I don’t know about you but creepy crawlies are not the first thing that come to mind when I think of dinner. But of course, in Japan anything goes, and if you can name it, you can make it.

For those who are brave enough, there are in fact a handful of restaurants based in Tokyo (and around Japan) that serve dishes featuring insects, such as Anticicada, Hanbei and Shibuya’s Kome to Circus. But, for the rest of us who get traumatised at the thought of a gnat accidentally flying into our mouths by mistake, this savoury gummi-making set from Megahouse is the closest we will ever get to having bugs on our plate (purposefully at least anyway…)

With the ‘Gumiple’ series you can procure ‘insect gummies’ that look super realistic, so much so that you may accidentally mistake them for the real thing (something tells me that these might be perfect for an evening full of pranks).
The sets come with a collection of molds and a range of recipe instructions that are surprisingly savoury. For example, if you’ve ever felt that urge to decorate a hamburger with a potage-flavoured larva, then the Gumiple series was made with you in mind.

Super easy to make, the gummies require you to simply mix a set of ingredients within the mold before allowing them to set in the refrigerator.

Potage-Flavoured Larvae Gummi

Things to prepare:
Milk – 50ml
Potage Powder – to your liking
Sauce – to your liking
Gelatin – 10g

Tsukudani Beetle Seaweed Gummi

Things to prepare:
Tsukudani Seaweed – 2 tbsp.
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp.
Water – enough to make 50ml of tsukudani seaweed and soy sauce mix
Gelatin – 10g

Scorpion Ketchup Gummi

Things to prepare:
Ketchup – 4 tbsp.
Vegetable Juice (enough to make 50ml of ketchup and vegetable juice mix)
Sugar – 2 tbsp.
Gelatin – 10g

The Gumiple series actually comes in two different collections, the first one, known as the ‘Dokitto set’ features molds for insects and is perfect for those scientists and pranksters amongst us. Whilst the second set, called the ‘Kiratto set’, includes molds for making ‘glass-like gummies’, and is better suited for those of us who don’t want to give friends a heart attack over the dinner table.

Both Gumiple Lab sets are available to purchase on the official Megahouse website for 3,850 yen (tax included)

Gumiple Lab ‘Dokitto set’
Gumiple Lab ‘Kiratto set’