Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2009

This column lost its love for novelty USB memory sticks a long time ago, but we’re still shameless suckers for products like this. Based on Dick Bruna’s iconic, pucker-mouthed bunny, the Miffy Figure Player is tailor-made for tots with appropriately pint-sized music collections. The cute-as-a-button MP3 player comes with just 2GB of storage and an interface that makes the first-generation iPod Shuffle seem sophisticated. Pressing Miffy’s hands or the button on her back allows users to turn her on and off, skip tracks and control the volume. That’s about it. The special USB dock (sold separately), complete with built-in speaker, ups the kawaii factor.

Miffy Figure Player, ¥5,980; Miffy Figure Player Dock, ¥3,980. Available from electronics stores and Amazon Japan.
www.adtec.co.jp