While working on the report, I need more information on the trend of art toys to use as evidence for my project. As I said in the previous unit about trends, they do not last forever. For my project, when people buy creative works only for their popularity, they may lose interest and discard them once the trend fades.
I looked at Google Trends data that provided information about the popularity of terms like “Pop Mart” and “Art Toys” in Thailand in 2024.
- Trend-driven Interest: The graph shows that people’s interest in “Pop Mart” goes up and down, likely because of temporary trends. This matches what I said about people buying things because they’re currently popular.
- Support for Long-term Appreciation: My project aims to help people see the long-term value in creative work rather than just following trends. This data shows why this shift is needed, as it highlights how quickly trends come and go.
I looked at another Thai website that discusses the rising popularity of art toys in Thailand, the potential of this market, and how it intersects with the country’s cultural and creative industries.
- Rising Popularity and Market Trends: The article highlights the recent trend in Thailand, where art toys have gained popularity, especially among younger consumers. This popularity could also reinforce trend-driven behaviour, where products are valued temporarily for their “cool factor” rather than for craft or artistic value.
- Impact on Cultural and Creative Industries: The article discusses how art toys are not only trendy items but also part of the broader creative economy in Thailand. Art toys represent a unique space where art, culture, and commerce intersect, making them an ideal product for promoting appreciation of craft. By showing the economic potential of the art toy market, the article highlights the importance of sustainable consumer interest.
- Challenges Faced by Creators: The article addresses challenges Thai artists face, such as production costs, market competition, or the pressure to create “trendy” designs. It supports my project’s objective to advocate for craft and artistic expression, which may not always align with fast-changing trends. By valuing craft, consumers can provide better support to creators who invest significant effort into their work.
There is one paragraph in this article that is so interesting. They said, “From the survey of all these Thai art toy trends, an interesting observation was made. From the total number of engagements of Thai artists’ art toys online combined, it was found that the mentions of the four Thai artists combined were less than the mentions of LABUBU alone. Could this observation reflect the reason why LABUBU was chosen to promote Thai tourism? Because it is the most popular when society talks about art toys. Moreover, it is a view of the situation of Thai art, especially the ‘art toy industry’, and what obstacles prevent good Thai art from reaching the same level as LABUBU?”
- This reflects a perception gap where global brands dominate discussions while local creations struggle for recognition.
- My project addresses similar perception issues, changing Thai consumer focus from following trends (like Labubu) to appreciating the craft and creativity behind locally made art toys.
References:
Trends, G. (no date) Google Trends: Pop Mart, Google Trends. Available at: https://trends.google.com/trending.
‘อาร์ตทอย’ กระแสที่ควร ‘ตาม’ หรือ ต้อง ‘สร้าง’? (2024) The Active. Available at: https://theactive.net/data/arttoy-promote-chance/.