MJ Hsu celebrates the Year of the Fire Monkey with… a stylish custom release!

Sure, we know that it's the Chinese New Year today and that we're entering the Year of the Monkey, but did you know that 2016 is a Fire Monkey Year? In addition to the recurring 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, each year — in Chinese astrology — is also associated with one the Five Elements: Gold (Metal), Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth, and both the sign and element of your birth year are said to affect your personality… and destiny. Element and sign combinations occur every 60 years, and those born in 2016 are Fire Monkeys, indicating that they are ambitious and adventurous, but irritable. So what does all of this have to do with designer toys? It's because Taiwanese-American artist Mei-Jean Hsu, known under her abbreviated name of MJ Hsu, has created the pictured “Fire Monkey” piece to celebrate this New Year, a piece that she will be offering for sale today! The adventuresome get-up he's wearing looks well executed, as does that flaming hair, but what I love are the recessed eyes, which really sets them apart from the rest of the face… and the eyes do tend to be one of Hsu’s stand-out elements. Available today (February 8th, 2016) at 12pm Pacific time in Hsu’s online shop, this is a one-of-a-kind piece.