Thailand Toy Expo: Artists give the much-maligned monitor lizard a cute new face

Hia is a Thai word doubling as a nickname for monitor lizards, and is essentially an equivalent to the English exclamation “F*ck!”

So, as you can guess, monitor lizards are far from having a great reputation in Thailand.

It’s because the slow, scaly creature is known for raiding people’s homes and eating their livestock (chickens, mostly) — and yet, hia was a large source of inspiration for organizer and designer toy collector Pongsathorn Thammawattana in putting together this year’s Thailand Toy Expo, which showcases designer toys from nearly 200 artists across the world.

The expo is on until this Sunday, May 6, and admission is free and open to all. It’s happening at the CentralWorld shopping mall. 

Pongsathorn, whose personal home collection numbers upwards to 100,000 toys, has organized the annual expo for the past six years. He recalls when he took German artist duo COARSE, who have worked with big brands like Nike and Vans, to Bangkok’s Lumpini Park, where monitor lizards roam freely.  

Pongsathorn Thammawattana with collectible hia toys

“The guys had donuts with them, so they threw a piece at a monitor lizard. And it ate the donut! So that became a concept: A monitor lizard that eats donuts and chicken,” says Pongsathorn, referring to “Halu,” the toy that highlights this year’s Toy Expo. Another reason he chose hia is that it captures a part of his chaotic life in Bangkok. 

“When I’m on the skytrain, I say ‘hia!’ so many times,” he said.

Last year, before monitor lizards came into focus, Pongsathorn’s highlighted toy was a buffalo — an animal that symbolizes stupidity in Thai culture.

The result? The toy became sold out, and even increased in value, right after the event.

“I’d like to create animal characters that have challenging concepts. Elephant is the last animal I’d touch on. Anyone who thinks of Thailand, they think of elephants. Here I just made hia cute! It’s like a satire.”

Nearly 200 artists from across the world are represented at this year’s expo. Fans can walk in and talk to some of the big-name toy designers at their booths. Some of the artists receiving a fair amount of buzz were Sven & Mark from COARSE, Amanda Visell, Kenny Wong, 9G, Shoko Nakazawa, Konatsu, and Mai Nagamoto.

A Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament is also part of the expo’s scheduled events, wherein local champions of the popular card game will go on to represent Thailand in the regional competition in Japan.

The expo spreads out across eighth floors of the giant CentralWorld shopping mall, with extra two exhibition tents outdoors. Pongsathorn says he expects that the event will get bigger every year.

“I hate events that are held in one single exhibition hall. It’s boring and it’s uncomfortable, but when it’s spread out in a mall…. Guys can check out guys’ stuff. Girls can do their own things. And the event is free. I think, ‘Why do people have to spend money to get in and then spend more money on toys? This is is probably the only free toy fair in the world,” he said.

The 29-year-old tells Coconuts that, for him, this is not a profit-driven pursuit: His main mission is to change the public’s conventional perspective on toys — that they aren’t a waste of money, and can actually be a solid career path for some.

He cites Kenny Wong, the Hong Kong artist who made a successful career out of his character Molly, as an example. Wong’s creation is now immensely popular in China.

“The challenge of the Toy Expo is to show that things people call ‘a waste of money’ have values and [can] become a career. I don’t gain any profits from doing this. I’m working every year to pay off the debt [from the Toy Expo]. But why do I keep doing it? It’s fun, and I get to help artists,” he said.

This year, Pongsathorn has also given free space in the expo to 30 new local artists to showcase and sell their toys, in hopes that they will also catch the attention of established designers at the event.

“Artists have met at my event and started their collaborations that sold like hot cakes. Let’s say, at other events, Coke and Pepsi may not exist with each other, but at my event, either you’re Coke or Pepsi or Est Cola, you can work together.”

We asked why he loves designer toys in particular, to which Pongsathorn answered: “I feel that designer toys don’t have a frame hovering over our heads,” unlike mainstream toys based off of comics.

“It’s limited and handmade, and their values get higher.”

Currently, Pongsathorn sells collectible toys at a shop that he owns with his sister. The young organizer said he wants to stress the importance of the collectors’ community.

“I put money as a second priority. I can easily charge my customers a few hundred bahts more, but then I would be just another businessman who takes advantage of customers. I’d rather have them coming back to me and become long-term customers. My mom said money is easy to find, but friends are hard to find.”

Pongsathorn made a point that some Thais are offended by his toys, since they are often inspired by animals with negative associations — but he doesn’t mind, as long as people talk about his characters.

“Without toys, I don’t exist. Simple as that. There’d be no Thailand Toy Expo, there’d be no buffalos. There’d be no hia.

FIND IT:

Thailand Toy Expo 2018

CentralWorld

BTS Siam



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