Indietoy is a small independent toy shop in Alhambra, Los Angeles, that is full of passion and creativity. In short, it is the kind of toy store that fanatics want to make the pilgrimage to encounter and keep going back to. The toy scene in California is no joke either, with an estimated projection of $8.8 billion in 20226 alone, not to mention 10,471 hobby and toy businesses operating in California. It’s genuinely impressive to see the work that owners have brought to life in their small corner.
This year, indietoy has teamed up with Gallery Nucleus once again for the second annual Indietoy Con, an event that is now stretched out over two awesome days starting February 21 through the 22nd! A gallery packed with independent toy makers and creatives showing off their latest creations. There’ll be new exclusives, door prizes, raffle giveaways—basically something fun for everyone. With over 30 vendors to explore, it’s the perfect chance to dive into the world of indie toys.
The Beat was able to catch up with indietoy co-owners Gordon Sun and Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun to discuss the event further and what it means to the community!
Diego Higuera Was there a specific event that pushed you to do what you’re doing today?
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Oh, man, I feel like once the space opened like this, this place opens. And his cousin was just like walking by, and he just told us, “Hey, there’s an empty slot, empty, empty store open pretty close by nucleus. Think it’s like a pretty good deal. You guys should look into it.”
Gordon Sun: I was already working at a previous toy company. I was previously working for a company called Kidrobot. The people there were really nice, and the work was really good. I got to work on a lot of licenses, but I think I just started feeling burnt out from working on licenses.
At the time, I was already working on my own toys and stuff. So throughout those years that I was working there, I got to meet a lot of people in the toy community. I got to meet more and more toy designers, and it was just really fun to grow our skills together and make cool stuff together, keeping each other inspired and pushing ourselves.
Eventually, we reached a point where we all felt like, hey, there really are not too many new toy spaces. Then once my cousin reached out to us, we were like, oh, this could be a good opportunity to try something out.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Yeah, the flow happened pretty smoothly. I remember the space was empty, and then maybe two months later, we put in the deposit. Originally, we were both going to stay at our jobs, but we both ended up leaving to fully commit to the space, just because things kept ramping up.
I would say the desire to have a more intimate toy community among indie designers was probably a big aspect of all of it. DesignerCon only happened once a year, and then eventually DesignerCon moved to Vegas. So there was kind of an empty presence in Los Angeles, where a lot of toy collectors and designers wanted to meet up and share the passion for buying indie merch, but there was no meeting spot as big as it had been before.
I know there are other places in LA, like Toy Art Gallery, and areas like Q Pop that carry indie toys, but I do not know. I think there is always a need for more. And I feel like sometimes a lot of stores and galleries carry very established artists. They either come from overseas and already have a big name, or they are based in the US and already have a huge name. So I think with our store, where we really lean in, is finding newer designers who do not necessarily have that platform yet.
Gordon Sun: Yeah, especially being artists ourselves, we know how hard it is to break into stores and galleries. So we definitely understand that part. We wanted to use the space to help bring out emerging artists and support them.
Diego Higuera: I really want more independent designers to stand out, especially in LA. We have numerous people constantly creating and releasing new things. That is why I love coming down to your store, because you see a smorgasbord of everybody. And as you said, when people think of Pop Mart, they usually think of very established names. But I can tell you right now, there are probably twenty different things in here that I know people back home would go crazy over.
And honestly, the main reason I wanted to talk to you guys is to get your story out there. Indietoy Con, especially, feels like it must have been a massive undertaking. How did the event begin, and what made you want to expand into hosting a full convention?
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: It started really casually. It was actually next door to us at Nucleus. They had asked us, “Hey, have you ever thought about trying a mini toy fest?” They had availability in their schedule to host us for one day, so they offered to let us rent the space. We thought, “Let’s try it out.”
I think what helped was that we already knew a lot of people within the local toy scene, so we reached out to them. Some people even flew in. We had already built our community. So it was not easy, maybe that is not the word, but it was smooth to set up because everyone was around. And again, Design Con had already left, so we just did it.
We did not expect that many people to come. We thought it would mostly be people in the area, like, “Oh, what is going on there?” We also made it free for that reason, because we were uncertain how the crowd would take it. But all of the artists marketed the event as well, and that helped push the name of the event. When it ended, everyone was like, “Oh, I think you guys should do that again,” especially because one hundred percent of the sales went to the artists. We intentionally made the table costs very affordable.
