Need an incentive to bring your own bag to the store? Want to teach your kiddos the value of reducing waste? Maybe a cute animal buddy to hang off your arm would do the trick. These whimsically printed cloth totes by Cochae take the traditional Japanese furoshiki and give it some adorable personalities. 

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These bags start out as large bandanas, but with a few simple twists become portable and dependable storage. 

Monkey butt not to 

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The furoshiki is generally thought to be around 1,300 years old, with its roots in bath house culture where you had to get creative about storing your stuff so it wouldn't get grabbed by some other damp person. Nowadays its minimal pragmatism is just as useful, from packing lunches to carrying books.

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Cochae's designs, dreamed up by Yosuke Jikuhara and Miki Takeda, put a modern fauna face on the ancient form. In making this series the Okayama based design duo looked for animals who like to hang around, and adapted them for future tote fame based on the fold that commonly fits bento boxes. While the flat print is cute, their 3D appeal is extra charming.

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The wild animal styles include a monkey, a bat and a sloth, all of whom look pretty pleased to see you and ready to hang out. Other styles include a rice ball inspired print with eight different faces depending on the fold you use.

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If you're a designer (or design lover) who hasn't heard of furoshiki, do yourself a favor and get to Googlin'! Japanese history is full of these flexible, beautiful and reusable textiles, and getting a few folds under your belt can be seriously inspiring.

If you could use some more chill forest creatures in your daily grind, the Cochae designs are available at Cinra for 1,620 ¥, around $15.50 USD.

Via.