Now, famed local singer Francissca Peter, who won the hearts of many after dominating the airwaves in the 1980s and ’90s with hits like “Sekadar Di Pinggiran” and “Aku Kehilanganmu”, has the rare honour of being immortalised in the form of a doll, and a very Malaysian one at that.
Last Thursday, in a tea shop on Jalan Ipoh in Kuala Lumpur, she had the delight of receiving her very own customised doll from Wesley Hilton, the founder of Borneo Doll.
Hilton, who has made over 500 custom dolls since he began his practice during the pandemic, told FMT Lifestyle that he had been contacted by the entertainer’s manager, who proposed a collaboration.
The Sibu-born craftsman was excited by the idea of creating a doll for “unity icon” Peter, as she is famously known, largely thanks to her having been the voice of the patriotic ’80s anthem “Setia”.
“She’s iconic, she’s a legend – so I thought, why not? We came up with this idea because Borneo Doll is all about dolls wearing traditional costumes,” Hilton said.
The 36-year-old decided to commemorate Fran’s 1986 “Anugerah Juara Lagu” winning performance, decked in an iconic pastel baju kurung.
“It was, I felt, the best look to capture and fit my aesthetic as a dollmaker,” he added.
The understated elegance of the baju kurung, however, proved difficult to replicate because of its outdated 1980s colour palette and pattern.
With the fabric no longer available for purchase, Hilton resorted to cutting up a chiffon headscarf to design the outfit. All in all, he spent over RM300 to produce the doll.
His efforts were more than worth it, however, as Peter was overcome with emotion when he presented her with the idol in her image last week.
“This is such a lovely gift. I’m going to hold back my tears as I’m too sentimental. It would be nice if more people were to come up with dolls marking nostalgic moments,” she said.
“We need to have more realistic dolls for our young girls.”
For Hilton, this project is a crucial milestone of his short journey as an Iban dollmaker. “I grew up listening to her songs and watching her on television when I was a kid. She was one of those non-Malay singers who was very successful at that time.
“When you watched TV in those days, you’d look at her and say, ‘Oh, she’s not Malay but she sounds Malay’. She sings so well, and I felt represented.
“That’s the main thing to me – that she was a talent that gave representation to those of us from minority groups.”
Hilton has also made custom dolls – largely not for sale – for local personalities such as singer Dayang Nurfaizah, Miss Malaysia 2020 Francisca Luhong James, and TV personality Daphne Iking.
To learn more about Wesley Hilton’s journey with Borneo Doll, follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
Also check out Francissca Peter’s music on YouTube and Spotify.