Terminator Baby

At the Tokyo Design Festa last weekend I ran into this man and his fantastic little toy, the Killing Machine Baby, or K.M.B., by Toy Lab. I think you can see the resemblance with a certain cult classic SciFi movie! The toy also ties in with another cultural icon that is hugely popular in Japan, the Kewpie bottle baby, for those of you who know him.

This is another example of what the Japanese do so well, the cultural mash-up. Now, if only I can think of a good use for my new little friend?

Meet Unko-san

Anyone up for some more whacky products?

I have said it before and I will say it again if necessary: Japanese have a very healthy way of thinking about our inevitable bodily functions. The latest example of this must be Unko-san (うんこさん), a plush toy of I think you can guess what it is. Isn’t he adorable? Available as plush toys, cell phone straps and generally all around bling. Found in a certain very famous Japanese toy store in front of JR Ueno station. Great stuff!

The Cutest Killer Drones

Wonder Festival 2009 was a maze of booths, dealer tables and toy crazy fan boys (and fan girls!). How I ever managed to find anything is a mystery but this dealer wasn’t hard to track down. I saw a table surrounded by girls squeeling in delight at some vaguely mechanic buzzing. Not knowing what to expect I approached and found a gaggle of giddy girls enraptured by the most adorable killer drone robot you could ever imagine! The man behind the table (and the man behind the little one-bedroom production company Light Stuff Product) used an advanced RC hand controller to move this little mecha, picking up (or dropping) some small crates, rotating gatling gun barrels and the cutest waggling of his teeny-weeny killer robot head. Adorable.

The toy (still in prototype mode) moved beautifully. It’s bigger and meaner looking robot brother was still waiting for the micro controller that will make it a truly automatic machine as opposed to the radio controlled smaller mecha toy. Even if you aren’t into killer robot toys you’ll have to admire the skills of this guy. I can’t wait for them to reach full production! If you want to see more, please have a look at this video of the robot in action, and his shy human master.

Cotton Candy

If you have been to a festival in Japan you have most probably come across these fantastic bags of spun cotton candy. Decorated so as to attract maximum attention from toddlers to teenagers everywhere. Everyone from Hello Kitty to Square Pants Bob seems to be present. I have never actually tried one of these, but there are sometimes “DIY” cotton candy machines outside old shops and restaurants around Japan. Pop a 100 yen coin in, insert a stick and watch your sugar grow!

Captured at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Yasukuni Shrine.

Bags of Cotton Candy at a festival in Tokyo, Japan