So apparently, Totoro cupcakes are harder to make than I had originally thought, not that I’ve tried baking them myself. Looking around the Internet, there are many not-so-perfect ones, but they’re still pretty cute, in a kindergarten-ish sort of way. The best batch I’ve seen so far is by Lyndsay from CocoCakeCupcakes.

They’re a bit simplified in fondant form, but it works. Less is more– that’s the secret.