Nobody listens to you in the office or at home? A little potted friend will be there for you, always nodding to you with encouragement.
The Pekoppa toy, which looks like a small plant just starting to sprout from a pot, flutters its two leaves or bends its stem as if it is reacting to someone who is speaking nearby.
Japan’s Sega Toys has already sold 50 000 of the toys over three months since it was launched there in late September, company spokesperson Minako Sakanoue said.
The toy can serve as a “communication tool” for the young and old, she said.
“If you have no subordinates to listen to your grumbling in the office or no children to talk to, Pekoppa will be by your side, gently nodding,” she said.
Sakanoue said workers could also set the toy on their desks for encouragement as they attempt to make a sales pitch over the phone.
Pekoppa, literally meaning a nodding leaf in Japanese, is priced at ¥2 310 ($26).
The company will release flower versions, called Hanappa, in early June in Japan, for ¥2 625 each.
The toys use thin metal wires to move flexibly like muscles when they sense sound. — AFP