Robot Kun

Product Introduction

Kids love it! If you want to play pretend, try [Robot-kun]

A small wooden robot

The way to play is very simple. But you can talk to them, go out together, sleep together, etc. It feels like you have your own friends even when you go home. It's really nice.

We believe that playing alone is one of the most important activities in children's development. By expanding on images in their heads and muttering them out loud, their thinking and imagination develop. Just having a wooden robot nearby will expand your child's world.

A small body with many functions

Why does the hand go up when the propeller spins? It is very important for children to have an interest and question about things and experiences. You can make such a mechanism by combining wood and string. We also designed it to be long-lasting so that it can be repaired even if it breaks.

When you pull on the ears, the rubber band stretches. You can play with it by pulling it and releasing it. I think it's a very cute feature. Even babies can pull it once they can hold it with their hands.

The wrench in the tummy rotates clockwise. It requires a little bit of force to turn, but children will be able to do it from around the age of 2. Each time you turn it, it makes a "crunching" sound. Why not try playing with your child while telling them, "If he starts to feel a bit tired, please turn the wrench for him?"

Since it is not battery operated, you cannot play with the robot unless you move it. Battery operated toys are fun at first because they can be operated with the flip of a switch, but you soon get bored as the movements are the same. Robots that cannot be played with unless they are moved are more popular with children than battery operated toys that cannot be moved. The secret to play is "materials that can be transformed." A good toy is one that can be transformed in various ways by moving it.

I want my kids to have friends to play with at home.

Robot-kun's friends are not just children. He can be friends with adults and children. A robot that is the hero of a TV show will be played with based on the image of the TV show. A wooden robot can be friends with everyone, including fathers, mothers, and children. We consider it our job to make friends with children. We think the role of a toy is to keep it close to you at all times and live with you. We don't want it to be a toy that is thrown away after playing with it.

How the robot is made

Each part is carefully cut, assembled, and polished again and again until it is complete. The materials used are a variety of types, including zelkova, horse chestnut, oak, cherry, and beech. All materials are domestically produced. Each product is carefully crafted, taking advantage of the characteristics of the wood.

We purchase 70-150 year old hardwood trees from the mountains of Gifu Prefecture, and then dry them for over a year. After that, the wood is further dried naturally, and the surface is finally scraped off to reveal the beautiful, fine grain and pure white wood surface. Each piece is handcrafted, going through over 10 detailed steps, and is carefully assembled until the very end. Finally, it is painted over a 48 hour period, and then it is complete.

Why take so much time and effort...
We carefully process the bounty of the Japanese mountains in a way that is as close to nature as possible, without coloring, and work hard every day to create products with the desire to deliver only the "real thing" to children. The craftsmen themselves procure the materials, manufacture the products, and even sell them. Because we know everything, we can confidently provide safe and secure products.

For children, the image of a doll is very important. For Gundam or a fighting robot, the "garigari, burabari" sounds come from imitating TV, so they are very lively. Even in nursery schools, children who watch a lot of TV spend all their time pretending to fight. We need to consider how the influence of television is negative for the rich development of children.

As for the wooden doll robot,

In this context, Robot-kun and Pongratz dolls are toys that are extremely useful in cultivating children's kind hearts. Children expand their imaginations through toys and dolls. Robot-kun's image is created based on human-like emotional interactions and human-like morals, so children's hearts are developed richly. Of course, they need the support of the adults around them and society.

Although Robot-kun cannot speak, children still talk to him about various things. As one mother said, "I always carry it with me when I go out," which is a very happy story to hear. When we were kids, robots were made out of metal, like Tetsujin 28. Nowadays, they have been replaced by plastic toys. Wooden robots are surprisingly rare.

Robot-kun creator column

A professor from the Faculty of Education at Kochi University came to our store. When he saw this robot, he started singing, "Will your hand go up?" "Huh... let's hold hands ♪♪" What a teacher! I laughed and said, "No, it's not like that." When you talk to children, you can talk to them through this robot. He praised it as a great toy that can also be used for education.
Japanese wood is beautiful. It becomes even more beautiful when polished. Japanese wood is so beautiful even without coloring, so it would be a waste to color it. There are also many types of wood in Japan. We make products taking advantage of the characteristics of each piece of wood, resulting in a beautiful, natural finish.



Children are attracted to electronic toys because they light up and move. But babies love their mother's gentle voice and the feel of nature. Strong stimuli will not only hinder their sensitivity, but it would be a disaster if they ended up finding television more interesting than their mother's gentle smile and words. When they are young, they don't yet realize that the colors of nature are beautiful, but they can tell the difference in texture, weight, color, etc., and we believe that making toys that value these things is what making toys for children is all about.



Toys should not be a means to make money. It is up to consumers to verify whether toy manufacturers are making products that are easy to sell in order to make money, and whether cutely designed products are really good for children. Industrial products and handmade works are sometimes seen as the same. I always feel that this is unfortunate.