Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck, Part 1 (S8E16)

Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck, Part 1 (S8E16)

From Storied: San Francisco by Storied: San Francisco

April 14, 2026 · 31 min · Season 8 · Episode 16

About this episode

The episode features Todd Lappin sharing his life story and the journey of bringing Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck to San Francisco.

There's a little red Japanese fire truck rolling around all over San Francisco. But instead of putting out fires, Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck is spreading joy and inspiring smiles. In this episode, meet and get to know Todd Lappin , the human being who brought Kiri from Japan to the US—Bernal Heights specifically. We start with Todd's life story in Part 1. He has lived in the 94110 ZIP code for 34 years. But he's originally from New Jersey. "Even after 34 years, New Jersey is like a stain that doesn't wash out," he says. He grew up in what he calls the "Ohio part" of the state. I call it "the pretty part," meaning not New York City-adjacent. Todd is a self-described Gen Xer—growing up mostly in the Eighties, latch-key kid, etc. Most of the growing up happened in Hackettstown, NJ, one of the places where M&M's are made. It's not far from the eastern end of I-80, also. NYC was an hour away and Todd spent plenty of time there as a kid. In addition to being born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Todd spent one year in Oakland as a kid when his navy dad got stationed in Alameda. He's long held a fascination with cars, specifically what are known as "working vehicles." Think…

People in this episode

Guest: Todd Lappin

Topics covered

  • personal story
  • cultural exploration
  • vehicles
  • community
  • joy

Keywords

  • Todd Lappin
  • Japanese Fire Truck
  • San Francisco
  • Bernal Heights
  • New Jersey
  • working vehicles
  • community joy

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Kiri the Japanese Fire Truck

Places: New Jersey, Bernal Heights, Hackettstown, NJ, Oakland, Alameda, San Francisco

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