Traditional arts and crafts for fans of traditional animation.

With their emphasis on hand-drawn animation, there’s no bigger champion of doing things the old-fashioned way in the anime industry than Studio Ghibli. A lot of Ghibli fans, likewise, have an appreciation for traditional methods of creating beautiful art, and offering a unique opportunity to do just that is a new series of Ghibli sealing wax sets, which let you make gorgeous accompaniments to hand-written letters and even eye-catching accessories.

Each kit includes a rustic jar of hardened wax pieces, a spoon and candle to melt it down in and pour it out of, and a stamp for pressing the designs, which are inspired by three classic anime films.

The Castle in the Sky/Laputa set allows you to make the royal Laputa crest, with the included wax being primarily hues of blue, evoking memories of the levistone pendant worn by female lead Sheeta.

For fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service, the wax motif matches the sign Kiki hangs outside the bakery that her fledgling courier venture operates out of.

And last, for Howl’s Moving Castle, the stamp presses the wax into a recreation of the Witch of the Waste’s shooting star curse emblem.

In addition to their traditional use to seal letters and envelopes, it’s also easy to add a chain or cord before the wax rehardens to make pendants, keychains, or other accessories, provided you’ve procured the parts from a craft shop.

Each kit coming with multiple colors also gives you the option of blending two different shades to create a swirled pattern.

The kits are designed to be easy enough for even first-time wax artists to use. Just melt the wax, pour it, and set the stamp on it for a minute so that it’ll keep the shape as it resolidifies.

▼ Demonstration video

However, using the sealing wax kits does still mean working with fire and tools with metal parts that will become hot during the process, so proper caution is a must, especially if this is an arts and crafts project you’re doing with younger Ghibli fans.

The sealing wax kits are being offered through Studio Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku for 6,050 yen (US$39.80) and can be ordered through the chain’s online store (Laputa here, Kiki here, and Howl here).

Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3)
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