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The Mama Blog

Day With the Basics: Sophia Chang

We recently sat down with the genius behind our latest and first ever Lunar New Year Hair + Body Wash label. Illustrator and mama, Sophia Chang talks all things Lunar New Year, how she has celebrated through the years and all the special ways she now shares her culture as a mother and artist.

 

Sophia Chang

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you heard about Tubby Todd!

Hi! My name is Sophia Chang and I’m an illustrator and designer. I’m so excited to be able to work on this special project with Tubby Todd for Lunar New Year. I’ve actually been a huge fan of Tubby Todd since day one with my kiddo, and I'm one of those people who always makes recommendations to other new moms as well, to always use the All Over Ointment. I literally have jars of it. I think the first year I made an order online of like five jumbo-sized jars to last me for as long as we need.

 

Q: What are some of your Lunar New Years traditions? Are there any specific memories that influenced your creative process?

My parents are originally from Taiwan and I’m born and raised in New York, but we always celebrated Lunar New Year in my home. Every family celebrates differently, but in my home it was pretty small. I’m actually an only child, so it was just me and my parents. We made sure to always have dinner together and when appropriate we would wear red! After dinner, we’ll typically move over to the living room. My parents will sit on the couch and typically have me repeat what they’re saying. We say things like, “we wish prosperity”, “we welcome the new year” and then I’d thank them. I say what they want me to say, because they always give out a red envelope. In Mandarin, a red envelope is called 紅包, which literally translates into English as "push down your age." Often times red envelopes are given to children or people in the younger age range. It's kind of this fun gesture to just be like, "Hey, stay young forever. Keep your youth." There's a lot of other  traditions associated with Lunar New Year, things like purging things in your home, or eating noodles to represent long life and longevity.

 

Q: Can you tell use a little about the bottle design?

We decided to customize the Pomegranate Pear scent with the Lunar New Year, Year of the Snake packaging design. There's lots of Lunar New Year iconography throughout the label, all symbolizing something different. We have noodles that symbolize longevity and new life. You have your lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers  which are oftentimes played around with in the streets for Lunar New Year. This year we're ringing in the Year of the Snake which is one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. It represents wisdom, strategy and calmness and it's one of the  animals within the zodiac that sheds its skin which is symbolic of a fresh new year.

Sophia Chang Collage

 

Q: What challenges or unexpected wins have you had while sharing your heritage and traditions as a new mom?

Growing up I spoke Mandarin pretty fluently. Now I don't know how to read or write very well even though I went to school for 15 years. I never paid attention, I was busy drawing. But one thing I noticed growing up is that a lot of times people lose their native tongue and language overtime  and are unable to connect with their grandparents. One thing that I really value is being able to share this culture with my son now that I've become a mom. So I actually speak Mandarin exclusively to him as much as I can. I think there's a lot of value in being able to not only share the language with him, but for him to be able to understand his roots and where he comes from.

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Shop the limited edition Lunar New Year Hair + Body Wash

Lunar New Year Hair + Body Wash

 

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