Finally, the collection we’ve all been waiting for!
It’s been nearly five months since The Boy and the Heron, the long-awaited anime feature film from Studio Ghibli and its lauded director Hayao Miyazaki, was released in Japan on 14 July.
In that time, the studio has been drip-feeding our merchandise-loving hearts with free-to-use images and a programme booklet to accompany the film, but now, finally, just as U.S. audiences await the official release to reach their shores on 8 December, the studio has released its first-ever merchandise collection related to the film, and it’s spectacular.
▼ The first show-stopping item in the lineup is the Grey Heron, in plushie form.
Priced at 5,060 yen (US$34.47) and measuring in at 11 centimetres (4.3 inches) high, 21 centimetres wide and 42 centimetres deep, this stuffed toy has been created with such attention to detail it looks as if it’s about to talk.
Care has been made to give the beak, teeth and eyes the perfect shape to faithfully recreate the heron from the film.
The second soft toy in the collection is the Heron Man, designed to look cute with a friendly, smiling appearance. Priced at 4,400 yen, this plushie is 15 centimetres high, 17 centimetres wide and 13 centimetres deep.
The Heron Man features a remarkable amount of detail, from his plump pink nose right through to his heron head, which has been flipped back onto the shoulders.
▼ The cuddly character goods continue with the Warawara lineup.
Simply listed from “Warawara A” through to “Warawara E”, there are five to choose from, each priced at 2,090 yen and measuring around 12 by 14 by 8 centimetres.
Warawara fans will also fall in love with the cute Nosechara, which contains 10 different Warawara, priced at 3,080 yen.
“Nosechara” is a fun game of skill that combines the word “nose” (“put on” or place on”) and “character”. As the name suggests, the aim of the game is to place as many characters on top of each other without them falling.
There are many ways to balance the little Warawara upon each other, both vertically and horizontally.
Another interactive product in the collection is the Puzzle Poster, available in a 150-piece “Mini Size” for 660 yen…
▼ …and a larger 1,000-piece for 3,080 yen.
The frames pictured above are sold separately, but the boxes the puzzles are packaged in are as gorgeous as the puzzles themselves.
▼ Next up, we have an appearance from the parakeet flock.
Dubbed “Tanoshiku Yura Yura Oki Agari Kobashi”, which loosely translates to “Wobbly Fun Fall Over and Get Up Again“, these small figures have rounded bottoms to ensure they always return to an upright position, no matter how many times you knock them over.
This self-righting action is a metaphor for persevering with all the knocks life deals you, and there are a total of six in the series, including the Heron Man and a Warawara.
▼ Sold in the pairs shown above, each pair is priced at 2,640 yen.
If you prefer your parakeets with legs, then you’ll want to take a peek at the “Un, Un, Unazuku – Kubi Furi Mascot –” series, sold individually for 2,200 yen.
▼ There are four parakeets to collect…
▼ …plus the Heron Man.
“Un, Un, Unazuku – Kubi Furi Mascot -” translates to “Yes, Yes, Nodding in Agreement – Head-shaking Mascot –“, which describes the wobbly head movement of these figures, so you can essentially have a whole flock of supporters agreeing with your every decision.
Now we move on to the seven maids, who appear in an eight-piece set that includes a trio of Warawara, for 5,500 yen.
What makes this set so special is the fact that the first prototype was created by hand by Yoshie Hayashi, an animator who started working at Studio Ghibli in 2009 and has been involved in all its feature-length anime films since 2010’s Arrietty.
While working on The Boy and the Heron as a video inspection assistant, Hayashi wondered what some of the characters would look like if she made them three-dimensional. Having majored in plastic arts during her student days, Hayashi experimented by crafting the character of Kiriko into a doll, which gave birth to this series.
▼ The final product retains the warmth of a handmade design, despite the character’s frown.
Another unique point that makes this set so special is the fact that they’re not just cute figurines — they can also be used as finger puppets!
Kiriko and her kimono also feature on a purse, priced at 3,080 yen, with a couple of green balls on the clasp designed to look like her hairpin.
On the inside is a bright red fabric and a label that reads, “Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru Ka” (“How Do You Live?”), which is the Japanese title of the film.
Jumping back to the Warawara, we have three keychains to choose from, featuring Warawara A to C, priced at 1,320 yen each.
Rounding off the collection is a series of mini figures, measuring 10-12 centimetres in height and priced at 2,640 yen each.
▼ Grey Heron A
▼ Grey Heron B
▼ Heron Man
▼ The Parakeet King
▼ The Parakeets.
The figures above can be purchased separately, or as a set (pictured below) for 21,120 yen.
And finally, we have three statues, which are the most expensive items in the collection, at 19,800 yen each.
Each statue stands at 17-20 centimetres in height, and features beautifully sculpted details to capture the character’s changing appearance.
With more than three dozen items in the new collection, it’s difficult to fit them all in one photo, but there’s certainly a lot to choose from.
The new collection will be available at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online from 10 a.m. (JST) on 9 December.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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