Amigurumi

Literally meaning “crocheted or knitted stuffed toy”, amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a compound of the Japanese words ami, meaning “crocheted or knitted", and kurumi, literally “wrapping”, as in nuigurumi “(sewn) stuffed doll”.

Amigurumi vary in size and there are no restrictions as to the size or look. While the art of amigurumi has been known in Japan for several decades, the craft first started appealing to the masses in other countries, especially in the West, in 2003.