Karuma

Although nowadays plastic toys are the most purchased and certainly the cheapest way to entertain children, there’s still someone who believes that creating handmade “alternative” toys is possible. This reality is called FLOWERS, a Japanese studio, funded by Iso Togawa and Mido Togawa, based in Yakushima, an idyllic island south of the  Kagoshima prefecture. FLOWERS designs not only toys but also accessories, stationery, tableware and artworks, everything shaped with the various kinds of wood of Yakushima.

KARUMA is an amazing handmade wooden toy that seems to have a story to tell. KARUMA which is the Japanese word for “car”, is designed and made directly by the owner of FLOWERS and comes with a hand carved car body and one/two passengers with a big and happy smile. Be sure that when you purchase a KARUMA, no one looking at it will ever claim to have the same toy! In fact, KARUMA, being handmade with four different types of wood harvested in Yakushima, will never find its twin. Your KARUMA could be a one piece made either with camphor or sandalwood, either with mountain cherry or wheel tree and then finished with a clear coat from Osmo Color, which meets the European safety requirements. The cute drivers, Hanako and Taro, are made with European peach and then also covered with the Osmo Color clear coat. Only the wheels and highlights are made of unfinished maple.

The funny thing is that the figures are not fixed to the car (more fun for the kids!), but they are loosely fit so they cheerfully bounce as the car travels along imaginary journeys.

KARUMA is something that children can hold onto for long time and maybe pass it on to the next generations. It’s the toy that can inspire your children, making it full of stories and memories.