COLLECTICON 2009 TALES

Collecticon 2009

This was one of the conventions in which toy, anime, comics, cd’s, coke and other stuffs would not totally missed. However, compared to the 8th Toy Convention held last June 13 to 14, 2009 in SM Megamall, There were fewer freebies and (toy collection) exhibits.

Toy dealer 

The People

crowd at the Collecticon 2009

There was no entrance fee, which means more people and collectors alike can go to the event. Compared to the Toy Convention, There were far more tourists like Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Iranian, Americans, Indians , Brazilians and Europeans were seen buying toys and curio stuffs. The place is accessible to commuters and near university belt area (meaning, even more students can go!!!)

cosplayers

 Cosplay players were all over the place!!!! They serve as a mascot for the event. Some even went to the 3rd and fourth level of the mall.

Toys and other collectibles 

Despite of the 2 storms that hit the country and the on going recession, the traders were having a brisk sale!!! There was only one vintage curio trader within the vicinity. According to some people who visited the event, This was just a smaller version of the convention.

toy auction

There is also a live auction. Unlike regular auction, starting bid may start as low as 1 peso and some toys may reach a few hundreds or even a few thousand.

spot the bomb contest

There was a promotional booth were people were given a piece of paper in order to” spot the bomb”. They had to spot the 10 bombs in the drawing and if they spotted them correctly they are given instant gifts and a stub for a chance to win some toys.

an array of coca-cola merchandises ( license and private issues)

One stall (perhaps the only one) that caught my fancy sells a lot of curio and vintage stuffs. coca-cola bottles both opened and unopened, old car plates from the United States, plaques, reproduction photos, coins, pins and other stuffs. The owner is a member of the Bayanihan, Bank Note Society of the Philippines and had a regular commercial outlet in Tomas Morato, Bulacan and Cubao.

anime and cartoon dvd

There is also a trader which sells anime cd’s, basketball cards, baseball cards, movie cards, phone cards, celebrity cards among others.

The basketball trading cards were very popular in the 1970’s to mid-1990’s.

Philippines provincial coca-cola bottles limited edition

Colorful hair dyeing colors are the must buy for the day. The free hair styling and dyeing sessions was an –in thing for the kids!!!! The owner told me that even cosplay players and television celebrities bought a lot of the hair colors.

Kewpie dolls

There is also a store that sells the popular Kewpie dolls. The Kewpie dolls first appeared in a Ladies Home Journal in 1909. Rose O’Neillhad become America’s highest paid female illustrator.

In 1911, a sculptor named Joseph Kallus was chosen for the job, He was a young art student from Pratt Art Institute . Mr. Kallus was the one who have the talent to turn Ms. Rosie O’ Neil illustrations into a doll. Kallus sculpted the very first Kewpie Doll model in bisque, soon followed by celluloid dolls, Ms. O’Neill took a voyage to Germany to contract with a doll manufacturer to begin producing Kewpie Dolls for the public.

The fat, roly-poly babies were meant to depict the alter ego of the Roman myth of cupid. According to O’Neill, cupid is guilty of getting people into trouble. Kewpie, by contrast, exists to help people get out of trouble! From a modern psychological viewpoint, one can certainly conjecture that Rose O’Neill had good reason to long for a friendly little being with the power to heal a troubled heart.

The toys became an instant hit among the American people, the trend of collecting the dolls soon spread across Europe and other parts of the world.

The toys reach the peak of popularity in the mid 1960’s and 1970’s. Some Kewpie dolls were made of porcelain and command higher prices.

For bargain hunters like second hand matchboxes toys- there is a stall that sell them at a bargain prices – price ranges from Php 20 pesos and above. People from all walks of life were swarming around the booth just to buy some toy cars. Who said Ukay-ukay is just confined to clothes and home furniture???

crowd buying second hand die cast toys

Serious toy collectors wanted toys to be in pristine condition (mint) that included the original boxes and their contents unopened.

I hope that more vintage collectors, sponsors and media tie-ups would be given a chance to participate in the event. Whether just a lecture series or a commercial booth.

(Oct 12 2009)