Momiji Dolls: Collectible Japanese Message Dolls

The charm of these dolls lie in the artistic designs which range from uber-kawaii to harajuku-kitschy. The doll designers incorporate elements from traditional kimonos and origami as well as contemporary themes including manga, anime, fashion, and idoru (idols/pop stars). Plus of course the fact that you can use them to relay secret messages to a friend or sweetheart. Just write your note on a strip of paper, fold it up, slip it in the slot at the base and voila, your secret is safe within the confines of the little doll.

The first dolls came out around 2006 and are continually created and retired. Because most of the earlier designs are no longer in production, hobbyists and collectors are consistently on the hunt for those rare pieces. Meanwhile, as the dolls have grown more popular in pop culture, new designs are constantly in the pipeline.

The dolls are the brainchild of the UK-based ArtForum, produced & distributed under the Love Momiji line.

The very first Momiji I bought is the Best Friends doll and her message is "I quite like all my friends but you are the best one. Thank you for being the best one. I like midnight feasts and pillow fights.". I have since bought a Clever Clogs and a Luca doll. One can never have enough of these lovable dolls!

Momiji Dolls seem to be the contemporary counterpart of Kokeshi folk art dolls made of spare wood by Japanese farmers. Back then they were given as tokens of love and friendship to family and friends.

These Kokeshi dolls are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of Kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist.

Kokeshi dolls have been around since the early 19th century and were originally sold as souvenirs to the visitors of hot springs or onsen around the Tohoku region. Since then the doll has developed and evolved into a greatly admired art form and are also considered "lucky charms" in Japanese households. Although now regarded as a stylish collectible figure, it is also said that the original Kokeshi dolls which took more of a cylindrical form, in fact may have been used as a tool for massaging at the hot springs.

Photos from Wikipedia and TokyoCube respectively