A strawberry MOLLY watch, MOLLY kisslock coin purses, collectible holographic MOLLY character cards, a gallery of MOLLY portrait paintings in vivid acrylics, and endless rows of MOLLY figurines both big and small. For fans of the signature Pop Mart character, the MOLLY 20th Anniversary Exhibition at West Kowloon felt like a dream come true—and it was. Not only because it served as the ultimate MOLLY shrine for devoted collectors, but because it showcased the long, inspiring journey of an artist who persevered throughout the years. 

Hong Kong artist and art toy designer Kenny Wong first brought MOLLY to life in 2006, ten years before she debuted as Pop Mart’s first major character in a blind-box series themed after the Chinese zodiac. It was a sunny autumn afternoon and Wong was participating in a charity event at Victoria Peak, raising funds by illustrating portraits of children for HK$100 a pop. Among all the innocent pouting faces he encountered, one stood out. She had short golden waves, lake-green eyes, and a charming sense of focus as she busied herself with her own doodle. When Wong asked for her name, she told him it was “Molly.” This encounter inspired Wong’s own MOLLY character: a young, budding painter with a heart after his own and a future brighter than even Wong could fathom.

In light of the milestone exhibition that chronicles MOLLY’s 20-year evolution, and the citywide MOLLY tribute that is now taking place across various Hong Kong landmarks, I ask Wong how he truly feels about the success. “First of all, I’m really grateful. Even today, I don’t feel that anything should be taken for granted. There are many people in this world who work much harder than I do, so my efforts don’t deserve such praise. If we’re talking about hard work, my team works ten times—even a hundred times—harder than I do,” he says earnestly. “If you ask me whether I ever imagined MOLLY achieving what it has today, the truth is I did fantasise about it, but I never thought it would actually happen. And if you insist on calling this my success, then I can only say that I truly succeeded in meeting a boss, more precisely a team, who truly takes their work seriously.”

MOLLY is inspired by a little girl you encountered during a charity fundraiser in 2006. Have you ever encountered her again since that day? 

I never ran into her again, and luckily, she never ran into me either. Otherwise, I probably would have bothered her every single day. What would it feel like if one day she discovered that she had become an IP? Even twenty years on, I still believe that MOLLY was neither designed nor created; she was discovered.

While MOLLY was initially created without a storyline in mind, did you create a personal narrative for her over the years?

MOLLY is different from other IP characters in that, to a certain extent, she is a reflection of the creator’s own emotions. That’s why there’s no need to force a backstory or setting onto her. Everything about her has emerged naturally. Through character design or written expression, her personality gradually reveals itself. More often, MOLLY’s interactions with her fans form a unique emotional connection between them that has shaped her character over the past 20 years, almost like a collective consciousness.

What kind of message did you hope to convey when you first created MOLLY? Has it changed or evolved over time? 

I remember when MOLLY first came into being, I was convinced that this little girl carried many of my own genetic traits. She was stubborn, eccentric, sometimes emotional and at other times full of sunshine. As time went on, she and I both grew up without even realising it. We encountered many different people, things, and all kinds of strange experiences this world has to offer. This growth isn’t just mine; I believe that even my “daughter”, MOLLY, has grown in similar ways. Today MOLLY feels more approachable, though her stubbornness runs deep and she still carries a certain inner tension. Children of her age typically have their own worries; she wants change and also wants to be accepted, just as I did when I was twenty. I looked at the world with a sense of pride and believed that I was uniquely myself.