Mama Smile

Seven colorful houses dot the landscape of the playground designed by Emmanuelle Moureaux like a miniature town in a shopping center in Japan.

Emmanuelle Moureaux, Mama Smile, Roseo Mito Shopping Mall, Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan
Mama Smile is an indoor playground facility for families designed by Emmanuelle Moureaux inside a shopping mall in Mito, Japan.
Although located inside the shopping mall, it gives a sense of security like being in a comfortable home.
Emmanuelle Moureaux, Mama Smile, Roseo Mito Shopping Mall, Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan
Emmanuelle Moureaux, Mama Smile, Roseo Mito Shopping Mall, Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan

The entrance to the playground has a cut-out opening on a white wall, like a shape of a house drawn by a small child. Behind the opening is a colorful world, with houses in 7 colors in the shades of yellow, pink, green, and blue.

It is like a miniature town for visitors, with a feeling of being inside a comfortable home. The layout does not give a full view the whole playground, with the colorful houses dividing the space, it encourages curiosities to discover from the gap of the back alleys and between the houses. In addition, it is hoped that the colorful space will help with the growth of the mind of the child from the viewpoint of iro-iku (iro-iku is a Japanese word, which describes a method of using the effect of color to bring up concentration, imagination and communication of a child).

Emmanuelle Moureaux, Mama Smile, Roseo Mito Shopping Mall, Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan
Emmanuelle Moureaux, Mama Smile, Roseo Mito Shopping Mall, Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan

The playground is composed of several areas with different functions. The minna-no-hiroba (“Area for Everyone”) is available for various events such as birthday parties, the ibento-hiroba (“Area for events”) for game and dance events, the area with air jumper equipments give space for children to run around, and the hai-hai-hiroba (“Area for Crawling”) for babies and the adjacent cafe space with floor cushion is for adults to stay on the same eye level as the children.

These areas are gently divided by the houses, letting visitors to spend time while feeling each other’s presence as each area is connected with the whole naturally. Mama Smile is a place where adults can watch over children playing freely in peace, and it is hoped that the children will build up the rich sensibility in the space full of colors.


Mama Smile, Roseo Mito Shopping Mall, Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan
Program: playground
Architect: Emmanuelle Moureaux
Area: 459 sqm
Completion: 2014

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