Designer toys appeal to young art lovers

College junior Yi Cheng caressed his new "art collection", a nut-sized toy in the shape of a lion's head, at last month's Beijing Dream Fair.

"It is a unique 3D carving, polished from an original design," said Yi, who sometimes spends more than 20,000 yuan ($3,100) a year on designer toys.

"It is also a perfect mix of modern technology and traditional Chinese culture."

Designer toys, or art toys, are collectibles created by artists and designers and typically sold in limited editions.

"Some dismiss designer toys as mere playthings for adults," Yi said. "Still, there is no escaping the fact that those of relatively high artistic value sell well in secondhand mobile marketplaces, which is a testament to their collection and investment value."

Many of the toys sold in the burgeoning niche market in China come in the form of mystery boxes or blind boxes, an approach that can be traced back to Japan's capsule toys and lucky bags. Statistics from iiMedia Research indicate that more than 440,000 users on Xianyu, a consumer-to-consumer marketplace spun off from Alibaba's Taobao, traded blind boxes containing collectible toys last year. In November alone, the turnover of blind-box trading on Xianyu topped 120 million yuan, up over 70 percent year-on-year.

Limited editions of such toys can even be auctioned at a price dozens of times higher than their original price, and some are only available to lucky consumers who are chosen by drawing lots.

Keme Life, a company that designs and sells aesthetically appealing household products, has also branched out to collectible toys.

The company's head of sales, Xu Manman, brought her daughter to the toy fair in Beijing, hoping that the artistic environment could help foster her appreciation and interest in art.

"Designer toys can be deemed as small works of art, which offer a relatively low threshold for the younger generations to have their own art collection," Xu said.

She said children today are used to collecting everything from cards hidden in packaged snacks to toys in chocolate surprise eggs, and when they grow up they are more likely than their parents to take an interest in collecting designer toys.

An 18-year-old high school graduate from Changchun, Jilin province, visited Beijing for the three-day fair.

When she graduated from junior high school, she went to the United Kingdom to study. The massive cultural differences in a foreign country and the loneliness of living alone gradually led to immersion in her own imaginary world of the designer toys she bought.

"I can see the ideas of the designers from the toys and make up my own story," she said. "The toys are both pure art and goods for general consumers."

Chen Wei, CEO of 52Toys, a Chinese producer and designer of such toys that hosted this year's fair, said designer toys are entry-level collectibles for young people, and the sector is sure to diversify as consumers search for new thrills.

China's cultural and creative industry is expecting a fillip from the niche market. The whole value chain of designer toys, covering design, production and marketing, has propelled Chinese designers to look toward traditional culture for new inspiration.

Blind boxes related to relics at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan province and the country's renowned museum collections were among the most sought-after items at the fair, according to 52Toys.

"These products are enough to prove that the creativity and ability of Chinese designers can match that of many global brands," said Wang Yin, a senior product director at the company.