SKULLPANDA Creation Background
SKULLPANDA was created by artist Xiong Miao (Skull Xiong Miao) in 2018. The initial sketches were drawn at the independent studio "North Studio," and the character rose to fame after partnering with POP MART to launch the first blind box series, "Ancient Castle," in 2020.
The creation background can be broken down into several key aspects:
- Designer's Background: Xiong Miao has nearly a decade of experience in game/CG concept art and illustration. She disliked being constrained by conventional "absolute beauty" and the standard cute commercial framework, aiming to create a more rebellious, free, and undefinable image.
- Self-Projection, Not Autobiography: SKULLPANDA exaggerates some of Xiong Miao's own facial features (large eyes, full lips, spherical braids, and a cold expression). However, the artist clarifies that "she is not me," but rather a bolder, more decisive, and uninhibited alter ego. She travels through the universe, plays different roles, experiences various lives, and seeks authenticity amidst fragmentation.
- Worldview Setting: She is set as a "cosmic symbiote / boundless soul." The transparent astronaut helmet represents cosmic travel and self-protection, while the ear spheres and helmet form a triangle, symbolizing stability and balance. She is genderless, identity-fluid, cold and distant, yet carries a dark, healing vibe.
- Market Contrast: Around 2018, the trendy toy market was dominated by sweet and cute styles like Molly and Dimoo. SKULLPANDA broke in with a cold, dark aesthetic combining skulls, pandas, and helmets. "Ancient Castle" used castles, bloody roses, and false angels/devils to convey "two sides of the same coin," resonating with young people who "don't want to be just emotionally stable kids."
- Subsequent Evolution: Xiong Miao continuously infuses her interests in Gothic culture, fashion, film, expressionism, social issues, and Eastern imagery into the brand. From "Ancient Castle" to "Temperature," "Dream-Eating Animals," "Messenger from Another World," the Mika Ninagawa collaboration, and the Van Gogh Museum "Sunflowers" series, the core consistently revolves around "the undefined, fluid self."
In short, SKULLPANDA's birth was not about "designing a cute IP to sell," but rather Xiong Miao's way of escaping the commercial art industry. Using trendy toys as a medium, she molded her desire to break free from世俗 aesthetics, explore the unknown self, and express the philosophy of balance and fluidity into a cold-faced girl who can travel through the universe.
