With a motto of "Creating what we want to make," MEDICOM TOY continues to grow, freely traversing the realms of fashion, music, and art. The event "MEDICOM TOY EXHIBITION '22," which serves as the stage for the first public unveiling of new products the company plans to release, was held from Saturday, July 23rd to Thursday, August 28th, 2022, at Space O on the 3rd basement floor of Omotesando Hills Main Building. Furthermore, this year saw the announcement of "du-al.io™," an anti-counterfeiting solution utilizing blockchain technology, jointly developed with Hakuhodo Products. This report covers the venue, which garnered widespread attention as a groundbreaking initiative for the Web3.0 era.

Since its establishment in 1996, MEDICOM TOY has consistently presented its products to the world as "media." Each year, the company has delivered announcements filled with "surprise" and "emotion," leading to the 20th iteration of the MEDICOM TOY EXHIBITION. This annual festival has flourished as a venue for the world premiere of new toys such as BE@RBRICK, MAFEX, and UDF, as well as apparel and merchandise from MLE and FABRICK®, all scheduled for future release or currently in development.

As with last year, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, attendance required advance lottery application. However, this year, by designating specific time slots each day and allowing for free time, efforts were made to enable more people to visit.

The event logo was designed by graffiti artist "STASH," who has collaborated with MEDICOM TOY on numerous items for nearly 20 years. The dynamism conveyed by the spray-painted letters on the street walls heightens anticipation for the items to come.

The venue was laid out to evoke Brooklyn, New York, STASH's base of operations. The walls were adorned with drawings by SHUN SUDO, in line with this year's theme of "Art and Peace." SUDO is a contemporary artist who has garnered global attention, notably for his mural at the Tokyo Olympics skateboarding venue last year. He added a touch of splendor with "Button Flower," a piece imbued with a positive message: "I want to connect people's hearts like buttons connect two pieces of fabric."

In addition to new exhibits of toys including BE@RBRICK, MAFEX, and UDF, as well as apparel and miscellaneous goods from MLE and FABRICK®, a special exhibition curated from MEDICOM TOY's extensive archives spanning 26 years was also presented.

Newly announced at this event was the groundbreaking solution "du-al.io™" for ensuring authenticity through the integration of real and digital verification. With the expansion of the e-commerce market, consumers are increasingly purchasing counterfeit goods, mistaking them for genuine products due to sophisticated counterfeiting techniques. This new technology, developed in collaboration with Hakuhodo Products under the supervision of MEDICOM TOY, offers a solution.

The system, which combines NFC and NFT technologies, allows both companies and consumers to verify authenticity in both real and digital realms. It holds the promise of rapidly spreading across all industries and sectors in the future.

The BE@RBRICK corner was a highlight, showcasing a stunning array of new products. It offered a comprehensive view of MEDICOM TOY's borderless activities.

"Papa of Baka-Bon" from "New Akatsuka," a collaboration between the genius manga artist Fujio Akatsuka and the brilliant contemporary artist Rieko Akatsuka, was released as a BE@RBRICK 1000%. The semi-transparent body reveals the glowing "New Akatsuka" text within.

The photo on the left shows "BE@RBRICK 1000% GOLD TEXALIUM." Texalium, which is fiberglass with vapor-deposited aluminum, is harder than carbon fiber or fiberglass and possesses the beautiful appearance of aluminum fibers. This is the ultimate 1000% BE@RBRICK, with gold carbon molded using an autoclave (large pressure vessel) and finished by hand, piece by piece. The photo on the right features "SHUN SUDO 1000%" by contemporary artist SHUN SUDO, who participated in this exhibition with his drawings.

The MAFEX new product corner unveiled new items from the iconic 80s sci-fi action film series "RoboCop" (photo left) and "Terminator" (photo right). The RoboCop features a fan-favorite battle-damaged version, highlighting the face of the protagonist, Murphy.

From the MAFEX "The Boys" series, following THE BOYS team's William "Billy" Butcher, SEVEN team's Homelander, Black Noir, and Starlight, prototypes for "The Deep," "A-Train," and "Queen Maeve" were revealed for the first time. Furthermore, "Soldier Boy," a key character from Season 3 released in June this year, has already been greenlit for production.

Kostas Seremetis, an artist based in Brooklyn, New York, who creates art inspired by American comics, has reassembled comic book Batman depictions from various eras by different renowned artists into three-dimensional figures.

This corner is a must-see for retro sofubi fans, featuring the Toei Retro Collection series, including "Kamen Rider," and "Godzilla" created by popular sculptor Yasaku Anraku.

Kazuo Umezu, the reclusive genius manga artist who released his first new work in 27 years at his major art exhibition, is represented here by Sekiya, the "extremely wicked tyrant" character from his masterpiece "Drifting Classroom," depicted riding a tricycle. Produced by NAGNAGNAG.

The special archive exhibition featured a large collection of MEDICOM TOY works by artists connected to New York, STASH's base and the designer of the event logo. On display were works by STASH's close friend, the legendary graffiti artist FUTURA; the now globally popular artist KAWS; as well as VCDs and BE@RBRICKs from ANDY WARHOL, KEITH HARING, and JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT.

Also exhibited was a 3000% BE@RBRICK inspired by "MAKE ART NOT WAR," by contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, known for "Obey," a piece inspired by Andre the Giant, and "Hope," used in former President Obama's 2008 election campaign.

This is a rare occasion to see such a comprehensive collection of KAWS figures, starting with the KAWS KUBRICK released by MEDICOM TOY in 2002, including the familiar COMPANION character and collaboration pieces.

A major highlight of this exhibition was the announcement of "du-al.io™," an anti-counterfeiting solution utilizing blockchain technology, developed by MEDICOM TOY and Hakuhodo Products. Aimed at protecting the trust between companies and consumers, it applies to collectible toys and art, as well as luxury apparel, watches, and accessories, which are prone to counterfeiting.

A demonstration of "BE@RBRICK," the first implementation case for "du-al.io™." A dedicated smartphone app non-contactually reads the chip embedded in the sole of the BE@RBRICK's foot, recognizing its unique ID. This appears to be a groundbreaking system for verifying authenticity in both real and digital forms within the secondary market.