Author|Liu Xiaotu
Editor|Li Chunhui
The presence of the two-dimensional in the three-dimensional is getting higher and higher. If at first the ACG people wanted to find an ideal state in the virtual world that was beyond real life, now they are trying to rebuild the real connection with the real world through the ACG culture.
In 2023, "millet" has become one of the few consumption hotspots. The news headline "Millet Shop Saves Old Mall" is really happening around everyone. Shanghai Bailian ZX has become a new holy place for two-dimensional check-in, and the offline comic exhibition BW (BilibiliWorld) at station B directly drives consumption around the venue. The restaurants and flower shops near Hard Candy Jun's house have been subleased several times, and the millet shop has opened several in a row, and there is always a queue in front of the cash register. More than one friend said that there are more people around him who buy grain, raise babies, and play with figurines.
During this year's National Day, the two-dimensional group is considered to be in full swing. From October 2nd to 3rd, Station B hosted the world's largest figure model exhibition Wonder Festival (hereinafter referred to as "WF"), attracting 100,000 exhibitors in two days.
On this National Day, Hard Candy Jun stood in the WF pavilion with a large bag and a small bag, looking around at other jubilant fans, and new and old players will have a strong sense of happiness: they are all back, they are all back.
It's not just big guys who play figures
The three-meter-tall Gundam statue, Hatsune Miku's super series, and the new peripherals of the "Honkai Star Railway" are super complete...... In the face of WF's more than 100,000 exhibits, there should be no figure lover who will go home empty-eyed and empty-handed.
Hard Candy Jun, who originally just wanted to shop casually, was hooked by all kinds of brain-clear works of his personal exhibitors, saying that he couldn't buy anymore, but his body honestly took away one after another. Of course, such a consumption level as Hard Candy Jun is not worth mentioning in WF. The limited edition figure of Ayanami Rei, priced at 59,999 yuan, was taken by the big guy in full only two hours after it was launched, and the dinosaur head priced at 148,000 yuan was announced to be sold out in the exhibition.
So the question is, is it necessary to have money to become a qualified figure lover?
Of course not. According to the "2024 China Figure Consumer Behavior Insight Data", the vast majority of consumers are looking for cost-effectiveness when buying figures, but they are also willing to pay a reasonable price for high-quality products. In other words, the current figure market has a huge price range, with a low consumption threshold but no ceiling.
Hard Candy Jun also observed that the pricing of the products sold on the spot at WF ranged from tens to hundreds of thousands, which can meet the needs of users with different attributes. Veteran players value the value of collectibility and even investment, and invest a lot of money to buy figurines with complex craftsmanship and a limited number of them. Ordinary enthusiasts value practicality and pay for their favorite brands, IPs, and images. Passers-by and friends are not idle, and they will spend money to try fresh products when they see them.
The first figure that Hard Candy Jun bought was the peripherals of "Neon Genesis Evangelion", and he was still looking for a friend to buy it from overseas. And now, the creative ecology has become more mature and huge, we have been able to easily buy all kinds of figures, hard candy Jun will also start to buy a lot of products that can't be named at all, whether it is a friend who is keen on Figma, GK or clayman, the display cabinet of the model figure at home is becoming more and more abundant.
I love Ayanami very much, but I won the Capibala in full!
A WF live audience member told Hard Candy Jun that he didn't pay attention to the second dimension before, and even looked down on the second dimension, thinking that it was all bells and whistles and strange things. "I played "Black Myth: Wukong" before, and this time I wanted to see the bust of Wukong, but I didn't expect so many fun gadgets. I bought a deformed body that I didn't recognize, which was cool and fun. ”
Not only hand-made figures, but also hobbies such as buying grain, collecting cards, and raising babies are also constantly generalized, and the once circle consumption has gradually become one of the mainstream consumption of contemporary times. Hard Candy Jun knows a baby girl, who is to raise cotton dolls with her children, "It's a mother and daughter and a friend, and the main interest is hereditary." ”
In Hard Candy Jun's view, there are at least three reasons why the two-dimensional peripherals such as figures and bars can always maintain the consumer market and even continue to expand: First, the content is rich, and categories such as figures, bars, trendy toys, and cotton dolls have become popular one after another relying on live broadcasts, short videos, offline malls and other channels, and everyone can claim the part they are most interested in. Second, the price is friendly and thrifty, and players can choose according to their needs. Third, the online and offline lines are fully opened, the boundaries between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional are constantly blurred, and the original closure of the circle has been broken.
In the early years, when we mentioned figurines, raising babies, etc., we always tended to define it as a niche hobby and personality circle. But now, it seems that this is no longer a special identity label for a fixed group, but a self-satisfying hobby, interest and even consumption experience.
The so-called circle, can't escape the entry threshold?
For any circle, fresh blood is the key to ensuring liquidity and vitality. But anywhere, if there are a few more people, it is easy to cause disputes. The process of "solid powder and new adoption" of the two-dimensional group is not so smooth, and there has been a difficult run-in period between new and old users.
One of the most common contradictions is that if the circles want to maintain their own positions and maintain their sense of superiority, they will often strengthen their internal purity by formulating rules, separating different circles, circles from the mainstream, and creating a semi-closed cultural zone. In fact, just three or five years ago, ordinary people were still curious and curious about the second dimension, and they were often shocked by the strict hierarchy and many rules within it.
