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One of the most symbolic foods of the Japanese winter season is the grilled mochi rice cake. You set up a charcoal grill and put a few slabs of pounded white mochi on it. After a while, the mochi will soften, blow up, and eventually become a warm, golden brown gooey delight that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside like a kind of savory marshmallow.

But what happens when you combine cute fluffy animals with these grilled mochi? Well, toy maker Bandai has the answer for us in this series of adorable mochi anime capsule toys!

As part of their ‘Animal Collection’, Bandai has released ‘Mochi Mochi Animal 2’, a series of gashapon capsule toys that feature white animals in a happy marriage with well-grilled mochi that look way too ready to find a home in our bellies. Each spin will cost only 200 yen (US$1.70) and will give you a random mochi animal that comes with a ball chain for putting it on your bag.

▼ Who knew French bulldogs could get even more adorable?

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▼ This Japanese Akita sure goes well with the mochi.

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▼ This Bichon Frise is screaming kawaii!

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▼ An adorable seal napping on an iceberg of a mochi.

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▼ Last but not least – the classic cat!

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If you’re lucky enough to chance upon one of these gashapon machines, take a spin and keep a kawaii mochi with you to keep warm for the rest of winter! We wonder if these will spark a trend of ‘Mochi Art’ this coming season?

Source: Netolabo
Images: Bandai