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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.

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  • Rosh37, on 04/27/2008, -8/+587 years ago?
    • Rotzooi, on 04/27/2008, -5/+54It was posted in our post-9/11 world. Actual dates don't matter.
    • sanman, on 04/27/2008, -0/+18Does that make it older than Katamari?
    • isunktheship, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3and Kayo worked on them for 2 years before that... so 99
  • fudged71, on 04/27/2008, -12/+55Fascinating. Imagine if western culture got their children to make mudballs.
    oh, right... that would never happen
    • kelly, on 04/27/2008, -5/+42Ya, cuz that would make the US a much better place to live...
    • coffeebot, on 04/27/2008, -22/+10in Russia, mud balls make you
      • sheebz, on 04/27/2008, -3/+5Forgot the "Soviet"
        • ph3rny, on 04/27/2008, -2/+6Even with the "Soviet" I still would have buried his comment
    • W00DR0W, on 04/27/2008, -5/+5I made them all the time as a kid, used to flood the backyard to do it. Of course they never became my "greatest treasure" I just let them dry up and then have a dirt ball fight with the kids next door. Maybe it is a little different.
      • 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.
      • W00DR0W, on 04/27/2008, -1/+6They were shiny and hard, you had to use the filmy mud to make 'em, but I wouldn't descibe them as marbles once the water was dried up so you're probably right, they are different
    • kakwakas, on 04/27/2008, -2/+21We have hand turkeys. Mine stayed on the fridge for YEARS.
      • vuke69, on 04/27/2008, -1/+12At 31, it's still my greatest accomplishment.
        • bandomac, on 04/27/2008, -5/+1Hand turkeys and man gravy. The best Thanksgiving a lady could ask for.
    • Snowspot, on 04/27/2008, -2/+5It's true, 911 changed everything
    • Philbert, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4This would never happen in the US.
      1. kids make mud balls
      2. some kid randomly gets sick (as kids often do)
      3. School gets sued and mud balls of any sort are banned by the government.

      There's a small milk farm around the corner from me, when I was a kid we went on a class trip there and we could pet the animals. One kid got sick one day and now it's illegal to pet the animals there. At least you can still walk around and see them.
      • JustinHopewell, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2Classic American paranoia and scapegoating. Our culture revolves around a "think of the children" attitude.
  • 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)
    • Whatiffafarr, on 06/18/2008, -0/+1I agree, a fascinating image and caption related to the value of work, but reading the article would just be a waste of time and entirely too much work.
  • seandfeeney, on 04/27/2008, -1/+112Here is a little gallery http://www.dorodango.com/gallery.html they are actually pretty neat!
    • 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.
    • KingGorilla, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3I'm glad I'm not the only one who googled dorodango
    • Scottamus, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1That site has way better dorodango making instructions.
  • lickmyback, on 04/27/2008, -6/+14Mirror in case: http://www.jacquisbags.co.uk/300%20images/Accessor ...
  • hardcorecomb, 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.
    • Roger, on 04/27/2008, -0/+51Hardcore.
    • lickmyback, on 04/27/2008, -8/+6Yeah, who could? Tell me more...
    • EwMo, on 04/27/2008, -2/+8Well the article WAS written 7 years ago.
      • sephiroth965, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1They've been made for far longer than that so that's pretty irrelevent.
    • KingGorilla, on 04/27/2008, -2/+3Yes that is the concept of dorodango
    • scottedwards, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4Where did you live?
      • hardcorecomb, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2in puyallup washington. nowhere near japan
  • mattwalton56, on 04/27/2008, -21/+4It doesn't matter how much you polish a turd, it's still a turd.
    • badjoke, on 04/27/2008, -1/+35So why do you continue to dress nice every morning? :P
  • Samsong, on 04/27/2008, -19/+7Oh those crazy Japanese and their balls.
  • DannySpace, on 04/27/2008, -22/+1Slogan: "The only type of Balls that even your mother can't wait to get her hands on."
  • Peedo, on 04/27/2008, -4/+117"Japanese Obsessed with Shiny Mud Balls"? I think I have that DVD....
  • wrathofg0d, on 04/27/2008, -6/+46I CANT WAIT TO BOMB SOME DORODANGOS
  • 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.
    • 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
      • rehkcts, on 04/27/2008, -0/+15no, i'm not talking about Dorodangos...A dodorango is very different
        • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2oh, I'm sorry for my misunderstanding
      • Disease, on 04/27/2008, -5/+4Weeabo
      • 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
        • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4haha, no, I never said that. Stating one way positive doesn't make the other automatically negative
  • Flashnet, on 04/27/2008, -2/+32And I can't even draw a good-looking circle...
  • supremebeing18, on 04/27/2008, -10/+2Is this a joke?
  • thedez, on 04/27/2008, -0/+33very detailed instructions with lots of pictures: http://www.kyokyo-u.ac.jp/youkyou/4/english4.htm
    • DannySpace, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Dude, "Mud balls and the Naked Human Baby?' WTF!
    • bloggerjul, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1looks like an RPG interface! very amusing site..
  • zman1117, on 04/27/2008, -1/+31I really want to make one now, does this mean I'm a kid :/?
    • erhanaltay, on 04/27/2008, -7/+0no, just that you have nothing better to do with your time...
    • 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
  • jo21, on 04/27/2008, -9/+3loook closely their is a alian face in the mud ball!!!
    • Kimberlyyan, on 04/27/2008, -3/+4**There
    • Kimberlyyan, on 04/27/2008, -3/+4 You should also use "an" before alien...uhhhh sorry I can't help myself....you also spelled alien wrong.
  • jdramire, on 04/27/2008, -9/+1wow article from 2001 sweet
    • Disease, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4Wow, I never saw this before. Sweet.
    • sephiroth965, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1People have made these things since long before the article was written so the date of the article is irrelevant.
  • rinote, on 04/27/2008, -10/+2[ This comment was removed due to an immature joke involving male genitalia and the Japanese people. ]
  • bludragn0, on 04/27/2008, -5/+4Somehow, I think there could've been a better title for this than 'Japanese Obsessed with Shiny Mud Balls'
    • JointVenture, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Why?
    • 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
      • sephiroth965, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1And it's not all Japanese people either.
  • Ryan2845, on 04/27/2008, -0/+105Last time I polished my balls around children I got arrested.
  • 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.
  • peterzero, on 04/27/2008, -8/+2Shiny mud balls! > ??? > Profit!
  • olik, on 04/27/2008, -12/+7Not sure if it was conscious, but that's a xenophobic title. It's not technically inaccurate, but it's not a fair reflection of the article. Interesting how you could read the article and get "Japanese Obsessed with Shin Mud Balls" instead of "Children Enjoy Crafting with Mud" or "Artist Teaches Children Mud Sculpting" or just "Children Make Shiny Mud Balls" or something along those lines
    • JointVenture, on 04/27/2008, -2/+6I cant believe you said all that and couldnt manage to get HOMOPHOBE into the paragraph.

