Handmade Moving Imitation Ramen Noodles

January 14, 2011 - Fake Food, know-how, Videos - Tagged: Ramen

Have you ever seen something like this out in front of a noodle shop? I’m not sure if this kind of sign can be seen in your country as well, but it is quite common in Japan. At first it looks like a magic trick, and it’s very popular for foreign tourists to take pictures of. You have to see it in motion to understand.

Here is a video for those who have never seen it. Check it out!

It moves(^^). Fun, isn’t it? 😉

Today, I’m going to introduce a blogger’s attempt to make this moving noodle sign himself. Handmade of course! Let’s see how it goes.

Wooden boards and some simple mechanical parts.

This is going to be the drive part (like a piston)
which makes the vertical movement.

Huge chopsticks colored with poisonous chemical paint.
Don’t eat with them.

Looks like things are progressing, doesn’t it?
Maybe 60% accomplished work so far.

Here we go! Done!!

The noodles look very real, but they are just knitting wool. And the word on the red fabric is “ramen”. Why don’t we see how it moves on a video.

Hmm. I’m sure it is not perfect yet (^^; It bucks like a wild horse in a rodeo.

Now, he tries to make improvements for the second edition.

What he needs this time is a cardboard box.

He makes a hole in it.

Another hole on a ramen bowl too.

Set a short pipe in the holes.

And put knitting wool noodles into the pipe.
Maybe that’s it!

What!? He is wearing the box (x_X)!
It’s manual instead of automatic??

It’s not bad. Actually, it looks much better than the first one. Now, he wants to show his “moving display” outside like a real shop. Unfortunately, he doesn’t own any shops, so he is now out on the roadside.