Genesis
Xiong Miao started with concept art for games and films – detailed, precise, technical. But somewhere between the pixels and the delivery deadline, there was something that didn't fit into any brief. In 2014, she founded Beizhai Studio. In 2018, she created Skullpanda – a character meant to be her alter ego: freer, louder, and without limits. In 2020, Ancient Castle sold 60,000 units in one second. The rest is history, known to every collector.
Alter ego in figurine form
Each figurine is a fragment of identity enclosed in a form. They express what we often cannot or do not want to say directly. They remember something. Or they know something.
Cute and dark in one costume
Big heads, delicate bodies, expressive makeup, theatrical costumes. A cute form, a mood – not necessarily. A contradiction that does not seek a solution – it simply resides within it.
Inspirations and aesthetics
Gothic, fashion, anime, street fashion, Egon Schiele. Figurines like miniature characters from a surreal fashion show – or from a narrative whose script someone deliberately left unfinished.
Craftsmanship and detail
Xiong Miao regularly visits factories and observes the production process. Every gradient, every detail of the makeup – it's not by chance. Skullpanda was the first Pop Mart series where lace details were embossed into vinyl, not printed.
Collector Series
🏰 Ancient Castle
Dark gothic atmosphere. 60,000 pieces sold in one second from launch. The moment that changed everything.
🎨 L'impressionnisme
Pastel colors and ethereal atmosphere inspired by late 19th-century painting. Skullpanda in the Louvre.
🌆 The Warmth
Urban aesthetic, metropolis energy, neon lights. Skullpanda in the city center.
❄️ Winter Symphony
Winter nostalgia, muted palette, subtle details. Like a warm blanket on a frosty morning.
🔍 You Found Me
Plush charms with a secret – they reveal secrets only upon closer inspection.
🪷 The Ink Plum Blossom
Inspired by Chinese ink painting. Delicacy and strength in one form.
How to recognize an original
Three pillars of creativity
Theatrical form
Each figurine like a miniature play
Tension of cute & dark
A contradiction that does not seek a solution
Emotional alter ego
Figurine as a visual representation of a state of mind
Curiosities
🎮 Started with games
After graduating in 2009, she worked on concept art for games and films. Her works from that period were considered masterpieces by fans.
△ Symbol of balance
Skullpanda's spherical pigtails and helmet form a triangle – a conscious symbol of balance and division built into the character's proportions.
🏛️ Museum exhibitions
The "Cage-Uncage" installation was displayed at the National Museum of Singapore – one of the few places where an art toy entered a national museum collection.
💄 Cosplay trend
Skullpanda's distinctive makeup has become a cosplay trend – fans recreate her look with each new series release.
Follow and discover
In a world of art toys full of characters that want to be cute, Xiong Miao chose something more difficult: she wants to be real. And that's why her figurines stay in your mind long after you look away.
Discover the Skullpanda collection
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