      It should have been titled Japanese children polish their knobs.
    • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4I don't know why you're being dugg down
      • JointVenture, on 04/27/2008, -3/+2Because he's being a little bit too sensitive.

        Understand now Donger?
        • steamedrice11, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2so according to your logic asking a question makes me a dick, wtf?
    • Scottamus, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1"Japanese children like to rub their muddy balls until they glisten."
  • ChristophyBrown, on 04/27/2008, -2/+6How can you not digg this with a title like that?
  • proghead, on 04/27/2008, -4/+19so i heer u liek mudballz...
  • BOSSNIGGER54, on 04/27/2008, -6/+3how do they get them to be so round?
  • Snakedal337, on 04/27/2008, -4/+3Timewarp Sunday!
  • dynelol, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4Dodongos?
  • wwwdot1jesdotus, on 04/27/2008, -0/+88"Americans Obsessed With Japanese Obsessions
  • CiDaemon, on 04/27/2008, -1/+34"Japanese obsessed with" followed by pretty much anything is usually both correct and hilarious.
  • Chalks777, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4I know what I'm doing next time I have a ton of free time and some mud....
  • JointVenture, on 04/27/2008, -8/+3Great,not only do we have to worry about corn for ethanol, but now the Japanese are consuming DIRT to make Imperialistic, Capitalistic, balls that could be used to grow food for the poor ethinopians.
  • jdm7, on 04/27/2008, -0/+23"children would come up beside him and snatch his dirt"
    is this some new euphemism?
    • babylonian, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1Children would come up beside him and dirty his snatch.
  • amanilaenvelope, on 04/27/2008, -4/+6http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW6M8D41ZWU
  • groonk, on 04/27/2008, -5/+2that's so old, it's got whiskers on it
  • lupydupy, on 04/27/2008, -12/+4wow, I wish American kids would get that kind of enthusiasm. Would be nice to see them do something constructive instead of gangs, video games, guns and sex which is all todays kids have on their minds.
    http://www.anotools.cq.bz
    • djdole, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4While I agree it would be awesome if western kids adopted this as it would most likely instill patience and striving for excellence in what they do,...
      I'd argue about the constructiveness of this.
      Because in the end, how useful are shiny dirt balls anyways? :-p
      • Ruger11mcrdpi, on 04/27/2008, -0/+0We bought Manhattan from the Native americans for less...
    • Ruger11mcrdpi, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1What are you talking about? I was distracted while uploading my latest Call of Duty 4 video to youtube.
  • D14BL0, 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
  • chubbybubba, on 04/27/2008, -0/+7just a matter of time till " Dorodongo " Wii game.
  • Viriatus2, on 04/27/2008, -5/+6crazy japs
  • AManWithNoName, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6DORODANGO DISLIKES SMOKE
  • HantuDuppy, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Question about Dorodango mud:
    What kind of mud are they using? I know of no mud that one can "squeeze out the water" Also, Mud on this continent, North America, just wears away if you rub cloth on it, it doesn't polish.
    • 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.
    • dlsspy, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4These are all from North America: http://www.dorodango.com/gallery.html
  • the0ther, on 04/27/2008, -7/+1oh those crazy japs!
  • Ploosheeta, on 04/27/2008, -2/+3That was seven years ago man!
  • TJ11240, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Do these things last very long? It seems like once they dry they'd be very brittle. I may have to try making one next time I lose power and I'm bored out of my skull.
    • Pennemu, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4I've had mine since February of last year. They're very sturdy and still maintain their shine. They feel like a cannon ball or shotput once you're done. Very solid and very smooth.

      They make nice decorations on my desk at work.
      • TJ11240, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3Thanks for the info. How difficult are these guys to make? I'm officially intrigued
  • cactusmcdougal, on 04/27/2008, -5/+0That's not mud...
  • gerjomarty, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2It sounds like a similar sort of idea to conkers, which we were all obsessed with when we were that age too.
  • pbgswd, on 04/27/2008, -4/+9have you ever heard of the expression, 'polishing a turd'?
    • dazparkour, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4Yes, but they said it wouldn't be shiny! NOW WHO IS BOSS!
  • TecK415, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1It really is fascinating how these fads take hold in children. For me it was Pogs, ah... My beloved Pogs. I had some pretty damn cool slammers.
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