Since art toys have become popular, the market has grown significantly. According to the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce, art toys have become popular since "kidult" collectors, with high purchasing power, look for toys to fulfil their childhood desires. In 2023, the art toy market generated a total revenue of 19.7 billion baht and a profit of 468 million baht.
To boost the Thai art toy industry, Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC) under the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), organised the exhibition "Unbox Thai Art Toys", which provided opportunity to 35 Thai artists, designers and creators to showcase their work. These 35 creators were selected from a total of 60 who submitted their work to the CEA.
Lerchart Thamtheerasathian, the director of the Department of Knowledge Development of CEA, explained that the CEA is interested in creators who create art toys inspired by local heritage.
"We seek creators who incorporate Thai elements into their work. One creator made a character inspired by Lady Mo, or Thao Suranari, the heroine of Nakhon Ratchasima. The Lady Mo art toy character will help the young generation learn of her heroism. There are many local stories that can be told through art toys. Besides art toys inspired by local culture, some were selected because they tell a unique story that people can connect to," explained Lerchart.
From left, Vissarut Suebprasit and Eakasit Chankong, founders of Bennovo Studio, with Mama Kaka.
Bennovo Studio, Coppertoy and Suntudio all have art toy characters on display at the exhibition, which also features the art toy Huuyaow.
Bennovo Studio was founded by interior designers Eakasit Chankong and Vissarut Suebprasit who are figurine and comic collectors. Their first character, Mama Kaka, is an old lady who wears a bright outfit, has colourful flowers in her hair and a small yellow monster perches on her head. Bennovo Studio also has two other characters: The Boy, who represents ordinary people; and Corgino, inspired by their pet corgi.
Vissarut explained that the idea of Mama Kaka came when his mother had to undergo surgery and he realised that everyone grows old and gets sick.
"Mama Kaka appears in pastel colours to represent her bright spirit. The monster on Mama Kaka's head was inspired by my sister who always takes care of my mother. Although they often bicker, they love each other," said Vissarut.
The founder and designer of Coppertoy is Tawin Na Chiangmai. Tawin brought three characters, Kudsala, Matang and Mommam, to the exhibition. He said when he created the first character Kudsala, Thai art toys were based on Japanese and American concepts and styles. He intended to create a Thai character and Kudsala was inspired by a rhino. The Thai word for rhino is raet which also has a negative meaning when used to describe a person.
Tawin Na Chiangmai, founder of Coppertoy, with Kudsala, centre, Matang, left, and Mommam.
As Kudsala wears a Thai traditional dress, the character is often used as an offering for a prayer that has been fulfilled by a deity. Although the first batch of Kudsala toys sold out, Tawin realised Kudsala appeals to only specific people since raet is a strong word. He later created Matang, a young rhino character, and Mommam, which was inspired by Mom, a deity in the Himmanpan Mountain. Mom in Lanna myth is a combination of many animals including a dog, a cat, a lizard, a monkey and a tiger.
"Elephants are often used as mascots in festivals in Chiang Mai. I hope that Mommam can replace elephants as mascots," said Tawin.
Chakorn Kajornchaikul, the founder of Suntudio, is a fan of superheroes. He is passionate about creating superheroes for Bangkok. He created the Bangkok Keepers collection, inspired by garbage collectors, street sweepers and septic tank drainers. Each superhero has a special power connected to their job. For example, the garbage collector superhero is exposed to sunlight and heat, so the character is designed to capture heat energy and release it as fire.
Another collection, Bangkok Road Racer, was inspired by three other jobs: motorcycle taxi drivers, tuk tuk drivers and bus drivers. Chakorn selected these professions because people in these jobs have very distinct characteristics. All of them play a significant part in Bangkok because they drive around the city taking people to various places.
Mantana Lertkornkitja, the creator of Huuyaow.
When Mantana Lertkornkitja had to move out and live far away from friends, she created Huuyaow, a cute girl with rabbit ears. Huuyaow was created to be her friend and to remind people of their childhood when they could do whatever they wanted. They did not have to care much about other people's opinions. Huuyaow with four ears reminds people to listen to their own voices.
These characters, created by Thai artists, have received excellent feedback although some of them focus on design and not marketing. Lerchart commented that there are many factors that can attract customers to art toys.
"The main target customers of art toys are Gen Y and Gen Z. Therefore, they tend to purchase art toys because these products provide emotional support or they feel connected to the products or the products bring back good memories. Another factor is excitement or fun, especially the blind box strategy. The last factor is the collaboration between artists which can draw both of their fan bases to purchase their collaborative product."
Eakasit and Vissarut of Bennovo Studio had the opportunity to collaborate with Unilever and Shopee. After their characters Mama Kaka and Corgino appeared on the shopping platform, more people became interested in them. Mama Kaka also collaborated with Chinese artists, Forerunner and P-Pet Xeno, so they were able to gain international recognition.
Chakorn Kajornchaikul, founder of Suntudio.
Huuyaow recently appeared in Tourism Authority of Thailand's project titled "Art Toy Journey Collection". Huuyaow is seen wearing clothes made with local fabric to promote Uttaradit, Sakon Nakhon, Suphan Buri, Narathiwat and Chanthaburi. The project helped Huuyaow become better known among the public.
As exhibition participants, all artists agreed that the exhibition and activities allowed them to catch up with Thailand's art toy trend. They also had the opportunity to exchange information and network.
While the domestic market is doing well, Lerchart believes that it is possible for Thai artists to market their art toys internationally.
"Even though people come from different cultures, there are some things that everyone can connect to, such as the global phenomenon Moo Deng. There is a cuteness that can connect people all over the world. Out of the 35 art toys on display, many have potential but some characters may appeal to only niche markets. Therefore, creators must understand the market, or in other words what and who they will sell to."
"Unbox Thai Art Toys" runs at TCDC Bangkok, the Grand Postal Building, Charoen Krung Road, until May 25. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/tcdc.thailand.
The Boy by Bennovo Studio.
Bangkok superheroes by Suntudio.
