Immediate Sell-Out! Interview with Ayumi Ozaki, the Creator of the Stuffed Animal Brand 'mojojojo' [The Backstory of the Hit and the Appeal of 'Nuiactivity']

The stuffed animal brand 'mojojojo' has become a sensation with its adorable form and unique expression, gaining popularity on SNS. The figure mascot released as a capsule toy in 2024 has been continuously sold out, recording a cumulative sales volume of 1 million units as of February this year.

The first brand muck "mojojojo Stuffed Animal Charm BOOK" released by Wanibooks Co., Ltd. quickly became the number one bestseller in the overall ranking.

We are pleased to present a special interview with Ayumi Ozaki, the creator of the trendy "nuiactivity" character 'mojojojo' that is currently attracting a lot of attention.

mojojojo Stuffed Animal Charm BOOK

A Big Hit with a Feeling of 'Taking Off'

-- The figure mascot 'mojojojo' created by Ms. Ozaki was released as a capsule toy in 2024, and as of February this year, it has reached a cumulative sales volume of 1 million units. It's incredibly popular!

Ayumi Ozaki (hereafter referred to as Ozaki): First of all, I am surprised. The stuffed animals that only existed within me can now be enjoyed by many people, giving me a feeling of them flying away from within me.

Ayumi Ozaki

-- The mascot 'Todd Friends' series, which is said to be difficult to obtain in some cases, was originally inspired by a stuffed animal that her older sister cherished when she was little. Through sales at department stores and miscellaneous goods stores, and active collaborations with apparel manufacturers, have there been any changes in your personal tastes?

Ozaki: Through collaborations, I have had more opportunities to be seen by many people and have received many opinions. Even among these voices, the parts that I cherish within myself have not changed much, and I feel that I want to leave room for imagination as it is.

In terms of design, the 'Shiro-chan' (white bear stuffed animal) that her sister cherished became flat from playing with it, and that atmosphere is directly reflected in the flat body of 'Todd friends', so I am careful not to have too much thickness in mascots and stuffed animals as well.

Shiro-chan

-- Among the stuffed animals and mascots that Ms. Ozaki has been involved with so far, are there any that particularly stand out?

Ozaki: As a stuffed animal that stands out, there is a yellow bird called 'You never know'. This one was popular even when it was sold as a handmade item, and now it has become a symbol of 'mojojojo'.

However, this character was not intentionally created from the beginning, and when it was completed, I just felt that 'it's an interesting one'. There was no special intention. The design is very simple with few parts, but the impression of the eyes is strong, and it looks either bold or expressionless, and every time I look at it, it seems to have a different expression.

You never know

-- Truly the 'room for imagination' itself, isn't it?

Ozaki: Maybe so. Even though I created it myself, I feel like I'm on the side of interpreting it every time I look at it, and it's an interesting existence. I think of stuffed animals as empty vessels, but 'You never know' is a symbol of that, and it's interesting that it can be seen as various expressions depending on the person or the timing of viewing.

From a Miscellaneous Goods Store Buyer to Stuffed Animal Production

-- Ms. Ozaki, you have experience working as a buyer for a miscellaneous goods store, don't you? Specifically, what kind of items did you handle?

Ozaki: At first, I was in charge of the stationery section. A few years after I started working part-time at a miscellaneous goods store, I was entrusted with the stamp section even as a part-timer, and I started with inventory and order management of standard items. After becoming a full-time employee, I was entrusted with the entire stationery section, and on my days off, I would visit various stores to research products and sales floors. It was around the time when masking tape was becoming popular, and I discovered masking tape at a sharp miscellaneous goods store and thought 'This is it!' and worked with wholesalers to gather masking tape to be able to expand it in my own section. It was an era when only colorful 'mt (em-tee)' was available.

At that time, in addition to the stationery section, I was also in charge of the apparel and accessory sections, so I also went to exhibitions in Osaka and Tokyo once a month to purchase items. I learned a lot about the texture and names of fabrics at that time. I also learned about the mechanisms of wholesale and the timing of the start of the season, knowledge related to sales that I still think was very useful when selling handmade items myself.

-- So, your experience as a buyer is connected to your current stuffed animal production!

Ozaki: That's right. During my time as a buyer, every time I went to exhibitions in Osaka and Tokyo, I visited many miscellaneous goods stores, and while feeling 'There are such cute things' or 'Is this the trend now?', I came across a store that sells handmade miscellaneous goods by art university students. When I followed these people, I found that some of them participated in handmade markets and held individual exhibitions. The discovery that 'There are also ways to sell such things' led to my subsequent activities.

I was surprised and moved by the fact that there is a method of selling things I made myself, and after that, I planned a handmade market at the miscellaneous goods store where I worked, gathered exhibitors, and together with my juniors who worked at the same store, we made handmade products and held a handmade market event. The response was huge, and many customers came, which also moved me. I think this experience has become the original experience of my activities in handmade.

Mesh Pouches are Recommended for 'Nuiactivity'!

-- Then, could you tell us about the future prospects of Ms. Ozaki and 'mojojojo'?

Ozaki: I expect that the activities of 'mojojojo' will continue to expand from now on, so I hope you enjoy them. There are many things that I still can't talk about, but there are many plans. Personally, I am not averse to challenging new things, so if there is a chance, I would like to challenge various things.

Photos / Nobuhiro Miyoshi Styling / Ran Tsuyuki

Recently, I have been enjoying making short stop-motion animations (really just a few seconds of short animations...) and have bought clay for clay animation, so I am exploring new expressions. I am also into creating shapes with a 3D printer using 3DCG (three-dimensional computer graphics). I hope it will lead to something new next.

-- From now on, 'mojojojo' in a new form will spread to more and more people, won't it? By the way, do you ever see the 'nuiactivity' of the fans?

Ozaki: I see that everyone mentions 'mojojojo' stuffed animals