Everyone is into the cute anik-aniks nowadays. It all started with the Sonny Angels and the Smiskis. Now it seems like no bag is complete without some dangling toys like the Labubus, Cry Babies, and Skull Pandas.
Even I find myself needing a display shelf for all the little figures I have amassed.
There’s just something about collecting these little trinkets that feels like healing your inner child. But did you know that these toys don’t only come from overseas? In fact, we have a toy shop within Mandaue!
Meet the edgy toys from Lab Monkeys.
Heroes to handmade: The origin story
The Lab Monkeys toy shop is the brainchild of toy artist Lee Aller, who runs the business alongside his family. Lee’s passion for toys began with creating custom action figures, inspired by beloved superheroes like the Marvel characters. Over time, however, his interests evolved, and he found himself drawn to the world of art toys, where creativity and design take center stage.
After gaining experience and honing his skills, Lee decided it was time to pursue a new direction. Rather than continuing to create within the confines of established franchises, he chose to venture into the niche world of designer toys.
With the full support of his family, he founded the Lab Monkeys toy shop, where they now showcase unique creations that reflect his artistic vision. Their shop offers a range of one-of-a-kind toys that blend art, craftsmanship, and nostalgia, making it a destination for collectors and toy enthusiasts alike.
The family business
The family is quite hands-on with the Lab Monkeys creation process.
“Every time magbuhat mig new character mag meeting mi. Every character naa gyud syay own nga inspiration.” (Every time we create a new character, we have a meeting. Each character has its own inspiration.) – Lee Aller from Lab Monkeys
Many of the characters are inspired by Lee’s children and their creative ideas. In fact, the kids often come up with individual concepts and illustrations, which are then reviewed and approved by the entire team.
Lee’s niece brings the designs to life with 3D rendering, while he handles the 3D printing and molding. Every family member takes part in the process—conceptualizing, designing, molding, sanding, painting, and even packaging each piece.
Each creation is thoughtfully crafted with a story behind it, ensuring every toy is not just unique but also made with the highest quality.
The stories behind each character
The first characters Lee conceptualized with his children naturally revolved around monkeys—fitting, given the shop’s name. They found the monkey character to be incredibly versatile, embodying playfulness and lending itself to a wide range of expressions and ideas.
From this concept, they created two standout figures: the West-side monkey “Bling” and the East-side monkey “Saru.”
The family continues to expand on this playful idea, with more fun and creative characters featured in their Monkeying Around collection, available on their website.
The sad Yoko
He considers “Yoko” as his character with the biggest potential among his collections.
“Si Yoko is a sad na character inspired by my second youngest daughter.” (Yoko is a sad character inspired by my second youngest daughter.) – Lee Aller from Lab Monkeys
It was originally designed with a winding key mechanism that makes it turn around. Now he has a variety of designs for the toy, including the original wind-up design, the clover, tulip, onyx, and ghost. He still has several designs in store to add to the Yoko character.
In fact, their recent piece, “Poppa”, features the Yoko character. It is inspired by Lee’s father’s battle with a heart attack and stroke. The proceeds from every piece sold in this release will go towards his father’s medical care.
A dedication to the craft
As you can imagine, creating these toys does come with a couple of challenges.
“Ang problema sad namo kay diri sa Cebu wala gyud tay raw material diri sa atoa.” (A problem that we have in Cebu is that we can’t get the raw materials we need from here.) – Lee Aller from Lab Monkeys
Toy manufacturing is not a common venture in Cebu and it can be difficult to source materials and machines they need. However, they are still pursuing the craft and innovating new solutions to create even better toys in the future.
“Nag plan ko nga amo nalang i-in house tanan.” (We’re planning on getting all our supplies and processes made in-house.) – Lee Aller from Lab Monkeys
In fact, they’re ordering machines to help in the process, including a chroming machine, which would be the first in Visayas and Mindanao. If you want to check out the different toys from Lab Monkeys, you can follow them on Instagram at @lab.monkeys and Facebook at @labmonkeys.art.
They post their new collections and behind-the-scenes videos of their creative process. You can also shop their toys on their website—that’s www.labmonkeys.art.