1996 was the last time I attended Toy Fair. A lot has changed in the industry since that time, and as I knew there was some catching up to do, I spent a lot of time wandering the show floor this year.
While I had a very full schedule of meetings, I wanted to make sure I saw as much as I could and try to get a feel for where the industry has moved in the last 21 years. “Blind” boxes and bags have been all the rage for the past few years, but I am not aware of all the players by name as of yet.
Each morning I took a different route through the building to expose myself to areas that may conceal some hidden gem, and on my last day at the show, I stumbled across The Loyal Subjects booth.
This Los Angeles-based company has been in the blind box game for a few years now, and while I have seen some of their work at various stores, I didn’t know them by name. Their breadth of product and the quality of their sculptures caught my eye and drew me in. As I looked around and realized I did know who they were, I also noticed their line is greatly expanding with new product coming for Attack on Titan, Aliens, Thundercats and a lot more.
One thing I instantly liked is a lot of their products are also available on blister cards meaning you know exactly what you are purchasing. The reps in the booth explained to me that figures released this way are always a different color than what you get in the blind packages to help preserve the collectible nature, but to an old school collector like me, it means if I want a Skeletor from Masters of the Universe, I don’t need to buy 20 packages in the hopes of getting him.
With their product line expanding, it feels like a pretty safe bet The Loyal Subjects is a company that we will all know by name in the not so distant future.
