While browsing through some designy online boutique, I found a kit for a hip, rustic present: a ball you make out of dirt. A kit... for dirt? It seemed stupid, though perhaps appropriate for a year where leather wrapped rocks sold out at Nordstrom and ecological concerns reared their tragic heads across the country. After 5 seconds of googling, I was less critical, and by 5 minutes in I was making plans for where to score the best dirt nearby. Dorodango appear to have that effect on people. 

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The name Hikaru Dorodango means 'shiny dumpling' and while they're inedible, they do come in a wide variety of styles. They're hand formed out of moist dirt (like most kids will do naturally when let loose), then smoothed with dry dust, dried, and friction burnished to weird perfection. 

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Making shiny hand formed mud balls dates back a good long way, but this style has seen increasing popularity since the early 2000s. The process of making them is meditative and the product is as weirdly inviting as an Ostrich egg or solid marble paperweight. While dorodango can resemble stone once finished, they do stay delicate, so if you're thinking of getting into the mud gift trade, plan accordingly.

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Methods differ a bit, but most advice comes down to a mix of patience, sifting your dirt, pulling enough moisture out, and polishing slowly. Do it slowly enough to come to peace with the fact that you're rubbing dirt for fun, and maybe you'll hit nirvana!

Here's the two least annoying videos on making Dorodango I could find.