Eastern culture favored by the West –The explosion of licensed Disney merchandise.

In a chance encounter, Disney executives saw the TuTu Stool,which exhibits a fantastic, interesting, and imaginative design. The richeastern elements of the woven bamboo features attracted these Disneyexecutives. Hoping to incorporate this product with Disney elements, the teamcleverly combined both east and west, and launched the exhibits for Disney’s90th anniversary.

І. How to turn an opportunity into a winning ticket

“After getting an opportunity, use luck and hardwork to achieve greater things”

Originally, Disney hoped to award Lo Yu-Fen with thetitle of “special designer” so thatDirector Lo’s collection of eastern-themed works could work in synergy withDisney as they launched a product series with an Asian vibe for Disney’s 90thanniversary celebration.

Lo Yu-Fen has accumulated many international awards, internationalmedia exposure and reputational affirmations in the cultural and creativeindustry. However,rather than the Disney title, which is akin to an award, Director Lo seems muchmore to prefer product licensing and cooperative development. She hopes tocreate new Disney products with an eastern vibe and intertwine with the leaderof the western entertainment industry to create new sparks!

Recently, Disney has evolved from dominating the westernentertainment industry to developing its reach into the east. It hasestablished Disneyland in Shanghai, Hong Kong and other places, and the attireMickey and Minnie wear have been altered to reflect traditional Chinesecostumes according to the locality of the park. It has also designed, manufacturedand marketed many toys with eastern elements. As can be seen, the power ofconsumption and culture in Asia should not be underestimated, and Disney isactively investing in it. As such, Lo Yu-Fen realizedduring the testing and design process that in order to have brand value, thethree elements of the factory process, eastern cultural conceptualizations, andmarketing all had to be properly balanced, and the efficiency of the designquantification and exposure had to be maximized.

Based on this viewpoint, Director Lo took the initiativeto express her appreciation to Disney for its willingness to award her thetitle. Nevertheless, she was even more determined to demonstrate her skills inthis interesting and rare opportunity.

To convinceDisney to give the product research team an opportunity to demonstrate itstalents, Director Lo proposed a series of plans. She took the lead to combinethe production resources of the local areas in and around Tainan City. Theyproduced the Mickey TuTu Stool, which is embroidered with the Disney mascot ineastern design; the Mickey Vase, which has sci-fi and interactive vibes; and thecollapsible Filter Cone, made with professional quality. Through theseproducts, she first persuaded Disney of the design strengths of combining Eastand West. After one year of negotiations, Disney finally authorized the productresearch team with the special honor of becoming its first IP-licensed companyin Asia.

Having obtained the IP licensing for merchandiseproduction, the team seeks to realize new ideas on Asian custom furniture andthe cross-border presentation of Mickey, concepts that first convinced theDisney executives. To this end, the team designed and produced the Mickey LampSet, which is a bamboo-weave and leather construction based on the PinCollection. The team also collaborated with Wonder Nest brand to launch MickeyHome Ceramics, a designer selection series. Using the advantages of the WonderNest brand, which first began as a ceramics factory, the team launched many funand practical daily products with Asian aesthetics and added Mickey values.

【DesignExamples】

1. Mickey Tutu Stool｜Constructed in the form of three bamboo bolsters (in a hexagonal weave), the Mickey Tutu Stool resembles round and chubby short little legs dressed in a billowy tutu. The color of the stool is coordinated with the Disney embroidery on the seat cushion. The stool displays the unique exchange and sense of humor between oriental elements and the western IP image

2. Mickey Vase ｜Thehollow vase is cut from a single piece of sheet metal. The spiral pattern ofthe structure can be flexed into a vase of varying depths. It can be used forplants that don’t require soil, such as air plants or dried flowers. Theadorable Mickey expression amid the flowers and plants in this simple andinteresting design adds a touch of joy.

3. Mickey FilterCone｜Withthe cooperation of a local metal processing manufacturer in Tainan, an ordinarymetal sheet is precision-cut into a spiral pattern. An accompanying balsa woodcard with parts that can be detached and assembled is included to serve as astand for the metal filter. The user can stretch the cone into a desired shape.The fun way of using the cone coupled with the Mickey element makes the cone aninteractive product suitable for personal use or as a gift.

4. Mickey LampSet｜Lampswith both Asian elements and the colorful fun elements of both Mickey andMinnie Mouse are created the integration of woven bamboo, leather, wood andlight fixtures.“Be ready to let go: Don’t let yourself doanything in vain; and even when it is, it must become your next opportunity.”

