EXPLORING THE SOCIOCULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF CEBUANO DUWAAN

The Cebuano duwaan is not just an object to play with, it manifests creativity, cultural memory, and identity. Despite Duwaan's sociocultural value, Cebuano art toys have been underrepresented in literature, particularly in the field of toy industry. This Multiple-Case study was conducted with four Cebu-based toy artists to explore the sociocultural aspects of their works through semi-structured interviews and observations, later analyzed by means of cross-case analysis. The results have shown shared cultural grounding, sustainable practices, and navigation of global-local dynamics, alongside unique traits linked to personal experiences, gender-related narratives, and transnational circulation. Cebuano duwaan serves as a representation of our cultural memory, an outlet for individual creativity and community identity, which further harmonizes with the local tradition with international recognition. Supporting Cebuano toy artistry through research and institutional cooperation can advance creative improvement as for the preservation of cultures and the education process, and for the development of our creative industry.