As the Designer Toy scene continues its global expansion, We check out the Thailand toy Expo and how they have reinvented their exhibition through the the use of Virtual Reality with their Online Edition for 2020.

About The Thailand Toy Expo (The History):

The Thailand Toy Expo (TTE), began in 2013 at CentralWorld, PRIMARILY through the presentation Of cenventions and events tat celebrate the collectibles community to Pop Culture. Over the years TTE has become the biggest Thailand focal point for the world of Toys, Figures and Collectibles.

In 2014, TTE attracted close to 550,000 visitors, offered complete convention experience over the area of 4,000 sq.m with High-end collectible toys inspired by comics, games and movies, Unique design toys, hands-on workshops, autograph sessions, stage performance and comics arts conference. It was a big move in 2015. TTE was official joined the national campaign called Bangkok Entertainment Week, in order to promote Bangkok as a hub of the Entertainment Business in ASEAN to accommodate the booming digital content industry.

TTE is the signature event of Thailand and still continually present Toys, Figures and Collectibles to a growing audience with 100 exhibitors from 14 countries and attended by 100 local & international media from online to broadcast, aim to become a Biggest High-End Collectible Toys Event to position Thailand as the leading exhibition platform for the ASEAN region and accelerate opportunities for Toys, Figures and Collectibles industries in the ASEAN Economic Community.” – From the Website

The Exhibitors:

AX2
ANONYMOUS RIDICULE
BLACKSEED
CFACTORY COMICS STUDIO
CANVAS CANVAS
C-CONCEPT STUDIO
DIMOOWORLD
DIORAMA MODELER THAILAND
FOOLS PARADISE
GANG OF MONSTER
GOLF STUDIO
GREENDAY
GRITS FX
GLOBAL FIGURE SHOWCASE
GACHABOX
GAIA
HOT TOYS powered by KINGDOM COME
HOW2WORK

Hong Kong Asia Distribution Co.,Ltd
INSTINCTOY
JPX
KAIJU SMUGGLER
LITTLE HUT
LITOR’S WORK
MIGHTY JAXX
MUMBOT
MILK
MOETCHTOY
MEED TEE SIB SAM
NIDA GROUP
NYX SHIPPING
PAMAYA
PURE ARTS
PLAYMOBIL THAILAND
RUST
SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY

SKULL PUPPET
SRIPATUM UNIVERSITY
SUNGUTS [A48]
THE LOYAL SUBJECTS
THAI BRICK CLUB [AA1]
THAI ENERGON [AA2]
TI LANG KHA (ใต้หลังคา) [A19]
TOKIDOKI (NYLA) [A40]
THREEZERO [A42]
TIDU WORKSHOP [A47]
Thailandsoccerstar by SHINE [A49-50]
THE ZERO ONE
THAILAND TOY EXPO 2020
UGLYTOYS & JUMP WORKS [A46]
ZCWO [A35]
Zu & Pi

While the Coronavirus keeps the planet on alert and has unfortunately resulted in the cancellation of many expos and events, the Thailand Toy Expo has found a way to circumvent this lockdown thanks to the wonders of Virtual Reality. This years expo will be focussed around the message “Stay Home” and will operate entirely online. Check out their offical website to take a virtual tour of the expo, or head over to YouTube to see live stream interviews with artists such as Juce Gace.

The Thailand Toy Expo: Online Edition will feature Exclusives, Charity Auctions and an opportunity to win special TTE Face Masks designed by several participating artists. As always, a charity auction will be taking place and this year it will feature two giant Katchapti sculptures from JPX x Coarse. Although visitors are unable to attend the expo in person, they can still enjoy artist interviews via various social media platforms, Live Painting sessions (Twitter links below), and Toy Reviews to help budding toy collectors to make informed decisions when placing orders during the expo online.

Related: KAWS: Companionship In The Age Of Loneliness At NGV

No one can fault the efforts of the TTE to still deliver an enjoyable exibition in light of social distancing restrictions, so while the cancellation of a regular style expo is not the ideal situation, taking it entirely online allows the expo to be brought to the world, bringing a larger visitor base to the once, locally focussed event. Depending on how well this is received, this could set a new president for toy expos moving forward via the adoption of Streaming services, Online Auctions and Virtual Reality.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Thailand Toy Expo with the help of VR.

Explore Some Of The Activities:

Related: Designer Toys And Artist Collabs With Mighty Jaxx

Live Stream Interviews:

Singapore based Designer Toy company Mighty Jaxx will be Live Streaming their interview on YouTube with Mamafaka’s sister, Tai, as well as Juce Gace. 

Graphic Designer & Toy Designer Juce Gace.

Juce Gace is a Paris-based Screenwriter/illustrator, known best for his childhood-inspired toys. Tune-in to the Live stream interview (by Mighty Jaxx) to learn more about the artist as well as go in the running to win a limited edition “A Wood Awakening (Stay Home Edition) in partnership with Mighty Jaxx Toys.

Virtual visitors will also be able to partake in lucky draws by heading to the online queuing areas of the respective artists, locations can be found here.

Exhibition Times:
Thursday 28th May 2020 – 31st May 2020 | 10:00am – 8:00pm (Thailand Time, GMT+7)

Activity Schedule can be found here.

For more information about the artists included in this article, or if you would like to support them on social media, please see the below links to their respective pages.

Thailand Toy Expo: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter
Might Jaxx: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, Enzpired may receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Timothy
Founder & Editor in Chief @ Enzpired | Representing the magazines more traditional art movements, Timothy's primary focus is within classical fine art, particularly the Dutch Golden Age and Impressionism. With a penchant for dapper suits and the english language, striking a balance somewhere between The Great Gatsby and Oscar Wilde.