Happy Year of the MOO!
As the Year of the Rat comes to the end, we welcome the Year of the Cow. In order the celebrate the coming of the new year, AAFK has come up with a mutated strain of Moe Joe: The Moo Joe!
What happened, you may ask? Well, Moe Joe has the unfortunate habit of all dogs and is super adventurous when it comes to food. He snuck into the kitchen and ate a very special lucky dumpling during the Chinese New Year’s feast preparation. Before you know it, Moe Joe mutated into the mythical Moo Joe! A noble creature from a fantastic world that embodies kindness and compassion, though it does have a temper when things go wrong.
Just to let you know a little backstory, the Chinese Zodiac is made up of a twelve-year cycle. Each year is associated with a certain animal. The Ox happens to be the second animal of the cycle. One story tells about how the twelve animals were selected in order. The choosing happened during the Great Race, where all the animals were made to race across the river. The race would determine which creature, in which order, would be able to represent a year. The Ox was a persistent and stubborn creature that would have won the race as the very first animal. However, the Rat was a cunning creature and asked the Ox if he could ride on his head. The Ox agreed, and as they neared the finish line, the ungrateful Rat hopped off the Ox’s head and claimed first place. This was why the Rat and the Ox are known not to get along with each other.
Taking inspiration from the Ox, Moo Joe was created to celebrate this year, as well as the dependable, strong characteristics of the confident creature. This 3” soft vinyl figure was hand sculpted and each of them was lovingly hand painted by AAFK. The Ox has always been a traditional theme for the team, having been made a recurring subject in many of their artwork. These are reflected primarily in the early works of the duo starting in the alleys of Hong Kong and street art festivals. This makes the Year of the Ox a very special year for us indeed!
Moo Joe is a rare, one-of-a-kind creature that will brighten anyone’s year. There aren’t many of them available for collecting, so you’re going to have to be quick if you want to nab one for your year!