¡Viva los Panturas, viva los Miami!

In Indonesia, the stretch between July and August is when kids and teenagers start their first day of school. Before they touch a textbook, they have to go through an orientation program called MPLS (Masa Pengenalan Lingkungan Sekolah) where they would be introduced to their new school environment.

This period is remarkable on the homepage of Twibbonize too, where thousands of MPLS Twibbons appear. Twibbonize becomes a tool for these students to announce which school they are going to, and for schools to make the orientation program less intimidating.

Sigit (@sgtnurwahyu on Instagram) had just turned 22 this July, so school days were behind him. Nonetheless, he could not escape the flood of MPLS Twibbons on his social media feed. One day, The Panturas came on shuffle while he scrolled.

An idea suddenly sprang to mind. As an illustrator, he found it natural to translate his ideas into a visual medium. Seeing so many MPLS Twibbons, he thought, why not put a spin on it? On July 14, he uploaded a Twibbon titled "viva los miami" for his favorite band, The Panturas. The campaign's entire description was two words and two emojis: for fun 🏄🌊

Becoming a fan of the surf rock band

Among the sea of MPLS Twibbons sporting the slogan Aku Siap Bersekolah, meaning "I'm ready for school". Sigit created one specialized for the band that read Aku Siap Berselancar, or "I'm ready for surfing". 

Sigit did not just come up with the phrase randomly. It was intended as a parody of the school Twibbons, but more than that, The Panturas is a surf-inspired rock band from West Java, Indonesia. The discography, especially their earlier songs, evoke the feeling of crashing waves and sea breeze with the distinctive melody of guitars associated with surf music.

In our written exchange, Sigit told Twibbonize that he has long been a listener of rock music and its subgenres, so The Panturas's songs have been in his library for a long time, since arund 2019 during his high school days.

"The Panturas is unique to me because of their concept, surf rock," Sigit added further, "and the vocalist, Acin, makes the skena, the scene, embrace one another rather than split apart." He was referring to the particular way Indonesians interpret the word "scene", which is akin to the idea of Alternative. 

Some bands from Java, he noted, trade public jabs to raise each other's profiles. The Panturas felt different. The band's attitude, in his words, was closer to "If you like it, thank you. If you don't, that's fine."

That openness mirrors how the fandom operates too. ABK, short for Anak Buah Kapal, the Indonesian saying for ship's crew, is simply what fans of The Panturas call themselves. There is no membership card or fee that anyone needs to pay. Sigit joined the ABK Jakarta WhatsApp group simply by clicking a link on the fanbase's Instagram story, and he had joined for about a week when he made the Twibbon.

A design made for fun

Sigit built the whole thing in Canva, on his own. The look was his idea: The Panturas crossed with pirates. "I thought it would be interesting to mix The Panturas with pirates, since they are still one genre," he explained, "and almost everyone knows Luffy and One Piece. So I thought, why not?" The title came from closer to home. "viva los miami" is inspired by his hangout space, the patch of industrial complex in West Jakarta where he lives.

Although it seems that his idea is formed by many "why nots", Sigit is precise about what he Although his idea seems to have grown from a series of "why nots", Sigit is precise about what he was reaching for. "What makes any design interesting is not only that it looks good," he said of his approach to design, "but how easily the viewer reads its meaning, feels represented, and does not feel stiff. All graphic designers can make something good. Not all can make something that represents people. And I think art should be fun."

Sigit proves his own point with the Twibbon. A symmetrical design of ocean waves, twin beach-blond surfers, and a pair of pirate flags frames the face of an ABK, topped with the greeting Wilujeng Surfing, a pun created by the band to greet their fans. It is a pun that mixes the Sundanese phrase Wilujeng Sumping, which means "welcome back", and "surfing". The design represents The Panturas without spelling it out, and 11,000+ fellow ABK quickly picked up on the message.

