The Story Behind the Limited-Edition Quiccs X Jollibee TEQ Release

At this past weekend's ToyCon in Manila, the highly anticipated JolliTEQ collaboration was among the many highlights for both casual and long-time TEQ fans alike. JolliTEQ would reimagine the venerable icon as a fresh, futuristic, and stylish collectible that combines the best of the artist's signature cyberpunk styling cues and Jollibee's universal appeal.

Quiccs Maiquez and Jollibee teased the collaboration only a week prior and the limited-edition release still has people, err, buzzing even after the overwhelming response at the festival. The art toymaker and street artist has had graffiti and art toys scattered all over the world right now, thanks primarily to the success of TEQ63 and the "Ghost of Kurosawa" in 2016.

(Fun fact: That release was inspired by the late great auteur Akira Kurosawa, who had heavily influenced George Lucas in the development of Star Wars by way of the former's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress. Interstingly, TEQ63 also has a hidden Filipino reference in it: the number is our official area code.)

"If you know my characters, you can see that they're always a combination of these three subcultures combined.” Quiccs and his brother grew up watching the likes of Voltes V, Daimos, Bioman, and Transformers as kids, and the shows had a profound effect on him. “And then through the 90s, it was Gundam and Evangelion. I had a natural love for Japanese robots. Me, being an artist. Early on, I was also experimenting with creating my own robots.”

One icon meets another. The hype was worth the wait.

At this point, he's worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Nike, Sony, Marvel, Johnnie Walker, and Adidas (he was actually the first Filipino creator to have his own signature line). Throughout his work, we see a convergence between graffiti, anime, robot culture, and hip-hop. JolliTEQ is no different.

The artist only does collaborations when there's full autonomy, as he has noted in the past. But if there was a common trait among his decisions, it's that each of them traces back to his childhood. “They're all close to my heart or have a part of my life or present an aspiration that I really seek," he told Esquire Philippines in an interview back in July 2023.

During the exclusive unveiling of JolliTEQ at Bonifacio Global City last week, Quiccs spoke of this particular full-circle moment in his career. "Being an artist in the Philippines means thinking on your feet. It means forming meaningful connections and communities to help you grow. Toy designing was a passion I'd always wanted to pursue since 2012. And it has come to this. It's been a great journey."

Jollibee is the first homegrown global Filipino brand he's partnered with. In the Filipino food brand's case, this is also its first major collaboration with an art toy designer. The brand has partnered with various toy companies, including Funko, in the past. But JolliTEQ has Jollibee dipping its toes in the toy collector's space.

“Jollibee is a brand close to many Pinoys, me being one of them growing up and until now," he says. "Every time I go to conventions in the United States or Europe, I always look forward to the Chicken Joy waiting for me back home. Seryoso, you can look at our CCTVs. It's always been a dream for us to work with Jollibee."

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Jollibee, Dorothy Dee-Ching, Quiccs, and TEQ posing with the special-edition designer toy. Yes, we know they're mascots.

Quiccs thinks of JolliTEQ as one of his most cherished milestones. "Kita mo, when I die, magfa-flash ito," he quips.

JolliTEQ had only been made available at ToyCon. According to Quiccs, there had been about 150 sets produced with a limited run for each size given for each day. Pre-orders were delivered right to customers' doors, as well.

Collectors, of course, just can't get enough of the release; so much so that some members of the toy-collecting community are crowdsourcing within secondhand markets for their own piece of the action. Suffice it to say, demand was met.

“As a brand that advocates for Pinoy Pride, we’re very excited to finally launch this collaboration–two internationally acclaimed homegrown brands coming together for an awesome creative partnership,” adds Dorothy Dee-Ching, Jollibee Philippines Vice President and Head of Marketing. "When we were discussing, we just thought it was a perfect match."

JolliTEQ comes in only three sizes: the three-inch, six-inch, and 12-inch figures. Each is packed in a special "meal" packaging just for the heck of it (Plus imagine getting an art toy in a Jolli brown bag? The layers of self-referentiality, right?). The smallest figure is priced at P3,500 while the six-inch one goes for P6,500. The 12-inch collectible, on the other hand, goes for P25,000. Bigger isn't always better but hey in this case, big does well with big collectors.

"TEQ63 usually comes in three sizes. Mega, standard, and mini, so it just made sense. We've done this in the past with different colorways and collaborations," Quiccs emphasizes. "I'm really proud of how the packaging turned out, too. The boxes themselves are inspired by the spaghetti and palabok boxes we grew up with. Box pa lang ulam na, sabi nga nila." It's all about tradition, he points out.

"I wanted something that identified with '80s babies will also appreciate," Quiccs concludes. "There's still a big reference to Japanese robots and hip-hop and graffiti. I just wanted to give collectors something fresh."