Mighty Jaxx

Hell Lotus (centre) was Mighty Jaxx's first original characters.

Mighty Jaxx is a design studio founded and based in Singapore. It is known for manufacturing and retailing toy collectables. In 2017, the studio won the 'Brand of the Year' title at the Designer Toy Awards. As of June 2020, Mighty Jaxx has over 97,000 followers on Facebook and 109,000 followers on Instagram. The brand is managed by its founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jackson Aw.

Background

According to the brand's website, Mighty Jaxx has over 150 original toys as of June 2020. Their prices range from about S$13 (US$9.99) to S$345 (US$249). Apart from its originals, Mighty Jaxx also produces limited edition collectables based on iconic characters. In 2017, it partnered with DC Comics to create the 'XXRAY DC Comics Golden Age Edition' line.

The five collectable figures in the 'XXRAY DC Comics Golden Age Edition' line. Photo from Mighty Jaxx.

Founder

Jackson Aw, the founder of Mighty Jaxx. Photo from The Peak Magazine.

Jackson Aw is the founder of Mighty Jaxx. He studied at Nanyang Polytechnic and graduated in 2009 with a Diploma in Digital Media Design. Before Mighty Jaxx, he was the owner of Red Army Camera, a brand specialising in the import and retail of refurbished film cameras. Over the years, Jackson has been recognised for his achievements with MightyJaxx. Jackson received his first public commendation in 2017 when he won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award (EYA) for Innovation. A year later, he was awarded a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2019, he was featured on Tatler Asia's Gen.T list that spotlights young individuals who have excelled in their respective fields.

Origins

Mighty Jaxx was founded in 2012 as a start-up that was backed by a S$20,000 loan. Before starting the business, Jackson had spent about a month in Shenzhen, China visiting multiple toy manufacturing factories. Mighty Jaxx's first collaboration was with the Singaporean visual artist, CLOGTWO. They produced an original character called 'Hell Lotus' and debuted 200 models at the 2012 Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention.

Business expansion

In 2013, Mighty Jaxx sold out 200 of the 'Bad Apple' collectables within five minutes of the launch. The collectable was designed by the French artist, GOIN in response to the Paris riots in France. In an interview with Shopify, founder Jackson Aw shared that the brand was mostly sustained by American consumers in the early years of the business. By 2017, the brand reportedly earned a $3.1 million revenue.

A close up of 'Bad Apple' by GOIN x Mighty Jaxx. Photo from Clutter Magazine.

Overseas recognition

Over the years, Mighty Jaxx has built a worldwide consumer base. In an interview with The General Co, Jackson shared that his brand received recognition at Designer Con that was held in the United States of America. He says:

"A lot of people came and were queuing up at our booth, just to get our artist to draw something for them. I was carrying boxes around and this guy came over and he was like, 'yo, you are Mighty Jaxx right?'"

Mighty Jaxx has also exhibited at regional conventions like the Thailand Toy Expo in 2019.

Global licensing contracts

Mighty Jaxx has worked with renowned international brand names like Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, DC Comics, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street. In April 2020, The Business Times reported that Mighty Jaxx secured global licensing contracts with the entertainment companies, Hasbro and ViacomCBS to produce collectables based on characters in 'Spongebob Squarepants' and 'Transformers'.

Local recognition

'Love Bomb' by PHUNK x Mighty Jaxx. Photo credit to Marc Tan.

In 2013, Mighty Jaxx's toy collectables were featured at Art Stage Singapore. The brand had collaborated with the Singaporean design collective, Phunk Studio to reproduce 12-inch models of the original life-sized sculpture, 'Love Bomb'. In 2018, Mighty Jaxx was one of the exhibitors at Culture Cartel. The brand was also invited to speak about the role of 3D printing in the toy-making process at Singapore Art Week 2020.

Branding

The brand name 'Mighty Jaxx' is a play on the founder's name, Jackson. The word 'mighty' was included as a form of brand empowerment. In a 2019 article, Mighty Jaxx was described as a creative enterprise by Channel News Asia. Founder Jackson Aw also identifies as a 'designpreneur', having stated his "interest in building brands in the creative space". Much of Mighty Jaxx's products are driven by collaborations with artists.

Artist collaborations

As of June 2020, Mighty Jaxx works with over 60 local and international artists. In 2016, the brand partnered with the Singaporean artist, SKL0 to create the 'Cultured' series of collectables inspired by the artist's paintings. One of MightyJaxx's signature collections is 'The World of Popiki' which is the result of a licensing contract with the artist, Whatshisname to represent and reproduce his iconic artwork - POPek the balloon dog. Mighty Jaxx dropped the first collection in January 2017.

Online presence

Mighty Jaxx has a strong social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube where it has over 2,000 subscribers. Its YouTube channel features video content ranging from artist spotlights to short clips of its collectables. The brand holds giveaways and announces product launches on its Instagram and Facebook platforms and regularly updates its blog with written content.