Hoe crappy moet het zijn om als ventje in China Sinterklaas te vieren. Na weken van zwoegen op je gedicht of surprise ben je in voor een nasty eh, surprise.

Dankzij de bootlegcultuur is de kans namelijk groot dat je ouders op 5 december met een Street Hero action figure aankomen. Of een Karate Turtles poppetje: niet gelicenceerde rip off's van je favoriete characters en series. Ik zie er de schoonheid wel van in.

Maar als basisschoolboyke kan je waarschijnlijk geen waardering opbrengen voor de knulligheid, rare mix van verschillende stijlen (Darth Vader op een highway patrol motor) en het artwork vol Engrish.

Eigenlijk is het met deze slechte kopieën net als met kunst die put uit alles wat de populaire cultuur voortbrengt: iets wat je goed kent wordt op een onverwachte manier geherinterpreteerd. Waardoor je anders naar het origineel gaat kijken. En daar is niks mis mee.

Bootleg Action Figures

Cake Queen Zoe is amazing. Her work is pure Hans Klok-esque. She does her magic for a shop in Utrecht called Sweet Things. Don't like that city because you have issues with everything Henk Westbroek has touched? Click and flick through her ehrm, Flickr-page to see what she's capable of.

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Is what you do like working at Mc Donalds: after a week you'll never eat a burger again?
"I still eat cake. Not everyday or anything, but it's sort of important to do quality control. But yes, when you are around it all day, the urge to eat it constantly fades."

Exactly
"Sometimes I feel like a cake making machine just cranking out other peoples wedding and birthday dreams, like a factory! I make 50 cakes at least a week."

Impressive
"Lots of the designs people pick out from our photo books, sometimes people come with their invite cards, photos from wedding magazines or books. I like the people who come with basic ideas, but let me loose to design it and let the cake find itself. I put a lot of energy and love into my work. It can be not only physically but also mentally/creatively draining."



How long does it take to make a cake on average?
"The whole process spans over something like 3 days."

That long!
"The cake is baked on sheets, baking trays, then cooled and then cut into the sizes and shapes we need them to be, layered with fillings, and then stored over night. Then the cake is smeared with a thin layer of buttercream and then covered with colored marzipan or fondant."

What about decorations?
"They can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours to prepare. Some of the decorations need to be cut days in advance, so they have enough time to harden, such as 3D flowers."



Do you throw a lot of cakes in people's faces?
"It's sort of an American tradition for the bride and groom to throw, stuff and smear cake on each other's faces. Unfortunately that tradition has not really made it over to Holland yet. Give it a few more years and I think it will be happening not only at weddings but birthdays, births, christenings, office parties, etc.. Fingers crossed!"

What ingredients should a cake have to make it stick to a face really well?
"I think the old fashioned whipped cream pie still holds top seat in this division. The classic pie shell filled with sweetened whipped cream, maybe a little jelly jam for stickiness factor: that's totally the way to go."

And what about the cakes you make?
"I wouldn't dare throw one of my cakes. One, they are expensive, but secondly they are way too solid, you could seriously hurt someone!"