*ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
Designer Toy Art Festival
23rd Street Armory
Philadelphia
August 8-10, 2025
VVVVVVV
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Hey, Ho! LET'S GO!!!
*Assembly Required is an amazing designer toy and art event that celebrates the independent toy culture, as well as the artistic community that moves in the same orbit.
Having attracted leading creatives from around the world, *Assembly Required has partnered with Philadelphia local pop-culture powerhouses, as well as award-winning designer toy brands, to launch the first-ever Designer Toy & Art Festival in Philadelphia!
Focusing on the aesthetics of underground art and pop culture, this three day festival will have events across the city culminating with the main event:
The Designer Toy & Art Expo
If you are interested in participating in a echo chamber of inspiration, and surrounding yourself with your people... you're in the right place.
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PLEASE NOTE:
This is a curated event.
We are looking for variety and creativity that resonate with the sensibilities of the underground art subculture. You have been asked to apply as we think you might have something offer, and we would like to review the products you might consider selling at our event.
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Origin Story
Seven years ago... in a state far, far away...
On February 16 & 17, 2019,
*Assembly Required: The Asheville Designer Toy Expo
premiered in Asheville, NC.
Bringing together some of the most talented artists in the designer and street art scene, *Assembly Required was excitedly embraced by artists and collectors alike and immediately marked its place as the largest event of it's kind in the US, dedicated exclusively to the independent artists in the art toy community.
As the adopted home town of the organizers, Asheville was selected as the destination of the event because there was a shared sensibility between the pop/deviant art culture of the movement, and Asheville’s culture.
Having lived in Asheville for 16yrs, organizers learned something of the ingredients that might comprise the recipe of a successful second location. Another city that also had a similar shared sensibility with subculture:
Philadelphia.
Philly is a city that organizers of *Assembly Required have first hand, working knowledge of.
This is because in a previous life organizers of *Assembly Required lived in Philadelphia for the 16 years preceding that move to Asheville.
In giving *Assembly Required a second home in Philadelphia, organizers are saying 'thank you' to a city that gave them some of the best years and memories of their life.
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Let's talk about culture for a second...
"In the ever-evolving landscape of American cities, Philadelphia has carved out a prominent niche as a hub of arts and culture”. "Its “collaborative spirit has fueled its artistic renaissance”. In 2025, USA Today voted Philly “Best City in America for Street Art”, for a second time! For more than four decades, the city has been known as the "Mural Capital of the World," mainly thanks to Mural Arts Philadelphia, which is behind more than 4,000 of the city's murals. “This win — along with Philly’s other recent USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award for the Most Walkable City in America — joins the city’s growing list of recent awards [and] accolades [...]. In the past year alone [Philly] has been named a top travel destination by Tripadvisor, one of the 50 best cities in the world by Time Out, and one of the nation’s best food cities by Condé Nast Traveler.”
https://culturaldata.org/learn/data-at-work/2023/philadelphia-pa-arts-vibrancy-2022
https://www.freewallphiladelphia.org/the-collaborative-spirit-of-artists-in-philadelphia-pa
https://www.visitphilly.com/features/philly-voted-best-city-for-street-art-by-usa-today
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SHARING BOOTH SPACE
Please remember that this is a curated event.
All artists must be approved.
If you want to share a space with another vendor, please add their name & email address to the field requesting it below. Their participation is not guaranteed. They will be sent an application form to apply to participate in the event to show us examples of what they intend on selling.
If you are considering sharing your table and decide at a later date to do so, please let us know ASAP, as an additional review of your product will need to occur to confirm their eligibility for the show.
Deviation from this policy will impact eligibility in future *Assembly Required events.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions about this or anything else at UnboxingAsheville@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram at @_AssemblyRequired_ .
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Referral Discount Program – Save on Your Application!
Whether you're a returning artist or a first-time participant, Assembly Required Philadelphia is excited to offer a new way to save on your application through our Referral Discount Program!
How it works:
- When an artist applies, they must include “Referred by [Your Name]” in the Special Requests section of their application.
- If the artist you referred is accepted, you receive 20% off your registration fee!
It's that simple.
If you’re not registered yet and are only just applying, both you and your referral must be accepted in order for you to receive the 20% off your application. If you’re already registered, you’ll receive a 20% rebate to the card you used to apply.
No limits — refer as many artists as you want!
For every accepted artist you refer, you’ll receive another 20% rebate. Depending on your table/space size and the number of referrals, this could even add up to a free table/space!
Let your friends know — *Assembly Required Philadelphia is better with you all there!
