Day 1 of 2019 Toy Con PH

28 June 2019

Yay!  It's Day 1 of the 2019 Toy Con PH !! Toy Con PH will run until June 30th at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia so grab your tickets if you haven't yet!

The venue is packed with toys, rare collectibles, displays and Fan events, particularly highlighted by Steven Ogg and Michael Cudlitz of The Walking Dead !!

There's also a Game Hub on the 2nd Floor and plenty of food options to recharge with!! We had an amazing time!!









We always make it a point to attend Toy Con annually.  This year, as a bonus, Dana was helping out at the Geekerie booth run by her Tito Aids and Tita Macy as a way to learn about retailing and experience life at a Con :)  So we were there early, around 1030AM.  Dylan and I bought our tickets (Dana got a pass as an Exhibitor) and because we were early, we got a bag with free water :)  Regular Day Pass was P600, Dylan was eligible for a Kids' Pass worth P300 (for Grade 6 students and below).  Oh and just FYI, Dana had no school that day and Dylan's class ended at 830AM :)

So while waiting for Macy to arrive, the kids and I just loitered around the lobby and took pictures.

 They had fun at the #ColorGramxToyCon booth by Davies Paints.

When Macy arrived, we got in the Convention Hall and we started setting up the booth.  As soon as we were done, we left Dana and Macy and then Dylan and I set off to roam around the venue!

Among all the booths and exhibitions, we were drawn to this brightly-green booth called "Hariken".  Owned by Hariken-san, we found out that it was his first time in Manila and his first time at the Toy Con.  His products are kawaii soft vinyl characters that he designs and they are just so cute!  Welcome to Manila, Hariken-san! :)

Dylan became curious about these characters below :)  I had to explain to him that they were characters from our local comics - LastikMan, Darna and Captain Barbel.  He was intrigued.  Thanks for the photo guys! :)

Dylan couldn't resist giving this set a try.  I should've rotated the picture to make it look he was on the ceiling hahaha Also, apparently, if you share the picture on Facebook or Twitter with their hashtag #SpideyIsHomeAtSMCinema, you get a chance to win tickets to the screening of the movie Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Dylan couldn't resist entering and walking around this Annabelle exhibit..wooooo..

And of course, Chuckie is right around the corner...

The 501st Legion Philippine Garrison and Make-A-Wish photo booth lets you sit on the Emperor's throne for a picture and a donation.  The proceeds go to the care of kids with critical illnesses. 

Of course, who can resist taking a selfie with Iron Man :)

Identify all the characters on the display table:  Check!

My Star Wars boy!! :)

Next, we took a break for lunch with Dana at Manang Joy Ilocos Empanada.  It was really good :)  However, there are hardly any tables and chairs so most of the time you'll be eating standing up.  It can be hard if your choice of food is rice meals but manageable with care :)

Since we were walking around with Dana this time, she was paying more attention to the shops and their products.  She found the SketchyGerry booth which was on her priority list and walked away with stickers and cards and of course, a photo from the artist Gerry :)

There were poster prints, customized jackets from popular animes and merchandise inspired by different fandoms.

Of course, you can't miss these fantastic toys!

When Dana went back to work, Dylan and I went outside to rest and chanced upon Spider-Man.  We had to give our tired feet a break and we were lucky we were able to find seats in the waiting area outside.

While outside, we saw Pennywise getting out of a vehicle and that was our cue to go back in and follow him.  When we found him, we stood in line for our photo and there!  It's such a cool costume  Well done!

There was also this Earth Snaps Photo Booth.  Choose your own background and get your photo taken for free.  They uploaded the photos on their Facebook page and here is ours...  Thanks Earth Snaps.

And then we get to the highlight of our Toy Con day!! We got to meet Steven Ogg and Michael Cudlitz from The Walking Dead!!!  It was funny because we had just got out of the rest room near the Food Court and voila! The wall divider for Hall 2 was gone and a whole new area had opened up.  Who did we see first?  Well them of course!  We immediately rushed to their place to get our photo taken with them before anybody else haha Dylan was ecstatic because he got to meet "Trevor" ( he knows him more as Trevor from GTA than Simon hehe)

Close to where the stage was, you could see this huge Samurai-like Batman on display.  It's actually the biggest Batman statue in Asia...

We were able to find seats at the Live Panel for the Walking Dead at the PopLife Stage Hall.  The 2019 World of Dance Champions, The Kings, were there and so was Micro Twiggz (Hinata), a 10-year old Krump Kids Champion.

The Kings

Micro Twiggz and her trainer showed everyone a few moves..

Ron English, the GodFather of Street Art was also present. 

Ron English

Finally, on stage were Steven Ogg and Michael Cudlitz with host, Cholo!

Steven Ogg, Michael Cudlitz and Cholo Malilin

 After, Dylan and I decided to check out the Function Hall on the 2nd Floor.  It was called the Play Hub and had, at the forefront, displays for gaming some displays for specific collections like this Voltes V Legacy.  However, the live music was too loud for Dylan and he couldn't take it so we left immediately.

Then it was time for Dana's break and we took her for a photo opp with Pennywise and Annabelle.

She had a turn at the Spider-man: Far from Home promo booth.  #SpideyIsHomeAtSMCinema

Taking a photo with Captain Barbel with LastikMan photobombing in the background was hilarious :)

We took the time to have another food break and this time we tried the Good Munch food stall and boy was their food really good!  We noticed that there were a lot of customers lining up during lunch and there were savory aromas coming from their stoves, we just had to try and we weren't disappointed.  Good Food Good Munch!

By the day's end, we caught up with Az and Aids at the Geekerie booth and spent some good times reminiscing about our Star Wars Philippines and New Worlds days :)

 

Photo by Aids

Photo by Az

It was such a tiring but fun day and there was just something for everyone.  It was good to go on a Friday because it wasn't as crowded as I would expect during Saturdays and Sundays and there were pleasant surprises throughout the event.

Congratulations Cholo and Az!! Thanks Aids and Macy for taking care of Dana :)  See you guys next year!!