Smiling Totoro, Catbus eco bags and plushie clips reward you with smiles for being kind to nature

https://ift.tt/pz0gK32 Casey Baseel

Soot Sprites and Jiji also join the adorable lineup.

Reverence for nature and the importance of protecting the environment are recurring themes in the anime of Studio Ghibli, and you have to imagine that Totoro in particular wants you to be kind to the planet than Totoro, seeing as how he’s a forest spirit and all. Not that the big cuddly guy would ever get angry or browbeat you into it, but if, for example, he saw you carrying a reusable shopping bag when running errands, he’d probably have a smile on his face.

Actually, there’s no “probably” about it in the case of this new line of eco bags, since one of them comes with a plush smiling Totoro included.

Aside from looking adorable, the carabiner clip Totoro doubles as a holder for the polyester eco bag. It’s a handy feature if you get around by foot or public transportation and already have daily necessities in your regular bag and need a second for shopping, or perhaps if you want to keep takeout or other food items separate from whatever else you’re carrying around (as many Japanese people do), since it lets you keep the eco bag clipped to your main bag and easy to pull out when you need it.

It’s officially called the Big Smiley Totoro Eco Bag, and sure enough, there’s another smiling Totoro printed on the bag itself. When you stop and think about it, even though Totoro generally looks friendly and good-natured, it’s not all that often that we see him with an explicit grin, which makes the design especially heartwarming.

There’s even more My Neighbor Totoro smiles with Smiley Catbus eco bag. Like with the Totoro version, you get a zippered plushie carabiner to stow the bag in, or, if you prefer, to use as a holder for whatever other small or foldable items you want to keep inside.

▼ The Catbus also shows up in silhouette on the bag, which has a forest pattern.

The smiles don’t extend to the Soot Sprite bag, seeing as how their design doesn’t have any facial features other than eyes in the first place. Still cute, though, especially with the playful polka dots.

And last, also expressionless but charming all the same, is black cat Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service, whose eco bag is covered in flowers, pictures of Kiki’s strap-attached radio, and the sign of her fledgling flying courier venture.

Each is priced at 2,750 yen (US$18), which isn’t that bad a deal considering you’re getting a bag and a plushie, and they’re all available through the online shop of Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku (Totoro here, Catbus here, Soot Sprite here, and Jiji here).

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)
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