Diego Higuera: I appreciate that. I did not want to get too personal about finances, but I was curious how well the event performed. From the photos, it looked like the space was packed.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: So good. It was packed. We also changed it; it’s not in the summer anymore because it was way too hot. Even people vending inside were feeling bad for people outside in line because it was roasting out there. So we moved it to February. We’re hoping to do one again in the fall, but we just haven’t figured out the logistics yet.
Gordon Sun: Honestly, we made a good amount, but it’s not something we do to make money. It was about helping out the community, not just the money. Especially in the state of industry, a lot of people don’t have work, and are just trying to do their own thing now. So just trying to think about that.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: So it was fun reaching out to people. It was also much more manageable because we could only allow about 30 vendors due to space limitations. I guess that’s why now, because of how popular it became when we were starting, we’re already planning the next one.
The challenge now is trying to cycle out artists so it’s not the same group every time, because that wouldn’t be fair. There are so many toy designers in LA that we didn’t even know about, and they all want to be part of it. That’s the hard part now, picking and choosing.
The February one is mostly a new roster. We communicated with everyone back in August, saying, “This one’s for a newer crowd. Let’s give them the opportunity.” And in the future, we promised we would reunite with the previous group for another mini Indietoy Con.
Diego Higuera: What have you learned from your previous year of Indietoy Con? What are you looking forward to adding?
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: I think the biggest thing is that we both see the opportunity for it to grow, but we are taking our time thinking about whether we want to upscale it or keep it the way it is right now. Our primary focus when we came into indietoy was to uplift indie toy designers and do that within the boundaries of the shop.
Gordon Sun: I mean, we learned a lot. There was so much. Crowd control, especially. I think next time we will definitely be better about managing lines. There were some really big, well-known artists there. For example, everyone was super talented, but one of them was Chris Lee, and he already had a long line.
Because of how the space was planned, it did not really account for him having that kind of line, so it ended up getting in the way of foot traffic and everything. Yeah, that is definitely one thing we learned for next time.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Yeah, we learned, and there are ways we are figuring that out now. I think a good thing, which thankfully worked at the first Indietoy Con, was having a mix of more seasoned professionals who have been around for decades, combined with people who are just starting.
We also did not put all of the seasoned professionals right at the front. We placed them in specific, designated areas, which helped the crowd flow through the floor. If you put all of them in the front, people are just going to stop there. But if you place some of them in the back, people are more inclined to move through the entire floor and then reach them at the end, which they were going to do anyway, since those designers are more well-known.
Diego Higuera: Are you looking into volunteers for Indietoy Con?
Gordon Sun: That’s a good idea. We’re definitely going to man up our staff. We had people. We definitely had help last time, but we’ll probably get more just to always improve the experience.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: That is a good idea! Because last time, the volunteers were our family and close friends. It would have been gnarly to do that [with] just the two of us.
Diego Higuera: I was going to ask about the challenges that come with making the event happen, but I think you just covered most of them. And for context, I do not think that is a bad thing at all. It is growing as you continue to build it.
Within just one year, it already had a pretty big impact, to the point where it was showing up on Twitter and Instagram. I thought that was really cool. Going from that into this year, I can only imagine how much you have improved it, and I think it is going to be great. What are you guys most excited for with the upcoming event in February?
Gordon Sun: The new artists. Yeah, just the roster changing. I think I’m really excited about that!
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: When we pick the artists, it’s hard not to get excited to see them because we even pick up our own toys while we are there.
[Everyone laughs]
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Yeah, and it is also great because we try to get new inventory for the shop during that time. It is exciting to see some artists I have never even seen in person at an event. I have only seen their work online, and then, thankfully, they agreed to join. For those artists, I am so excited to buy their stuff.
Gordon Sun: Also excited for it to be a bit cooler!
Diego Higuera: From what I am seeing, there is still a lot of buzz on Twitter right now. People are clearly looking forward to Indietoy Con. I have even seen some small discussion boards talking about it. What you have planned feels like a great way to build momentum.
Gordon Sun: The best part is it’s going to be two days this time instead of one. We are excited to try that out to see what happens. We want to give flexibility to the artists, so no one artist is locked into one day.
Diego Higuera: Keeping that flexibility in mind, how do you hope this Indietoy Con event can help the indie artist community moving forward?
