Creepy cool accessory’s clever construction makes the eye go into alert mode when you snap it on.

Japan’s crime rate is laughably low (thanks, in part, to some laughable criminals), but that doesn’t mean people’s belongings never go missing. I’ve never been the victim of it myself, but umbrellas theft is a commonly heard complaint, though in all fairness, at least some of those “thefts” are accidental, owing to the profusion of nearly identical-looking plastic umbrellas, often purchased at convenience stores and 100 yen shops when people in Japan find themselves caught in a sudden shower.

Regardless of the reason, though, there are few things more aggravating than putting your umbrella in the umbrella stand in front of a store or office on a rainy day only to find it gone when you come back out. But what can you do? Keep an eye on your umbrella all the time?

Exactly.

Japanese Twitter user and leatherworker @kozeni_shkt recently fashioned a snap-on umbrella handle accessory adorned with an unsettlingly realistic-looking eye. To make the whole thing even more unnerving, the strip of leather is short enough that it fits snugly around the handle, so while the eye seems relaxed or even sleepy when the strap is unsnapped, when it stretches to go around the handle, the eye becomes startlingly alert.

Should you desire variety in your creepy crime-prevention, @kozeni_shkt has experimented with a number of color combinations with varying irises and skin tones, and even more weathered textures of leather to simulate a sunburn.

@kozeni_shkt has even created a version with a double-folded eyelid, long considered a desirable physical trait in much of Asia.

▼ Beautiful…?

In making the first strap, @kozeni_shkt’s motivations were merely his own amusement and possession protection. But thanks to the huge response his photos have been getting online, he’s now readying a batch for sale, and says he’ll be providing details on how to purchase his creations through his Twitter account.

Source: Twitter/@kozeni_shkt via IT Media

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he credits never having had his umbrella stolen to either good luck or his ever-present aura of malice.