Dragon vs. Tiger

Born and raised in Queens, NYC, AW177 is a Chinese-American self-taught artist/designer with a bright and vivid style influenced by Chinese culture, Asian motifs, graffiti and technical illustration. He takes these concepts and mixes them together to create a colorful and festive, yet powerful and emotional feel to his work, whether in printed or graphical form to customized vinyl art toys. The artist name AW177 is an amalgamation of initials of his real name along w/ numerals that hold a special meaning to him. The same can be said with his artwork – an amalgamation of different mediums, subjects and ideas that work together to form pieces of unique art that have special and powerful meanings. Qee Bear is a designer toy created by Toy2R, a Hong Kong-based company founded by Raymond Choy. It is part of the Qee (pronounced “key”) series, a line of customizable, anthropomorphic figures that became a major influence in the global designer toy movement. Qee Bears have a rounded head, stubby limbs, and a signature “Q” shaped keychain attachment, allowing them to be used as collectibles or keychains. Like BE@RBRICK, Qee Bears come in DIY (Do-It-Yourself) blank versions, allowing artists and collectors to customize their own designs. Available in multiple sizes, typically 2.5-inch mini Qees, 8-inch medium Qees, and larger collector editions. Toy2R has worked with international designers, brands, and pop culture franchises, including collaborations with Tokidoki, Michael Lau, Adidas, and even Star Wars. Qee Bears were one of the earliest urban vinyl collectibles to gain international recognition in the early 2000s, helping establish the designer toy movement alongside figures like Dunny (Kidrobot) and BE@RBRICK (Medicom Toy). Though they’ve been somewhat overshadowed by newer toy trends, Qee remains an iconic piece of designer toy history.