Gordon Sun: I think it is really about establishing the brand more, so more indie artists are aware of what Indietoy Con is and when Indietoy Con happens. That way, they know there is a place for them to apply and be part of it. Being able to take part in that mini toy fest scene and just try their hand at it is really important.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: I wanted to add onto that it is cool to see the older generation and the younger generation in the toy creative industry together. A lot of the older generation has been doing this for twenty to thirty years, and now there is this whole new wave of toy designers. I feel like those paths do not usually cross in such an intimate way.
DesignerCon exists for that purpose as well, but that floor is huge. Usually, those are well-seasoned professionals with massive booths. In the Indietoy Con space, everyone’s table is pretty much the same size, and you are not aisles away from someone who has been making toys for forty years. They are literally in the next row. When we plan where to place people, it creates a great opportunity for them to network and connect with those veterans.
Gordon Sun: It becomes intimate and down to earth. It is a good environment for older artists to teach newer artists and learn from each other, and to inspire each other. Maybe the new generation brings something fresh that the whole community can learn from, too.
Diego Higuera: What do you feel has been the biggest difference in terms of seeing the older generation and the new generation?
Gordon Sun: Yeah, I think maybe taste-wise. The older generation grew up with a different generation of comics, fandom, and shows. The new generation is definitely inspired by a lot of different things, so it is interesting to see what their tastes are.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Oh, you know, a good example of someone in the older generation is Chompton. He has his own designs, but he is really cool. He has been making toys for a long time, and his specialty is collaborating with lots of different artists. He reaches out to a lot of the newer generation of toy designers. That’s how he made this—it was a collaboration with another toy designer, that’s exactly the kind of thinking we want to motivate with our event.
You can see someone from different parts of the community. That openness is what makes this work. When both generations come together, you get a toy that encapsulates many different forms of culture and entertainment. Sorry, I tend to trail off sometimes.
Diego Higuera: I get your point.
Gordon Sun: Think another difference is in techniques. The older generation tends to have a more polished design process, while the newer generation is more raw and not afraid to make a toy or collectible that isn’t perfectly polished. Their work can feel more organic, free-form, and vibe-driven. I think those are two key differences.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: I can see that. For the older generation, some rules are set in stone, and there are established procedures. With the newer toy generation, the procedures are less rigid, and it’s more about experimentation.
Gordon Sun: When you’re newer, you don’t have the experience, so you try many new things and experiment. Older designers have experience, so they can build on what they’ve done and go in a more informed direction. I guess it’s a pro and con kind of thing.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Technology is so different now. It’s more accessible to make your own vinyl toys. Some people are still in college, but they’re already learning to make toys at home, which is amazing. When older designers were starting, that wasn’t accessible, so they had to follow a strict plan. Often, production was only done overseas, so they had to go through each step carefully to get the final sofubi at the end.
Diego Higuera: Now you have people with massive machines in their garage making their own toys on a whim.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: Yeah, honestly! They’re figuring out how to do incredible things at home. It might not always be the safest, but it’s different.
Diego Higuera: I’m seeing people make molds from 3D prints instead of using traditional mold casting. It’s crazy hearing you both talk about this because it’s putting a lot into perspective. There are these new and old designers with years of experience, and now years later, these people are doing things that were unheard of when they started.
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: I couldn’t believe it when someone came in and said, “Oh, I make my own sofubi at home.” There was only one person we knew of in the US who did that, and he trained in Japan. That was the person we were always told to go to. But then this designer came in and said she was figuring out how to do it at home, and even showed us some examples. It’s vinyl, so it’s amazing to see.
Diego Higuera: Any last words you want to share with fans, people hoping to attend Indietoy Con, or anything else?
Melina Ode Rudianto-Sun: We often get feedback from people who think we’ve been around for a while. When we stop and think about it, it’s crazy because we haven’t even hit our half-year mark. We try to manage our own expectations and do our best not to overpromise. For example, with Indietoy Con, the demand is definitely there, but we’re taking our time to make sure everything is carefully organized. We don’t want it to become a convention where the purpose diminishes. Right now, it’s really about the artists.
Gordon Sun: It’s just about remembering the brand identity and keeping that true to indietoy. Maybe a question that could have been asked is whether we’re planning other events or shows that stay true to the core of indietoy.
Make sure not to miss out! You can find more information on their website here! To help manage the unprecedented turnout expected this year, VIP tickets have been introduced. VIP access is available on Saturday only and grants guests one hour of early entry, allowing time to explore the gallery and purchase items before general admission begins. If you’re interested, check out their page here!
