While the word is often translated "demon" in English, the Japanese term yōkai more accurately indicates a supernatural creature, and the word can include friendly household helpers, bitter ghosts, and scary monsters. We've selected some of the most popularly known yōkai in the west to create this collection!

The popular kappa was once terrifying, striking from behind to drown and devour those who ventured into dangerous waters, but in modern times he's become an adorable figure. He enjoys cucumbers and sumo, and he must keep the shallow basin on his skull full of water.

The inspiration for our kappa came from a frog on a Herschell-Spillman carousel, termed a “hop-toad.” Frogs weren’t the most common of menagerie carousel animals, but they were always a hit. Frogs were the only creatures in the Herschell-Spillman catalog which wore human clothing. The characteristic Herschell-Spillman flat saddles became extended vests on the frogs, and ours has become a kappa’s shell.

Did you know? Herschell-Spillman and Spillman were the only workshops to create carousel frogs. 

Tanuki are mischievous shapeshifters are known for their love of sake and music, and the innovative use of their bodies to form anything that's needed. Tanuki are sometimes mistakenly called raccoon dogs in English, but they are related to neither and are their own species unique to Japan. Our tanuki pin includes a teapot as a nod to one of the most famous tanuki tales about a dancing teapot!

Our tanuki is modeled after a Dentzel panda jumper. The panda is caught mid-leap, its front paws raised as though clapping, which we have replaced with the tanuki holding a jug of sake. Salvatore Chernigliaro, particularly skilled at carving fur textures, did occasionally while working for Dentzel create saddles that emulated fur, hair, or strings: tiger skin saddles, leather hides, fringe trims, even a pair of monkeys supporting a saddle on a lion. Our tanuki’s saddle, in the style of tanuki tales, is also furry…

Did you know? There are three poses for riding carousel animals: jumpers, prancers, and standers. Jumpers are animals with all limbs off the ground, for animals that rise and fall as the carousel spun. Prancers and standers are stationary. Prancers rear, front legs in the air while back legs remain on the ground. Standers have three or four feet on the ground.

Everyone loves kitsune! These foxy shapeshifters are known for their tricksy ways. Their kitsune-bi (fox fire) can sometimes be seen on lonely roads, or you might catch them blending with crowds at festivals to enjoy their favorite treats. Our pin includes a pinwheel which our kitsune found at a matsuri (probably a hanami or flower-viewing festival, given the colored dango) and his prized jewel, called a hoshi no tama.

Salvatore “Cherni” Chernigliaro carved for Gustav Dentzel and the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. He introduced many menagerie animals to the Dentzel company during his tenure there, including a carousel cat which inspired this kitsune. Each Cherni cat had an alert, raised head, a waving paw on the non-romance side, and a creature in its mouth, usually a bird or mouse. Cherni was an incredibly skilled carver and headman, and his carved fur textures always added a note of realism and whimsy to his creations.

Did you know? Carousel animals have a romance side and a non-romance side. The romance side features elaborate carvings and is the side facing the outside of the carousel, showing off its trappings. The non-romance side faces the interior of the carousel and is less elaborate, since someone only sees it while getting on or off the animal.

 

Tengu are guardians of mountains and forests and often appear in the dress of yamabushi, practitioners of shugendō (a syncretic fusion of Shintō and Buddhism).

Carousel birds are a rarity in antique carvings, and the ones which exist are usually roosters and ostriches, running on long legs. Rather than basing our tengu on one of these carvings, we drew inspiration from the work of Marcus Illions and C. W. Parker. One of Illions’s trademarks was “flame manes,” which flow as though the horse were tossing its head proudly and defiantly in the wind. C. W. Parker, whose styles varied over the years, later exhibited some flame manes, though they were much more stylized and less realistic than those of Illions. Using this vertical, organic flow of movement, our tengu’s wing flies upward, while his head is bent down in the style of a C. W. Parker horse.

Did you know? The term “to catch the brass ring” comes from carousels. Many carousels used to have a machine just outside of the ride to dispense a quantity of rings. Mounted riders would lean outward to catch a ring on each revolution. Among the silvery rings was one brass ring, which, when caught, would win the rider a prize, often a free extra ride on the carousel. Our tengu has “brass” rings on his traditional shakujō. 

Nekomata can be recognized by their two tails, a sign to beware! They are best known for eating children, but you might find them wreaking other havoc as well. But still, they're cats, so who can resist them?

Our nekomata was inspired by a “sneaky tiger” by Charles Looff. Tigers were a common menagerie animal in many carousel workshops, but the “sneaky tiger” was a rarer pose. Most carousel tigers had a proudly raised head, but the sneaky variety had a lowered head, as though stalking its prey. Beware of the tiger and of this nekomata!

Did you know? The Coney Island style is flashy and highly ornamented, but Looff's work is particularly characterized by lots of metallic leaf and glass “gems.” Our bakeneko is not quite as grand!

Namazu is the great catfish which causes earthquakes when he thrashes beneath the pillars of the earth. But he also brings opportunity in the aftermath of disaster. Our pin includes the kaname-ishi, the stone that pins Namazu in place to prevent devastating quakes, at the top of the carousel pole.

One common trait of the Coney Island style of carving is a raised head, as opposed to animals looking forward or downward. Charles Looff, in particular, created many animals gazing skyward. Our namazu follows this tradition and that of the carousel hippocampus, often depicted with the tail curling under its body.

Did you know? A hippocampus is a mythological creature with the front half of a horse and the back half of a fish, a bit like a mermaid horse.

Do you want the most fabulous display for your new pin collection? Our revolving wooden carousel features a gashadokuro looming over the awning and offers a place to display each of your yōkai pins and their informative cards. Our design echos a famous Utagawa Kuniyoshi print and adds a bit of yōkai fun to your display.

Your beautiful carousel display will be finished in maple, with your choice of a maple finish or walnut finish roof (pictured).

Ringu (remade in the United States as The Ring) was a 1998 Japanese horror film which called back to older Japanese tales, with overt and subtle references to classic ghost stories.

We've added a punny stretch goal for our project, featuring the enraged girl emerging from her well to offer a brass ringu for our carousel riders to catch.

This print will be unlocked for all tiers to add, but she's especially clever alongside the revolving wooden carousel display.

I am excited to cross-collaborate with Bookish Mythical Creatures by Emily McCosh.

If you back both projects at a pin level or above, you'll receive an extra reward from each! Two super-cute acrylic charms can adorn your bags or phone or whatever you like with a burst of literary myth and magic.

💖 WELCOME TO PINTOPIA — A creative celebration featuring over 175 creators launching pin and plushie projects on BackerKit from January 23 to February 13!

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Designs are completed and suppliers/manufacturers have been identified and contracted with. Anticipated delivery, barring dramatic unforeseen circumstance, will be in April.

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