Meet Hlub - a HMong Paper Doll
Hlub shows up as her whole, radiant self—full of color, joy, and heart.
Celebrating Heritage Through Play
I’m beyond thrilled to introduce Hlub, a handmade Hmong paper doll designed to celebrate identity, creativity, and culture. She's finally here — and available to order online.
The Spark of an Idea.
The idea for a Hmong paper doll came to me years ago during a visit to a local museum. After a full day of wandering through inspiring exhibits, I stopped by the gift shop. I browsed through shelves of thoughtfully curated treasures—local jewelry, art books, puzzles, games, and more.
But something felt missing.
In a city with a vibrant Hmong community, I couldn’t find anything playful, meaningful, or collectible that reflected Hmong culture—something both kids and adults could relate to and enjoy.
That’s when the idea for a Hmong paper doll was born.
Meet Hlub
I wanted to reimagine the narrative of a modern Hmong girl. A character who’s full of life, pride, and a sense of play. That’s how Hlub came to life—a doll to dress, style, and celebrate with.
Inspired by the White Hmong dialect and my family’s roots in Xieng Khouang Province, I designed two traditional outfits for her to wear to the Hmong New Year. I also gave her a modern, sparkling pink outfit—a nod to contemporary Hmong style.
But Hlub isn’t defined only by what she wears.
She loves Nab Vam, carries a matching Hmong purse, and even has a little Hmong bobtail puppy by her side.
I was intentional in how I created her:
Not a doll focused on cooking or chores.
Not just a basket-carrying figure.
But a playful, relatable girl with personality, joy, and confidence.
“I wanted to reimagine the narrative of a modern Hmong girl. A character who’s full of life, pride, and a sense of play.”
— Pa Chia Xiong
The Creative Process
Creating Hlub took time—over four years of imagining, months of sketching, and sharing the idea with family and friends. The design process was challenging but deeply rewarding. Every detail was hand-drawn, cut, and assembled with care and heart.
This is what makes Pachiaaa possible—art made with purpose.
Tracing the image with a light box so I have cohesive drawings.
After sketching, I transferred Procreate to digitalized it.
Copied and paste so I have a template to use.
Testing the body template on Illustrator
Coloring the Hmong skin in Procreate
Making a custom brush in Procreate for the necklace.
Make sure alignment for all dolls were the same digitally
First time printing and die cutting
A Nab Vam sticker inspired by CocoCream
Test Printing the Pink Custom Outfit
First day of printing and die-cuting Hlub. She was ALIVE!!
A process of cleaning the cuts and sticking it to the cricut board
Aligning the sticker sheet to Cricut Board
Die-cuting practice
The first print of stickers
Completed the Stickers and testing where placement will be on the sheet.
Die cutting all the envelopes and gluing the sides down.
Photoshoot before Event Day!
Cutting Corners on all pages
Finishing assembling and packaging
Finishing assembling and packaging
Finishing assembling and packaging
Finishing assembling and packaging
The Finished Package.
Thank You
Thank you for following this journey. I’m so excited to finally share Hlub with the world. I can’t wait to see where she’ll go and who she’ll meet.
Show Us Where Hlub Goes! Make a video, take a photo, or snap a selfie with her. Tag us and share how you celebrate with Hlub. We want to see where this little Hmong girl goes—and what she does!
Pa Chia Xiong is a fiscal year 2024 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
