Makkuro-Kurosuke

The "dust bunnies" or "soot sprites" first featured in My Neighbor Totoro as shy, slightly frightful creatures that live in abandoned buildings such as houses. They later reappeared in Spirited Away as workers in Kamaji's boiler room. They are small, black as soot and apparently fuzzy, with spherical bodies and two inquisitive eyes. They move by hovering around, but they can extend stick-like legs and arms from their bodies to do certain tasks, and can lift objects many times heavier than their own weight. They make a squeaky murmuring sound when excited, and dissolve into powder (soot) if crushed.

In My Neighbour Totoro: The house the main characters move into is full of Susuwatari, which are rationalized as Makkuro Kurosuke (pitch-black blackie), an optical illusion caused by moving quickly from light into darkness. Later, the family drives the Susuwatari out of the house, as the home…