It always seems a little strange when someone looks at a really cute baby and squeals, “He’s so cute I could just eat him up!” I agree, most babies are pretty adorable, and if you said, “He’s so cute I could take on the social responsibility of providing food, clothing, and shelter for him,” or maybe “He’s so cute I could put up with his moody teen years,” I’d probably be right with you.
But eating him? Why would your mind go there? Unless, of course, the baby is wrapped in a sushi roll-style swaddling cloth.
While the inspiration may be Japanese, the outfit is designed and made in the U.S. San Francisco-based Bon Vivant Baby was started with the mission of creating unique infant apparel, and when that goal was combined with founder Katharine Harlan Owens’ love of fine food, one of the results was the company’s Lil ‘Sushi set.
Buyers get not only the swaddling cloth, patterned after the seaweed that forms the outer edge of a sushi roll, but also a cap meant to be evocative of ikura (salmon roe) on rice. Both are hand-sewn from DriRelease cotton-polyester fabric, which Bon Vivant promises is soft and warm.
It’s a clever idea, but I’m not entirely sure about the website’s boast that the outfit “Looks like a REAL sushi roll.”
▼ Bon Vivant Baby’s capital letters, not mine
Honestly, if I hadn’t been told ahead of time, I don’t know if I would have realized what the design is going for. Even now, something about the coloring makes it look more like one of those sea cucumbers Aomori Prefecture is so crazy about these days than a tasty, nori-wrapped sushi cylinder. Really, if someone offers you a roll of sushi where the seaweed has that many flecks of brown in it, tell them you’re already full, because if it’s been out so long the seaweed is changing color, you can bet similar funky changes have happened to the raw fish inside.
▼ Don’t eat the one on the right, and not just because there’s a baby in there.
Japanese food isn’t the only culinary muse of Bon Vivant Baby, though. The company also offers the Lil’ Eggroll swaddling set, although much like the Lil’ Sushi, the coloring is a little suspect. From the product description, it sounds like the vivid hue is supposed to match that of sweet and sour sauce, but most people who use the condiment just dip an end of the egg roll in it, not slather the stuff all over.
▼ If you don’t like Chinese food, you could always pretend it’s actually a Lil’ Cheeto swaddling cloth.
And finally, there’s the Tortilla Baby set. This time, the pattern is very close to what you’d see on an actual flour tortilla, although it’s unclear why Bon Vivant Baby didn’t go with Lil’ Tortilla as the name.
All three sets can be ordered directly from Bon Vivant Baby here, and are identically priced at US$48. Thanks to the company’s holiday sale, though, entering the promotional code JOLLY will get you 15 percent off.
Just make sure no one dips your kid in a plate of soy sauce and wasabi at this year’s Christmas party.
Related: Bon Vivant Baby
Source: Japaaan
Top image: Bon Vivant Baby
Insert images: Bon Vivant Baby, Yamaya, Bon Vivant Baby (2, 3)
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