There's a donut shop out in Japan called
Ikumimama that hand-makes donuts with natural ingredients and smiles (literally and metaphorically).
Normally, that's not all that notable until you see this on their website:
They're known for their animal donuts which were developed by the owner, Nakao Ikumi (yes, as in 'Ikumi-mama'), back in 2011.
They seem a bit over-frosted but ridiculously cute. I could see these at many a kid's (and quite a few grown up's) party.
The donuts are mostly sold in sets of four with prices ranging from 920 yen (~$10.34 US) to 960 yen (~$10.79 US). The pricing makes me think of all the gourmet cupcake shops that have sprung up in recent years. Could gourmet donut shops be the next big thing?
The latest donut is this limited-time gem offered individually at 270 yen (~$3.04 US) to celebrate the new year:
It's a smiling cat donut with a mandarin chocolate orange perched atop its head. Mandarin oranges are considered symbols of abundance and good fortune for the new year.
Ikumimama ships their animal donuts frozen, but not, I think, all the way to the U.S.
You can find their website here:
http://ikumimama.com/
