Founded in 2002 by Steve Cober and Kristin Weckworth, Magic Pony began as a modest venture located in Toronto's Kensington Market that focused on importing rare designer toys from Asia for a small circle of devoted collectors. A year later operations moved to a small second-floor retail space in the Queen West Art District. Magic Pony expanded in 2004 with the addition of curated gallery programming, and expanded even further in 2005, when the shop and gallery relocated to a neighboring street-front property.
In December 2008, Magic Pony opened Narwhal Art Projects, an expanded gallery space dedicated exclusively to exhibitions. Today, Magic Pony and Narwhal boast an internationally-geared, ambitious schedule of art exhibitions, product launches, artist appearances and public event programming. For more information, visit Narwhal's website at www.narwhalartprojects.com.
Magic Pony was at the forefront of the urban vinyl phenomenon and was initially celebrated for its carefully selected collection of designer toys. A term used to describe collectibles produced in limited edition, in a variety of materials (vinyl, plastic, plush, wood), designer toys have become the contemporary version of the artist multiple, produced by multidisciplinary artists, illustrators and designers. The collision of street art, graffiti, fashion, hip hop and youth culture, urban vinyl first appeared in Hong Kong in the 1990s. Today the toy market has expanded worldwide, with some of the most successful designers coming out of the United States, Europe and Australia. Magic Pony casts a discerning eye to stock the best in designer toys, urban vinyl and art toys and remains Canada's premiere source for discovering original character design and unique artist multiples.
With a dynamic programming range, Magic Pony's Gallery variously comprises illustration, graphic design, urban art, pop surrealism, character design, animation, comics, material arts and a DIY aesthetic. Magic Pony actively explores the convergence of fine and commercial art, extending the ongoing discourse surrounding pop art and its contemporary transmutations. Dedicated to both championing local talent and bringing something new to Toronto's cultural sphere, Magic Pony has exhibited Gary Taxali, FriendsWithYou, Kozyndan, Dalek, Gary Baseman, Junko Mizuno, Nathan Jurevicius, Tara McPherson, Team Macho and Nicoletta Ceccoli, among others.
