Japanese creative planning and design company 『企画デザイン２時』 Niji Inc. (@niji_2oclock) designs a variety of innovative products. Some of their previous designs, which we have introduced on grape Japan, include Japanese noodle towels, fried shrimp umbrellas and shrieking Mandrake security buzzers.

Their latest idea, which they posted on their Twitter account, has received nearly 185,000 likes and 44,000 retweets.

It looks like a sea urchin but what's that green thing sticking out of it?

In recent years, some Japanese fisheries have been feeding urchins scrap cabbage since this not only prevents them from depleting seaweed populations but also gives them sweeter and more abundant flesh that human diners appreciate.

In 2019, photos like the one below of sea urchins munching on cabbage, sometimes engaging in a tug-of-war over the same cabbage leaf, went viral. As a result, the idea that sea urchins enjoy cabbage has entered the popular imagination.

As for this new product idea, if you pull the green "cabbage" out of the "sea urchin," it will turn into an eco-bag.

Not only is the product cute, but it's also hassle-free and convenient. Unlike many of the compact eco-bags that require you to fold them up neatly to fit inside their slim cases, all you need to do with this one is "feed your sea urchin some cabbage" by stuffing the cabbage-green bag back into the sea urchin pouch.

If you leave a bit of the bag sticking out, it will look just like a sea urchin feeding on a cabbage leaf!

Niji's Tweet elicited many reactions such as:

It's clear that many people are eagerly awaiting the release of this product!