Toymaker auctions off one-off sling shot product to raise funds for Palestinian cause

A TOYMAKER who goes by the moniker of Wan Kedah has come up with a unique way to raise funds for the Palestinian cause. He has designed a sling shot with packaging to highlight the plight of the Palestinians in their on-going conflict with Israel.

Quoting the late travel host and chef Anthony Bourdain on its packaging — “Today, nearly everything is made in China, except for bravery—it is made in Palestine”— the  sling shot is to be auctioned on Collectors Toy Fair KL Official Group’s Facebook page.

According to the toymaker, this one-off product will not be for sale, highlighting that his effort was not to profit from the plight of Palestinians. Some vendors of other products have been recently accused of trying to profit from the on-going conflict in Gaza with gimmicky marketing campaigns.

Wan Kedah claimed that he was reduced to tears when designing this one-off sling shot. He explained that he chose to use the sling shot because it is a powerful symbol and was the weapon of choice during the First Intifida.

He added that all of the proceeds from the auction will be channelled to Malaysian NGO Persatuan Cinta Gaza Malaysia and the bidding ends this Sunday (Oct 29). At the time of writing, the highest bid received for the unique sling shot was RM1,200.

While the efforts of Wan Kedah are to be applauded, it really would come as no surprise if some unscrupulous vendor decided to copy the idea and sell replicas.

Moreover, judging from the comments on the aforementioned Facebook page where the auction is taking place, there is great interest in the sling shot, with many sharing their disappointment that it is a one-off.

If that does happen, it is very likely that all proceeds will be pocketed by the copycat instead of being funnelled to the right channels.

Please buy wisely. – Oct 26, 2023

Main photo credit: Wan Kedah’s Facebook