STGCC 2013 Update 3: Toy Designers, Toy Exclusives and more Asian Pop Culture Personalities

 Constellation of Star Toy Designers and Toy Exclusives at STGCC 2013

More Asian pop culture personalities coming aboard the show

Singapore, 25 July 2013 – Members of the illustrious toy-designing faculty have confirmed their presence at the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention (STGCC), and this army of toy designers is sure to set tongues wagging and hearts aflutter. These incredibly gifted toy designers with huge international cult followings include Angry Woebots, Jesse Yu aka J★RYU and Luke Chueh. 

Adding on to the impressive list, premium toy figurine company ENTERBAY marches in with their exclusive NBA collection, and this will be their first launch in Singapore at STGCC. Perennial crowd favourite Hot Toys returns with its 2013 Toy Fairs Exclusive, comprising three macho figures from The First Avenger, G.I. Joe Retaliation and Superman III. Founder of the much-lauded tokidoki, Simone Legno is back in town with his popular merchandise. 

As the spotlight shifts to highlight the eastern pop culture personalities, fans will rejoice at the sight of more famous names joining the line-up. From Korea, we have cosplayer Aza (previously known as Miyuko) with her dashing costumes, and from Japan, we have Yuyoyuppe, vocaloid producer with his ground-shaking pieces. 

Also from Japan, NAMCO BANDAI Games brings in Hideo Baba, who oversaw the birth of the Tales of series, one of the most critically acclaimed Japanese role-playing game (J-RPG) franchises. Baba-san will be here to experience his first trip to Singapore for STGCC.

The Toy Story

Angry Woebots

 

Having seen much from his travels and even endured a near-death experience, Angry Woebots uses toys (often pandas) to express a wide emotional spectrum with which he seeks to chronicle the story of the struggles of life. Most renowned for the perpetually angry demeanours, Angry Woebots’ iconic characters take forms from resin collectible figures to vinyl toys. Till now, the brand has seen collaborations with Converse Red, Disney, Kidrobot and so on. 

J★RYU

‘‘I tell stories using whatever means necessary,’’ J★RYU said of himself on Instagram, and anyone familiar with his work will surely agree that he lives by it. Indeed, it is this willingness to experiment that led to him being crowned as the Toy Customiser of the Year 2012 by the highly recognised Designer Toy Awards. For all his versatility, J★RYU is primarily recognised for his signature “Forest of Sorrows” series with its emotive, eerie and ghostly themes. Each subsequent new piece and accompanying narrative adds to the on-going story. His portfolio includes clients such as Marvel Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Hasbro.

Luke Chueh

Minimalist colour schemes and simple animal characters that find themselves in ill-fated situations is what one can expect to find in any encounter with Luke Chueh’s work. Luke prides himself on stylistically balancing cute with brute and has every right to do so, for few can bisect the line between comedy and tragedy so tastefully. He has recently been nominated for five categories at this year’s Designer Toy Awards, a testimony to his talent.

ENTERBAY

 

NBA superstars Michael Jordan and LeBron James stride into STGCC as the new player ENTERBAY creates an all-star scene at the show with its latest offerings. A toy figure company that hails from Hong Kong, ENTERBAY specialises in the production of stunning replicas with authentic likeness, right down to the smallest detail.

 

Bruce Lee, Batman and Terminator 2 Battle Damaged will all make their appearance at STGCC. Thanks to ENTERBAY.

Hot Toys

 

An essential staple at STGCC and most definitely a crowd pleaser, Hot Toys brings in three 2013 Toy Fairs Exclusive limited edition figurines, in collaboration with ActionCity. These include (left to right) – Captain America (Star Spangled Man Version) [The First Avenger], Joe Colton [G.I. Joe Retaliation] and Superman (Evil Version) [Superman III]. 

Chiselled, carved and crafted to take after the respective actors of the movies, all 1/6th scale figures display immensely intricate details. We are saying that they look like the real deal, but don’t just take our word for it. Come down and be awed yourself!

For those who desire more than glimpses here, keep a lookout for purchase details of the exclusives on www.singaporetgcc.com/exclusives-new-products.

Simone Legno

Last but not least, designer Simone Legno calls out to his fans with more tokidoki offerings! The brand’s cult status has fuelled high profile collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld, Marvel, Hello Kitty, Levi’s, Skullcandy and so on. Expect more exciting updates coming your way

East in the Limelight

Aza

Flying in from Korea, Aza, previously known as Miyuko, is certainly no stranger to those attuned to the cosplay scene. An active participant in international events, her Singaporean fans can take heart at her impending debut here as she cosplays as characters from popular online game League of Legends, well-loved anime Love Live! and others.

Yuyoyuppe

Yuyoyuppe has had his works viewed more than 10 million times online, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. The vocaloid producer has convincingly gained respect and admiration from idols, voice actors and dance artists for the scoop of his involvement across many genres.

Hideo Baba

 
Avid gamers, be pleased to know that Hideo Baba, General Producer of the Tales of series, will be here at STGCC for a special stage appearance. The 15-year-old franchise, littered with action-filled battles, mesmerising characters and fantastical backdrops, has left a trail of both commercial and critical successes in its wake. 

Take Tales of Xillia for instance. It has shipped over 600 000 units on PlayStation®3 during only the first few weeks following its launch.

Ms Yeow Hui Leng, Senior Project Director of STGCC, said: “To cater to the ravenous appetite of Gen Y and Z for richer game content, we’ve been building up our offerings in this area, with game exhibitors such as NAMCO BANDAI Games and acclaimed game producer Hideo Baba with us on the show floor.”

Animated Success

Partnering STGCC for the first time as the official training partner, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) brings in four animation veterans from the Games and Animation industry for stage programmes and demos at their STGCC booth. These four who have each made a name for himself in the industry are :

- Javier Secaduras, CEO of Zinkvision that specialises in interactive content development 

- Stanley Lau (Artgerm), Creative director and co-founder of Imaginary Friends Studios which produced artworks for big names like DC Comics and Capcom

- Derrick Song, Respected teacher and mentor dedicated to training aspiring Computer Graphics artists at 3dsense Media School

- Adeeb Islam (HairyAsHell), Animator by day working on Hollywood blockbusters and toy sculptor at night with works on Tokyo Otaku and Tomopop

The partnership aims to raise the importance of training and upgrading of skillsets in the Games and Animation industry, such as Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications training by WDA appointed training partners.

Be sure to grab the STGCC tickets to catch these pop culture personalities and bag these exclusive toys! Tickets this year are priced at $19 for a one-day pass and $25 for a two-day pass, available for sale at selected authorised retail outlets and at the event itself. Purchase of VIP package is made available online. 

Visit www.singaporetgcc.com/ticketing-information for more ticketing details. 

And for the latest STGCC news, visit www.singaporetgcc.com!