Father Turns His Kids’ Imaginative Ideas into Charming Wooden Toys Full of Character

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Taiwanese artist Yen Jui-Lin hand-carves adorable wooden characters that are so full of personality, they look like they could spring to life at any second. Each of Jui-Lin’s playful “little characters” is co-designed with his two children. Together they share ideas, and then Jui-Lin brings them to tangible reality by carving the quirky cast of characters out of wood. (Naturally, he gifts a number of them exclusively to his children.)

Jui-Lin uses a selection of different woods, stains, and varnishes to achieve such variety in his creations. Ranging from animalistic creatures, to siamese twins joined at the head, these objects are all one-of-a-kind, with each seeming to have their own mischievous personality. Their characters are often conveyed with subtle engravings, forming little mouths and expressions. Some also function as vases, with grass or flowers as sprouting tufts of hair, while others are simply unique toys for kids and lighthearted adults.

Follow Yen Jui-Lin on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date on his work.

Taiwanese artist Yen Jui-Lin hand-carves adorable little characters out of wood.

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Each character is developed from the imagination of his own children, who together sketch their ideas.

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Wooden Character Toys by Yen Jui-Lin

Yen Jui-Lin: FacebookInstagram
h/t: [Colossal]

All images via Yen Jui-Lin.

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Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Staff Writer and Video Editor at My Modern Met. She earned a BA in Fashion and Textile Design at the University of Ulster in Belfast. Originally from Northern Ireland, she lived in Berlin for many years, where she fostered a career in the arts, dabbling in everything from illustration and animation to music and ceramics. She now calls Edinburgh home, where she continues to work as a writer, illustrator, and ceramicist. Her ceramics, often combined with hand-painted animation frames, capture playful scenes that celebrate freedom and movement, and blend her passion for art with storytelling. Her illustrations have been featured in The Berliner Magazine as well as other print magazines and a poetry book.
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