Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008

Dear Readers

The Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008's here -- the first international event of its kind in Singapore and Southeast Asia!

This event was proudly organised by Singapore's one and only company specialising in designer toys, Play Imaginative, and took place over the weekend of 28th-29th June 2008.

On these days, the neverending stream of visitors to the convention held at Suntec City International Convention & Exhibition Centre saw a wide array of items both on display and on sale. These included toys (of course) of all sorts -- ranging from designer toys and plush dolls widely popular in the market and the choice of collectors and the bigger/ more serious 'toys' which consist of figurines, busts and statues -- and comics (of course, again), both the ang moh type like DC and Marvel, and Japanese manga. What was hot was also the fact that the actual artists/ designers behind some of these toys were at the scene to offer autographs to visitors who were crazy about their products or simply loved to get something outta a 'celebrity'. :) In addition, there were other cute items to see and purchase, such as colourful T-shirts for both genders with adorable cartoonish prints on them, postcards, ornaments etc.

One very attractive highlight was the Nintendo game console stations, where the public could just queue up to have a go at certain featured games, especially Wii MarioKart and Guitar Hero. These were also the stops where lots of excited teens and kids could be seen yelling and laughing away, or just watching earnestly at whoever was playing the games. Of course, yours truly and her other half were one of those 'young' people who parked themselves there to stare along for a while. Heh.

Speaking of games, another wonderful spot was the Nintendo DS challenge station, where anyone could go up and try to play Guitar Hero on DS. If you beat the previous record on either Easy or Medium mode, you got to walk away with a free exclusive Guitar Hero long-sleeved top! And here's one lucky 30-year-old winner who managed to beat the previous record in Medium mode, and ended up walking round and round the arena with a gleeful look on his face for being a winner (which continued even AFTER he had left the convention :p). According to him, it's all thanks to his usual practice on the Xbox Guitar Hero! :)

So there you go, the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention 2008~!