Head to Singapore Airlines (SIA) online store Krisshop and you’ll find an exclusive collectible: a Funko Pop! doll in the likeness of the airline’s iconic stewardesses. For S$29 (or 3,625 frequent flier miles), one could own a chibi-style vinyl figurine of a Singapore Girl donning a signature sarong kebaya and lugging around an SIA suitcase.
One local freelance designer, however, believes that either Funko or SIA might have stolen his concept. According to Keith Lee, he floated the idea of a Singapore Girl figurine in the Funko Pop! style way back in 2015, years before the actual thing appeared up for sale on Krisshop in February 2018.
A year since the figurine went up for sale, Lee remains very much disgruntled by the alleged creative theft and takes issue with how he is uncredited for the product. “They say imitation is the highest form of flattery,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “I guess it’s somewhat heartening to see your baby all grown up without you.”
Lee goes on to add that he had proposed the product design to a Krisshop executive in 2015 as part of the SG50 celebrations. The proposal got rejected, he said, on grounds that the profit margin would be too low for Krisshop.
He feels gutted that the figurine continues to sell on Krisshop without any acknowledgment of his concept.
One individual pointed out to Lee that it’s not truly an original design anyway, considering that it’s based on the Funko Pop! style.
