Minimini: Japanese for so tiny it kills you

I learned a new Japanese word today: minimini (written in Romaji, or roman-letters). Ah… the fetish of the tiny.

Molly Chicken said she planned on making a one-inch bear, and then saw someone making 1cm bears at Totona-mei There will always be someone tinier than you.

When I was little, I loved miniature things. I was always surprised, at antique and teddy bear shows, that the smaller they were the more expensive they were. There was a size to where it was more difficult to make, and then, more expensive, and then, more covetable. Ooo… Those miniature teddy bears (google search).

In the US, Georgie: miniature teddy bear artist offers a free pattern, and hints and tips for making the minimini of your dreams.

The Japanese minimini: miniature bears

There’s a big thing in Japan for teddy-bear making. I was surprised to see so many supplies and books for traditional western-style teddy bear making. It seemed so “eighties”…But these Japanese-style bears are something different, with their proportions, etc. Very particularly Japanese. Great fusion of western craft and asian style.

The Japanese style mini bears are tiny, their eyes are along their jawline, and their heads are huge, with tiny arms and legs. Pictures of small bears for sale at Zakka-Minimini show these kinds of bears holding small props, or seated on miniature furniture. (Tangent: also check out felt-covered house-boxes.)

poor faceless bear I’ve tried making a small bear like this, but the proportions came out much longer, the head much smaller. I seem to have a style that I can’t shake.