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Japanese Obsessed with Shiny Mud Balls

web-japan.org — Once Kayo teaches children how to make these mud balls, they become absorbed in forming a sphere, and they put all their energy into polishing the ball until it sparkles. The dorodango soon becomes the child's greatest treasure. Kayo sees in this phenomenon the essence of children's play, and he has written academic papers on the subject.

Who dugg this? Made popular Apr 27, 2008

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  • Peedo, on 04/27/2008, -4/+117"Japanese Obsessed with Shiny Mud Balls"? I think I have that DVD....
  • seandfeeney, on 04/27/2008, -1/+112Here is a little gallery http://www.dorodango.com/gallery.html they are actually pretty neat!
  • Ryan2845, on 04/27/2008, -0/+105Last time I polished my balls around children I got arrested.
  • wwwdot1jesdotus, on 04/27/2008, -0/+88"Americans Obsessed With Japanese Obsessions
  • Roger, on 04/27/2008, -0/+51Hardcore.
  • Roshz, on 11/27/2008, -8/+587 years ago?
  • Rotzooi, on 04/27/2008, -5/+54It was posted in our post-9/11 world. Actual dates don't matter.
  • inactive, on 04/27/2008, -12/+55Fascinating. Imagine if western culture got their children to make mudballs.
    oh, right... that would never happen
  • wrathofg0d, on 04/27/2008, -6/+46I CANT WAIT TO BOMB SOME DORODANGOS
  • kelly, on 04/27/2008, -5/+42Ya, cuz that would make the US a much better place to live...
  • inactive, on 04/27/2008, -2/+37I used to do this when i was little. Me and my friends would see who could get them to shine the most.
  • badjoke, on 04/27/2008, -1/+35So why do you continue to dress nice every morning? :P
  • CiDaemon, on 04/27/2008, -1/+34"Japanese obsessed with" followed by pretty much anything is usually both correct and hilarious.
  • thedez, on 04/27/2008, -0/+33very detailed instructions with lots of pictures: http://www.kyokyo-u.ac.jp/youkyou/4/english4.htm
  • Nhmarine, on 04/27/2008, -3/+35maybe they are so obsessed with it because it is a work of art that they made with their own hands? (I make this assertion without reading the article)
  • zman1117, on 04/27/2008, -1/+31I really want to make one now, does this mean I'm a kid :/?
  • Flashnet, on 04/27/2008, -2/+32And I can't even draw a good-looking circle...
  • rehkcts, on 04/27/2008, -2/+28Mr. T has had a couple of dodorangos his whole life, with a shine rating of 6. Don't ask me how I know.
  • jdm7, on 04/27/2008, -0/+23"children would come up beside him and snatch his dirt"
    is this some new euphemism?
  • gnomead, on 04/27/2008, -0/+23It says Japanese right there in the thread title. Do you have to make an effort to make yourself sound ignorant, or does it just happen?
  • sryan8913, on 04/27/2008, -0/+21I don't even know why that's so cool but it is
  • kakwakas, on 04/27/2008, -0/+19I want to make one now.
  • kakwakas, on 04/27/2008, -2/+21We have hand turkeys. Mine stayed on the fridge for YEARS.
  • sanman, on 04/27/2008, -0/+18Does that make it older than Katamari?
  • deltaandroid, on 04/27/2008, -0/+17There is no time! Your sword will be enough!
  • cvrti5, on 04/27/2008, -2/+19I used to chew on raw wheat until it turned into gum. I think that children are fascinated at what they have the power to transform.
  • rehkcts, on 04/27/2008, -0/+15no, i'm not talking about Dorodangos...A dodorango is very different
  • proghead, on 04/27/2008, -4/+19so i heer u liek mudballz...
  • litfsh, on 04/27/2008, -2/+16"It's just my pet peeve to see a foreign language gets murdered :P"

    But it's OK for a native language gets murdered? :O
  • twishart, on 04/27/2008, -0/+14DORODANGOS HATE SMOKE
  • Hoogie7Dowser, on 04/27/2008, -0/+13dubyadubya's comment log shows how he lives in a black and white world.
  • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -0/+13no, it's similar to ceramics, and that is a profession. you don't have to be a kid to be playful :) curiosity isn't a sin
  • inactive, on 04/27/2008, -0/+12Who would've guessed that children like to polish their balls.
  • canadaboy, on 04/27/2008, -0/+11vs. North Americans Obsessed with Salty Chocolate Balls
  • vuke69, on 04/27/2008, -1/+12At 31, it's still my greatest accomplishment.
  • inactive, on 04/27/2008, -1/+11nana na na na na nana
  • dazparkour, on 04/27/2008, -1/+10From your description, you seem to have "dirt clods", which aren't the same. Dorodangos look more like marbles.
  • Frost9999, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8By shaping them with their hands.
  • lickmyback, on 04/27/2008, -6/+14Mirror in case: http://www.jacquisbags.co.uk/300%20images/Accessor ...
  • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -1/+8it's dorodango (泥団子) literally "mud ball", no offense. It's just my pet peeve to see a foreign language gets murdered :P
  • chubbybubba, on 04/27/2008, -0/+7just a matter of time till " Dorodongo " Wii game.
  • TJ11240, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6OPTIMUS PRIME
  • AManWithNoName, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6DORODANGO DISLIKES SMOKE
  • inactive, on 04/27/2008, -2/+8Well the article WAS written 7 years ago.
  • Dotcommer, on 04/27/2008, -1/+7unless you're religious.
  • Pennemu, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6You don't polish it until the later steps when its become dry. At that point you're just buffing it with a soft cloth.

    I've made three of theses and written an article about it for Craft Magazine. They're very enjoyable to make and quite easy as well. Very good instructions at:
    http://www.dorodango.com/create.html

    You can really use all kinds of stuff. The guy at the dorodango.com used different soils from Arizona. I used an Adobe/Soil mix for my first and then a river sand/dirt mix for my next two. As long as the mud you make holds water well and doesn't have too much sand in it, you can fashion a dorodango from it.
  • pbgswd, on 04/27/2008, -4/+9have you ever heard of the expression, 'polishing a turd'?
  • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5agree, that title generalizes Japanese. They're not all obsessed with mud balls.... Obsessed is an extreme term, when you have a hobby it doesn't mean you are obsessed
  • xxMarka, on 04/27/2008, -1/+6excuse me?
  • jab9990, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5April fool's day must be hard for Japanese people. They're real lives are so friekin' bizarre you could never come up with a joke crazy enough to get a laugh.
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