Studio Ghibli adds beanbag plushies to its anime merchandise store in Japan
In Japan, the concept of beanbags doesn't just apply to the large varieties you see in lounge rooms, but small, palm-sized varieties known as ojami , commonly played in a traditional children's game known as Otedama.
With people having grown up playing Otedama, the affection for small beanbags remains strong into adulthood, and Ghibli is now tugging on those heartstrings with a new collection of goods called the Otedama collection. Unlike the plain, round beanbags used for the children's game, though, these have a lot more character.
There are 10 to collect in the lineup, starting with three from the 1988 film My Neighbour Totoro.
▼ Large Totoro (2,640 yen [US$18.20])
In Japan the titular character is officially known as the 'Large Totoro' when there's a need to distinguish it from its smaller counterparts, and that's the case here as the giant is joined by two other woodland inhabitants.
▼ The Medium Totoro (2,640 yen)…
▼ …and the Small Totoro (2,200 yen)
Moving on to another Ghibli classic, we have a trio of characters from the 2001 film Spirited Away.
▼ Boh Mouse (2,750 yen)
▼ Otori-sama (2,640 yen), representing the big birds who love to soak in the baths inside the bathhouse.
▼ Pick up a few of these and you'll be able to recreate the bathhouse scene from the film.
▼ And no Spirited Away merchandise set is complete without an appearance from the mysterious No Face (2,530 yen).
▼ There must be gold about, because we've never seen No Face looking this happy.
Fans of the 2023 film The Boy and the Heron will want to snatch up these three Warawara (2,200 yen each) before they disappear.
With the Warawara being unborn souls without individual names, they're listed here as:
▼ Warawara A
▼ Warawara B
▼ Warawara C
▼ And finally, representing the 1989 film Kiki's Delivery Service, is black cat Jiji (2,750 yen).
With each beanbag easily fitting in the palm of your hand, these won't take up a lot of space so you can stock up on a few of them, and stroke them lovingly whenever you need to de-stress from the trials and tribulations of the everyday world.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku Top Image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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