Taboo toys: criminals, ghosts and politicians among Indonesian company’s unusual figurines
- Indonesian toymaker GoodGuysNeverWin creates figurines of criminals, ghosts, politicians, and even a cannibal
- The limited-edition hand-painted models are popular among Chinese Indonesians
A cannibal, a conservative Australian politician wearing a burka and a Chinese vampire: it’s an unusual range of toy figurines and one that delights some collectors.
Indonesian toy company GoodGuysNeverWin has developed a string of offbeat limited-edition toy collections since it was founded almost 15 years ago, often based on real-life criminals.
Among them is Sumanto, arrested in Indonesia in 2003 for digging up an old woman’s body and eating it.
Forget Batman and Wonder Woman, this company caters to collectors who prefer their figurines grotesque. Its bestselling Setan Lokal (Asian Ghosts) series has been a particular favourite of the Chinese toy market and one the company hopes will sell well at its debut at the Taipei Toy Festival, which runs from October 10 to 13.
Founder and chief creative officer Cipta Croft-Cusworth wants the figurines to be seen as more than toys; they are reflections of the colourful dynamics of Indonesia, his home country (he is half-Indonesian and half-British).
One of his company’s most notable creations was a figure heavily resembling former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama, the idealistic Chinese-Indonesian politician who was jailed on blasphemy charges.
