Interview by William Chan

Local artist Aurelio Lewis, the mind behind the IP brand bumboreo, has released his first children’s book, Seed, What’s Wrong?, with editor Cynthia Chan Lok Si. The pair spoke to the Post last week at Chan’s office in Zape about their creative journey.

The book is published by The Macanese Publishing Ltd. and the Macau Animation, Comic and Toy Artistic and Cultural Exchanges Promote Association, with support from the Cultural Development Fund. Following their book launch event at Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), Chan noted that Seed, What’s Wrong? will be showcased at the Hong Kong Book Fair in Wan Chai North until Saturday.

Building the bumboreo world

Since 2020, Lewis has developed his personal IP brand, bumboreo (步步里澳), with Seed, What’s Wrong? marking his debut picture book. The story deepens the bumboreo universe and showcases the main characters’ personalities. “I hope to grow and mature alongside my IP, and to showcase a more developed Macau IP brand image,” Lewis said.

He explained, “I created numerous characters during my university life in the UK as part of my projects. Initially, I saw them as a hobby and didn’t plan to develop them into an IP brand, but with encouragement from others, I explored the idea.” Among his various characters, Bumbo the bear stands out as the central figure, featuring prominently in his illustrations.

Developing an original IP

With the proliferation of IPs worldwide and in Macau as well, Lewis emphasised the importance of distinguishing his characters from others. “One of the key lessons I’ve learnt is to craft detailed backstories and personalities for each character,” he said.

Lewis considers Seed, What’s Wrong? a cornerstone of his IP brand’s development. He and Chan co-wrote the story, which initially they planned to target a broader audience, but eventually settled to aim primarily at children. “The narrative revolves around Bumbo and his friends growing plants for the Bloom Festival. When Bumbo’s seed fails to sprout, he becomes emotional and begins to self-doubt. With his friends’ support and encouragement, he felt a need to change, and his seed finally sprouts and blooms,” Lewis said.

Chan added, “As we developed the story, we had to define each character’s traits and how they would react to different situations. We hope that by the end, readers will remember both the story and the characters.”

IP in the age of AI

With artificial intelligence (AI) making character generation easier than ever, Chan and Lewis see advantages in well-developed IP brands. “AI-generated images are often synthesised from existing internet content, which brings risks of copyright infringement,” Chan noted.

Lewis pointed out that working with established IP brands avoids these pitfalls, as copyright ownership is clear. “We can also offer customisation—adapting our characters in size, theme, or style to suit different products. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I collaborated with a local aromatherapy brand on a set of face mask aroma stickers that feature Bumbo, something AI still struggles to replicate in terms of consistency and perfection.”

The power of IP & branding

Ultimately, the most valuable asset of any IP is its brand image and fanbase. Bumboreo’s Instagram page has already attracted over a thousand followers. Lewis also highlighted the Macau government’s strong support for IP development, noting previous collaborations with government bureaus and pointing out that his products are sold in the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) gift shop.

Earlier this month, Lewis joined other artists on an IP-focused tour to Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC). “We saw first-hand the economic impact of IP development and the sophisticated teams behind successful IPs,” he said. “I learnt a lot and look forward to further developing my IP, while still keeping it as a passion project.”

Chan added that the book is still in the distribution phase and available for purchase in the ARTmusing Room at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) for 128 patacas.

【澳門郵報】Picture Book ‘Seed, What’s Wrong?’ spotlights local IP bumboreo
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