DRESSED IN A stained uniform with his feet thrust into cheap plastic slippers, he has a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth and a finger sticking in the drink he's about to serve. The stereotypical image will be familiar to anyone who's patronised a local diner or cha chaan teng: the surly waiter.
The 23cm-tall action figure, dubbed 2da6 (or yee da luk in Cantonese), represents big ambitions despite its plebian roots. Its creators, Wendy Mak Wing-ting and her younger brother Kevin Mak Ka-yeung, hope the new toy will boost the fortunes of their family business, Maksco.
Their grandfather set up the company, one of Hong Kong's oldest toy manufacturers, in 1958 mainly to make water pistols for export. Initially producing toys to others' specifications, Maksco later came up with its own ideas. But, like most local toy companies, the products continued to be sold under other brands.
The Mak siblings hope to change that: six years ago, they set out to create collectable toys that would reflect the city's unique street culture.
It's a risky venture in a market dominated by recognisable characters from Japan and America - from Doraemon and Hello Kitty to Winnie-the-Pooh and Mickey Mouse. However, the response to yee da luk, a colloquial phrase meaning small fry, seems promising. The 2,000-piece, limited-issue figure has attracted retailers in Hong Kong and overseas, appearing in toy shops in New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, says Kevin Mak.
But the Maks remain modest about their progress. 'Creating something under our own name is what we really want to do. Someone has to take the first step,' says Wendy Mak, who trained as a graphic designer.