Thursday, September 3, 2009

I, Piperoid

Japanese designer Takashi Tsunoda designs toys that are consistent with his motto: "Teaching Values Through Handcrafts." Tsunoda likes to design toys that "use your hands and stimulate your brain," toys that eschew the pre-fab and the unimaginative. The result is the Piperoid, a paper craft robot figure that's sort of a cross between origami and Tinker Toys. Each little paper robot is created by cutting colored "pipes" of paper with pre-drilled holes, then fitting the pieces together (no tape or glue is needed). Each Piperoid has a distinct "personality" and "background story;" The Afternoon is now home to Muscle Joe, Mantis Harry and Guyzer and Bean. When we first saw the whole line in San Francisco we were delighted by the color and creativity of this Japanese handcraft, as well as the ease of construction; it takes less than 30 minutes to put them together, and all you need is the kit and a pair of scissors. Use the Piperoids to decorate your home or your cubicle, perhaps even as a memo holder. You may become a robo-collector!