Logan here. I had the chance to visit this awesome convention because I know cool people who make cool things. Let's talk about toys baby.
What is Designer Con?
DesignerCon is a convention held Pasadena, CA centered around costuming, designer toys and models. 2015 was the 9th year it has been around, it was founded in 2006 under the name "Vinyl Toy Network." The name changed as the show grew into a bigger and wider reach of toys, collectibles and art in general. So the convention is a show floor with artist and designers coming together to show off their special custom creations and sell you a little piece of unique art.
Designer Toys?
Yes, that is real and yes, it is a broad term. Designer and High end toys are terms to expand what might be referred to as models, busts and vinyl figures. It's independent artists and companies making custom figures that aren't your typical action figure or lego. These "toys" are made from different materials and come in all shapes and sizes. The most common are "munnys" and "dunnys" by KidRobot. There are so many types of toys and figure, much like any art form.
My Experience
Now, some people might know Pop Vinyl and Funko, these are the guys behind all the cute chibi toys of pop culture with big bobble heads. Thats all I knew coming into this show and I knew my talented friend Cynthia of @tentimesatiger made custom toys. What I learned and walked away with was so much more. These creators behind designer toys are true artists, they mold and paint and spend hours on detail for us to buy and set on our desks. But like all artists, they are telling a story and it just happens to be through a toy. I highly recommend you googling some custom toys and see just how amazing these things are.
