A special double feature showcasing my first two miniplushies – I usually collect the standard 22 cm plushies, and have been pretty hesitant about miniplushies… but I gotta say, after seeing and holding these two in person, I’m a true miniplush believer now!

First up is the Rilakkuma x JINS PC plushie!

He reminds me a lot of my sister because she has a Rilakkuma iPhone case like he does, and she used to wear glasses too hehehe.

This smart bear was released as part of the Rilakkuma x JINS PC collaboration, which debuted September 2014. This campaign centered around a special kind of eyeglasses that blocks harmful light from electronic devices, preventing eye strain. I honestly don’t know if they have any major benefit to your eyes, but it is a stunningly adorable collaboration regardless.

Next is the Rilakkuma Factory Series plushie! Well, he’s more of a soft and cuddly paperweight rather than a standard collectible plush, but super cute nonetheless!

Cute! He’s really dense and heavy, and truly does make a great paperweight hehehe. He’s from the Rilakkuma Factory Series, which was a special line for the professionals and office workers of the Rilakkuma fan community that was released April 2014. As you may recall, Rilakkuma Factory was also the theme of this year’s Rilakkuma x Tower Records collaboration!

I’m super thankful to my aunt for helping me get these plushies! Every time she goes (or hears of one of her friends going) to Japan, she always sees if she can pick up a Rilakkuma plushie or two for me – so thoughtful! My favorite part of collecting Rilakkuma is that everyone helps each other out!

School has been pretty wild on my end as modules are now only 6 weeks long, meaning I am studying for an exam just about every month! But Rilakkuma news keeps on rolling, so let’s do a quick run of what’s new in the Rilakkuma world:

Rilakkuma La Fraise Series (パリのいちご): this sweet, Parisian revisit of the 2010 Bonjour Series is scheduled for release on December 6!

Interesting choice of fruit – I thought that since Rilakkuma has had so many strawberry themed series in the past (like in 2009), they would pick another fruit, but hey, I love strawberries and strawbears, so I can’t complain haha.

Rilakkuma & Sumikko Gurashi Knit Goods (ニットグッズ): out already this November, this cute combo knit series takes the success of the Winter Heart Series from last year and makes Rilakkuma and Sumikko Gurashi even more bundled up!

Wow! Such a cute poncho design! I love these Rilakkuma and Sumikko Gurashi collabs – combining my 2 favorite character series!

Rilakkuloset Winter 2014 (リラックローゼット): the Rilakkuloset Series debuted in 2013, and features furniture outfits that you can purchase for your M and S Classic Rilakkumas! This year, the outfits are more elaborate and were released this November – check it out!

I regrettably have not been tracking Rilakkuloset very closely, but they have some really fantastic outfits out! The above is just a sample of their Rilakkuloset line from this year, which also features a marine set, fuzzy coat set, and rabbit set!

Christmas 2014: also out now, this year’s Christmas series is super special, with a festive patterned stole for the standard series, and a cute limited edition plush Christmas tree, too!

Really lovely! I always look forward to seeing what the Christmas specials are like!

Lemon Series: sneak peek for the series to be released in March 2015 – Rilakkuma and pals become lemon farmers!

Wow! They look great! I love using lemons in my tea and when I cook, so I might pick up one of these! You can pre-order this series now over at Mira Plush.

That’s all for now! Any sets coming out that have piqued your interest?