12/23/2025
The extinction of Orangebajasaurus
So I wrote a post a few years ago justifying why I kept an orange bajaj at the centre of the new 40th anniversary edition of the Jakarta poster, even though sightings of the relic orange buggies on Jakarta streets were increasingly rare. Namely, it provided a strong, instantly recognizable connection to the old original 1985 poster while still representing the modern city. But that only worked as long as there were still a few orange bajajs buzzing around the present-day streets. After a recent random virtual walk through different sectors of the city — barat, selatan, timur, utara, pusat — I couldn’t find a single orange bajaj, so I’m calling it: Orangebajasaurus is effectively extinct. So in the final 2025 version of the new Jakarta poster I finally decided it was time to ixnay the orange bajaj and replace it with a blue one.
However, replacing that bright, eye-catching orange focal point at the centre of the artwork with a dark blue blob really upset the delicate balance of colours I had achieved. Luckily, there was a good remedy: right next to the orange bajaj I had put an old, drably-coloured wooden garbage cart. All I had to do was redraw it as an official city-issued metal garbage cart, which as it happens are bright orange, and problem solved, the colour balance was nicely restored!
For anyone who is interested in purchasing a signed copy of the new Jakarta poster featuring that nostalgic artifact, the orange bajaj, there is still a handful of copies left from the first print run. Drop me a DM.
Lastly, I’m aware that the old orange-and-blue MetroMini bus line no longer operates in Jakarta (based on my observations, at least … if anyone wants to correct me on that feel free to chime in), a likely victim of Jakarta’s ongoing mass transit modernization. However, I cannot remove it from the artwork as it would be too disruptive, so it shall stay in the poster as a nostalgic nod to the old sardines-in-a-can style city bus travel.
Tony
JakartaPoster.com
