Toy2R
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Raymond Choy |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong, People's Republic of China |
| Products | Designer toys |
| Website | http://www.toy2r.com/ |
Toy2R (abbreviation of Toy to Raymond) is a designer toy company based in Hong Kong that was founded by Raymond Choy in 1995.
History
Choy spent 10 years as an employee of an American footwear company. During his tenure there, he developed skills in general business operation, especially quality control. Following his dream of combining his hobby with his career, Choy pursued a business degree and studied design, working all the while.
After much research and planning, he opened a toy store in 1995. Four years later, Choy observed a recent trend in collectible toys, now known as designer toys, specifically urban vinyl movement of toy design. He decided to put all his funds into the development of a vinyl figure, intended more as art than as a plaything. He called this figure the Toyer. Toy2r is one of the pioneers and amongst the first to explore the potential of the designer toy phenomenon, combing art and developing vinyl toys for the collectors market, and turned it into an internationally recognized[citation needed] company.
Products
The Toyer design, which resembles a simplified human form with a head that resembles a cartoon skull, became his first trademark. The commercial response to this figure led to support from artists and designers all over the world, and enabled his next endeavor, the Qee figure.
In 2001, Choy designed a series of figures originally intended for use as keychains, and named it the Qee Keychain Collection. The distinctive Qee (pronounced Key) design resembles a round and squat human form, and features a variety of animal heads and a broad range of paint applications. The Qee figure and its many variations (over 1500 figures have been produced to date)[citation needed] are the signature product of the Toy2R brand.
The Qee figure is noteworthy for being one of the most easily recognized designer toys.[citation needed] Toy2R has collaborated with artists and designers from all over the world, including illustrators such as Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Coop, Tara McPherson, David Horvath and Frank Kozik. Additionally, Toy2r has been commissioned to create exclusive Qee figures for such companies as Adidas, DKNY, Mitsubishi, Xbox 360, Nokia, Sony, Clutter Magazine, and Starbucks.[citation needed]
Awards
- 2008 Innovation & Creativity Grand Award by Hong Kong Awards for Industries (HKAI)
- 2008 Best Innovation & Creativity for Young in China Award by 1626 Magazine
- CAPITAL Leader of Excellence 2007 Awards by Capital Publishing Limited
- 2007 Innovative Entrepreneur Award by City Junior Chamber
- 2007 Vinyl Toy of the Year from Plastic and Plush
- AFT's (Action Figure Times) Best Block Toy Award for seven consecutive years running since 2002
- AFT's Best Vinyl Toy Award in 2006
- AFT's Most Innovative Company Award in 2004
- AFT's Toygodd's Crystal Award from 2003–2005 and many more.