Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Vendor Cody Smith Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Adam Legett, owner of Nerdvana in Huntsville, Ala., and Mississippi Toycon organizer Neal Bumpus Photo by Dustin Cardon
Sharmaine Frazier, owner of Little Shop of Toys in Pearl, Miss. Photo by Dustin Cardon
Keith Wall, owner of Brick Wall Toys in New Orleans, La., and his son Davison Wall Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Clifton Kinsey, owner of Bang Pow Toys in Brandon, Miss. Photo by Dustin Cardon
Vendor Matt Lee Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Will Rice, owner of Rice Collectibles in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Dustin Cardon
Jason Mapp, owner of Mapp of the Lost Treasures Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Photo by Dustin Cardon
Vendor Zelia West Photo by Dustin Cardon
Jared Bumpers and Ariel Vail, owners of Jared’s Toy Box in Mobile, Ala. Photo by Dustin Cardon

Classic toy vendors from across Mississippi and beyond gathered for the second annual Mississippi Toycon, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Pearl Community Center. Organizer Neal Bumpus partnered with Nerdvana Comics, Games & Collectibles in Huntsville, Ala., to host the event.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.