She had no experience in designing toys, but created and sold out a collection within months

One sweet treat after another

Credit: Mighty Jaxx

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The first design in the collection that was borne out of the breakthrough idea was ‘Liu Sha Meow’, a playful take on liu sha baos, or molten custard salted egg buns. Described as “the sassy sleepyhead” that’s “voracious, forgetful, and quite a fair bit lazy”, the cat collectible was heavily inspired by JJ, says Samantha.





One design soon spawned into nine, and with that, an entire collection complete with a character background story for the different collectibles. The response for the first collection was phenomenal – cat lovers and collectible enthusiasts alike were enraptured by the food toys that have been brought to life with the adorable cat designs.





Following the success of Nyan Sums, Samantha soon designed Nyan Kashi, the second collection inspired by Japanese sweets, and Nyan à petit, the third collection that takes after French pastries.





Today, the Nyammy Treats series is in its fourth collection, Nyan-licious. “For each collection, we dive into different parts of the world. Each series will be a treat inspired by a country,” explains Samantha. “In this case, the fourth series, Nyan-licious, was inspired by iconic American treats, such as the strawberry sprinkled doughnut!” Other quintessential American snacks in the collection include a red velvet cupcake, a s'more, and a cheesecake.

While Nyammy Treats is conceptualised and designed by Samantha, it takes a whole team to realise the vision, she says. “We have a team of artists, from 2D to 3D, to production. It’s a whole pipeline [that’s] challenging but fun!”





Every collection starts with the 2D team, where Samantha and other artists “come together to discuss the next storyline, the characters, and most importantly, the food”. “We always ask ourselves what we like to eat, or what would be cute and fun to draw out,” she enthuses. “We then start brainstorming with moodboards and a ton of sketches to get the vibe right or get some laughs – anything goes at this stage! It’s a really fun process. Once we find what we are looking for, we would start to refine the sketches with colour and also add in a family tree and personality to each of the kittens as well as their trays and packaging ideas.”





The drawings are then sent to the 3D team to be brought to life, and then the graphics team for finishing touches such as the cards, boxes and packaging. From there, it proceeds to the production team for mass production. “All in all, it starts with a spark of passion and love for the brand, and many, many doodles!”

Overcoming doubts

Credit: Samantha Germaine Sim

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Nyan Sum, the first collection of the Nyammy Treats series, is Mighty Jaxx’s first intellectual property. This feat is perhaps made even more impressive considering Samantha created the smash hit within months of joining the company, and with no background knowledge in designing toys.

“I joined Mighty Jaxx in October of 2019, with a love for the pop and geek culture scene,” she recalls. “As well as [a love] for toys, I never really seem to grow out of them! When I came into Mighty Jaxx I didn't actually know how to design toys at first to be honest, as I graduated with a diploma in 2D animation. But I had a willing heart and mind to learn something new!”





Her eye for design and passion certainly helped, and she adds that she’s grateful for the support along the way. “I’ve always loved art, even when I was just a child. Art and design has always been in my blood,” notes the designer.”My parents have always supported me [and they pushed me] to take art lessons in any community centre they could find and [would often] sign me up for them! I really thank them for their support with my passion. Jackson [Aw, founder and CEO of Mighty Jaxx] was also there for me and also taught me the ropes of what makes a great art toy.”

Credit: Mighty Jaxx

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When it comes to overcoming moments of doubts when designing, Samantha highlights that “the struggle with this is real”. “This is honestly a tough question. Artists and designers always tend to beat themselves up over things or give themselves a hard time.”

She shares that even though Nyammy Treats has rolled out its fourth collection, there will still be moments of vulnerability from time to time where she’s uncertain if the toys will be received well. “However, I decided to change [the fear] into more of a learning journey as a concept artist, because [the overthinking is] not healthy for you, mental health-wise,” she says.

“I always tell myself that it's not bad if [the toys] didn't do so well, I can always try again. I shouldn't beat myself up as I’m happy we tried it,” she adds. “Not only will you come out stronger, but wiser too, even with a few battle scars along the way. But scars will heal and you learn from them and [for me,] I’ll become a better concept artist as I grow over time. This is what helped me to overcome that doubt and to keep the spark and passion for design.”

Eyes on the future

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When it comes to the possibility of a fifth collection, the designer is tight-lipped. “I can't give out too much information, but we do have a pool of sketches and designs, sometimes of different countries’ treats,” she teases. “The artists and myself like to go crazy and have fun when we draw, so there might be a fifth collection – and I see [designing for these collectibles] for the long haul!”





And in terms of future projects from Mighty Jaxx that fans can expect? “[All] I can say is that if you like cute things, we are working on something strange yet cute, but who knows? Stranger things have happened!”