From a boy who once cried over a 5,000-baht Godzilla toy to the artist behind Hollywood monsters and founder of “Kaiju Smuggler,” Rien Natthawut Baiphowongse now brings his imagined creatures to life — and today, he’s here to share stories from a life lived just as closely with monsters as with humans.
Insults Are Fuel
Rien grew up on Japanese and American superhero films, sketching monsters and collecting toys long before he knew it’d become his path. Called “bizarre” for dreaming of being a monster designer — even by his own family — he only pushed harder. When Japan’s Wonderfest rejected him for not being Japanese, he turned that setback into fuel, eventually rising as a key figure in Hollywood creature design.
A Passion Still Burning
Even with globally renowned work like the Demogorgon from Stranger Things under his belt, Rien still holds space in his heart for something simpler and truer to himself: toys. That passion sparked the birth of the brand Kaiju Smuggler — born from a friend’s encouragement, a 3D printer, and a deep love for toy-making that never faded.
Not Afraid of Failing — Only Afraid of Not Having Fun
“On the first day we got together, the three of us listed out dozens of ideas. Whether we could actually make them happen didn’t matter — all that mattered was that it had to be fun and exciting.
The result of that brainstorming session was an art toy of Ganesha — a creation that shook up the Designer Toy scene at the time. Rien priced it at over 6,000 baht — a figure many doubted — but the toy sold out quickly.
That success became a pivotal moment, giving Kaiju Smuggler the confidence to create works that blur the line between “revered icon” and “playable toy” — art that anyone can connect with. You could say Rien is helping move culture forward with courage, reimagining traditional Thai art from something distant and sacred into something alive, fun, and contemporary — all without diminishing its original value.
