The Independent Toy Growers of America present THE CULTYARD
Over twenty boutique companies specializing in art and toys come together in a marketplace pavilion at the San Diego Comic Con 2004.
Los Angeles, CA- July 1 st - The Independent Toy Growers of America are unleashing THE CULTYARD, a centralized area to house the best in urban and art toys. This year the association has grown from its nine companies at Toy Fair in February to it's now twenty companies. All of which specialize in catering to that 20 and 30 something urban market, a market that spends hundreds of dollars on figures which are considered more of an art piece than a toy. Each company will be introducing new never before seen products to the 60,000 attendees that Comic Con will bring in this year, ranging from urban vinyl, plush, apparel and animation. THE CULTYARD will be located in the Comic Con's 4600 section at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 Harbor Drive San Diego, CA. This convention will be open to the public from July 22 nd through July 25 th.
It was not until the year 2001 that we really began to see American companies producing urban vinyl figures, which were very popular in Hong Kong and Japan before then. These American companies found that there was a large market out there hungry for their products, and a lack of outlets to reach the consumers. Less than a year ago, Achy Breaky Toys and STRANGEco came together to form the Independent Toy Growers of America to create opportunities in the marketplace for the growing number of companies specializing in these unique toys. Such as 4" PVC Mullet Heads mocking the 80's and American culture, 2" hip hop Biddies figures who pay homage to all the early lyrical masters and Toxic Teddies which have given a new name to the heartwarming cuddly bear that you once knew. And with the assistance of the Comic Con organizers this year, they have created a new section at the convention, THE CULTYARD, to show the industry that these boutique companies are coming in power by numbers. "There's a real movement of art and culture happening right now,"Â says Jim Crawford, co-owner of STRANGEco. "THE CULTYARD brings a lot of us together under one roof, and it's going to be something to see."Â
The daily festivities in THE CULTYARD will include an eclectic mix of entertainment and excitement: wrestling monsters, Texas oil millionaires performing dangerous tricks, metal karaoke, head-banging, raffles, artist signings and toys!! Those who show their support amongst THE CULTYARD by purchasing from 3 or more companies will automatically be entered into our huge giveaway spree!! Be sure to check your Comic Con 2004 schedule and listen for THE CULTYARD announcements, as we invite our favorite artists out to meet the fans and bring you all the fun you can handle.
For more information, visit www.toygrowers.com
THE CULTYARD:
- Achy Breaky Toys www.mulletheadtoys.com
- Attaboy www.yumfactory.com
- Biddies/Warning Label Design www.biddies.us
- Circus Punks www.circuspunks.com
- Critterbox Toys www.crittterbox.com
- Emily the Strange www.emilystrange.com
- Flopdoodle www.flopdoodle.com
- Friends With You www.friendswithyou.com
- Funko www.funko.com
- Gamma Go www.gama-go.com
- Go Hero www.gohero.com
- Kaiju Big Battel www.kaiju.com
- Lynne Naylor and Chris Reccardi www.lynive.com
- Rocketworld www.rocketworld.com
- Rock America www.rockamerica.com
- Spanky www.spanky.co.jp
- Spike and Mike Animation www.spikeandmike.com
- STRANGEco www.strangeco.com
- Super 7 www.super7magazine.com
- Superfun Company www.toxicteddies.com
On the web: https://www.toygrowers.com
More: Strangeco / Press Release /