Pla ta pian _ wind mobiles in the shape of a carp _ may be harder to find nowadays, but for a lucky few this locally made handicraft remains a thriving business, generating income of 20,000 to 40,000 baht a month for makers in Bangkok's Thawi Watthana district.
These mobiles made from bai lan, or fan palm fronds, used to be a common sight, swaying in the breeze above babies' cribs.
The woven fish caught on among Thais partly due to the local belief that the carp is a symbol of prosperity.
Back then people believed pla ta pian were a symbol of abundance. The fish grow to full size around the same time that rice is ready for harvesting. They called the period kao mai pla man _ "new rice and delicious fish."
Somewhere along the line, pieces of pla ta pian were put together to form a mobile, which was then hung over a baby's cradle. The mobile is also a toy.
While lying in the cradle, the baby will watch the mobile move until lulled to sleep.
"A pla ta pian mobile is considered auspicious for the baby. Parents use them to bless their children with good health and prosperity, like the abundance of pla ta pian in the olden days," said Nuttatorn Dangsepon, chairman of pla ta pian mobile community enterprise. The former shipping company employee formed the community enterprise six years ago in Thawi Watthana, Bangkok, selling delicate decorative pla ta pian openwork made from fan palm fronds.
Fan palm fronds are traditionally believed to be a propitious plant as they were used as manuscripts for Buddhist scriptures.
Bai lan is tough but not brittle, which also makes it suitable for weaving.
Several of the enterprise's founding members are from Ayutthaya, the home of this folk craft, and one of them is aged 80.
The venture now has 13 members.
"The number of pla ta pian weavers has dropped and unique designs on the mobiles have been fading away. Without conservation, this sort of openwork will eventually disappear," said Mrs Nuttatorn.
According to Mrs Nuttatorn, pla ta pian may be regarded as worthless by people today, but the mobiles are in fact artistic works, and part of Thai tradition.
However, she admitted it is not the community alone that helps ensure thriving business, as the enterprise is partly funded by the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (Sacict), a non-profit public organisation of the Commerce Ministry, which plays a vital role expanding marketing channels, allowing the mobiles to be showcased at international roadshows and providing international markets and match-making.
Sacict also helps compile historic records and traditional designs of the mobiles.
With regional economic integration approaching over the next three years, Mrs Nuttatorn said Thai openwork and handicrafts as well as her community enterprise's products are expected to face stiffer competition, while some Thai traditional artistic works may disappear altogether.
Sorakit Manbuphachart, chairman of the gift and decorative industry club, said Thai handicraft products have a promising outlook given their uniqueness, quality craftsmanship and wide range of products.
Sacict forecasts Thai handicraft exports will grow by 4% to US$898 million this year.
Thai handicraft exports mostly consist of hand-woven textiles, silver and gold ornaments as well as wooden sculptures and ceramics. Europe is the leading market, accounting for 20%, followed by the US (18%) and Japan (11%). Other key markets include Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, India, Singapore and Myanmar.
Although exports to EU countries and the United States are expected to fall somewhat, the performance of the Asian market will be reassuring, according to Pimpapaan Chansilpa, CEO of Sacict.
She said the organisation will aggressively promote Thai handicraft products with new innovations, aiming to boost incomes for local people as well as drive up export revenue.
Sacict is also committed to promoting innovation in arts and crafts, as the industry needs to shift to making value-added products.
"The industry can no longer produce standard or plain design products, as that market is highly competitive and the products can be easily copied," Ms Pimpapaan said.
The organisation has launched a project called "Thai Navatasilp: Innovative Art of Thai Crafts" to help local handicraft entrepreneurs adopt new technology and develop creative designs for their products. The project has also helped design new packaging to appeal to more customers.
Producers have adopted new technology for weaving and painting combined with traditional Thai production and design so that the products have become more interesting and attractive to customers in many countries.