TAIPEI: The Formosan black bear, a fashion design house with a global reputation and the only local toy company authorized to make stuffed toys for the Disney Corporation have come together as a winning team, coming up with a popular new "green-style toy."

Each of the corporate partners is renowned in its field. However, they had no previous links until this fall, when they decided to do something no-one has ever done before for the Formosan black bear, an endangered species indigenous to Taiwan.

In an unprecedented effort to promote a green lifestyle and wildlife protection, Lilin Hsu, the founder and chairman of the Xue Xue Institute, decided to feature Taiwan's largest land animal as a soft toy and commissioned a young Taiwanese team to come up with the design, using "green" materials.

"In order to express a perspective about loving Earth and supporting a green lifestyle, it is necessary to consider mass-producing something in a way that a commercial market can accept," said Hsu, who is also well-known for her successful management of a local department store in the 1980s.

Hsu noticed the work of the young design team Biaugust Creation Office at an exhibition, when it introduced its "Nonlife Zoo" series of artworks featuring species that are facing extinction.

Searching out suitable materials for her idea, Hsu went to her old friend Shiatzy Chen, a local fashion designer whose luxury brand was the first Taiwanese fashion brand to enter the European market and which was also described by the Asia Wall Street Journal as "the most popular Taiwanese fashion brand."

Chen donated four kinds of high quality fabrics to Hsu for the Formosan black bear soft toys, which are stuffed with ecological polyester staple cotton.

The limited edition of 800 of the toys, about 30 centimeters tall, are expected to go on sale in December for NT$600 each.

Hsu's first contact with her other partner in the venture - leading toy maker Hwa Harng Toys Co - was not as smooth.

Hwa Harng, a toy company with a history of more than 30 years, is the only local manufacturer authorized to make toys for the Disney Corporation, the Japanese company that owns the rights to the anime character Doraemon, and a Taiwanese convenience store chain's mascot.

For Hwa Harng, Hsu's order was just too small, and it took Hsu a lot of effort to persuade the company to accept her order.

"From a business point of view, it is not a good deal at all," said Jim Chang, sales manager at Hwa Harng, adding that they nevertheless made an exception for Hsu, manufacturing her toys for no profit.

Each of the toys will come packaged in a Tyvek paper bag, which is made of strong polyethylene fiber that can be reused as a backpack or drawstring bag.

"It is another way of promoting environmental protection, as it is a multiple-use bag," said Amy Wu, a Xue Xue manager.

In addition to the Formosan black bears, Xue Xue will also launch another six stuffed toys that will be even larger - a Formosan macaque, a giraffe, a chicken, a cow, an elephant and a deer - which will be sold along with a cup for NT$1,280 each, with a production run of 360 for each toy.

The toys had a shining debut when they first went on show at the Xue Xue headquarters in October.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 12/04/2009 page2)