GET ready for Sonny Angels, Smiskis, and Popmarts galore! Tomorrow, on October 22, the Good Intentions Collective will be having its first-ever Sonny Swap: Blindbox and Art Market at Ayala Malls: the 30th in Pasig City. 

The event will run from 10 AM to 8 PM and will involve a plethora of fun events and activities such as Sonny Angel swaps, collectibles and blind boxes on sale, photo booths, and of course, food to chow on. 

At present, Good Intentions expects over 300 people to come to the event based on their social media engagements, and are happy to be at the forefront of an event aimed to support local merchants and artists.

22-year-old Kyra Gomez, who started organizing small informal Sonny Swap meets in places like Makati and Alabang, first had to put these events together all on her own.

“I wanted to build a community and a sisterhood over [the] expression of the same interests,” she shared.

“During this time, I met people like Julls who had [a] similar passion and drive, and I eventually invited her to help me manage our second informal Sonny swap in Greenbelt. After Ayala Malls had presented us with the opportunity, we were more than happy to take it, hence, since it was a formal event, I had to invite my long-time friend, Ange to help with internal affairs.” 

Since then, the three have been working together as the Good Intentions Collective. Nothing makes Gomez happier than being able to work alongside these two strong, capable, driven women. 

“Together, we manage [events] like clockwork, and we’re able to achieve all the tasks of planning with ease and, of course, teamwork,” she stated.

By women for women

One goal of Good Intentions is to build and bring communities together, allowing even the most niche of passions and interests to be celebrated. 

For this event in particular, Gomez and her team hope that it will help women to express themselves, and nurture their inner child.

She shared: “As girls and women, we’re often discouraged from collecting toys and other ‘senseless’ items. We grow up and mature faster [than] men, so we often abandon things from our childhood for more weighted responsibilities.”

She continued to say that she’s noticed most toy conventions cater to male audiences, which is why she and her team wanted to create a space for women – a place where you can just spend your day buying trinkets with your girls. 

A fun-filled day

Aside from Sonny Angels, Sanrio, Popmart, Smiski, Miffy, and Sylvanian Family products will be available at the event as well. Good Intentions has arranged for 30 merchants to be selling at this event.

If you’re not in the mood to spend any money, you can instead swap Sonny Angels you already have with other people, or even just take cute photos at their photobooths. (Take note though that the photobooth’s available until 6 PM only.) 

You can also grab a snack with the five food merchants that’ll be at the event, or join in on the prize-filled games courtesy of their sponsors, Angel Sonnys and Ayala Malls. 

It’s impossible to run out of things to do during this event because, according to 22-year-old organizer Julliana Flores, the event encompasses the second and third floors of the Activity Center of Ayala Malls the 30th. 

Aside from the merchants to shop from, there’s a swap area wherein people can trade with other eventgoers to find figurines they’re either in search of (ISO,) or desperately in search of (DISO.)

She shares that on the third floor, you’ll find a DIY station wherein you can make your own jewelry and enhance your beading skills, as well as get photos taken for free at Focal Image PH’s photo booth. 

Good Intentions prides itself in the fact that, for this event, its seller demographic is made up of mostly women. They’ve estimated that 96% of their sellers are women, while the remaining 4% are husbands or partners of women, or are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“We wanted to create a safe space for women to express themselves and be able to enjoy [their] interests without being self-conscious,” shared 22-year-old Angelie Bantog, another member of Good Intentions. 

“We created a space that enables us to get in touch with ourselves since the whole purpose of Sonny Angels and blind boxes is to support, connect to our inner child, and act as a coping mechanism as we grow into the responsibilities that we have. 

The collection admits that from the start, they aimed to make this a women-powered event so that everyone involved would feel completely and utterly safe.

Bantog added: “We wanted to have a very feminine-centered event that highlights our shared experiences of girlhood. We want them to enjoy an event made by women for women.” 

Come in your Halloween best

If you’re looking for an event that’ll heal the little girl inside you, this Sonny Swap is a perfect place for this. 

From art, prints, jewelry, coffee, food, and toys to official merchandise, blind boxes, handmade products, free photo booths, and even tarot readings, there’s a little something for everyone. 

And here’s the best part: in the spirit of Halloween, Good Intentions is encouraging eventgoers to come in their best costumes because they’ll be holding a costume contest! 

With cute abubots to buy and an excuse to wear the spookiest outfit you own, what more could you look for for a fun Sunday out with your girls?