Why do grown people collect toys? As a collector myself, I can only pinpoint to my own reasons: 1) Just for the heck of it, and 2) to fulfill a deep-seated fantasy you didn’t get to see in your childhood.
But here lies the problem. Sometimes, the toy just doesn’t exist in this plane of reality yet. The solution for us grown kids? Fan-made art, and well, bootleg toys.has made this into a reality with his DIY creations. Infused with enough irony and tongue-in-cheek humor, the self-taught illustrator produces a whole range of so-called “bootleg” toys inspired by ’80s to ’90s Filipino pop culture.
“In 2016, I had my first solo show and that time I was also experimenting and customizing some old cheap toys,” he says. “I haven’t seen anyone create Filipino pop culture-inspired bootleg toys yet, so in 2018 I produced my own, thanks to a friend and some videos on YouTube.”“When an idea pops into my head, I need to check if it has been done before and if I can use an existing toy to customize or if I have to make it from scratch. Producing it is a different process.
and Agatom from school TV staple “Sineskwela.” Apart from that, his works transcend from the past and into the current socio-political climate with ironic pieces that serve as commentary.This includes an empty toy case with the words “Wala Ayoda,” with, of course, a masked Yoda. Another one has a figure of a police officer, labeled “Serve and Protect” with “rot” in bloody red.
When asked about an artist’s responsibility to address social issues, Bryan responds, “Everyone is responsible and has their own way. We can do it in a creative way and express it.” And in his case, bootleg toys were the medium of choice, mixing childhood innocence with a blaring wake-up call.