Torabobo Dolls

For New Years, I usually make my friends and family figurines of the upcoming year’s zodiac animal. 2022 is the year of the tiger so I made these modified sarubobo dolls – or as I call em, torabobo dolls!

The sarubobo doll hails from the Hida region in Japan and means “baby monkey”. It’s an amulet that’s said to bring you good fortune. In 2008, the sarubobo was registered as a cultural handicraft of Gifu prefecture alongside other products like Mino ceramics and Neodani chrysanthemum stones. They’re seen in all over the region at souvenir shops and temples.

These little tigers are good for getting rid of your scraps! As long as they’re kind of stripey, anything would work.

What you will need:
– Torabobo pattern (download)
– Patterned scrap fabric
– White scrap fabric
– Stuffing
– Embroidery floss
– Thread and needle

Cut fabric according to pattern.

First: the head. I sew with an allowance of about 1/4 inch. Sew around the edge and leave the string in.

Pull the string a bit to make a little pouch. Stuff with fluff, until it seems impossible to close; this will insure a nice, round head.

Repeat with the white circle, which will become the snout.

On the snout, stitch a big X and then satin stitch in the nose.

Attach snout to head. I do a ladder stitch and then pull it tight to hide the seam.
Then stitch up a cute face. I like my tigers to have ferocious little faces but you do you.

Sew up the ears. Make sure to make little nicks around the curve!

And then attach it to the back of the head!

Next we make the body. Basically you sew up the corners. If you look at the pattern, you can see that you’re suppose to sew line A to A, then B to B. It’ll make a weird opening in the middle.