Art toy craze surges in Thailand as adult collectors get creative

[snoop1130]

 

Thailand's local art toy industry is growing at a rapid rate, primarily fueled by adult collectors and innovative small toy manufacturers. This growth has been noted by Auramon Supthaweethum, Director-General of the Business Development Department, who believes this business has a bright future as consumer demand rises.

 

In 2023, the art toy industry in Thailand brought in a revenue of 19.7 billion baht, making a profit of 468 million baht. Despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic over the past five years, the sector continues to expand. Adult collectors and artists view these art toys not only as collectibles but also as an art form.

 

Due to the high demand, the supply of these toys is unable to keep up, leading to a resale market where prices are marked up significantly. Thai artists, inspired by this trend, have begun designing toys that reflect their culture.

 

The recent popularity of art toys can, in part, be attributed to blind boxes. These are affordable toys sold at stores and vending machines. Their unique selling point is the surprise element; buyers won't know which toy they've gotten until they open the box. They usually come in series featuring multiple collectables, with rarer ones dubbed as "secret figures."

 

The art toys are made by artists, designers, and illustrators in limited editions, contributing to their high prices. They use a range of materials, including wood, steel, resin, plastic, vinyl, and velvet.

 

 

Globally, the art toy industry holds high commercial value, driven by consumers known as 'kidults' — teens and adults who buy games and collectibles for themselves, typically those that bring back childhood memories of cartoons and superheroes.

 

In the past year, small businesses have led the Thai art toy market, often partnering with investors from Hong Kong, China, and Japan. Of the 1,024 firms in the industry, small businesses made up 93.7%, valued at 5.7 billion baht in total.

 

Among the many art toy characters created by Thai artists, Cry Baby, a character showing a tearful girl with short hair, stands out due to its popularity across Southeast Asia.

 

In 2023, Thai toy exports, including art toys, reached a value of 8.78 billion baht. The United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom were the top importers. However, in the first four months of 2024, exports grew by 51.4%, with China, the US, and Japan taking the lead.

 

This continued growth in the art toy sector underscores the global interest in unique and culturally significant collectibles, indicating a promising future for Thai artists and manufacturers to further grow their reach in international markets.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-07-04

 

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[retarius]

468 million profit off 19.7 billion baht? What is all the fuss about...about 0.5 billion profit of 20 billion sales 0.5/20x100 or 2.5% profit margin. Why not start investing in profitable ventures?

[spidermike007]

There is zero creativity involved with adults collecting toys. Or kids, for that matter. 

[Chris Daley]

Toys in little display cabinets.  How to tell the world you have a tiny penis.

[Muhendis]

12 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

There is zero creativity involved with adults collecting toys. Or kids, for that matter. 

I gave up collecting kids a very long time ago

[loong]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Adult collectors and artists view these art toys not only as collectibles but also as an art form.

 

The things that idiots will call art!

[hotchilli]

10 minutes ago, loong said:

 

The things that idiots will call art!

Yep, seen some real weird stuff in western galleries... fancy prices too.

Some mugs actually buy it.

[Snackbar]

Homogeneity is what you’re after?

[Classic Ray]

People have been collecting toys like model cars and Barbie dolls for ever, with the most valuable still in their boxes and never played with. 
 

This is just another variation, good luck to those who make them and those that like them.

[soalbundy]

It would seem there is still too much money in circulation combined with a deficit in good taste.

[spidermike007]

5 hours ago, Muhendis said:

I gave up collecting kids a very long time ago

Thats a good thing. Few things in this world are more over rated than kids. 

[Jingthing]

I'm waiting for them to legalize adult art sex toys.

[Muhendis]

51 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Few things in this world are more over rated than kids. 

Are we talking politicians here?

They are certainly overrated and should be confined to glass jars. 

[n00dle]

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

There is zero creativity involved with adults collecting toys. Or kids, for that matter. 

 

 
Collecting kids is an expensive hobby.

[n00dle]

5 hours ago, Snackbar said:

Homogeneity is what you’re after?

 

Enough with the gender politics already. 

[BigStar]

16 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

Toys in little display cabinets.  How to tell the world you have a tiny penis.

 

Why is penis size so important to you? And have you measured the penis sizes of the toy collectors?

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

Are we talking politicians here?

They are certainly overrated and should be confined to glass jars. 

Well I'm not sure if I would refer to politicians as kids so much as men with juvenile minds and total incompetence. And men who are morally bankrupt.

 

Kids themselves, I consider them overrated, but obviously I'm in the minority. 

[Ralf001]

One of my hobbies is collecting Funko Pop toys, picked up a Freddy Funko Venom last month for 9k usd... A freind desperately need coin so I got a steal.