Magic Pony is dedicated to the exhibition and promotion of the best in young contemporary art. As a publisher, studio and retail space, Magic Pony showcases work that blurs the boundaries between art, design, visual culture and creative retail.

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, 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 programming.

Perhaps best known for its carefully selected display of urban vinyl, Magic Pony is at the forefront of the designer toy phenomenon. 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.

With a dynamic programming range, Magic Pony Gallery variously comprises illustration, graphic design, urban art, pop surrealism, character design, comics, material art, and a DIY zine 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 Kozyndan, Gary Taxali, Derrick Hodgson, Dalek, Gary Baseman, Nathan Jurevicius, Team Macho, and Nicoletta Ceccoli, among others.

In 2006, Magic Pony initiated a publishing venture with two available titles, and three titles currently in production. My Mania: The Art of Derrick Hodgson comprehensively details the paintings and drawings of Derrick Hodgson. Using aspects of cartoon, graffiti and contemporary design, Hodgson creates a style and environment that has quickly advanced him to the forefront of contemporary character design. Fancy Action Now: The Art of Team Macho was published in 2007, the first monograph on Toronto-based five-man art collective, Team Macho. Documenting their prolific work over a 3-year period, Fancy Action Now explores the group’s unique attitude toward collaboration, a highly competitive spirit where the very nature of their alliance revolves around thwarting and subverting each other’s contributions.

Magic Pony Publications are carried in bookshops, boutiques, galleries and museums internationally. Stockists include: The Vancouver Art Gallery, The Museum of Modern Art, The Walker Art Center, The Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Saatchi Gallery. Magic Pony Publications are distributed exclusively throughout Europe and the United Kingdom by Signature Books Services.

Magic Pony was created for people to connect, enjoy, learn and be inspired. A Dadaist take on “unicorn,” our name evokes the rare and magical; and the chance discovery of something you didn’t know existed.

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