Actually, this project did not start for creating a toy. It was in 2018 when I was in the Corporate Communications Division and deliberating how to approach people who were less interested in Honda.

It was at this time that I came across a rumor, like an urban legend, that babies stopped crying when they heard car engine sounds. I found it amusing if an automobile manufacturer took this seriously for verification, and I also considered it newsworthy. I thought if car engine sounds really soothed fussy infants, it would be of help to parents who were hesitant to go out because of their crying babies.

So, I decided to start with challenging this rumor for the truth and to launch a test under the supervision of the acoustic specialist, Mr. Kita of The Society for Harmonic Science.

It is considered that the reason engine sounds cause babies to smile may be because the frequencies of those sounds are similar to those experienced inside a mother’s womb, creating a sense of comfort and familiarity for infants who may recall their time in the womb. Thus, I checked engine sounds and waveforms of more than 30 Honda models one by one. Additionally, I recorded and verified engine sounds of our past models, including those stored and exhibited at Honda Collection Hall. As a result, the engine of the second-generation Honda NSX sounded the most similar to sounds of the womb.

Following the verification, we took 12 babies in a private sound studio to study their reactions to engine sounds when they cried. Of course, we couldn’t predict when the babies cried, so several of us adults stayed a little apart from them and waited patiently for the time to come. And, when babies cried, we immediately put engine sounds on. Then, as many as 11 babies out of 12 started smiling.

This study result was released to the public, and the engine sounds were made available for listening over a special website. We also threw an experience-based event, and consequently, all these efforts attracted attention from the media more than I had initially thought. Honestly speaking, because I didn’t expect this small activity I started by myself would come into the spotlight to such a degree, I hadn’t talked much about it in advance even to my coworkers. I was really surprised. Although it took the form of a plush toy, it was created solely as a prototype without the intention of production. I simply wanted to share this result with the world.

I am one of those people interested in the result. I really wanted T-ARTS to produce a toy product with the engine sounds, so I prepared a project proposal within that day to take it to the experience-based event. But back then, since Honda was not thinking about productization, unfortunately I had to give up my idea.

But then, four years later after many twists and turns, an offer was made to me to try productization once again. At that time, I felt something like a fate. I had a hunch that this product would be the culmination of my 45-year toy development career.

Afterwards, I met Mr. Kanda in person, and the project kicked off in January 2023 for productization.

The frequencies inside a mother’s womb are as low as 200 hz. We gave weight to recreation of the frequencies more than anything. However, we hit a wall many times. For example, Honda used an off-the-shelf high-performance speaker for its test. As it was not cost effective to embed the same speaker in a toy, we had to develop our own sound unit.

It was also a great deal of work to comply with all especially strict safety standards required for products meant for infants, on top of the usual safety standards for toys. The sound unit for SOUND SITTER is screwed in at 36 points inside. All of these have to stay within the standards.

Another example is that solder flakes used on the baseboard must not be allowed to escape from the sound unit duct. But if a lid was added to contain solder flakes, sounds wouldn’t be heard or frequencies would change. After trial and error, a cloth cover was designed to wrap the sound unit. We conducted multiple tests using various types and materials before making our final choice on the fabric.

Furthermore, because the covered sound unit is built into the plush car toy, acoustic quality of the sound unit had to be checked in the embedded condition. Once all the standards were met and mass production was ready to go, our integrated circuit supplier informed us that delivery of amplifier ICs would be delayed indefinitely due to some trouble. It was a problem-ridden development.

You went through all these troubles! I did not know any of them at all. Because Honda does not have any knowhow to manufacture toys for babies, productization was all left to Mr. Kanda. Once again, I would like to express my appreciation for all the hard efforts you made.

That is true. This is my first time to tell you today what happened during the development in detail. Development was my task. I wanted to show you the finished product only.

Going back to my story, because the amplifier ICs were not delivered, we had to conduct our test with an alternative. But the sound cracked with the new IC. Therefore, returning to the basics, we disassembled the sound unit to review all the components once more. After revisiting everything step-by-step for improvement, starting with a single screw for tightening, we finally reached to the level to get an endorsement from Mr. Kita. Honestly, if I hadn’t gotten his endorsement, I was ready to give up productization. I was truly relieved.

The appearance takes after Honda’s famous classic car, S600 Coupe. We considered using the actual model from which the engine sounds originate, but the starting point of this project was to appeal to the people who were not familiar with Honda. Thus, we put priority on a cute and approachable appearance for parents and babies.

I was fastidious about whether a baby would really smile with this product until the end. Just around the time when a prototype was built, my grandchild happened to be six months old. So, I conducted a product test to see with my own eyes if my grandchild really smiled. When handed the toy, the baby smiled happily. Smiles appearing on faces of my son and his wife convinced me of the potential of this product.

Literally a baby smile, isn’t it. It was exactly what I wanted to achieve since the start of the study in 2018.

I was greatly delighted at the fact that the product that could be the culmination of my toy development career had received a prize in the Awards. After giving a speech at the award ceremony, many people came to me to congratulate me.

When I started the project, I was not even sure if it bore something that would come into the world. I felt it incredible that it has become a commercial reality and recognized by people. It is thanks to Mr. Kanda’s passion and efforts for making this possible.

As I aimed from the beginning, I would like to see parents use this product to feel more at ease to take their babies out. Honda is a mobility product manufacturer with hope to bring freedom of mobility to as many people as possible. In such a sense, I hope SOUND SITTER can provide more options for parents in society, allowing them to choose what they want to do and where they want to go. The package of SOUND SITTER is designed for giving as a gift. I would be glad if people choose this product as a little gift for someone special.

Toys have a power to bring smiles to faces of people all over the world. I hope this SOUND SITTER can serve as a mean for many babies and their families to smile more.