We might be painting with broad strokes here, but everything seems to be a lot cooler in Japan. Even something as relatively banal as a paper doll comes to life in awesome ways through the art of paper karakuri. A recent post on Rocketnews24 brought these amazing paper creations to our attention, made by YouTube’s Haruki Nakamura.

The term karakuri refers to a Japanese art of mechanized puppetry or automata that were originally made from the 17th century to 19th century. The word itself actually means “mechanisms” or “trick”. Nakamura has adapted this art form into these paper creatures that literally spring to life when manipulated in certain ways.

“Oh, well octopuses don’t really do back flips so that’s no big deal!” you say to this website with no way of us hearing it. Well, how about an armadillo that curls up into a ball when startled!

“Big deal! It’s not like this art form is raising the dead” you inexplicably continue to such a specific and almost scripted degree as if you’re not saying anything at all and I’m just segueing into the next video. Well, take a look at group of well-balanced zombies rising in search of–I guess–paper brains?

Nakamura’s YouTube channel is chock full of so many paper karakuri videos that it’ll easily take a chunk of your day away if you dare to take a deep dive. What’s really cool is how most of the videos show you–to some degree–how the action is triggered in each puppet/doll.

Wait a second. Did someone say “Wooden Penguin Bomb”!?

Which one is your favorite? Did you find an even cooler one than the armadillo or penguin? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Haruki Nakamura |girigiriou