Growing up in the United States, I’ve had plenty of pencil cases. They ranged from a fortified cardboard box with a flip-top lid to a sturdier, more garishly colored plastic version until I finally moved on to what can only be described as a heavy-duty zip-lock bag that my pencils would constantly poke holes in. They were functional, sure! They kept my pencils pointy and the ink off my clothes, but they were generic and weren’t - well - cool!
written by Heather Lorusso
In Japan, however, children’s pencil cases are not only as compact and perfectly designed as tiny submarines: they are colorful, cute, fun and stylish.
When I asked the kids of an elementary school to bring their pencil cases to class, I was floored by what I saw.
Out of their standard red and black randoseru (a type of backpack ubiquitous in Japanese elementary schools) came pencil cases as lively as the children holding them.
Most of the boys go for sporty, simple or anime related pencil cases (“fudebako” in Japanese) while the girls tend to opt for softer, sweeter styles that are usually decorated with something impossibly cute. The pencil case market seems geared towards them actually.
The girls have more choices when it comes to exterior designs with a wider variety of brands, characters, and fun English (which I get to translate) - but also in shapes and materials.
Stylish, sturdy, practical and full of secret compartments. Let’s have a closer look at those Japanese fudebako.
I spoke with some of my pupils (thanks here to the kind teachers who let me take lots of pictures) and asked them a few questions. They’re all very sweet kids and range from third grade to sixth grade in elementary school.
What character or brand is on your pencil case?
“Snoopy”
“Miffy”
“I don’t know”
It says Puma.
“Eh? Really? Can you read my shirt too?”
“Pokemon”
everyone’s favourite Pokemon
TV series Naruto
“Shinkansen”
“Black”
“Hmmm. Cherries?”
Why did you pick that one?
“It’s really cute.”
“I like light blue.”
“It was a birthday present.”
“I don’t know. My mom bought it.”
“I LOVE Cinnamon Roll!”
“It was my brother’s.”
“I used to like it, but I don’t anymore.”
When did you get it?
“Last year.”
“Six months ago…maybe.”
“March 7th, my birthday!”
“I can’t remember.”
“A long time ago.”
What’s inside? Can I look?
“No no no! That side is messy, look in the other side!”
clever rabbit?
quite simple inside..
“Just pencils.”
“Pencils, pens, ruler, scissors, highlighter, this (holds up white out), eraser and key.”
“Nothing interesting, but you can look.”
“Yes! Take a picture! This pen has a good scent!”
What’s that?
“Nothing.”
A Love note???
“Yes. I mean: No!”
Can I take a picture of it?
“NO! NO!”
I asked one fourth grader why he had a really pretty plastic crystal charm on his super kakkoi black Harry Potter fudebako and he pointed to a girl and said: “She made it for me”.
And then he gave me a container of glue shaped like a tiny soda bottle. I had admired it earlier while looking through his pencil case.
This school year is just about over and a new one is on its way. I spent almost and hour looking through my local department store’s school supply section.
Everything is so bright and colorful. The pencil cases are spotless. The edges are unbent, the sharpeners are clean, and that new plastic smell is in the air.
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None found
Haha… I have a snoopy one aswell.
Posted by: bentong on March 20th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Ah yes, my daughter starts 1st grade soon! What pencil case will she choose? I suspect Mushi King will win out! The teachers suggested that the kids shouldn’t bring anything with a character on it to a school. What planet do they live on?
Posted by: Pat on March 21st, 2006 at 12:22 am
Long time ago or Once upon a time I had a a Coca Cola’s one that I earned when I visited a company fabric. I had a jeans too and my brother had a Pokemon. How nostalgic!
Posted by: Eriksen on March 21st, 2006 at 2:54 am
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Posted by: Steph Tekano | Steady Vibe Design | Vancouver on March 21st, 2006 at 6:40 am
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Posted by: HUanito on March 21st, 2006 at 7:53 am
that reminds me of when i was a kid at a private school in jakarta, all the cool kids had the coolest or cutest pencil cases, some would even have a new one every one or two weeks.
i was always one trend behind if not untrendy at all, but what i had were still really cool compared to pencil cases i’ve seen here in australia:
i’ve had a pencil case with hidden compartments; 2-tiers that pop up when you open the case; one with 6 buttons that opens or pops up different things on the pencil case (the pencil compartment itself, a pencil sharpener with container, a magnifying glass, a smaller compartment for erasers, a side compartment for another pen, and… thermometer [yeah wtf? so we know how hot it is the classroom?]), and one with a working miniature electronic keyboard on the front panel, but my favourite one was a regular metallic tin Ducktales one because it was so roomy, plain and simple, and I ended up using it from 5th grade to 9th grade.
Posted by: nat on March 21st, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Heh nat, I had the 6 button pencil case, it was the bomb, eraser compartment
magnifying glass (power of 0.1x!!! YEA!) pencil extractor mid compartment pop-upper u could launch stuff off that platform the thermometer was the bomb tho, u could use it to prove to the teacher u had a fever and measure the temperature of the toilet water
Posted by: Jojo on March 21st, 2006 at 1:11 pm
oh so that’s what it’s for!
you and your Nice and Keebor sneakers :D
Posted by: nat on March 21st, 2006 at 1:14 pm
Colored site and nice look !Wager Online
Posted by: anito on March 21st, 2006 at 5:18 pm
This was a really great article, thank you. Now I wish I had to carry pencils around more often.
