These Notepads Gradually Reveal Objects as You Use Them

We can safely call these note pads a revelation.

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Japanese people have a special affection for stationery, which is clearly tracable in their choices of note pads. Take the Omoshiroi Block, for example. Loosely translated as ‘fun block’, it is created using laser-cutting technology to create what is, at first first sight, just an average expensive memo pad. But as the note cards get used, something else begins to appear. And that something else is awesome.

Produced by Japanese company Triad, which mostly produces architectural models, the Omoshiroi Blocks feature various notable architectural sites in Japan and also other objects like musical instruments. The blocks are composed of over 100 sheets of paper and each sheet is different from the next. By the time you get to the 100th, you have the whole object.

Here’s an animation of the process:

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Despite laser-cutting technology getting cheaper, the Omoshiroi Blocks are still quite expensive and range from around 4000 yen to 10,000 yen (about 40 to 100 USD), depending on their size. Getting your hands on one will also be tricky for the time being as they’re currently only available in Japan. Hopefully they’re rolling out (or folding out) in the US soon (sometimes they do pop up on Amazon).

So who knows? One day the expensive notepad you buy to jot your ideas down might hold a little surprise for you…