Protect your most valuable 12-yen snack food.
Umaibo is a beloved Japanese snack food consisting of a tubular stick made of puffed corn coated with one of a vast array of flavored powders from cheese to spicy cod roe. It’s been enjoyed by children since 1979, having largely kept its price low enough for kids to easily afford it ever since.
However, one must be careful when handling these sticks as puffed corn doesn’t always bear loads well. In fact, not too long ago, a young girl in Osaka went to a party with her kindergarten friends, but by the time she got home, the Umaibo she was given had crumbled. Seeing her sad face, the girl’s grandfather stood up, clenched his fist, and said: “Never again!”, or so we assume from what he did next.
▼ The destroyed Umaibo (Teriyaki Burger Flavor) and the kindergarten bag that offered substandard protection
Luckily, this grandfather worked at Actec, a company that specializes in aluminum case manufacturing.
Harnessing Actec’s 50 years of craftsmanship, the Umaibo Case was born. This 300-gram (10-ounce) and 20-centimeter (8-inch) long aluminum case would ensure that this grandfather would never have to see his granddaughter bummed out because of an Umaibo mishap again…and now neither do you!
The Umaibo Case is currently in crowdfunding on Japanese website Green Funding, with the reward tier that includes the case priced at 20,800 yen (US$154). Each case is handmade to the exact specifications of Umaibo.
Although the Umaibo Case was developed independently by Actec, prior to launching their crowdfunding campaign they sought permission from the makers of Umaibo at snack company Yaokin. Not only did they approve of the Umaibo Case, but were so impressed with its quality that they’ve put it on permanent display at their headquarters in Tokyo.
▼ Actec also got their blessing to engrave each case with the official Umaibo logo
Like all of Actec’s aluminum cases, the Umaibo Case is made with millimeter precision and has a burgundy velour lining to give your puffed corn a combination of security, comfort, and style.
▼ You might not think of aluminum cases when you think of Japanese craftsmanship, but this video shows all the care that goes into each Umaibo Case.
Through in-house testing Umaibos placed inside the case were able to emerge completely unscathed, even after being dropped from a height of 70 centimeters (27 inches) 10 times.
▼ This is just one time on a loop, but you get the idea.
In addition to protecting your precious snacks, the Umaibo Case is an example of the high-quality custom production that Japanese manufacturers like Actec are capable of. So either pick up an Umaibo Case while the crowdfunding is underway until 31 July here, or if you’re not into Umaibo, check out some of Actec’s 30,000 other case designs.
Because, let’s face it, everything in life is just more fun and exciting when you carry stuff around in an aluminum case.
Source: Green Funding, Actec, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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