The hype surrounding the S$14.80 (RM45) purse after Ho Ching was seen clutching it during an official visit to the White House with her husband earlier this week, is the reason behind the sudden popularity of the product, the Straits Times reported.

A spokesman for The Art Faculty at Singapore’s Pathlight School for autistic children and youth, said that it typically takes about four months for as many units to be sold off.

A message on the store’s website states that orders for the purse that were made after all 200 units in stock had been sold, will only be fulfilled in the next two months.

The sudden interest in the artwork sold by The Art Faculty has also thrust the creative mind behind the image of dinosaurs on the pouch, 19-year-old autistic teenager See Toh Sheng Jie, into the limelight, according to the Singapore daily.

His taxi driver father See Toh, said the family was “shocked and amazed” by the reception towards his son’s artwork after news reports started circulating. The teen’s mother, Wendy Chua, 52, is also “extremely proud” of her son.

His father said Sheng Jie is “happy” after being shown media reports on the purse, and about his art being displayed in the US after becoming a hit in Singapore, but he was unable to fully understand the significance of it.

The teen had been fascinated with dinosaurs since he was three, and began sculpting models of dinosaurs using Blu-Tack, after watching the Disney animated movie “Dinosaurs”, his father told Straits Times.

He also thoroughly read on the prehistoric creatures from reference books during trips to the library and now translates his passion into detailed drawings and notes in his many sketchbooks.

Sheng Jie’s parents are now looking forward to meeting Ho, to thank her in person.

Ho, who is also the CEO of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, was seen clutching the purse while she and Lee were welcomed by US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, to the White House on an official visit earlier this week.

Ho, who is also the patron of the Autism Association Singapore, reportedly bought the purse at a concert last Saturday to raise funds for autism support services.

The Straits Times also reported that The Art Faculty pays its students royalties when their products are sold.