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| The work by Gundam model guru Joe Lin that won him the championship for the Taiwan region at the 2011 Gunpla Builders World Cup. (Chin Hung-hao) |
Japanese urban vinyl designer figure Be@rbrick. (photo by Yang Wen-ching) |
Toy figures inspired by the movie Iron Man. (Chin Hung-hao) |
A 12-inch human figurine jointly designed by Mayday drummer Guan You and Hong Kong toy designer William Tsang. (Chin Hung-hao) |
Molly, created by Hong Kong pop toy designer Kenny Wong, and To-Fu Oyaku, by Japanese designer Shinichiro Kitai (“Shin”), have many fans throughout Southeast Asia. (Chin Hung-hao) |
Toy figures feature in the childhood memories of many of us; they were good friends of ours as we grew up. But these days, toy figures are no longer just playthings for kids; they’re objects that soothe grownup souls as well as collectibles to be placed proudly on display.
In Taiwan, the word gongzai (“figure” or “figurine”) has become a trendy term as well as a corporate marketing tool. But they’re also objets d’art that have entered the hallowed halls of art museums, and enjoy the adulation of fans. What social significance does the toy figure culture reflect, and how intense is the Taiwanese love for these items?
During the sweltering summer heat, the 9th annual Taipei Toy Festival proves popular. A crowd of people are lined up at the booth of Hong Kong pop toy designer Kenny Wong, awaiting his autograph.
The Taipei Toy Festival, sponsored by Monster Taipei, saw only 4,000 to 5,000 visits during its initial run in 2003, but the number reached 20,000 to 30,000 this year. The average age of the visitors was between 25 and 30, but children as young as 12 attended too.
Jen Huang, director of Monster Taipei, a company that distributes Japanese and American toys, organized the toy festival with profits from his toy store. At first he intended it to be a one-time-only event; little did he know that the festival would continue to grow, not only receiving wide acclaim from Taiwanese toy figure aficionados, but also attracting designers from Hong Kong, Japan, the US, France, Spain, mainland China and South Korea to come at their own expense to exhibit their work.
“The Taipei Toy Festival has become the most important platform in the Asia-Pacific region for toy figure designers to exchange ideas,” Huang smiles.
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