Inspired by her first son, Valentina Atkinson developed the character Makiko. It began when she started sketching cartoon characters that were inspired by him at nine months old. After having seen her drawing, Javier Lopez, a Mexican actor more commonly known as Chabelo, encouraged Valentina to turn her drawing into a children’s character. Chabelo reached out to Mattel to develop her idea.
Together, Valentina, Chabelo, and Mattel worked to turn her drawing into a series of toy figurines that captured the essence of children. The final product came to be an infant figure characterized by a protruding belly, thick arms and legs, and a bulbous nose. The most distinguishable aspect of the character was its radiant smile.
After a year of discussing the name and size, Makikos were created. Millions of copies were produced. They were characters that shaped the lives of children all over Mexico. Word of Makikos would make its way on TVs throughout Mexico as Chabelo would advertise Makikos in his show En Familia con Chabelo which premiered each Sunday for forty seven years. He would also give away the miniature characters as prizes on his show. It was always said that, “If you give Makikos, you are giving away love."
Thanks to Chabelo, every kid wanted a Makiko. However, as new toys were being developed, Makikos eventually stopped being produced. Its legacy would never be forgotten as adults will always remember their favorite childhood toys.
As time passed, Valentina revisited Makiko not as a toy, but as a memory. Drawing from the nostalgia and emotional weight the figure carried for an entire generation, she began creating Makikos anew in bronze. These sculptures serve as a quiet act of remembrance honoring the original toys while transforming them into lasting works of art. Cast in a timeless material, Makiko evolves from something held in small hands to something contemplated with adult reflection.
In this sculptural form, Makiko becomes an object for collectors. No longer a children’s figurine, the bronze Makiko is intended for those who grew up alongside the character and now engage with it through memory, sentiment, and artistry. The familiar proportions remain, the rounded forms and unmistakable smile, but they are rendered with maturity and permanence. These works speak to the passage of time, the endurance of affection, and the way childhood symbols can take on new meaning in adulthood.