At this stage, everyone can find the circle, but it is difficult to really blend in. Hard Candy Jun has a deep understanding that the first thing he did when he entered the pit figure circle was to make up classes everywhere and learn to distinguish Shanzheng, for fear that he would be complained about and disliked when he bought pirated products.
Today, this resistance between circles is being significantly weakened, and the entry threshold for budding new ones has been greatly reduced. The vast majority of senior players with mild values will take the initiative to complete basic science popularization, Douyin Xuegu card, Weibo cloud raising baby, and B station to see the figure model, ordinary passers-by can get close to it, appreciate, and understand the corresponding culture.
At this year's WF site, you can see Shuichi Miyawaki, the current president of Kaiyodo, overseas prototype artists Clayturnian, Ryo Takagi, Sakurako Ishicho, Ryu Oyama, and Katsuhisa Yamaguchi, and the guest lineup also covers top artists in professional fields such as concept design, digital sculpture, mechanical design, and IP creative development. Having fun completes the hardcore knowledge. Similarly, at the CP30 site, there were also a large number of individual creators setting up stalls, bringing a lot of non-standardized production but eye-catching works.
It can be said that creators of figurines, cards, trendy toys and other categories are increasingly showing higher participation, productivity, and creativity. In the case of figurines, for example, players have a lot of choice. You can collect, modify, color, and create originals to get a unique sense of participation; You can also occasionally watch short videos and watch live broadcasts, and take this as a daily entertainment; You can even be completely Buddhist, just look at what you like, and have a fragmented pastime.
According to statistics, the number of individual exhibitors at WF exceeded 1,000 this year, an increase of more than 50% year-on-year, and contemporary creators can also produce a large number of high-quality content and even classic works out of interest. On social platforms such as Station B and Weibo, netizen feedback also regarded individual exhibitors as the highlight of this year's beyond expectations, and praise such as "real fine chaff" and "fairy fight" can be seen everywhere. Hard Candy Jun not only gained a lot in the personal exhibition area, but also met his art colleagues who used to sell their original IP products in game companies. According to her, the business is quite good, and there are many old colleagues among the individual exhibitors, who used to make original paintings and figurines in the company, and now they have begun to create independently.
The real · gods in the personal exhibition area! I really want to buy it for my mom who loves mahjong
Whether it is a brand or an individual, these high-quality creations greatly enhance the malleability and fluidity of the figures. Unless users withdraw from the pit by themselves, there will always be content onlookers and product consumption. As a die-hard fan of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" who has reached middle age, hasn't Hard Candy Jun found his goal.
Why the hell is fascinating?
Many people have pondered the question of why some seemingly niche circles have very solid supporters, and these fans have an extraordinary level of dedication. This is related to how big an industry can be and whether it can become mainstream. Now the answer is in sight. In WF, creators who have spent a lot of effort to polish their figures, limited figures that have been snatched up, whether they are the younger generation, or the middle-aged group who have passed the age of establishment, or even those who are not confused, will still pay for their hobbies, and they are more able to pay for their hobbies.
It is worth noting that the core needs of the entire industry are always changing with the times, which means that brands and platforms must be differentiated and satisfied in order to tap increments and retain more people.
Taking the hot card industry as an example, the main domestic consumer groups are post-00s, and there are also users over 30 years old, whose consumption power should not be underestimated, but everyone pursues more rare cards, brand diversification, and unique products in order to continue to maintain the vitality of the circle.
It's the same with figurines. Figure prototype Feng Yangkun mentioned in an interview that in the current market, users are a little tired when they see mass-produced things, "If you have your own characteristics, or your own set of expressions, you can actually make your own things in the current environment." This may also explain why at the WF hosted by Station B, the prototype designers and personal booths have received far more attention than expected.
Feng Yangkun's original works on display at WF
Of course, IP is still an important element in maintaining the vitality of the figure industry. Combined with the situation of the WF scene, we will find that the content that is always attractive is either classic enough, such as Gundam, Hatsune Miku, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and other IPs have their own nostalgic aura, as long as they are combined with popular and continue to output new content, they can become popular and popular. or it is fresh enough, such as popular IPs such as "The Fifth Personality", "Blue Route", "Black Myth: Wukong", etc., which have their own topic heat, and can naturally gain considerable attention and exposure.
This also seems to be a common feature of ACG-related industries. In the card rivers and lakes, classic IPs such as Ultraman and Yu-Gi-Oh can always have a stable market, but new top-notch players such as Ye Luoli and My Little Pony can also overtake in corners, creating shocking consumer myths. IP gives a product a higher emotional value.
A large-scale figure exhibition like WF is a concrete presentation of the state of the circle. This is a co-creation and sharing space jointly built by founders + enthusiasts + cultural businesses, where the thoughts and thoughts of creators, copyright owners and core users can be fully flowed and perceived.
Onlookers may not understand why anyone is willing to spend so much time and effort polishing a model; Why are you willing to spend a lot of money on these models, but when you get close to them, you will find that there are thousands of worlds, personal pleasures are different, and it is extremely rare to find a hobby or even a career that you can devote yourself to, and meet a group of like-minded people.
Floating hatred and joy are less, and willing to love the daughter smiled lightly. No matter how poor you are, you can't be poor yourself, and no matter how hard you are, you can't be bitter. Figure this pit, I'm not ready to get out.