A retired engineer in Malaysia is helping his community by fixing broken toys and gadgets. Affectionately known as Uncle GP, he spends his Wednesdays and Fridays working as a “toy doctor” at a community hub called PARC in Subang Jaya. His main goal is to save sentimental items from ending up in the trash.
Uncle GP spent over 30 years working as an engineer, including a long career at General Electric. He decided to start this volunteer initiative after visiting a local toy library. He noticed several broken items there and realized he had the skills to repair them.
Saving Precious Memories
For Uncle GP, this work is about much more than just fixing pieces of plastic. He believes that while medical doctors save human lives, his job is to save precious toys. He repairs a wide variety of items, including soft dolls, educational toys, electronic games, and small household appliances.
One of his most memorable projects involved a 60-year-old man who brought in a headless teddy bear. The plush toy was a special Christmas gift from the man’s late mother, but its head had accidentally come off in a washing machine.
With the help of his assistant, Aida, who specializes in sewing, Uncle GP successfully repaired the bear. The owner was filled with joy when he saw his beloved childhood toy whole again.
Promoting A Green Culture
Through his efforts, Uncle GP wants to encourage people to repair, reuse, and recycle instead of throwing things away. His service runs on a pay-as-you-can system, meaning customers can choose how much they want to give. However, there is a small, mandatory minimum diagnosis fee to help pay for tools and keep the community project running. If a fee comes out to 10 Malaysian Ringgit, for example, it is worth about 3 Singapore Dollars (SGD).
Many adults and elderly people hold deep emotional connections to their childhood belongings. Uncle GP opens his workshop from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at The XChange inside PARC. He hopes his work inspires the neighborhood to live more sustainably.
Watch the video here:
