Peng Ven Wong’s resolve to create something that the world will fall in love with was perhaps what lifted him from the despair that he faced at that point in his career. And create he did, in the form of a melting cube, appropriately named as CubeMelt.
Says Wong, “The inspiration for CubeMelt came at the lowest point of my creative career. I was lost on where my work was taking me and didn’t know what I should be focusing on to establish my career at the age of 36.” The inspirational bolt struck him as he observed the melting ice cubes in his cup of soda. He asked himself what would an ice cube do, given its short lifespan? And, hey presto, CubeMelt was born!
Wong infused this likable cartoon with human feelings and emotions and made it a living ice cube. Despite himself being down in the dumps at that time, he provided his cartoon character with a ‘can-do’ attitude. Says he, “I wanted to bring some positivity to the world in a light-hearted way which brings me joy while working on the comics.”
Wong found creating the antics of his ice cube a way of making sense of his own life and the events that surround him. CubeMelt portrays the philosophy ‘Life is Short’ and provokes people to ponder how they themselves are spending each day of their lives. He beautifully portrays it by equating melting of the ice cube, the moment it’s taken out of the ice tray, with life that ebbs away with each passing day.
Wong gets the ideas for CubeMeltcomic strips from what he sees, hears and reads, and more importantly from his wife and baby girl. His endeavor is to teach the value of time to his daughter through CubeMelt. This has put his mind into overdrive to think about creating children’s books.
Infused with intense feelings and craving the joys of life, CubeMelt certainly evokes laughter, pity, and wonder. It makes people identify with it and makes them realize their own mortality and the limited span of time they have been gifted with. But his intent is not to paint a gloomy picture but to bring some perspective of life through the adventures, or more aptly, the misadventures of this lovable ice cube.
Wong philosophically states, “We’re all melting, some faster than others, but it’s not the duration, but the value we bring that matters.” And CubeMelt is certainly bringing oodles of value to its comic strip. Little wonder it has a fan following of over 175,000 on Instagram alone.
Peng Ven Wong
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