art scene. Now it partners with three Designer Art Toy enthusiasts in the effort to promote this genre.

There have been a local fanbase of enthusiasts and artists who have been passionate with their work. This is where Quiccs got into creating his own brand and character that put him in the map. Designer Art Toys is big in other parts of the Asian region like Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. Its already a melting part of Art Toy culture and the Philippines has been a bit behind with the interest due to a lot of factors namely the way Filipinos view of what they can only understand about the term “toy,” but not entirely not looking at it in the bigger picture with most only know that its for children when its actually not.







Most would mistake it as like Funko Pop, but they’re entirely different from that popular brand. So the perception is entirely more related that has to do with art and a long explanation all over again. This is the reason the market niche that only a few people would really understand the concept and idea. It took a while but the three organizers behind it that they are up for the challenge to promote this community that is so big in other countries that also include the US, where Quiccs was present two weeks earlier in Los Angeles what considered to have the biggest Designer Con that has been attracting thousands of art toy collectors annually.

Make it and just continue breaking barriers in making this culture bring out the best in local talent as this country has A LOT to offer when you talk about Designer Art Toys. All this event need is the support to spread the word and this could be the next big thing if people would start appreciating the different facets of art and why it’s not your kid’s toy figurines. But genres that art collectors would understand, appreciate, and probably open your eyes to unique concepts that no general public can see.



The event had exhibits inside the Sixinch Gallery not only the three featured artists, but also designers who have been around for more than a decade like Rotobox and new to the game like Clayground with his impressive Undying Behemoth that looks like an amalgamation of Filipino folklore creatures of a Kapre and a Tikbalang that had a ferocious offspring originally taking inspiration from Todd McFarlane’s Spawn.

Besides the displays, prototypes, and bargain Art Toys for those novice about the concept and its culture there was also an open forum featuring the three distinctive guests. There is also a community trade area for those who collect Bearbricks or Dunnies and have extra that they are willing to trade.











Mostly this was led by Quiccs who has been known in the Designer Art Toy scene for the last five years creating his TEC63, which has already have its own fanbase collaborating with international brands like Deviltoys (Hong Kong), kid robot (US), and other artists that he had team-up in the past.

Originally, Quiccs isa graffiti artists a member of the Pilipinas Street Plan, while Wetworks founder Carlo Cacho, a Filipino now based in Singapore had collaborated with some of the well known artists in the red dot island. For Lu Sim, he started into mecha designs using all original LEGO pieces that just recently had a talk at PinoyLUG’s Bricktober last November, and has been frequent guest in Japan’s own LEGO related event.

All three artists shared their experience and how they started. This might be a start of something new for this community as next year the organizers promised something big for 2019, and definitely another genre of interest will certainly grow as the years to come with more featured international guests that will grace the next Toy Art PH: Toy Festival.



“Toy Art PH: Toy Are Festival 2018” is happening from December 15 to 16 at the Sixinch Gallery in Ronac Art Center and its FREE Entry.

For more about the event follow Toy Art PH on social media via Facebook and Instagram or join the Facebook Groups local community at Art Toys and Designer Vinyl Enthusiasts Philippines!