DesignerCon 2009 Report

[JeffSaylor]

The premiere destination for art culture enthusiasts...

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For a great selection of action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, Urban-Collector.com, BriansToys.com, ClarkToys.com, ToyWiz.com, SmallJoes.com, VNCToys.com, PastGenerationToys.com, MonkeyDepot.com, RPMDiecast.com, YesAnimation.com, and SuperheroToys.com.

For a great selection of pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com.

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Housed in the comfortable 25,000 square foot hall in Pasadena, CA, DesignerCon showcased the various aspects of art and design; from collectible toys, custom figures, and designer apparel to urban, underground, and pop art. DesignerCon was formerly known as the Vinyl Toy Network and has been the premiere destination for art culture enthusiasts since 2006.

This year's exhibition brought some of the most exciting contemporary artists together in one hall. Los Angeles artist Buff Monster joined the show for the very first time this year and created limited-edition capsule collections of custom figures and silkscreen prints. Artists Joe Ledbetter and Sam Flores also debut exclusive figures for the show. Paul Kaiju was available to release his Partyball figure at Super7.

It truly was a great event as over twenty artists were in attendance this year including Tim Biskup, Amanda Visell, Greg "Craola" Simkins, Robert Goodin, Nathan Hamill, and many more. Many familiar brands were also on hand to bring the vinyl toy store to you, including, but not limited to Blamo, Super 7, Baby Tattoo, JapanLA, Munky King, Beautiful Decay, Mr. Toast, and Toy2R.

Of course one of the main highlights was the Custom Yoka show, presented by DKE Toys and adFunture. DKE Toys co-founders Dov Kelemer and Sarah Jo Marks provided their 3" blank Yoka bear vinyl figures to over 200 artists to customize. The results were shocking, awe-inspiring, and often hilarious.

There was a whole lot more to see and do at DesignerCon of course. Sponsored by organic Y Water, the event was only $5 for adults and free for children 13 and under.

For more information about DesignerCon, the artists and exhibitors, please visit www.designercon.com.

Please browse through our PHOTO GALLERY for just a glimpse of what DesignerCon 2009 had to offer!

-David Yeh

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