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Singaporean artist reimagines local food mascots as sexy hunks

SINGAPORE — You’ve never seen them like that – the cartoon mascots of Kopitiam food courts, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, and Jack’s Place as sexy hunks, that is.

But that’s what a Singaporean artist has done – turned symbols of the beloved local food brands into sex symbols.

The artist, Toastwire, took the Kopitiam boy and Ya Kun uncle and turned them into handsome, ripped, thirst-inducing guys.

He also created muscular versions of a Beef Bro cook and a Mr Teh Tarik tea puller.

Toastwire, who prefers to remain anonymous as he is a gay artist, told Yahoo Lifestyle SEA that he created these drawings of five food hunks for National Day as a tribute to the iconic food franchises. And they’re multicultural to boot, representing Singapore’s various ethnicities.

Here are the five food hunks:

Artist Toastwire's five hunky food mascots of the brands Kopitiam, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Mr Teh Tarik, Beef Bro and Jack's Place. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's five hunky food mascots of the brands Kopitiam, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Mr Teh Tarik, Beef Bro and Jack's Place. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Mmmmm, kopi, toast and eggs never looked so good!

The thirst for these food hunks is real. “I want to spread kaya on those abs,” said a Reddit user in a thread gushing over the fictional heartthrobs.

These are the individual hunks, with their real-life inspirations beside them:

Artist Toastwire's version of the Kopitiam mascot.  (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of the Kopitiam mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of Mr Teh Tarik's mascot.  (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of Mr Teh Tarik's mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of Ya Kun Kaya Toast's mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of Ya Kun Kaya Toast's mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's rendition of a Beef Bro cook. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's rendition of a Beef Bro cook. (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of the Jack's Place mascot.  (Artwork: Toastwire)
Artist Toastwire's version of the Jack's Place mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Toastwire said the inspiration for his food series of hunks came when he was eating at a Kopitiam food court. “Basically I was having my meal at the Kopitiam and I noticed how their mascot looked so boring. And I thought it would be fun to make him sexier and since it's a local icon, people would appreciate it and laugh about it,” he said.

Toastwire, a 28-year-old Singaporean male, draws as a hobby and describes himself as a homoerotic artist creating gay-themed art for gay people. In fact, he’s the only homoerotic artist in Singapore, with a large following on Instagram and Facebook.

That means that a lot of his artwork is, ahem, NSFW.

“I create works featuring hunky men inspired by mostly Singaporean people and culture,” Toastwire says on his Etsy page. He also has a Patreon page for fans who would like to support his art financially.

Toastwire has also drawn sexy renditions of Singapore police mascot Inspector Clif and SAF military fitness trainers.

Toastwire creates his art digitally using Clip Studio Paint software, which allows him to draw and paint on a tablet.

Although his art is mostly geared towards gay men, Toastwire says his fans also include ladies and “some weird straight guys”.

“For this hunky gay art thing, I've been drawing for around ten years already. But I’ve been drawing since forever. I just draw, like, everyday,” said Toastwire.

Toastwire is having a sale of products and merchandise based on his art at the Alternate Universe Singapore centre this weekend (8-9 August), so go down and check out his booth if you’re interested.