Unlikely friendships form across anime movie borders with this new range of soft plush toys.
One of the big things that makes a Studio Ghibli film so magical is its characters. A lot of the time, though, the most charming characters tend to be the most elusive, hiding out in forests, bathhouses and even a castle in the sky.
Now there’s a way to befriend these characters in real life, and we don’t have to search high and low for them, as they’re being made available in the form of soft plushies at Ghibli’s specialty retail chain DonguriKyowakoku.
Called “Nakayoshi Mascot“, this collection of cute characters puts the focus on “nakayoshi”, a concept in Japanese that focuses on harmony and gettingalong well. Under this banner, the plushies are designed to get along with their human owners and each other as well, so thatunlikely friendships can be formed across traditional movie borders.
There are 11characters vying for our attention in the range, starting with the My Neighbor Totoro Nakayoshi Mascots.
The character that we would usually refer to as “Totoro” is actually known as “Large Totoro” in Japan, to help distinguish it from the smaller ones seen in the movie. Despite the name, it stands at around the same height as the smaller Totoros in this collection, at 9 × 9.5 × 9 centimetres (3.5 × 3.7 × 3.5 inches).
▼ All three Nakayoshi Mascot Totoros look as cute from behind as they do from the front, thanks to their plump little tails.
▼ Large Totoro Leaf(2,090 yen)
Because one Totoro just isn’t enough, the collection includes another Large Totoro, this time with a soft leaf, referencing the large leaf that it holds in the film.
The Medium Totoro brings its blue hues to the range, and is only a tad smaller, at 10 × 8.5 × 8 centimetres.
The Small Totoro, at 8.5 × 5.5 × 8 centimetres is smaller again, and is particularly adorable with its large eyes and mouthless features imploring us to take it home.
The grinning Catbus looks even cuter in soft miniature form, and although it towers over the other characters in the movie, here it measures in at 6 × 8.5 × 12.5 centimetres, making it fit in nicely with the other friends in the collection.
▼ Kiki’s Delivery Service – Jiji (2,090 yen)
Moving over to the magical world of Kiki’s Delivery Service, we have the beloved feline from the film representing, with limbs wide open as if it’s waiting for a cuddle.
▼ Kiki’s Delivery Service – Lily (2,090 yen)
Jiji may not have Kiki by his side for this adventure, but girlfriend Lily will gladly keep him company.
▼ Spirited Away – Otorisama (1,980 yen)
The big yellow bath-loving birds from Spirited Away bring their charm to the Nakayoshi range, while Boh Mouse reminds us of the firm friendship that forms between very different characters in the movie.
▼ SpiritedAway – BohMouse (2,090 yen)
▼ Laputa: Castle in the Sky–Fox Squirrel (2,200 yen)
One of the friendliest furry animals in the world of Ghibli has to be the beautiful fox squirrels from Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Pop this little plushie on your shoulder and you’ll feel like the giant robot, or even Nausicaä from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, who also befriends these creatures in her universe.
▼ Princess Mononoke–Kodama (1,650 yen)
Some of the most memorable characters in Princess Mononoke are the bobble-headed kodama that clack away in the forest, exuding an otherworldly, mystical charm. This kodama retains the wide-eyed, off-kilter features that help to maintain its mystique, but is wonderfully soft so you can give it all the friendly cuddles it needs.
This is a very sweet collection of friends that we’re more than happy to welcome into our home, and they can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online (links below). It’ll be tough to choose our favourites, but the temptation to purchase from across the Ghibli worlds to create our own crossover storylines is way too great to resist.
