A Singaporean toy maker living in Sydney, Australia, used the recent haze blanketing parts of Southeast Asia as inspiration for humorous handmade collectibles, even parodying an upcoming Elizabeth Holmes documentary ‘You Can See Everything’.
Their creation, titled ‘You Can’t See Everything’, featured Singapore’s environment minister Grace Fu and head of Indonesia’s Government Communications Agency Syahganda Nainggolan.
Source: @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram
In an Instagram post on Wednesday (28 Oct), the toy maker explained that the idea came from a play on words and recent haze-related comments.
The same creator also previously made a tongue-in-cheek ‘Canned Haze from Indonesia’ collectible, complete with a label reading “PSI”, or “Proudly Smoked in Indonesia”.
Source: @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram
Speaking to MS News, the maker, who goes by GT, said his work “aims to be done in good spirit and fun”.
At the end of the day, these are action figures which I hope people don’t take too much offence to it.
GT said the ‘You Can’t See Everything’ collectible was a wordplay on the upcoming Elizabeth Holmes documentary, ‘You Can See Everything’.
Source: @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram
The collectible seemingly displays “CLEAN AIR FROM INDONESIA” enclosed in plastic on the bottom right of the cardboard packaging.
GT also included Grace Fu, Singapore’s environment minister, subtly in the background of the piece.
The 40-year-old Singaporean said he hoped the combination would offer a humorous take on the situation.
The haze parody is among the various handmade collectibles featured on his Instagram account.
GT added that he previously made a similar wordplay-based creation inspired by Grab’s micro-drama I Fell In Love With My Grab Driver.
His version changed the line to ‘I Fell In Love With the peace and quiet from My Grab Driver’, which received close to 900 likes on Instagram.
Source: @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram
Meanwhile’s GT’s ‘Canned Haze from Indonesia’ creation reimagines novelty gifts containing canned fresh air as a can of dirty haze air.
Its label features the tongue-in-cheek acronym “PSI”, which stands for “Proudly Smoked in Indonesia”.
GT told MS News that he approached the item as though it were an official product, using labels relevant to the haze situation that people would recognise.
Source: @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram
He said the piece came together quickly once he found a suitable metal tin.
Finding one with the right shape, height and an openable lid proved to be the main challenge.
After that, designing, printing and sticking on the label was relatively straightforward.
GT said he spent 17 years in corporate jobs before moving to Sydney with his wife in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After relocating, he began looking for a creative outlet and discovered custom action figure makers who inspired him to try making his own.
His first few creations sold quickly, giving him confidence to continue.
For the first few years, his work focused mainly on international themes.
However, after being laid off from his job at a FAANG company, he launched Birdhandtoys.asia in March 2026 to focus more on Singaporean and Asian themes.
Picture courtesy of GT
He is now trying to turn his passion into a full-time job.
GT said he enjoys reimagining classic Singapore television characters and moments from the 1990s as action figures.
He also makes pieces inspired by local humour and current affairs.
These include works referencing the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), the Maju Forest issue and discussions surrounding Teochew dialect.
Picture courtesy of GT
He said the nostalgic collectibles allow people to revisit familiar memories from their childhood, while refreshing old television logos and images.
“It’s meaningful to refresh these icons so they don’t fade with time,” he told MS News.
“Also, people connect well with these nostalgic pieces as something they grew up with and is a piece they can own and display from their childhood.”
GT said the public response to his creations has been positive.
Customers generally appreciate their humor, rather than taking them as serious criticism.
One of his more popular creations was a ‘Prez’ piece of former President of Singapore Mdm Halimah Yacob.
His Instagram post of the creation, which drew reference from the iconic PEZ candy dispensers, attracted more than 6,800 likes and 4,500 shares.
Source: @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram
GT added that he tries to approach sensitive topics creatively, without intending to cause harm or hurt.
Citing his works inspired by the Maju Forest issue, GT said that his series offered him a way to draw attention to the issue through humour.
“Like many Singaporeans, I was concerned with the Maju Forest issue, instead of making a direct critique against it, I made a series of figures on the theme that the friends of Maju Forest need a new home from the Pangolin to the Hantu and Pontianak, after their forest gets taken away,” he said.
“This post ended up reaching 10,000 viewers on Instagram, which is my little way of trying to bring attention to the issue.”
Picture courtesy of GT
GT said his creations are handmade, painted and packaged by himself, and are available for purchase through his website, birdhandtoys.com.
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Featured image adapted from @birdhandtoys.asia on Instagram.