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- Capsule Toys / Long-tailed tit / Onigiri / Rice Balls / Yankii
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You won't find a bird in Japan a feathered friend with a better PR department than the long-tailed tit. Called the shima enaga in Japanese, the long-tailed tit is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the cutest bird in the country" and has quite a lot of fans. Seeing the perfectly round and fluffy bird perched on a snow-covered branch in Hokkaido will have you convinced it may even be a Pokémon.
For fans of the bird, Boku, shima enaga (Twitter, Instagram) is the one-stop online source for all long-tailed tit needs. Aside from posting adorable photos of the fluffy bird, Boku, shima enaga has a hobby of crafting adorable takes on Japanese food in its shape--turning the long-tailed tit into sushi and curry.
But one of Boku, shima enaga's most popular combinations of bird and food have been onigiri, or rice balls. That's because they don't simply model the rice balls after the bird, but the birds as yankii, the youthful ruffian school delinquents you may see depicted in many anime, manga, or Japanese TV shows. Cleverly, Boku, shima enaga uses rice ball toppings such as tempura, salmon, and eggplant to recreate their signature pompadour hairstyle, and nori seaweed for their clothing and facial expressions!
Those who aren't confident enough to make their own are in luck. As Boku, shima enaga shared to great delight online, the yankii rice balls have become so popular Japanese capsule toy maker Kitan Club has turned them into supersized capsule toys!
Source: @daily_simaenaga
Source: @daily_simaenaga
Source: @daily_simaenaga
The jumbo delinquent rice ball capsule toys look just like the real thing! Take a look at how they compare to their actual food counterpart. (toys on top, rice balls on the bottom)
Source: @daily_simaenaga
They're big for a reason--they actually double as adorable containers!
The lineup of school punk birdies includes hairdos made of tempura, salmon, wiener, and cod roe.
The adorable but tough looking rice ball long-tailed tit school delinquents are currently available at capsule toy locations throughout Japan. For even more awesome long-tailed tit creations and photos, be sure to follow Boku, shima enaga on Twitter and Instagram!