A Filipino toymaker has caught the eye of Hollywood celebrities Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth, both of whom star in the Marvel superhero movie "Thor: Ragnarok". Since then, the toymaker, Elmer Padilla, has become a celebrity in his own right. CGTN's Barnaby Lo caught up with him and tells us his story.

 

It wasn't too long ago when Elmer Padilla was roaming the streets of Imus, a city not far from the Philippine capital Manila, searching for a job. No luck for Elmer, however, until he decided he could make use of a talent he has.

 

ELMER PADILLA TOYMAKER "I've been creating different kinds of stuff since I was probably nine years old. I used to make miniature choppers using scrap metal sheets, and then my friends and I started using discarded flip flops to make toy boats. They stopped there but I started to make action figures. The first one I did was Predator."

 

Within days of setting up a spot near a public market, social media was abuzz with photos of Elmer sculpting flip flops into action figures. But it wasn't until a local reporter asked him to make Thor and Hulk action figures to be given to the actors playing those characters in Marvel films, that Elmer hit it big. On Twitter, Mark Ruffalo described Elmer's toy as inventively creative, sustainable, and just pure awesome.

 

ELMER PADILLA TOYMAKER "I can't believe that someone I idolize has expressed so much appreciation for my work, especially the part where he said they're environment-friendly. I am so grateful. "

 

Now Elmer isn't just an online sensation, he's busy handicrafting toys for orders he says have been piling.

 

BARNABY LO MANILA "So, Elmer says making action figures from discarded flip flops can take anywhere from three hours to a full working day. This one, for example, Daimos, he says, is one of the simplest to make, while this one, Bumble Bee, because of the intricate details, has been the hardest to make for him. "

 

None of them too difficult to make though for a man who's gone from being penniless to now doing one exhibit after another, showing his masterpieces to the world. Barnaby Lo, CGTN, Manila.