Meet virtual character Gman at National Museum’s Play:Date
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A member of the public posing in the tunnel with Gman.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
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SINGAPORE – Meet Gman, a 3D animated character with a toothy grin that its creator is hoping may one day become Singapore’s version of Bearbrick.
Created by graphic designer Oh Jia Hao, better known by his Instagram handle Lioncolony, 10 animated Gmen strut along the walls of a tunnel leading visitors inside the National Museum of Singapore.
Born on Instagram less than a year ago, Gman began virtual life donning trendy outfits on the social media platform.
For his museum debut, he is modelling outfits inspired by iconic toys from the 1950s to 2000s.
His 32-year-old creator says: “I wanted to create a frame that can embody myself during my childhood as someone who grew up watching shows like Digimon and Pokemon. I wanted to envision a character that can wear different objects and elements along with fashion trends.
“In designing Gman, I wanted him to have a recognisable silhouette, which is why he is sort of in the form of a bear.”
The museum chose Oh for his work with 3D animation, which it felt was the best match to what it was looking for.
A child in front of a display of the Gman character. Its creator Oh Jia Hao wanted to create a character that embodied his childhood self.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
His suggestion to use Gman, a character he had already created, in a reimagined style for Play:Date also greatly appealed to the museum.
Ranging in size from 50cm to a metre, nine of the more humanoid Gman characters in the tunnel are inspired by old toys in the national collection, as well as the collectible toys on display on the second floor. A 10th Gman dons a Tamagotchi shell, his face rendered in a 16-bit style.
To create the outfits, Oh worked closely with the National Museum.
“They gave me the list of toys and I picked the ones that spoke to me, like the Universe Explorer toy,” he says. “It looks like a spaceship tank, but what spoke to me was the dome that looked like an astronaut helmet. I envisioned Gman flying the spaceship and emerging as a character wearing this type of spacesuit,” he says.
“I’m very inspired by Bearbricks, so maybe in the future, Gman will have local collaboration opportunities like that as well, with all the different prints and patterns.”
