Finally representing a sport that can be played in the summer for the next Rilakkuma athlete: Soccer Rilakkuma Plush from the EXPOCITY 1st Anniversary Series!

Rilakkuma is the goalie! I love his two-tone powder blue and yellow goalie gloves!

This Rilakkuma is just in the midst of catching the ball! And lovely ear detail on the soccer goal that makes the whole frame look like a bear! The plush is attached to the goal frame at three points (2 on the head and 1 at the feet).

Sporty soccer jersey with light/dark blue vertical stripes, with a small yellow bear emblem and “Rilakkuma” proudly displayed front and center.

Amazing attention to detail with a small yellow bear symbol on the lateral side of both his soccer cleats. I really appreciate this because this side of his shoes face down and is unseen when he is upright, but the detail was included anyway for thoroughness—incredible! And a great view of the fabric tag featuring a blue and gold “1st” to represent the EXPOCITY Rilakkuma Store’s 1st anniversary.

Tag art features a powder blue soccer ball pattern, except one of the pentagons is replaced with a bear shape in the middle. Wish they did that for the plush soccer ball Rilakkuma is holding, too!

This active bear was part of the Lalaport EXPOCITY 1st anniversary celebration held in November 2016!

In 1970, Japan hosted Asia’s first World Expo in Suita, Osaka, and in 2015, the expo grounds were renovated into the complex now known as EXPOCITY! There’s a huge soccer stadium in Suita near EXPOCITY, so this soccer bear is a perfect fit!

Gigantic thanks to my Aunt Lulu for helping me acquire this athletic Rilakkuma star! Wow, the sports leagues in Bear Country are really shaping up!

Hey US Rilakkuma fans! Interested in winning a Space Series Store Exclusive Rilakkuma plush? AIRASHI CO, a Japanese character goods store based out of Virginia that just opened in May, is hosting a giveaway this month!

There are 3 ways you can enter, see the AIRASHI Instagram post below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU53WOLBfsp

Giveaway closes on June 30 at 9PM EST, so be sure to enter before then!

Also, AIRASHI CO has a great selection of Rilakkuma plush for sale! And I love the Rilakkuma photography on their website :)

This plush is from one of my favorite series of all time, the Space Series from Summer 2014! I have so many Rilakkuma plush from that season, including the standard release, store exclusive, Kiddyland exclusives, and JAXA collaboration (both versions!). Suffice to say, we have a very developed Rilakkuma space program hahaha.

Personally, I won’t be entering this giveaway since I already have my own Store Exclusive Space Series Rilakkuma plush, but wanted to spread the love for one very detailed Rilakkuma plush for those looking! Good luck to everyone entering!

In other news, the summer Rilakkuma series has been announced: say hello to the Kiiroitori Diary Series!

Let’s take a peek into Kiiroitori’s life!

An amazingly diverse set of plush designs all based around Kiiroitori! From the top down, looks like we’ve got Kiiroitori as a vacuum, Kiiroitori trying on a wig, Kiiroitori eating a biscuit that says “Kiiroitori Diary”, Rilakkuma and friends (including Kiiroitori) wearing Kiiroitori costumes, and finally giant squishy Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori mochi cushions!

This Kiiroitori-centric series will be released in July 2017, and features some truly hilarious plush designs! That jumbo mochi cushion shape is a lot like what my Pooh Tsum Tsum looks like now that he’s several years old hahaha.

The summer Rilakkuma series are generally my favorites! They are usually highly conceptual, complex, detailed, and meaningful. This is just a sneak peek, and I can’t wait to see what the various exclusive designs will look like! Will keep you updated with new plush designs as they get released!

What are your first impressions of this year’s summer series: Kiiroitori Diary? Are you a Kiiroitori fan?