2009 Taipei Toy Festival Report - Part 5 of 5: Events, art, and more

One of the interesting things about the TTF is the wide range of things on display. In addition to new releases and displays by the companies we know and love, there are dozens and dozens of booths run by young artists, design companies, and studios. There are also various events on the main stage, including dance performances, autograph signings, and visits by Stormtroopers and other dignitaries.

Here's a taste of that side of the show.

Mr. Eyeball and his troop put on a short performance on Day One:
A bunch of designers pose with two ginormous dancing plushsters designed by Hong Kong singing superstar Andy Lau:
TTF auction:
501 in the house!
Gigantic Taipei 101 sized hamburger eating contest:
Back to the displays.

Here are some figures based on characters from illustrated books by famous Taiwanese artist Jimmy:
Medicom had a nice display:



On to a medley of some of the interesting customs, art pieces, and other things at the TTF.

Several of the customs in the next two shots were done by high school students from schools throughout Taiwan. Very cool project and great to see young artists getting a showing at an international festival:

Cool display combining a multimedia recording with a nice wall sized piece:
More toys based on illustrations, books, etc. I've noticed an interesting trend towards more young children's styled toys made for adults:



These are fun new figures. I won the painting on the right at the TTF auction and bought one of the king figures. :O)
Display by PPaper showing some of the "art for the masses" pieces that have fetched big bucks:
This was part of a series of several figures by a Taiwanese artist representing the elements:
These ladies were just having too much fun!
Phalanx put together two mega sized cards that transformed people into action figures. Very cool concept I first saw 7 years ago at Star Wars Celebration II. Great job, Phalanx!
A few artists worked on booth installations:
Cool mixed media piece:
Hariken set up and ready to sign!
Nice new piece from Push, a well-known Taiwanese comic artist:
This Taiwanese artist has casted protos for a new figure, which he brought along to display at the show. He's hoping to have it made into a soft vinyl toy next year. Me too!
Monster Taipei's register, with sketches done by designers over the years. Biskup added a bit this year:
Tofu fun!
More of the medley:








I hope you enjoyed this ride through another side of the TTF. I think sometimes we get too caught up in new releases, things for sale, etc. But great shows, like the Design Festa in Tokyo and TTF, are so much more than that.

I hope you'll consider heading to Taipei in 2010 for the 7th TTF!