In paper, sweet mementoes of Thailand

EASY TO ASSEMBLE and instant conversation pieces when guests come round, the paper models of Hanuman and Thotsakan that Prem Hataitham makes represent a fantastic leap forward in home decor.

Prem, 32, used to design characters for online games, but since establishing the retail site Boxburi.com in 2009 – “the city of paper models” – he’s been churning them out in three dimensions.

They can be impressively elaborate, as with Hanuman and other figures from the Ramakien, or simple enough to evoke smiles and chuckles, such as Lucky Meow, a merchant’s “beckoning cat” whose forearm dips up and down when you press its head.

A graduate in computer engineering at Srinakharinwirot University, Prem left the game company behind to return to Samut Songkhram, his home province, and help with the family business. Initially as a hobby, he set up the Boxburi store and put his creature-creator talents to good use fashioning a Hanuman out of glossy, waterproof art paper. The Monkey King in classic costume is rendered with a laser printer.

Foreigners in particular seemed to love it, so Prem next contrived a Thotsakan and a Hongsa – the golden swan of Thai literature – as well as a Ja Choey, that cop you see standing at road intersections.

“When I was a kid I played with Japanese dinosaur figures and I always thought we needed a character that reflected Thainess,” he says.

“While working with Korean and Thai online-game 

 companies I was responsible for designing monsters and other characters for the markets in South Korea, America and Europe. It was fun and challenging.

“And then, when I moved back home, I wanted to keep creating my own characters. I chose Hanuman first because of the character’s unique personality and importance in Thai culture. I use the same techniques in making game characters, keeping the polygon count low so the models are easy to fold and assemble, and then I add extra details and vivid colours to make them livelier.”

Prem subsequently took a “New Entrepreneur Creation” 

 course at the Thailand Creative and Design Centre and came up with the Caveman and Lucky Meow characters that wave their arms, nod their heads and even have four different facial expressions. They come with detachable accessories, like the Caveman’s club and, on other characters, a red pocket engraved with a good-luck message. 

“I try to design with function in mind as well as creativity, and kids can learn a bit about science from the mechanisms that make the models move,” Prem says. 

Last month saw the debut of a line of attractive postcards that can double as khon masks, bearing the Thotsakan and Hanuman faces along with those of Phra Ram, Phra Lak and Sukreep. “The miniature khon masks are lightweight and easy to fold, so it’s a fresh option for tourists wanting an interesting souvenir of Thailand. Plus, I’ll be launching a new set of postcards influenced 

 by modern Thai icons soon.”

There are also Sawasdee Ka models whose heads bob, powered by a solar cell, and videos that explain how to assemble the models at Boxburi.com, its YouTube channel and its Facebook page.

You can find the models and postcards in the National Museum Bangkok’s Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall, at Jumbo Gift at CentralWorld, the Naiin Book Shop and the Support Arts and Crafts International Centre outlet at Suvarnabhumi Airport.