Just in time for Kurisumasu! Muji x Lego had a genius product breakthrough: combine cut paper with Lego bricks to make--whatever you want. Muji designed four play sets, complete with pre-cut paper and all the tiny little bricks needed to create little animals and such.
Some of these look fantastic, like the spiky dragon above. Others look a bit like placecards or CandyLand game pieces, but still fine. And a few just use tiny Legos where brads would do just fine.
The real awesomeness comes with the Lego brick-optimized holepuncher, which lets you create your own fantastical designs. DT reader Cam put it best last week: "The potential for massive paper-and-Lego structures has my head spinning; wish these had been available before my mother-in-law came here [from Japan] for the new baby."
And there are the two rubs: 1) these are only available online, and only in Japan. Muji's US press folks just sent their Christmas 09 announcement, and there wasn't a Lego anywhere near it.
2) Look closely at that holepunching demo up there. You mark and punch Every. Single. Hole separately. The potential for massive time sinks--and the extreme unlikelihood that any kid under 20yo will thus find Muji x Lego satori--has my head spinning.
Paper x Lego Brick Playsets - on sale 11/27, Muji Netstore JP only, Y.1200-2900 [muji.net via dt reader cam]
Muji x Lego paper toy exhibit runs through 12/9 at Atelier Muji, Yurakucho [muji]
Yeah, awesome but time consuming; visions of a Mindstorms-powered automated hole punch are dancing in my head.