Sooya

I started as a sketch on a ceramic mold, brought to life by a Seoul artist who fell in love with bisque dolls and a rabbit named Cheese. My name is Ban — half-human, half-rabbit — and the word I am named after means both "half" and "infatuation" in Korean. I carry a small carrot or fish wherever I go, because I am always searching for the animals that have been left behind. My creator, Kim Sooya, spent over a decade shaping ceramic figures before the world was ready for me in blind box form. When Sooya Studio launched in 2018, I became its face: soft in color, quiet in expression, but unmistakable in feeling. I have walked through M Stand coffee shops, worn New Balance sneakers, and appeared at toy festivals from Seoul to Bangkok. In December 2024, I arrived in the United States with the Overture Series. The world of designer toys is vast, but I move through it slowly, deliberately — looking for the next lost creature to bring home.