We remember the Kuta Kuta monkeys that captured the imagination of young and old in the 1970s in Asia and began taking up prominent spaces in bedrooms, living rooms, classrooms and even on office desks.
The soft, cuddly creatures have come a long way since they evolved into Monchhichi dolls in 1974. As time went by they grew into a furry family. The collection now even includes childrens clothes.

Collectors and admirers of the popular thumb-sucking dolls, ranging from homemakers to teens, can soon look forward to seeing an entire collection of accessories based on the dolls in Hong Kong.

The accessories will go on sale at a new counter at Seibu in Pacific Place, Admiralty, a senior manager of Japanese manufacturer Sekiguchi told The Standard yesterday.
Sekiguchi has a booth at the Summer Sourcing Show for Gifts, Housewares and Toys, which opened yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Susumu Yoshida, director of the overseas department at Sekiguchi in Tokyo, says the accessory collection which includes bracelets, charms and keychains is studded with Swarovski crystals. The accessories feature some Monchhichi dolls.

He says more than 500,000 of the Monchhichi dolls and associated products have been sold in Hong Kong in the past year.

Contrary to expectations, most buyers of accessories are in the 30-40 age group, he points out.

Sekiguchi also operates a retail outlet at the Miramar shopping center in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The dolls and accessories are among the thousands of ideas at the sourcing fair on display in separate zones gifts, dining and cooking, home living, style and decor, fun and play, costume jewelry and ladies world. A product zone titled Treasure Island features branded premiums.

Educational toys, cookware, home products, sunglasses with hidden cameras, digital alcohol breath testers, educational construction sets and gift items vie for attention amid gardening implements, indoor and outdoor decorative items, digital photo frames, cutlery, crockery, coffee mugs, ceramic coin banks, silicon business cardholders, handmade Korean paper (hanji) and innovative iPod docks.

Xonix Electronics from Guangdong is displaying sunglasses with a 1.3 megapixel camera barely visible on its temple tip and a clevery concealed one gigabyte memory stick. The spywear comes with a coin-sized remote control that can be carried discreetly. Assistant sales manager Susan Luo, says the sunglasses have attracted the attention of some sports channels in the United States as well as security and protection services.

Private car owners are likely to find a pocket-sized, battery-powered digital breath Alcohol Tester from Marco Manufacturing in Zhongshan, Guangdong. It is a prototype as yet. Koreas Seju Engineering is offering a pen-shaped, battery-run, household gas-leak detector, along with its own version of a booze breath tester.

Exports of gifts, premiums and novelty items in the first four months were valued at HK$50 billion, up 7.6 percent, Hong Kong Trade Development Council data show. Houseware exports, such as fridges and microwaves, were worth HK$3.6 billion.

Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Commerce, Industry and Tourism) Yvonne Choi Ying-pik opened the trade event, with the Hong Kong Licensing Show being held concurrently. KAPILA BANDARA