Smart Doll - Mirai

---Prior to starting the company, I was climbing the corporate ladder at Amazon and Microsoft.

I look the leap of faith and jumped off the corporate ladder to start my own company where I eventually scored a few gigs consulting for the likes of Disney Japan, Konami, Kadokawa and SEGA.

I created an umbrella brand called Culture Japan which consisted of TV shows, a blog, and events which all revolved around our mascot Mirai Suenaga.
While my peers had their own products, I felt I didn’t have much apart from a blog which could be wiped out by a solar flare - I wanted to create a product so that when Earth became the Planet of the Apes, Caesar’s family could dig up a product I made.

In 2014, I launched a product modeled after Mirai called Smart Doll - a name which I ended up being stuck with after an April Fools joke saying that our dolls were going to do your homework with their built-in flame throwers.

Initially, many compared Smart Doll to similar products on the market, noting no significant difference. This feedback was a crucial catalyst for reflection and one of the reasons that drove me to alter our course.

Today, I am deeply honored to share how Smart Doll has evolved to embrace and celebrate the rich tapestry of human diversity. Our journey has led us to introduce a lineup that includes body types beyond the traditional slim figure, a range of skin tones that include darker shades, and dolls equipped with medical devices. We strive to reflect the beauty in our differences, representing conditions such as vitiligo, birthmarks, cleft lip, acne, and more. It’s our way of acknowledging and honoring the diverse experiences that shape us all.

The Smart Doll brand would not exist without Mirai, as she was the catalyst for its creation, serving as our mascot character. Furthermore, all other Smart Dolls owe their designs to her, since every head sculpt is modeled from the original 3D sculpt of Mirai.