I’ve worked with a lot of different miniature kit brands over the years. At this point, some companies even send me free products to review on my blog. So I’ve had the chance to compare them side by side, and I feel pretty confident about how these brands actually relate to each other.
That said, the miniature world is full of rebranding, reselling, and even the occasional knock-off, so if you think I’ve got something wrong here, please reply—I’d love to hear your take!
The Main Players
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Robotime – The most well-known, original company. They are the actual manufacturer making DIY miniature house kits, book nooks, and puzzles. I have written lots of reviews on several kits on my website, you can use the 'search function' on my blog for 'robotime', or 'DIY kits'
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Rolife – Not really a sub-brand of Robotime (in my opinion), more of a retail brand/label that Robotime uses to sell their dollhouse kits and book nooks internationally. This one I recently find out.
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ROKR – A sub-brand of Robotime that focuses on mechanical 3D puzzles such as miniature pianos, clocks, and music boxes.
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Cutebee – Belongs to Hongda (Hoomeda). The name “Cutebee” just became more recognizable internationally, but technically, Hongda is behind the production. I assembled a few of them and in general, I do like them. Like their vintage series 'The chocolatier'.
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Anavrin – Started off mainly as a reseller, reboxing and marketing kits from Robotime and others. These days, they also produce more of their own original designs. And I am going to assemble one, as we speak. Watch my unboxing video:
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Billy – A Japanese brand making their own miniature kits. They’re usually higher quality, with a different style, and often a bit more expensive.
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Etsy Stores – Lots of small shops design and cut their own miniature kits. These are independent makers, not knock-offs. I assembled a Diagon Alley from an Etsy shop.
What About Knock-offs?
The same kits often show up under different names at very different prices. A Robotime/Rolife kit might be $20 on AliExpress, $80 on Anavrin, and sold on Amazon under yet another brand. Sometimes they’re identical, sometimes the cheaper ones are poor-quality copies.
Tips for telling them apart:
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Packaging identical to Robotime/Rolife → usually the same product.
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Packaging almost the same but slightly different → likely a knock-off.
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Independent Etsy shops → usually safe and original.
Quick Reference Table
Brand / Name |
Who They Really Are |
What They’re Known For |
|---|---|---|
Robotime |
Parent company/manufacturer |
DIY dollhouse kits, book nooks, puzzles |
Rolife |
Retail brand/label of Robotime |
Dollhouse kits & book nooks |
ROKR |
Sub-brand of Robotime |
Mechanical puzzles (pianos, clocks, music boxes) |
Cutebee |
Sub-brand of Hongda/Hoomeda |
DIY dollhouse kits, often glue-required |
Anavrin |
Reseller turned partial designer |
Premium-marketed kits, some original |
Billy |
Independent Japanese brand |
Higher-quality, pricier miniature kits |
Etsy shops |
Independent makers |
Original small-batch kits, not knock-offs |
So, are they all the same? No. Robotime is the manufacturer, Rolife is their retail brand, and ROKR is their mechanical puzzle line. Cutebee belongs to Hongda. Anavrin resells some kits but also designs new ones. Billy and Etsy shops are independent.
The confusion comes from so many resellers rebranding the same kits. If you want to save money, compare listings carefully. If you want originality, look at Robotime, Hongda, Billy, some from Anavrin, or Etsy shops.
Happy crafting!
Lizzy