Posted by: Jdesign on March 21st, 2006 at 6:03 pm
theses cute pencil cases makes me post my first comment, really good !
Posted by: gali on March 22nd, 2006 at 2:09 am
Here in the Philippines, kids in elementary have colorful pencil cases too. I remember when I was a kid where kids would brag about how nice their pencil cases look. lol I love this article. Avid reader of Pingmag here! =)
Posted by: Ced on March 22nd, 2006 at 10:19 am
LOL! ^0^ I remember these uber-coolio things. When I was a kid, I had this glitter pencil holder, but it got stollen by some punk in my class. T_T
Posted by: Gaby on March 22nd, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Don’t forget the swastika pencil cases :(
Of course, a swastika means different things in Japan.
Posted by: Claytonain on March 22nd, 2006 at 4:39 pm
born cutely in a shape
Posted by: Olltta on March 22nd, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Hilsen fra Klovnen “Tulliball”
Posted by: sokol on April 5th, 2006 at 12:11 am
they r soooooooooooooo cute i want 1 sooooooooo bad!!!!!!!!!!!! darn kids send one to me!!!!! if u guys kno where u get em email me!!!!!!! im that desperate!!!! sereneanger_101@yahoo.com
i live in ft. myers fl us so where is it?! im waiting…………
Posted by: sereneanger on April 26th, 2006 at 6:19 am
ill help u sereneanger………..and u guys will to i hope.
Posted by: candy lova on April 26th, 2006 at 6:20 am
does ANYONE know where you can still get the six-button pencil boxes with all the goodies?!!! i CAN’T find them anymore!! are they still even being made?
Posted by: masaki on August 16th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Anybody know the name of the company that makes the pencil case in the lower left corner (black with a red label) of the third photo (from the top) on the left hand side of the screen? Thanks!
Posted by: Anonymous on August 17th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
were can you find the pencil case that is like the second one down from the tp. It is awesome i want one. please tell me
Posted by: jesica on August 30th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Where can you buy these kinds of pencil cases? I live in California and i have never seen pencil cases that cute. Is there like a website or something where i might be able to find these kinds of pencil cases?
Posted by: Nancy on September 9th, 2006 at 6:39 am
I love pencil cases! i have this lovely blue one this year, but last year i had a beautiful rainbow one until i avidentally got it stuck in a hole in the ceiling when i was trying to explain to my friend that she can’t throw. :D
Posted by: jo on October 11th, 2006 at 1:45 am
good collection of pencil cases like to but it..
kate
Posted by: kate on October 21st, 2006 at 3:32 pm
the U.s sucks i wish we had cutesy things like that here
THATS IT! im moving to JAPAN :p
Posted by: Melinda on November 26th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
I know there aint a lot of cute pencil cases but i got one from this site and it was super cute too ^_^ I hope this would help some how … hehehe
http://shop.sanrio.com/
So, enjoy ppl ^_^
Posted by: Jeannie on November 29th, 2006 at 1:31 pm
these are cute too ^^ SHOPPING ONLINE, yay ^^
http://www.jetpens.com/advancedsearchresult.php?keywords=pencil+case&x=0&y=0
Posted by: Jeannie on November 29th, 2006 at 2:25 pm
dear sir,
would you please inquiry me about pencil case.
I’m looking forward to hearing your prompt reply
thanks and best regards
elhaam
Posted by: elhaam on March 11th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I have a Snoopy one too! :D
Posted by: Emma on March 27th, 2007 at 4:45 am
pencil casse
mererid elen humphreys
gwel y wyddfa dinorwig
caernarfon gwunedd
Posted by: mererid humphreys on March 28th, 2007 at 5:25 am
you can find them at many chinese stores (eg. smart maple or one’s living…in pacific mall if u live in toronto)
Posted by: kristen on April 14th, 2007 at 7:33 am
Is very good
Posted by: Emma on April 16th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
where can i get that 6 button pencil case?!? it sounds cool.
Posted by: Logan on April 19th, 2007 at 2:04 am
gwel y wyddfa dinorwig ‘ caernarfon gwunedd’ll553es
Posted by: mererid on May 5th, 2007 at 4:36 am
Where do you find the puma pencil cases? I live in Huntsville, Alabama.
Posted by: Charles Page on May 27th, 2007 at 4:03 am
You can’t find anything here.
Posted by: Charles Page on May 27th, 2007 at 4:04 am
where can you buy this cute pencil cases
i live greenwich ct
Posted by: karina on June 8th, 2007 at 8:00 am
http://www.shopkawaii.com has all these cute pencil cases of popular Japanese characters (Rilakkuma, Monokuro boo, etc.) They’re adorable and they restock and put up new cases frequently. Jetpens also has some but they overprice a few things sometimes when I know at least 2 other online stores that sell them cheaper. Ebay is also a great place (you just have to know what you’re looking for).
