Mojibakeru Kanji – Animal Transformers

Aren’t these some of the coolest toys that you ever come across in life? It’s both educational and fun, it’s form follows function. It’s modern mecha meets cultural roots.

Japanese toy giant Bandai is set to release a series of nifty kanji figures that transform into the shapes of the animals they represent. The shape-shifting critters, called Mojibakeru (moji means “character” and bakeru means “to change”), come in six varieties — 犬 (dog), 虎 (tiger), 魚 (fish), 馬 (horse), 鳥 (bird) and 竜 (dragon) — and are available in black, white, yellow and blue.

Pictures of EVERY awesome transformation and information after the jump.

Inubakeru – The 犬 (inu, “dog”) kanji transforms into a dog

Torabakeru – The 虎 (tora, “tiger”) kanji transforms into a tiger

Uobakeru – The 魚 (uo/sakana, “fish”) kanji transforms into a fish

Umabakeru – The 馬 (uma, “horse”) kanji transforms into a horse

Toribakeru – The 鳥 (tori, “bird”) kanji transforms into a bird

Ryūbakeru – The 竜 (ryū, “dragon”) kanji transforms into a dragon

The collectible toys will be priced at 100 yen (about USD$1) each when they hit shelves this month. ONE dollar! What can you get for a dollar these days? A cheap China mug or a Mojibakeru?

I know which one I’ll choose and I am gonna do the Pokemon (Gotta catch ‘em all) when they hit the shelves.

Full credit to Pink Tentacle and Danny Choo for this gem of a find.