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30 Heartwarming Cartoons By Olive Yong Featuring Chubby Cats Dealing With Everyday Challenges (New Pics)
Interview With ArtistBichi Mao invites you to a world of adorable cats where they navigate everyday human challenges. Through these stories, the artist is teaching us wholesome lessons like embracing life’s simple joys and self-love in a funny and cute way. Although some of the comics explore sadder, heart-wrenching themes, they all try to convey the same message of kindness.
The artist behind Olive Yong is from Malaysia and has been creating these comics for some time now. Her audience is growing fast, and now the Instagram account has a massive amount of 728K followers. In an interview with Bored Panda, Wee Lim, the co-founder of Bichi Mao, shared about their recent changes: "Since our last feature, we're grateful that Bichi Mao has had consistent healthy growth. We’ve expanded our reach across more platforms such as XiaoHongShu and were able to connect with an even larger audience, which has been incredible."
So, without further ado, let’s hop into the post and read the full interview below.
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This is why they say when you feel lonely and surrounded by people, choose to be alone. It's much better.
“We've also divided into some exciting new projects, like experimenting with 3D animations and creating more diverse merchandise such as toys. Plus, we've managed to stay true to our goals for 2024, which is to have more brand collaborations. This has allowed Bichi Mao to appear in new spaces and reach new fans, as well as a fun experience for the team. It’s been a whirlwind, but we're grateful for all the support and are excited about the future!” added Wee Lim, regarding the changes.
We were wondering what a typical day is like for the Bichi Mao team when they are working on a new comic.
Wee Lim shared: “These days, working on a new comic often involves juggling multiple projects, especially with brand collaborations. We usually start by brainstorming ways to naturally incorporate the brand’s message into the Bichi Mao universe, making sure it still feels true to our characters and storytelling style. Once we have some ideas, we do a few rounds of brainstorming and revisions within the team until we land on something that resonates. From there, we draft a rough script and sketch the comic to share with the client for approval.
Once we get the green light, it’s all about teamwork. We move through line art, coloring, and those final touch-ups to bring it all together. While it sounds a bit structured, it’s still a deeply creative and human process—full of coffee, laughter, and a lot of “awww” moments.”
Usually, some ideas don’t reach the final sketch, therefore we asked if Bichi Mao’s team has ever scrapped a comic idea after starting it.
Wee Lim explained: “We rarely end up scrapping an entire comic idea. Iteration is such a big part of our creative process that we usually work through any issues in the early brainstorming stages. We focus on nailing down the core idea and the emotion we want to convey before diving too deep into production. This way, we can minimize wasted work and make sure the story feels solid before we commit to the visuals. The only time we might make big changes is if client feedback requires it, but even that is pretty rare because we go through multiple rounds of approval early on to keep everything on track.”
My therapist told me that therapy sessions are very much like unraveling holiday lights (this was after I apologized to her for rambling about everything at once). You start with one topic and it easily ties to another, but then you eventually have your lights all untangled and ready to decorate!
Regarding a wholesome reader’s response that made them feel good about their work, Wee Lim wrote: “It's so hard to pick one because there are so many! From the top of our heads, we’ve heard from single mothers, people going through tough times with family, those facing health issues, and individuals struggling with relationships. Knowing that our comics bring a bit of comfort or a smile to people dealing with difficult moments really means the world to us. It's a reminder of why we do what we do and how powerful storytelling can be.
They explained that the simple, uplifting messages in our comics gave them little reminders to smile and take things one day at a time. Knowing that our art could offer comfort and a sense of connection to someone going through tough times was incredibly moving. Moments like these remind us of why we started creating in the first place – to bring a little joy and warmth into people’s lives.”
We were curious to know what the Bichi Mao creators want people to take away from their comics.
Wee Lim responded: “We hope that people see a bit of themselves in Bichi Mao’s world. Our comics often explore everyday emotions and situations, and we want readers to feel understood and connected. Ultimately, we want to remind people to embrace life’s simple joys, laugh a little, and, most importantly, to be kind not only to others but to themselves as well. Life can be challenging, but there’s always room for a smile and a little self-love.”
Lastly, Wee Lim added: “We just want to say thank you to all our readers and supporters! Your comments, likes, and shares mean the world to us and keep us going every day. Every merchandise sale helps keep the lights on at the studio and the team cared for. We're constantly amazed by the love Bichi Mao receives, and it pushes us to create better content for you. We have some exciting projects lined up and will be trying our best to visit more countries in 2025, so stay tuned! And if you ever see us at an event, come say hi – we’d love to meet you in person!”
I have a saying I pass along to people from time to time - "It's never too soon to start living in the future". Don't sit around waiting for the future you want to come to you - start building it NOW.
I got almost no sleep last night. I'm currently helping tend to a friend with a broken leg. I'm way fatigued and about to go to bed and not at my most stable at the moment. And then I read these strips, and they go straight through my defenses. Humor, Beauty, Joy, Love, Sorrow, Pain (and dead on target on very old emotional wounds that I thought had healed over, in a number of cases). Now I'm crying. Thank you, artist, for these strips, and for reminding me that I really am alive, and still have time to try and make the world a little better and to commit acts of kindness and love.
I got almost no sleep last night. I'm currently helping tend to a friend with a broken leg. I'm way fatigued and about to go to bed and not at my most stable at the moment. And then I read these strips, and they go straight through my defenses. Humor, Beauty, Joy, Love, Sorrow, Pain (and dead on target on very old emotional wounds that I thought had healed over, in a number of cases). Now I'm crying. Thank you, artist, for these strips, and for reminding me that I really am alive, and still have time to try and make the world a little better and to commit acts of kindness and love.