NYC's Toystreet 2011

Last week, I was checking my facebook feed during my lunch break and noticed that Tenacious Toys just posted that they finished setting up at Toystreet. I had no clue so I did a little internet research. Toystreet is a one day indie toy fair held in NYC. Of course, I went straight there right after work to check this out.

This photo was totally stolen from toysrevil.blogspot.com.

Toystreet is a small event but according to some of the vendors I talked to, it is growing. It is like taking The Cultyard out of NYCC and putting it on its own. In fact, a couple of the vendors are also Cultyard residents. I made sure to say hi to Benny from Tenacious Toys. They carry a lot of custom and exclusive toys and have a lot of great, new toys for you to go check out now, including some of the stuff I mention below!  Benny also just did a great interview at ToysRevil.  I also ran into people from Sidekick Media, which does old style wax trading cards. Their next series is out in June and it is a second round of The Art Hustle, which features artists, including Al Jaffee. 

My favorite thing from the event is from HalfBad Toyz, who customs action figures. I love this Rocksteady from TMNT. 

I was also excited to see Steve Talkowski, the creator of Sketchbots, was there. I got to speak with him briefly and get a little tidbit about the upcoming bot, which will be green!

Despite the toy fair label, there were plenty of non-toy people there. I found plenty of artists and even a comic book,  Malignant Bullet by Jesse Destasio! The preview I got really took my by surprise.  This is a story of two guys who are army vets, now hunting down supplies in the war zone to sell back to their military. It's has a interesting sense of humor,and includes villains that are almost like Sand People. It is on track to become a web comic, which will fit this really well.

One of the awesome pieces of flair from kupiart.com.

I also met two artists that I really liked. First I met Kupi, who is transitioning from the Rap industry to more geekier climates. She has a different style than I'm used to but I definitely want to see more. The other artist that intrigued me is Selina Briggs. She has these little characters called Jellybots that are much cuter versions of Bad Robot. She just draws these characters now but is looking to do a children's book soon. 

Best part of this show is how natural and uncommercial it is. This is how we want our cons to be, and it was such a nice change of pace. They still have room to grow without losing that feel. Make sure that you follow them for updates so you can attend next year!!

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