Posted by: Paxton on July 2nd, 2007 at 12:32 pm
where can you buy pencilcaseswith dr.grips and cute and cool pens from a safe page.. noone would buy from an unsafe page
Posted by: anonymous on August 3rd, 2007 at 5:57 am
were an u buy this cool stuff ilive in
north carolina
Posted by: woong on August 15th, 2007 at 6:42 am
Were can I get the Happy Cat pencil case?And were can I get the Naruto pencil case,I live in Maraland and if you only know were I can get one on line still tell me.Oh I fogot to say I need to find them on line.
Posted by: Kairi on August 25th, 2007 at 8:40 am
A city near my home sells pencil cases, pens, pencils and more that
came from Japan. C= I wonder if they
have glue containers in the shape
of a soda bottle??
Posted by: Grace on September 7th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Awwwww! Cute pencil cases, they are so adorable =3
Posted by: Chiriko on September 8th, 2007 at 6:56 am
i love the pencil cases they are so cute i live in england where do you get them from and does england sell them
bye from the sexy chick emma
Posted by: emma on September 28th, 2007 at 4:48 am
chite hehe
Posted by: bfy on November 1st, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Hello !
I’m french (soory for the bad english)
and we havn’t pencil cases as cute as those !
Posted by: Aurore on December 28th, 2007 at 7:32 am
very cool… Although the Tokyo tower shouldn’t be blurred with the rest ;)
thanks for subject
Posted by: kurye on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
Where can you get the Naruto penceil case????? if you know were email me at: tokidoki_yummy@hotmail.com
Posted by: Lily on March 16th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
ohhhhhh i poooo these pencil cases i feel like pooing on them!
Posted by: polly on May 6th, 2008 at 2:28 am
I saw the 6-button double-sided pencil cases (totally cool) being sold at Hong Kong Disneyland just this past January 2008. They came in a Minnie Mouse and a Marie (Aristocats) design.
Posted by: Anonymous on May 10th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
ohmygawd.
wanna have it o.O
unfortunately, i live in the Netherlands.
we don’t have pencil cases so cute as these ¬¬
Posted by: esperanza on July 13th, 2008 at 2:57 am
Hey everybody!
if u want a really really cute pencil case
go to jetpens.com i got one that had an
icecream cone smiling. it wuz soooooo
cuuuuuuuute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: lolli pop on November 20th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hehe, I’m Japanese. Yes, they do have the best pencil cases!! Amazing. Any clue where you can buy them? Some of my family is going to Japan, I might get lucky.
Posted by: Kiku-san on February 11th, 2009 at 11:42 am
What amazing pencilcases! I would raid the whole shop buying those awesome pencilcases! I am a stationery freak and i am known as the “stationery Girl” so this is right up my alley. I live in Australia, the LAND of boring pencilcases.
I want to run away to Japan!
Posted by: Princess Sylvia- The stationery Girl on June 15th, 2009 at 10:23 am
cool, where you can you get the smiley face pencil case ( the one with the caption - they look like cosmetic pouches!) its at the top, thankyouu!
Posted by: Jess on July 30th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I found a site in Japanese that sells them for 799 yen. this is the link:
http://syaretto.com/SHOP/560-444333.html
Posted by: Mika on August 2nd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
hey i was wondering if anyone can tell me where you can get the blue pencl case with the clouds on it and the words smiling blue sky. its sooo cute!
Posted by: vickyt62294 on November 9th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Oh my gosh this is so cute!!!! <3
Posted by: Haru on January 26th, 2010 at 4:47 am
[...] It’s always interesting to meet a new student and see what his or her fudebako says about who they are. Here are some of the pencil cases from our English Club (all girls). These are all our pictures, but there are many more unique fudebako at PingMag—a great collection of photos. [...]
Posted by: Stuff Japanese People Like #7 « Down the Line on May 23rd, 2010 at 10:04 am
/Users/larinalin/Desktop/Rev C/Converse - Group # 2.jpg
Posted by: mu mu on July 3rd, 2010 at 8:42 am
I found some AWESOME pencil cases at a website called
Cool Pencil Case
Posted by: mu mu on July 15th, 2010 at 1:59 am
Ah, I need to find one of those! But I’m in college now… I wonder if anyone will care?
Posted by: Liz on October 5th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
These are so cute!! 2 people in my class have ones like these!! I really want one…. But I have a boring American one. I wish Americans made ones like these in America.
Posted by: kid on January 16th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
May I ask if anyone knows how to get that !GORGEOUS! denim shorts pencil case!!!
PS: I live in Australia. and i have looked all over the internet and this just leaves ma speachless.Gurlz just {shop till ya drop}
Posted by: Tahlia on February 16th, 2011 at 6:36 am
If you live by Jusco, here’s good news-you can get a pencil case! They may not have the ones shown, but they have som3
Posted by: kid on February 19th, 2011 at 12:50 am
Yeah! I have a domo pencil case with some cute Rilakkuma, Pinbear, some korean characters and Snoopy!
Posted by: Domo and Rilakkuma Addict on February 27th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Hey,
Does anyone know where to get the Happycat pencil cases anywhere or online. I live in AUSSIE!!!
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