"viva los miami" campaign by Sigit

Sigit had, in fact, contributed to the fanbase well before the "viva los miami" Twibbon. He later shared an Instagram post by @adiimasss, in collaboration with @abkpanturas.jkt, where in the ninth photo there is Pahri, a friend of Sigit, proudly holding up a hand flag that he designed. The black hand flag bears the saying Viva Los Panturas, another greeting that took off among the band and their fans, "long live the Panturas".

Handflag "Viva Los Panturas" by Sigit, photo credit: adiiimasss

The cryptic choice of font in contrast with the bright, laid-back Twibbon reflects the versatility of the band too. For their latest album they departed slightly from surf and experimented more with Sundanese traditional folk instruments. The approach was so idiosyncratic, it landed them an invitation to perform at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. For one song on the album, "Knights of Jahannam", in which the band calls out corrupt statesmen, Sigit made a darker illustration that matches its energy.

"Knight of Jahannam", fanart by Sigit

How it spread

The path was ordinary, which is why it is worth writing about. Sigit shared the Twibbon first with a few friends, then dropped the link into the ABK Jakarta WhatsApp group. He recalled members finding the concept unique: a parody of the MPLS Twibbons, but one made for them, the ABK. From there the Twibbon moved on its own, mostly on TikTok. What makes it interesting is how the fans' genuine excitement for the band became the main reason the Twibbon started trending.

Quick search on "The Panturas Twibbon" on TikTok as seen on August 11, 2026

Juan, a friend of Sigit's from school days, and a fellow ABK, watched it happen. "I really didn't expect it to get noticed by The Panturas," he said, "because as far as I know, Sigit made it just for fun. There was no plan to get their attention." And it was already busy, he pointed out, before the band ever touched it: "It got popular before The Panturas used it, because Sigit shared the link in the ABK Jakarta group." The band eventually posted it on their own TikTok.

"Who's ready to suuuuuurfffff?????" Credit: thepanturas

We have seen this order hold across hundreds of campaigns. A frame does not spread because an official account broadcasts it. It spreads because joining says something a person already wanted to say, and here that was easy: I'm ready to surf, I'm one of the crew. Juan, who had never used a Twibbon, used this one.

Creativity that rides the wave

Having had the opportunities to talk to people in different fandoms with notable campaigns, we noticed that Sigit did what they also did: taking the action to create. This was not a commission nor was this expected from him. 

For this, Sigit simply had a vision, and he didn't hesitate to act on it. Luck seemed to be with him, too. His timing was right: all of a sudden his Twibbon caught the MPLS wave. People eagerly welcomed it. Perhaps as a parody of the school students, but perhaps also to show off that they are, in fact, an Anak Buah Kapal.

The reward, he reckoned, was more on the emotional side. He had expressed uncertainty about calling himself either a designer or an illustrator. "The problem is I feel my skill isn't that professional in either field," he said, "even though I'm not a beginner." It was curious, since the 22-year-old actively creates illustrations and accepts commissions.

Throughout our exchange, Sigit came across as a humble person who acknowledged his own success with the campaign, having created something that thousands of people enjoyed. But he seemed reluctant to take pride in it.

This trait matched the energy of the band he idolized. Both stay focused on the work, which in each case is art, and pay little mind to recognition. "If you like it, thank you. If you don't, that's fine."

In one interview, The Panturas's members said they have never had a conflict among themselves. Look at any post from @abkpanturas.jkt and you'll find thousands of faces united by one thing: their love of The Panturas's music. The similarity is hard to ignore, a shared willingness to make one another feel welcome. It seems to be  the same energy that carried Sigit's art into other people's feeds.

Later in our conversation, Sigit finally settled on the title of illustrator. "Illustration has kept me company since I was little. I can't imagine going my whole life without making any," he confessed. Illustration brought Sigit to this point in his life. The Twibbon may not be his biggest achievement, but it pulled thousands of fans together with no new single, video, or album to rally around. Just one band worth celebrating and a Twibbon from the western part of Jakarta called Miami. ¡Viva los Panturas, viva los Miami!