Junk Paradise Collectible Figures by Yawen Qiang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronze A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Competition Category.
BronzeToy· 2026
Junk Paradise Collectible Figures
by Yawen Qiang
Client: Yawen Qiang
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Toy Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #183308The Design
About Junk Paradise Collectible Figures
Junk Paradise is a series of collectible figures based on animal characters and short stories. Each figure shows a character with a small imperfection that is turned into a playful strength. Popo the porcupine makes popcorn to cover his prickles so he can hug his friends. Sushi the pelican runs a whale watching cruise for river fish that fear the sea. The characters were modelled as digital sculptures, prototyped by resin printing and then cast in resin. Layered spray painting and hand painted details complete each piece.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Junk Paradise Collectible Figures is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Junk Paradise Collectible Figures is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Junk Paradise Collectible Figures splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Junk Paradise is a narrative-driven collectible toy series exploring character design and storytelling. Everyone in the story has little imperfection, but they have fun in unique ways to overcome it.Popo the porcupine makes popcorn to cover his prickles so he can hug his friends while Sushi the pelican runs a whale-watching cruise for river fish afraid of the sea. Through playful characters and small stories, the collection celebrates imperfection and encourages everyone to be themselves, reminding people that everyone shines in their own unique way.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Ducky, Duck, 20cm x 12cm x 11cm
Popo, Porcupine, 15cm x 8cm x 18cm
Sushi, Pelican, 16cm x 8cm x 16cm
Snowball, Horse, 18cm x 22cm x 12cm
Mr.All-Nighter, Raccoon, 13cm x 10cm x 16cm
Nani ,Crocodile, 9cm x 15cm x 7cm - Tags
- Character Design, Story Telling, Art Toy, 3D sculpt, Whimsical, Narrative object, Junk Paradise, Designer Toy, Character Collection, Celebrate Imperfection
- Production Technology
- The project began with narrative development and character design, where stories and characters were explored through sketches and storyboards. The characters were then translated into digital 3D sculptures using ZBrush. Prototypes were realized through resin 3D printing, followed by curing, hand sanding, and surface refinement. Then the pieces are casted with resin. Final pieces were completed through layered spray painting to create depth and gradients, complemented by hand-painted details.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was translating the concept of imperfection into forms that remain visually appealing and emotionally engaging. By exploring subtle asymmetry, irregular details, diverse poses, and nuanced facial expressions, the project seeks to express character and narrative while maintaining aesthetic harmony, allowing users to intuitively connect with the pieces.
- Research
- This project is grounded in a reflection on the societal pursuit of perfection and explores how design can celebrate individuality through imperfection. By translating this concept into character driven forms, the research investigates how subtle variations, emotional cues, and story telling can foster empathy and self acceptance. The work aims to create a space where users can recognize value in difference and connect with these characters that reflect diverse ways of shining.
- Inspiration
- My inspiration comes from my daily observation of friends and wild animals. I like noticing the small imperfections in people and how they deal with them in their own ways. By using animals and their natural traits, I turn these observations into characters and stories about friendship, imperfection and being comfortable with who you are.
- Project Duration
- The project started in April.2019 in Los Angeles and was completed in Aug 2019 in Los Angeles. Later the project was exhibited at Lightbox Expo in Los Angeles, Designer Con in Vegas and CTN in Burbank.
- Operation Flow
- Junk Paradise creates a story-driven interaction that invites users to step into its world through observation, touch, and imagination. Defined by bold forms, expressive character design, and refined hand-crafted execution, each piece invites users to engage through subtle details and visual cues that suggest personality and narrative. The experience remains open-ended, allowing users to interpret, collect, and build personal connections, gradually revealing a quiet celebration of imperfection.
- Team Members
- Yawen Qiang
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