From Thai-style gashapons to a portable shrine in case you need spiritual uplift on the go, Thai culture has been a big inspiration to many product designers and makers who put creative spins and present Thainess in a contemporary way. Here's Guru's list of cool products inspired by Thainess.
Amulets with consciousness
Design brand Qualy is well known for its cute and eco-friendly products. Think of salt and pepper shakers as a pair of brown and white polar bears, with salt coming out of the bear's eyes. Established in 2004 by brothers Teerachai and Thosaphol Supameteekulwat, Qualy collaborated with dots design studio to introduce a line of minimalist-looking Buddha amulets made from upcycled materials, earlier this month.
Buddha amulets are usually made of muan sarn, a combination of materials that have been blessed. Reportedly they vary from elephant tusk powder to bamboo. However, Qualy opts to make their amulets from upcycled materials, 16 of them to be exact. Different material results in a unique colour. For example, yoghurt cups produce amulets in pure white while discarded fishing net results in a jade-looking amulet. They are aptly called "Phra Sati", which I unofficially translate to "mindful Buddha". The name refers to the thought behind these amulets as they ask us about the value we're given to different materials and how they can change over time. While something is trash for someone, it may be a treasure to others. Also, they are imbued with dharma, as well, as they remind us to not develop attachments to things, to be aware of reincarnation (waste given a second life) and to know that everything is transient.
They're not for sale and the only way to get your hands on them is to make a donation via a bank transfer to two projects under the Mirror Foundation to provide people living on the streets with employment and adequate healthcare. And to that, I say sathu. For a B200 donation, you'll get an amulet of your choice. More info at fb.com/qualydesign.
Thailand in your palm
If you've been to Japan, you know you can't resist the call of gashapon capsule toy machines. Thainy has given them a Thai treatment by presenting its first series of miniature versions of five Thai icons that comfortably sit in the palm of your hands, thus their portmanteau name that combines Thai and tiny. They are Nang Gwak statue, Tom yum goong in a brass pot, Thai elephant, Wat Arun and Thai white elephant. And, as you may already have guessed, the white elephant is the rarest item in this collection. Find Thainy machine at Museum Siam's Muse Shop. B150 per capsule or buy them all as a set for B990. More info at fb.com/thainy.capsule.
More capsule toys
Remember the Himmapan Marshmallow fad that yours truly wrote about back in December 2020? It began when people started to notice amateurishly created sculptures of mythical creatures at temples in the North and Northeastern regions. While these sculptures are far from meticulous-looking, their inadvertent amusing and cute look inspires many creative works such as illustrations and miniatures.
Founded by Komkrit Tepthian, Motmo Studio has produced a cute art toy set based on five mythical creatures inspired by the Himmapan Marshmallow trend, as well as Thai gashapon. Komkrit first came onto the public's radar when he participated in Bangkok Art Biennale 2018 as an artist and he produced a gashapon machine dispensing mini versions of ab-chao sculptures found at Wat Arun. Merchants used ab-chao stone sculptures to balance the weight of ships on their return trips when China and Siam traded in the early Rattanakosin era. Motmo's first-generation gashapon line came with QR codes, which led visitors to see the actual sculptures that the toy capsules were based on and discover their stories. The second series of ab-chao gashapon is being developed and is expected to be available at Wat Arun later this year. The second series will have seven items to collect. Such sculptures were also discovered at The Temple Of The Emerald Buddha and were put on display last month. Talking about edutainment.
His studio also produces a line of high-detail gashapon inspired by five mythical creatures of Himmanpan Mountain such as the 33-head elephant Erawan, Phra Indra's vehicle of choice. You can try your luck to get it at Motmo's machine in front of the BACC shop on the fifth floor of BACC on Rama I Road. B100 per try. More info at fb.com/MotmoStudio.
Baby Giants
Hayak by Thai Together is another Thai art toy maker with their big-belly baby giant being the highlight. Their art toy line includes a gashapon set of four designs in various colours and gimmicks. These designs include the Chinese guardian lion named Yukyik, signature baby giant Hayak, Chinese sculpture Dudan and chonky crocodile Joompook. Thai Together regularly set up their gashapon machines at various toy and design expos and you can find out where they are heading next via announcements on their Facebook page fb.com/HayakThai2.
Ramakien-inspired tea and treats
Holen is well-known for its cute products inspired by Ramakien characters and monkey warrior Hanuman from the Thai epic, in particular. It offers a wide range of products from tumblers to portable hand sanitisers to inhalers. Their piece de resistance is a hooded neck pillow in the shape of Hanuman holding sleeping Phra Ram in his mouth for protection, a famous scene depicted on murals of The Temple Of The Emerald Buddha. The neck pillow can be transformed into a proper plush doll, too. Two cute. Pun intended.
Holen's latest offering is called "Chanuman", which is a portmanteau of cha and "Hanuman". At the time of going to press, "Chanuman" offered two Thai desserts, thong ek and mung bean cake, in the shape of cute Hanuman faces and three types of Thai teas. More info at fb.com/holenhello.
Portable Shrine
Pictures of a red box containing a pop-up paper Chinese shrine went viral in February. The red shrine is commonplace in households of Thais of Chinese descent as a spot of worship for Tudigong or Tudishen, a bearded Chinese deity of the ground. Somehow it cleverly gets turned into a paper sculpture fit inside a small box and pop-up into a mini portable shrine when the box is open, complete with two lanterns, an incense bowl and a picture of Tudigong.
Unfortunately, according to the art school Factory Art Centre's Facebook, which originally posted these pictures, it's a concept design by one of their students who created it for their portfolio in preparation to study the international programme of communication design at Chulalongkorn University. It'll sell like hotcakes if it's made into real products.
An alternative take on Thainess
While products from the clothing brand Truly don't scream traditional Thai, they embody a degree of Thainess and Buddhism upon closer inspection.
Found in 2017 by Chardchakaj "Air" Waikawee, a multi-hyphenate, who received international acclaim for his photography, Truly is a play on the word tulee, which means "dust" in Thai. It reminds us that all things never last long and will eventually return to nothingness. Very transient, very Buddhist, you see.
One of Truly's standout pieces is a golden crash helmet, which was created in collaboration with Elders Helmet and blessed beforehand for extra auspiciousness. A pair of unassuming black sneakers with a deep meaning called "Sati" (mindfulness), whose left outsole is red and right outsole is yellow, reminds us that differences can coexist in society. Or you can own the Bangkok joke by wearing a pair of sandals with the word "Bang" on the right one and the word "Cock" on the left. They will cause people to do a double-take. Truly is holding an online sale until the end of this month. More info at fb.com/trulybkk.
