The annual Lunar New Year celebration might be over, but the Year of Dragon just started, and there are more than enough cool commemorative designs to last until next February.
Malaysia’s Fictionist Studio made a real showstopper with their work for Wing Heong, who primarily make a Chinese beef jerky-esque dried meat called bakkwa. It’s an especially popular snack for the New Year festivities, so why not make eating it a celebration in itself?
Fictionist’s stunning paper dragon nailed the brief with flying colors— more specifically, a warm, seasonally appropriate palette of red, pink, orange, and gold. A slice of vacuum-sealed bakkwa is hiding inside every pocket of this majestic beauty, whose stretchable body would make a fantastic toy or decoration to put on display year round. Shiny gold foil details pop on the dragon, its hidden packets, and thoughtful keepsake box, turning a snack into a collectible item as breathtaking as a parade float.
Wing Heong is one of Malaysia’s foremost purveyors of bakkwa. Bakkwa is a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky and is often eaten during the festive month of the Lunar New Year primarily in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.
For their Lunar New Year limited edition gift set, we designed a bespoke box packaging that is fitting for the illustrious year of the dragon. Featuring a paper dragon that measure almost a meter long, it has vacuum-packed bakkwa slotted into each ‘slice’ of it’s body. Inspired by bellows that fan flames, the paper dragon’s body is stretchable to reveal its majestic stature and animatic gesture.
Opening the mouth reveals the treasure it is holding — vibrant red packets / angpows designed to look like a dragon’s flame. Neon ink and gold foilings further elevate the stature of the dragon, with extra goodies such as meat floss and other jerky products underneath it.
