For the first time in 4 years, we won't be making the sacred pilgrimage south to SDCC (the "Con") this July. WAH! Needless to say, the show's popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. Last year, we could barely move or breath on the convention floor ...and that was on Weds Preview Night!! I can't imagine what the crowds will be like this year; on top of everything else, it's the 40th anniversary of the mega show. Bring your deodorant and extra patience. All tickets have already sold out and I think the capacity attendance has been about 120,000 people. Holy Shmoly!
Since I began collecting urban vinyl about 5 years ago, I've observed a significant growth in the "designer toy" arena with new fans, toy platforms, and new companies popping up everywhere. That's awesome, but like any other collectibles genre, it also means that this particular market is getting more saturated with product and the fans start to divide their loyalties on what they collect. It only makes sense.
The added competition also means that the perceived rarity or "value" for many of these limited toy issues will not be as inflated as others in years past. If anything, that reinforces the purist mantra: "Collect because you like it" and NOT because it's touted as rare (and thus worth some $$ later). Noteworthy, is that several SDCC 2008 exclusives (e.g. Kidrobot, Unkl) are STILL available for purchase out there. Good for us collectors, bad for you *cough* "investors." That's only a simple example, but a far cry from the years when their exclusives sold out in 1 hour, never to be found again (uh, except on eBay in exchange for your firstborn.)
Of course, the ugly debate of Fan vs. Flipper will never be over ...it gets downright nasty on the fansites. Ironically, in many ways, each needs the other to exist to a certain extent. Well, that's my opinion. This entry is more about how bummed we are to not attend SDCC this year, but maybe it'll make next year more special... as long as we remember to buy our passes in ...January???
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