Brothersfree is one of the most respected designer toymakers to emerge from Hong Kong's Toycon in the past few years. Primarily known for the construction worker-themed Brothersworker series, Brothersfree has garnered international acclaim for its distinctive workmanship and style. Founded in 2000 by long-time friends Winson Ma, William Tsang and Kenny Wong, the Brothers continue to push the envelope with their projects- including the original Ah Aun & Ah Gum duo, the abstracted Brothersjoker clown series, and an expanding line of mini figures. The much-anticipated Brothersrobber collaborative project with Three Zero is also in production.

Nestled in an ordinary office building in the heart of Wan Chai, the Brothersfree workshop is a sight. Full-sized dioramic displays of their original figure prototypes line the entry way, and all other available shelf space is filled with action figures from Crazysmiles to McFarlane Toys. In the midst of all this, Winson, William and Kenny sat down with us and talked about Brothersfree's genesis, their unified artistic style, and what's coming next.

STRANGEco: How do you all know each other?

Brothersfree: We've known each other for more than 10 years, having all worked at the same advertising agency. We also all went to the Hong Kong Design Institute, but at different times so we didn't know each other then.

What sort of work did you do?

We were all visualizers (illustrators).

And you started Brothersfree 2 1/2 years ago?

Almost three years ago now.

Did you start Brothersfree specifically to make figures?

At first, we just worked on it for fun. The advertising industry was in a difficult place at that time because of the economy after the handover. We decided to collaborate on a creative project together, but we weren't sure what kind. After seeing Michael Lau's work, we decided to try designing figures. We did our first exhibition of original Brothersworker 12-inch action figures at the Toycon in August 2001. They were really well received, so we went from there.

What is the origin of the name Brothersfree?

It's a play on words, rhyming with "three" for the three of us. It also speaks to being free to create.

We've also heard you referred to as "Iron Brothers."

No; our English name is Brothersfree. The Chinese characters, when translated, can mean "Iron Brothers." In this sense, we are all working long hours with no sleep. It helps to be made of iron to work like this.

You all obviously like to collect, looking around your office.

William started collecting 6 or 7 years ago when the McFarlane Spawn figures came out. Kenny and Winson started collecting through William.

Do you collect other things?

Kenny collects Dinosaur and fossil-related things; Winson and William are now really into model kits. We also collect Chinese sculpture and have a nice model of a Ching Dynasty terracotta soldier in our office.

Your design style is really unified, especially given the fact that three principal artists are working on the figure. How do you three work together to produce such a consistent look, from business cards to figures and packaging?

We all draw and we make it together. We share a similar illustration background, so we have a common process for talking about the design.

Do you design one figure at a time?

Usually we each make three designs, and then present our ideas to each other. We choose and combine things from the three designs, make changes and build from there. For example we may use William's mouth design and Winson's eye design in Kenny's head sculpt, or something along these lines.

It's amazing, because the sculpting looks like just one person has done it.

Thank you.

How did you decide to focus on construction workers as a theme?

We wanted to make something different from the general military or superhero figures. While we were reviewing stock photographs, we came across construction workers and thought that this would be a good design concept. The accessories would also be very nice, with all the tools.

Have you enjoyed making the tools? They're very detailed and accurate.

Yes. All the tools start with handmade prototypes. The first prototypes are initially sketched out from photographs. We scan the illustrations into the computer and do detailed schematic drawings.

Does each figure have a back-story and personality?

The Brothersworker series story line is about a group of workers at a construction site. At first, the atmosphere of the workplace is miserable, with jealousy, suspicion and hatred between the various characters. An accident occurs on the job site, which causes the whole crew to put aside their differences and consolidate as a unit. Their relationships change as a result of the crisis.

How about the new Brothersjoker series?

Since 9/11, world feeling has gone from bad to worse, filled with melancholy and woe. The seven Brothersjokers, led by BJ Bearo, have joined forces to bring happiness in the world. Each Brotherjoker has a specific guiding principle. Through their appearance and behavior, they communicate their message to sad people everywhere. For example, BJ Captain, the soldier clown with the bomb through his chest, has the goal of promoting harmony and peace; The medical-themed BJ Fever encourages health and freedom from sickness, etc.

At last August's Toycon, you had a display showing the Brotherworker figures participating as rescue workers at the World Trade Center after 9/11. Can you comment on this display?

We felt very proud of our figures because they could demonstrate the rescue workers' altruism and cooperative spirit. We tried to provide viewers with a sense of the contribution by all the rescue workers who participated at Ground Zero.

When you're designing a new figure, do you sketch first and develop the character's personality later, or vice versa?

The personality concept and back-story comes first; designing comes second.

Are you also developing other figure lines in addition to the construction workers?

We're working on Brothersjoker and a new Brothersworker series. We're also making something funny and less "serious" than Brothersworker. It's all still secret, though. This year, we've already released a color version of the Minibrothers figures. We have also made BJ Hammer, the first Brothersjoker figure, in rotocast style.

One of the recent issues of Playground Magazine showed pictures of three different versions of BJ Hammer. Are more Brothersjoker figures planned? Will they be twelve inch, or rotocast, or another technique?

BF: After the production of BJ Hammer, other Brothersjoker members will be appearing in soft vinyl and mini figure forms. We hope that the 12-inch Brothersjoker figures could still be displayed in the nature of exhibition. We would also like to exhibit all of our 12-inch figures worldwide, especially in the U.S., U.K., Japan and France.

We've noticed that you're also producing a new "Minijoker" figure that has some of the same characteristics as "Ah Aun" and "Ah Gum". Will there be more designs using the "Ah Aun" and "Ah Gum" hardhat, perhaps with various designs like Medicom's be@rbricks?

When we were in the preliminary stage of designing mini versions of Ah Gum and Ah Aun, we were thinking about their expanded range and potential. We had plans and ideas to cooperate with other brands, or to embark on crossovers with other characters in our production line. Recently, we have devoted our time to seeking licenses. We'd like to make mini figures of Masked Rider, DC's Justice League and Marvel Heroes, just to name a few.

Can you tell us anything about the Brothersrobber crossover project with Three Zero?

The production for this project is very complicated and considerable, so we've needed more time to collaborate with Three Zero to get the best result. The project is in its final stage, so Brothersrobber should be for sale on time at the August 2003 Toycon.

We think that Brothersfree is really taking toy design into the realm of art. Do the figures you make represent your creative expression?

They're definitely not just toys. We are very proud of our work.

Check out STRANGEco's additional Brothersfree coverage:
» Toycon PIXMas 2002 Report
» Playground Magazine, April 23, 2003
» Playground Magazine, August 12, 2003
» Playground Magazine, August 20, 2003
» August Toycon 2003
» Brothersrobber Gallery

Also visit the Brothersfree website, www.brothersfree.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRODUCTION HISTORY