MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy grows from a kit
MYMORI’s biomaterial kit lets kids and adults grow mushroom toy blocks on their own using mycelium. There’s no finished product yet since the users need to grow the blocks from a kit, which includes all the biomaterials needed to craft and cultivate the toys. Once the ingredients are mixed in, users get to watch MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy slowly grow until they can play with them and stack them up like ordinary blocks.
The team’s purpose is to educate the users about nature and how to care for the environment as well as to make biomaterials coming from living things much more familiar in everyday use. The texture of MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy retains the natural grain and grittiness of the biomaterial. When the users touch it, it feels soft and light on the outside but firm on the inside. When they smell it, it can evoke the scent of a forest or fresh bread. Once the toys are ready, children can play with them in many ways by stacking the blocks, drawing faces on them, or building small structures like castles.
all images courtesy of MYMORI
Speeding up the hardening process using toaster oven
To use MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy kit, users first crush the biomaterial included in the box and mix it with flour. Then, they place it into the mold and leave it in a dark place for four to six days. After that, they remove it from the mold and let it grow for two to three more days. Finally, they dry it in a well-ventilated space for another two to three days, and after that, it is ready for use.
In case the kids want to play with it as soon as possible, the supervising adults can use a toaster oven to dry it. The mycelium material is a mix of mushroom spores and plant waste. The kit includes spores from oyster and lychee mushrooms and different types of wood materials. These small differences change the look and feel of the toy slightly, but they all work the same way.
the texture of MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy retains the natural grain and grittiness of the biomaterial
reusing washable plastic mold
The growth form is the plastic mold used to shape the toy, and it is clear so the children can see the toy as it grows. It is also reusable and washable by hand, too. The kit also includes gloves, an alcohol wipe for cleaning, a bag of flour, and a card with instructions. The MYMORI’s mushroom mycelium toy kit uses only natural materials, so there are no chemical additives, and the main ingredients come from farms, so they are safe to touch and handle.
The idea of MYMORI is to return to the joy of making things with natural materials, just like people did in the past when they built homes or made clothes by hand. At the time of publishing, there’s a MYMORI mycelium workshop taking place at Musashino Art University Ichigaya Campus on August 9th, 2025, to try growing the toys on site.
when the users touch it, it feels soft and light on the outside but firm on the inside
children can stack them up like ordinary blocks
the kit includes spores from oyster and lychee mushrooms and different types of wood materials
when smelled, the toy evokes the scent of a forest or fresh bread