I may have gone off the rails with an obvious display of impulsivity here, but there's nothing I can do about it. I have a crush on Momiji Dolls and, as I explained here, I have a problem with instant gratification. So, once I happened upon these delectable, three-inch pegs of lovliness, I bought several. Here's how it happened:
Over the years, I've seen Momiji Dolls in random places like the Uncommon Goods catalog. Momiji are little Japanese dolls with a message inside. They're immediately adorable, in same way that ducklings and puppies are adorable, and every time I come across Momiji, my brain automatically attempts to find a reason why I would need one. I should also mention that they are roughly $18 each, so most reasons I conjure are instantly trumped by the price tag.
These scrumptious little dolls seem to be springing up with more frequency of late, so last week, I went to the Momiji website and took a look. There are various collections - Randoms and Celebrations are the most prominent - and they have super-duper-silly messages stuffed inside of them. I put some in my cart and after doing a quick calculation, decided that they were too expensive.
Sidebar: After a cursory web search, it appears that these dolls are manufactured by a UK company. This reduces the funny quotient by a smidgen for me because I know that the hilariously poor message translations are feigned to some degree. For example, the message that accompanies Laughing Momiji is "How do you be so funny? I don't know where it comes from but it is always making me laughing. I like integral calculus and treasure hunts." Way funnier if you're Japanese and using machine translation like Sanrio, the Hello Kitty people. Still, the effort is good, so I'll go with it.
Okay, so last week I was going to buy some Momiji, then experienced a moment of lucidity and closed my browser. Then YESTERDAY, I was perusing the newest Tea Collection catalog. You know Tea Collection, the super cute kids' clothing with a Japanese twist. The latest catalog has little tidbits of Japanese culture and history throughout. And sure enough, one of the tidbits is about Japanese Kokeshi dolls. No matter the origin, which is up for debate, these dolls are part of Japanese history and artistry and are quite cool. Plus, they now have an official name and I can purchase them in the name of art or custom or start collecting them or something.
So, I went back to lovemomiji.com and bought ten. YES TEN as gifts for all of the girls for Christmas with a few extra for Leighton. I bought Dancing Girl, Funny Girl, Giggles, Silly Billy, Poppet, Soul, Lucky, Little Star and Party Girl. Oh, and I bought a holiday doll - Blushes - as a Hostess gift for a cocktail party next week.
I am certainly pleased with my purchase and if you're in the market for a cute and quirky gift to give this holiday season, Momiji fit the bill.
This product review conforms to the Fuss Formula.
Does anyone else love Momiji? Am I so two-thousand late on this one or are these little dolls causing a stir just recently? Please post a comment and share your fuss with us!
Those are adorable and I think they would make great collectables for our little girls over the years and considering that, that price tag isn't so bad! Great find, thanks!
Posted by: Carrie | Tuesday, December 08, 2009 at 11:13 AM