Dokkaebi Sagwan Miniature Korean Goblin

Dokkaebi 도깨비 - Korean Goblin. ("Doh-Kay-Bee") Dokkaebi are the mischevious spirits of many Korean folktales. They are known to have many varying qualities that has made their appearances throughout history and myth tough to pin down to a single visual language. Dokkaebi are well-known for making a magical hat called a gamtu that turns the wearer invisible and for having an awe-inspiring appearance and wild look to them. Some dokkaebi love to wrestle and may have only one foot, and others like to play tricks on humans or reward them for doing good deeds. Sometimes being friends with one changes you into a dokkaebi yourself! They have been described as wearing animal skins or traditional hanbok clothes.

Regardless of the tale, dokkaebi are a cultural icon unique to Korea, which made them a target during Japanese occupation when the identity of the dokkaebi was almost overwritten by that of the Japanese Oni. Because of this, many contemporary illustrations of them over the past century depict dokkaebi with a horn or multiple horns and other more wild features. Today, many Korean artists work valiantly to interpret the core elements of dokkaebi through artifacts and stories to reclaim the visual heritage of Korean goblins.

Not being Korean myself, my interpretation here is inspired by the cuter appearances of dokkaebi in pop culture, with a wild spiky hair style like the one worn by Dokkaebi in the game Lost Saga. I've created two variations of the mini: The first features a janggun general's outfit of dujeonggap armor and wielding a sechongtong pliers pistol. The second outfit is a sagwan official's outfit holding a hol jade tablet implement and a wearing a samo hat similar to a gamtu. I picked longer pointier ears and tiny feet to emphasize a more fantastical appearance, but this was a personal stylization choice.

 

This model is sized at 28mm scale and can be used in TTRPG play alongside most other standard fantasy gaming minis.