By Kim Atienza
RECENTLY on our TV show “Matanglawin” (Sundays, 9:45 in the morning on ABS-CBN), we met some Filipinos who fuse talent and creativity together.
One of them is toy designer Quiccs Maiques, who has turned his hobby into a profession. Quiccs’ art toys are known not only in the Philippines but also in other parts of the world. They fall under the category Urban Vinyl Toys.
One of his most famous works is the Teq63. It all started in 2011 in a graphics designing contest in Thailand.
Quiccs explained to us the toy making process. He usually starts by conceptualizing and sketching the design. Through a process called Rotocasting, skills are needed to sculpt the toys in full detail.
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Vinyl is used for these art toys or designer toys. Vinyl is a plastic material also used for medical equipment, toys, and cars.
Michael Lau or the Godfather of Urban Vinyl started the use of vinyl in 1997 for the album covers of the band Anodize.
Quiccs is also proud to say that he is the first Filipino to have collaborated with international toy producers like Flabsab in Singapore, Deviltoys in Hong Kong, Martian Toys and Kidrobot in USA.
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TRIVIA PA MORE (Various Sources):
A rather well-known fact about Eskimos is their ritual, incredibly rare and seldom practised – if at all – anymore, of setting the elderly adrift on a floating iceberg when facing death or old age. Eskimos believed in the afterlife for the dead, and this practice is a way of ensuring the elderly are not a burden on the family by sending them off in a dignified and graceful manner.
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Kopi Luwakare coffee beans that come from Civet (a cat sized mammal) waste. The animals gorge on only the finest ripe berries, and excrete the partially-digested beans, which are then harvested for sale. Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 USD per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and the United States, but it is increasingly becoming available everywhere.
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The FDA allows an average of 30 or more insect fragments, and one or more rodent hairs, per 100 grams of peanut butter.
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Send your questions on anything and everything to Kuya Kim through my Twitter account @kuyakim_atienza using #AlaminKayKuyaKim.
Ating tuklasin ang mga bagay-bagay na di niyo pa alam. Walang ’di susuungin, lahat aalamin. Ito po si Kuya Kim, Matanglawin, only here in TEMPO.
