DAY 2- SHOW FLOOR

LEVIS
A second exhibition of original work by many of the artists featured in Part 1 took the form of a denim-as-canvas show. Levis Hong Kong sponsored the event as promotion for their new line of jeans, N3BP. Each artist was given a pair of jeans to customize as they saw fit, and the results were hung in a mini-gallery inside the exhibition center.

As one might expect, the gross majority of the customization came in the simple form of writing, drawing and painting on the denim garments as shipped. A few, however broke these bounds by adding materials from electrical tape to electrical plugs to neon lights. A few designs were immediately identifiable by style or content, but quite a few were original enough to elude quick assessment of origin.
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AUCTION
The third feature of Plug In Hollywood that set it apart from its predecessors was a case full of special auction-only toys. These toys seemed to be almost exclusively white or silver versions of existing figures from the usual suspects. Some were mere custom re-paints, where others were clearly produced specifically for this event. The toys were to be auctioned on the final two days of the show.
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COMIX BOX
The Comix Box booth featured a few new designs and a few old. House designer, Colan Ho re-united with his former co-conspiritor, S. Fung Mak. "UNITED PLANETS Mars Gunners" took center stage as a beautifully painted pair of polystone maquettes. The duo is comprised of "Mr. Tango + Diver M," both in a retro-futuristic style reminiscent of Tin Tin. This set is limited to 100 pieces and is quite pricey: listed retail was about US$350.
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A total of 5 other Mr. Tango/Rocket Club character will be mass produced, and samples were previewed along side. Finally, a 1 year anniversary retrospective of Ming Cheung's Ghostie Family tied up Comix Box's original offerings. Nothing new, but nice to see all 5 sets in one place. Hopefully we will see more work from both of these lines become more widely available in the coming year.
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TOY2R
Toy2R marches on in its pursuit of collectible toy world domination, and if measured by sheer volume, it appears to be doing well for itself. According to the proprietor, over 200 designs of the 2.5" Qee have been released in less than two years since the line was introduced. With a glut of options for the collector, clearly quantity is the key (pun intended) to Toy2R's recent success. In fact, a blister card version will soon be sold in ToysRUs stores in the US.
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Quantity knows no boundaries of size, as evidenced in no fewer than 10 new variants of the 1+ year old Touma Knuckle Bear. Likewise, there were new versions of the aging Baby Qee & 8" Qee, as well as the relatively new Mad Barbarians Gas Curry and Spice set. A prototype sample of the forthcoming Rolito Boy figure was also displayed. Remarkably, in only one color variant!
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There is certainly a variety of designs found within the vast selection of Qees alone to tickle one's fancy, but the pictures say it better than words can. The Toy2R product development strategy does raise the question of whether there can be too much of a good thing.


WHO NEEDS YO-YOs WHEN YOU HAVE ROCK 'N ROLL?

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» TOYCON DAY 1 EXHIBITION
» TOYCON DAY 1 SHOW FLOOR