Inspiration

I imagine everyone remembers a favorite TV show they had when they were a kid? For me, this was Mr Benn. As a young Japanese child I would sit completely captivated, watching this bowler-hatted Englishman change into fancy dress and walk through the changing-room door into a fantastical adventure as a diver, pirate or magician. Mr Benn, the English gentleman, became my childhood icon. Was it just coincidence that my own name, “Benimaru”, mirrored his? Needless to say, when I had the chance to live and work in England, I grasped it with both hands!

Mr Benimaru is the story of an everyday Japanese man's life in England. It's a nostalgic, whimsical and unashamedly feel-good NFT collection, carefully hand-coded and lovingly crafted in p5.js.

Each costume is a snapshot in time from Mr Benimaru's catalogue of adventures. Some pay tribute to iconic Mr Benn episodes, whilst others share a more contemporary glimpse of English culture. There are costumes that pay tribute to popular NFT projects, as well as Mr Benimaru's cosplay attempts at his favorite TV shows. No two costumes are the same — each brings something new to the table and stands on its own as a unique one-of-one!

Artist and Wabi Sabi corporation founder Steve Todoroki spent 20 years in Japan working in the video games industry. You can find him on X here. He has been described as a “legend”, but seeing how freely that term is banded around the space, I would take it with a healthy pinch of salt! Personally, I think the art is tastefully done, but I am of course biased.