Becoming A 40-Year Old Kid At Toycon 2025

This year, I turned 40. And I decided to celebrate that milestone by becoming a kid again.

So, I packed my things and headed out to the 22nd Philippine Toys, Hobbies, and Collectibles Convention last June 14. And it was definitely a blast for the 40-year-old me.

Toys For All Ages

You know that “rule” where you’re supposed to leave behind toys when you become an adult? Well, at the Toycon, that rule gets thrown out the window. Here, 40-year-olds and older get to gush about toys of all sorts alongside the actual kids.





And as always with Toycon, there are tons of toys to gush on. There were the dinosaurs, robots, and superhero action figures for the young and old boys.











Meanwhile, the young and old girls feasted their eyes on Barbies, Sailor Moon, and other heroines.

There is also the meeting of the old and the new, as popular franchises get more toys courtesy of both seasoned and up and coming manufacturers.

Voltes Five, that giant robot 40-year-old and older Filipino kids still adore, was one of the highlights for the launches. Spanish toy manufacturer Minix unveiled the Toycon-exclusive 12 cm vinyl figure of the popular robot, and collectors were excited to grab their copies.

Minix also unveiled their other figures from popular titles like Marvel, DC, and even Rocky.

Local toy manufacturers were also present. Fresh from their successful intro last year, Quiccs return to the Toycon arena with new figures. These also take inspiration from memorable franchises like Daimos, Astro Boy, and even Jollibee.

Besides these major companies, independent toy creators were also given the spotlight again. The artists area featured various creators introducing their products to the public. As someone who loved making stuff of my own. This was always a delight to see.

 
The Tables Have Turned

Up on the second floor are more toys. This time around, it’s all about tabletop games.

Upon entering the hall, there were rows upon rows of tables dedicated to trading card games. Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Yugioh, you name it, you got it.

 


And you will be surprised at the prices of some of the cards on display. One even goes for around Php 5000 at the lowest. Yes, five thousand pesos. For a single piece of cardboard.

But what really fascinated me was the Warhammer 40,000 displays. Being a model kit enthusiast, I have always been amazed by these small miniatures.


So I went ahead to chat with one of the exhibitors. According to Frank (not his real name) of , these miniatures represent the units in the game. He explained that each unit has their unique attributes.


Frank, the Warhammer guy.

Frank also said that these miniatures are fully customizable and will even have an effect on gameplay based on how they are customized.

Of course, I had to ask how much each of these miniatures cost. Frank said that a set of these figures would cast anywhere from 1000 to 2000 pesos. That’s not to mention the painting tools needed to detail them.

I guess I’ll just stick to my palengke tau-tauhan toys then.

 

Meeting Childhood Heroes

Outside of toys, Toycon also provided the opportunity for me and other “young at hearts” to meet some of our childhood heroes and heroines.

And since Japanese anime and tokusatsu (live action special effects) programs remain a big hit in the country, several guest stars from the Land of The Rising Sun were present.

First up, Japanese voice actors Megumi Ohta and Rica Matsumoto grazed the event. Ohta is well known for voicing classic super robot heroines Jamie Robinson (Voltes V) and Erika (Daimos).

Meanwhile, Matsomoto is most famously known around the world as the Japanese voice of Ash Ketchum from Pokemon. She is also the original voice for Gon Freecs from the classic shounen series Hunter X Hunter. Japanese tokusatsu stars weren’t to be outdone. Two stars from the popular Super Sentai show Gokaiger were present. Ryota Ozawa played Captain Marvelous/Gokai Red, while Yui Koike portrayed Ahim de Famille/Gokai Pink

During their Meet and Greet event, Koike dropped a surprise. She revealed that she is, in fact, half-Filipina, much to the crowd’s delight. This makes her the first half-Pinay to be cast as a main heroine in the popular franchise. Interestingly, another half-Pinay, Maya Imamori, is playing one of the heroines in the current sentai season. Maybe Toycon can invite her next year?

Later in the day, the very much Filipina singer Beverly delighted the crowd with her songs. Kamen Rider fans know her as the one who sang the opening for Kamen Rider Build. Beyond that, Beverly has been steadily growing in popularity in Japan.

But not to be outdone, Filipino heroes also in full force. Beside the fictional ones, Toycon also became host to historical ones, as the epic film Quezon finally had its launch. The film is the third one in Jerrold Tarrog’s historical trilogy, which started with Heneral Luna.




Actor Jericho Rosales, Manuel Quezon himself, was present at the launch and gamely answered questions about what to expect with the film. Other cast members like Aaron Villena, Ketchup Eusebio, and Karylle, as well as Director Tarrog also joined the discussions.

 
Pretend Play To The Max

And of course, there is the obligatory cosplay event. You know when we were kids and loved to pretend to be our favorite superheroes? This is pretty much it, but with full on costume and props.

The parade of cosplayers was in full force, with the assortment of characters people have come to love from various franchises. There’s Iron Man, Zorro from One Piece, and even several giant robot cosplays that were truly impressive.

 












And much like the pretend play of our collective childhood, these cosplayers were very much in character. Each one gave it all for their performance. And the audience were also very much into the spectacle, cheering each entry. It was always a fun cap for the day.

A week before the event, Glamour Moments (blogger admin) Mitch and I were chatting with each other. Our conversation winded into the topic of what Toycon's 30th anniversary will be like eight years from now.

By that time, Ate Mitch says that she will already be halfway through her 50’s. I, on the other hand, will be just two years shy of my 50th.

And of course, we both agreed that we will definitely be there. Just like the “kid-dults” we’ve always been.

Admin: Thank you to our Toycon corresponder, Roger :)