Amigurumi (Japanese: 編みぐるみ, lit.
"crocheted or knitted stuffed toy") is the Japanese art of
knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a
compound of the Japanese words 編み ami, meaning "crocheted or knitted",
and 包み kurumi, literally "wrapping", as in 縫い包み nuigurumi "(sewn)
stuffed doll". Amigurumi vary in size and there are no restrictions about
size or look. While the art of amigurumi has been known in Japan for
several decades, the craft first started appealing to the masses in other
countries, especially in the West, in 2003.