Toys are now big business
Who needs art toys? Everyone and anyone. In the spectrum of fandom appreciation, owning collectible art toys is widely acceptable across the ages. An art toy signifies a playful spirit, adding a spark of positivity to a serious work desk.
Toys and collectible art toys are big business in Asia, and character design is important, in that industry as well as in books and games. The Southeast Asian toy market has a robust growth, projected to reach US$5.5 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 2.76% from 2025-2033.
On average, there appears to be more dedicated toy stores in Malaysia than in the UK, even in the smaller towns. Most supermarkets and DIY hardware stores have dedicated areas for plushies, cute accessories and toys. They cater not only to little children but the youth and adults, too.
For someone like me who came from London, it was perplexing at first to see many young men and women in Kuala Lumpur sporting plushie keychains on their backpacks. And also seeing long rows of plushies in many high street stores. There are seven Pop Mart branches in the Malaysian capital city alone, in addition to dozens of MINISO and other independent toy stores.
Why kawaii? Cuteness overload and kiddult collecting
The recent success of Pop Mart, owing largely to the Labubu blind box craze, is evidence that the collectible toy market is here to stay. In fact, the Chinese toy company’s profitability improved after its founder, Wang Ning, decided to focus its offering solely on collectible toys and artist collaborations.
But why are toy shops ubiquitous in East Asia? Why are toy collecting so popular here?
Embracing cuteness in everything is a part of the present Asian culture. It was first introduced as kawaii in the 80s and 90s via anime and manga from Japan. Later, this idea influenced the character designers in Taiwan, South Korea, China and Southeast Asia. So the Millennials and Gen X who still treasure their childhood memories are responsible for driving the sales of art toys and collectibles.
“Embracing cuteness in everything is a part of the present Asian culture.”
Salina Christmas, Story Of Books editor, is a digital anthropologist who has researched on games and simulations. She hypothesises that the period of childhood is longer in some parts of Asia, so there’s more time for the youths to appreciate plushies and toys. Whereas in the West, childhood transitions quickly so that the young people could become financially independent much sooner to enter adulthood, whether they’re ready or not. When marketers start to sell cosmetics and adult lifestyle to the teenagers in the West, the youths in Asia who still live at home consume collectible toys instead.
At a glance, this seems like an infantilisation of culture, until you remember that Asian societies can be highly conservative and strict. Toys and cuteness provide a soft buffer against the pressures to conform and against societal expectations.
The art toys renaissance
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is fast becoming one of Southeast Asia’s main popular culture hubs due to political stability, younger population and growing middle income demographic.
This summer, we look at the popularity of art toys in Southeast Asia and the pop culture movement around it. A region once blighted by conflicts is now adamant not to repeat the past. Instead, it looks forward to lighter subjects and meaningful collaborations.
Popular characters, from traditional to contemporary, are celebrated widely in Southeast Asia. It’s refreshing to have gallery spaces dedicated to character designs at GMBB; an important acknowledgment to the role of visual art in shaping our culture. GMBB hosts notable art toy galleries and key international festivals dedicated to popular arts such as the KL Illustration Fair and the Supertoy Fest.
Kodama Toy’s Charmy-Chan × 30 Malaysian Artists exhibition
Venue: A4 Art Gallery, GMBB. 24 May – 15 June 2025.
We’d never seen an exhibition more visually delightful and filled fill buoyant feeling than the Charmy-Chan x 30 Malaysian Artists Art Toy Customisation Collaboration.
It was a joy to see how the artists painted deeper characters according to their unique signatures into the bubbly Charmy-Chan dolls, adding exciting complexities and storytelling through the installations. In a way, it’s like constructing narratives for fiction books.
Charmy-Chan is a classic character created in the 1970s by Kodama Sangyo, a Japanese toy company founded in 1930. The exhibition is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, featuring inspiring interpretations by artists, illustrators and designers.
Each of the Charmy-Chan dolls comes with a unique artwork installation, available for collectors to purchase.
“We’d never seen an exhibition more visually delightful and filled fill buoyant feeling.”
“It was a joy to see how the artists painted deeper characters according to their unique signatures into the bubbly Charmy-Chan dolls, adding exciting complexities and storytelling through the installations.”
Akari’s Supertoy Fest 2025
Venue: GMBB. 27 – 29 June 2025.
The Supertoy Fest in Kuala Lumpur is a great platform for introducing international toy designers to a wider global audience. We purchased the Friday day ticket at RM28, which was affordable for art toy fans.
The festival captures the zeitgeist of the region, embracing positive collaborations with culture opinion leaders such as Japan and China, whilst showcasing the best of Southeast Asian character design talents. The annual event is organised by Akari Store.
“The Supertoy Fest in Kuala Lumpur is a great platform for introducing international toy designers to a wider global audience.”
“In our hands they’re rounded, reassuring and squishy to the touch, reflecting our inner child that craves a hug every so often.”
The toys are disarming, especially those made of sofuvi or soft vinyl material. In our hands they’re rounded, reassuring and squishy to the touch, reflecting our inner child that craves a hug every so often. Even the most menacing characters such as the MARUSAN Godzilla and kaiju line-ups are like grumpy cats at best. They sneer but are still irresistably cute and handsome on the shelf.
If you’re starting a collection by an artist or a studio, it’s useful to follow the character design journey because the artists would have their work in 2D and 3D. So you have options to collect more than one medium.
MARUSAN EXHIBITION – Icons of Japan: Vintage Godzilla, Ultraman & Kaiju Showcase
Venue: A4 Art Gallery, GMBB. 27 June – 20 July, 2025.
“Whether you’re a fan of Godzilla or not, this is an important exhibition.”
Prior to the first day opening of the Supertoy Fest, we visited the MARUSAN Japan Vintage Godzilla, Ultraman and Kaiju exhibition at A4 Art Gallery at Level 4, GMBB.
It showcases a list of notable Godzilla characters produced by the renowned Japanese toy manufacturer. The launch was officiated by its President Eiji Kaminaga, who signed the life-size wall installation on the galley wall. MARUSAN also had a booth at the Supertoy Fest floor.
Whether you’re a fan of Godzilla or not, this is an important exhibition because it provides a rare opportunity to see the pop culture icons up close, presented in one place.
“Toys are special in a sense that it could turn a monster into a friend.”
We feel fortunate to be in Asia to experience this at GMBB because a pop culture art gallery is still an unfamiliar concept in the West, where museums prioritise old artefacts over the contemporary. This attitude is slowly changing, thanks to the unrelenting education by the pop culture fans and media academics.
Up close, the MARUSAN toy Godzilla is much cuter and less menacing than in the movies. Our editor insisted that the vintage Godzilla characters have feline features. We’re satisfied with the “mugshots” display of the blue Godzilla series throughout the ages — each with unique sneers and eyes that promise chaotic times to be had for all.
“What could be a better medium to evoke such a feeling of affinity and compassion for something so strange?”
Godzilla’s arch nemesis, Ultraman, is also displayed in several art toy forms. We’re pointed to the fact that his physical feature was possibly inspired by a Buddhist monk, which makes a lot of sense. He does need to fly out away from the saha world when the battles become too much.
Toys are special in a sense that it could turn a monster into a friend. It provides a lighter perspective to a heroic odyssey or a villain’s story to invoke our empathy. In time, we develop affection towards the monsters.
My terrifying beloved. What could be a better medium to evoke such a feeling of affinity and compassion for something so strange? It makes you feel young, more naive and thus, more optimistic about the world.
All photos © Story Of Books, unless otherwise stated. Additional research by Salina Christmas.
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