The Philippine Toy Group Association (PTGA)
Toycon’s most precious gem in every annual event is the Toycon gallery. Its a special designated room with glass display cabinets filled with lots of toys and collectibles. The Toy gallery is like a moving toy museum where you can see the latest, modern, hard to find and vintage toys and collectibles provided by collectors and hobbyist from all over the Philippines.
Toycon gallery started back in 2006 when Toycon Philippines moved from the small conference room and transfer at Hall 2, the biggest hall of Megatrade Hall. That small room that once occupied by the event, was turned into the home of Toycon’s Toy Gallery for 9 years then the main event moved to SMX Convention Center Manila in 2016, and it moved along with other Toycon’s set up and that includes the Toycon gallery.
The Toycon Gallery is the most visited and most picturesque venue inside Toycon. Thanks to the toy collectors of the Philippines for helping filling up those glass display cabinets with their personal toy collection. The toy collectors are from different online communities that specializes in toy collecting, the birth of these toy collector communities started in online forums, the Toycon team tapped them to be part of the event by showcasing their personal collection and invite everyone to try the toy collecting and get advise from different toy experts. Each toy group community has its own specialized toy line or toy brand, from Barbie dolls to GI JOE, Transformers, Marvel and DC figures, Gundam, up to the oldest and vintage toys.
Toy groups who joined the Toycon gallery every year started from 20+ group, and now this 2018, they are around 100+ toy group. Last 2017, the Toycon team , Toy Gallery leader and the leader of each toy community decided to organize an association — Philippine Toy Group Association (PTGA), to formally launch a name to be recognize as a one family of toy communities under one banner.
PTGA advocacy is to help other community and its members and they do it by selling their old toy collection and donate profit to charity. The PTGA also conduct a donation drive for calamity strucken province , cancer patients and also help fellow toy collectors who need funding for their medical expenses, health recovery and also support for fire victims.
PTGA is still young, but the association evolves along with Toycon, and still continue to learn from each other and promotes real camaraderie beyond the hobby of toy collecting.