After nearly a long year of hard work, even when I didn’tknow if I would get a special surety-exempt IP authorization opportunity likeDirector Lo, but I was determined to work hard. In the end, I did not labor invain. I not only gained the opportunity to showcase my work, but also thechance to develop a business that integrates Asian cultural conceptualizations,factory processes, and marketing.

II.Wonder Nest Design x Shanghai Museum -- Mickey fun series

After Director Lo led the product design team to createthe Wonder Nest series of Mickey products, Wonder Nest received an opportunityto collaborate with the Shanghai Museum and co-brand with Disney. With the DaKe ding cauldron as the leading artifact and other artifacts in therepresentative collections of the Shanghai Museum and the Mickey IP authorization,the ancient casting patterns and modern cartoons are presented in a storysegment format. Frames of Mickey span across the different eras of castings tocreate three ceramic products: insulated mugs, tea infuser mugs, and shapedplates.

With its strong and uncompromising combination of themuseum’s features, Disney’s picture-perfect cultural heritage and illustrations,and the strong recommendation of Shanghai Disney, Wonder Nest’s drawing designsare extended to the Shanghai Museum’s other product series.

【DesignExamples】

The ShanghaiMuseum is committed to promoting traditional Chinese culture and has a richcollection of ancient Chinese artifacts. The museum itself is designed aroundthe theme of bronze wares - a representative artifact of Chinese culture.

Through the ancient patterns of the bronze castings, thestory segments in modern cartoons, and the luxurious blend of black and goldcolors, a fantasy of Mickey traveling through ancient times is depicted.

In addition to the ceramic products such as theinsulated mugs, tea infuser mugs, and shaped plates that Wonder Nestcollaborated on with the Shanghai Museum, we are fortunate to be able to useour original full-scale drawings as elements to further create backpacks,dolls, clothing, silk scarves, and other products for daily living.

Ⅲ. Product Design × Family Mart - Happy Mickey × TaiwanFood Trends

Even if co-branded with corporate gift designs, theproduct design industry in Taiwan has never caught up with the upsurge ofpoints redemption promotional events. In the year that the product design teamreceived the honor of Disney’s IP authorization, this seemingly “common” designcommission gave us a ticket to success. For the first time, the product designteam was invited to lend its talents to design gift products for conveniencestores. In Taiwan, convenience stores are everywhere, and they are a unique Taiwanese wonderwithin the global consumer market. Hence for local conveniencestores in Taiwan, there is no reason not to incorporate the features of Taiwaninto the Mickey collection.

Integrating the color combination of the Ka-tsì-á,a traditional and eco-friendly Taiwanese tote bag that has recently becometrendy, and its distinctive weave with the image of Mickey, the team designedshopping bags, cutlery sets, and thermoses. This time, the fork and chopsticksset - CUCKOO’s most representative product - also joined the ranks, and theadorable Mickey pouch completes this tableware set series. The Taiwan foodtrend design doesn’t just encompass the brightly-colored elements of the Ka-tsì-á. Since night market culture is also quite representative of Taiwan, theinsulated ceramic mug also has images of night market food depicted in neonoutlines. Against the dark color of the mug, the images look dazzling, and thedesign also incorporates a beautiful etched portrayal of night market culture.

【Designexample】

In additionto the integration of Ka-tsì-á, a Taiwanese trend based on environmentalprotection as the design inspiration, and Disney, all the products  complement one another. 

Using acolor and splicing method with the Ka-tsì-á, the Mickey character isreproduced and printed onto the eco bag. It is a Taiwanese fashion trendavailable to everyone. The bag is easy to tote around and can hold eco-friendlyitems such as reusable tableware such as the Mickey Ka-tsì-á and theMickey design wooden fork and chopsticks set.

Besides thetote bag and cutlery, the depiction of Taiwan’s food culture can be betterexpressed through the rich and comprehensive form of night markets. Through designtransformation, the exciting neon elements depicting the diversity of Taiwan’ssnacks and the colorful liveliness of the night market are illustrated on theto-go cup. 

TIPS: Becomethe new favorite of international brands – the trilogy of embracing the localand looking out towards the world.

1.Accumulate local resources. The levels of resources include the design team,cultural resource integration, craftsmanship heritage, processing andmanufacturing production lines, topic formulation and exposure, and experiencewith marketing promotion. The strategies cover a complete scope from design tooperation.

2. Deeplyrooted in Taiwan, striding into the world. The uniqueness and irreplaceabilityof Taiwanese design multiplied by local resources make it possible to expandinto international exhibitions and project management.