Category Archives: Collaborations

Yukata Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma UFO Catcher Plushies!

My first UFO catcher plushie purchase!

It’s Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma wearing yukata! This series was released by Fansclub & San-X in June 2011.

Yukata are a kind of casual kimono worn during hot seasons – so Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma are perfectly dressed for a nice summer’s day!

Yukata Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma - full body shot

What a beautiful color scheme!

Yukata Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma - fan detail

Matching fans!

Yukata Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma - back

Obis tied into bows in the back!

As Fansclub UFO catcher plushies, they are constructed a little differently than the non-UFO catcher ones, notably in the materials, seaming, and size (they’re a few cm smaller).

I gave this cute pair to my parents for their wedding anniversary last week! So cute! They remind me of my parents hahaha.

Rilakkuma on Facebook!

As of yesterday, 12/12/12, Rilakkuma officially has his own Facebook page!

To commemorate this occasion, they’re giving away 100 souvenir towels in the new year with a special Rilakkuma 10th anniversary design that won’t be sold anywhere else! Only for Japanese addresses though :( but still adorable!

Facebook - Rilakkuma Towel GIveaway

Not sure what the special design specifically will entail, but here’s the promo pic! Rilakkuma got stuck!

Keeping track of where Rilakkuma will appear in the San-X internet universe is quite the adventure:

  • This new Rilakkuma Facebook page has up-to-date Rilakkuma news, but it’s all in Japanese. It’s a little hard to tell at this point since the Facebook page is only a day old, but it looks like it follows the San-X Rilakkuma blog pretty closely, and in a timely manner.
  • The San-X Facebook page posts general news about San-X characters, and it’s all in English. Historically, it’s had a ton of Rilakkuma content; not sure how much that’ll change with the new Japanese Rilakkuma-only page. Also, news is generally delayed a few days and vaguely distilled from the general San-X blog on their website. The English is a ton of help though.
  • The San-X Net Shop Facebook page updates slightly more often than the Net Shop blog – also in Japanese. Their Facebook page came out recently, too (October 18).

They all hold different giveaways, and there’s really not as much overlap in news as you would expect.

What this means is Rilakkuma content on a different platform! What this means for me specifically is more hours looking at Rilakkuma content, for better or for worse (leaning towards the former haha).

Fansclub UFO Catchers!

Ah, the wonderful world of UFO catchers!

A UFO catcher is a kind of claw machine game popular in Japan. Compared to their Western counterparts, UFO catchers generally have 2 prongs instead of 3 or 4. From my experience, in the US, claw machines just have a random assortment of things, but Fansclub took it to another level and stocked their machines with Rilakkuma. Jealous!

These plushies are genuine San-X licensed – they’re just not sold in stores! You have to earn them by mastering the art of UFO catching. They come in different sizes, materials, and designs from the store releases.

However, sometimes, Fansclub and San-X come out with very similar Rilakkuma designs. Take the Marine Series, for example:

Marine Series - Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma

Store release (~22 cm)

Fansclub Marine Series - UFO catcher plushies

Fansclub release (~17-20 cm)

Fansclub Marine Series - UFO catcher plushies XL

Fansclub XL release (~50 cm)

Wow, super similar! But all legitimate :)

One great thing: Fansclub does a hell of a job cataloging their UFO catcher plushies and other prizes. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can stroll through their entire catalog of prizes, by series name and release date. San-X has been partnered with Fansclub for a long time, so there are hundreds of Rilakkuma UFO catcher plushies out there!

I generally gravitate towards the standard 22 cm plushies, but I love that these Rilakkuma plushies come in so many different designs!

Rilakkuma & Pizza Hut!

This past summer, Rilakkuma went and paired up with Pizza Hut, my favorite pizza chain, for one of the tastiest collaborations of all time.

From July 2012, if you bought a kid’s size crispy pizza, you could get a cute dessert bowl that came in two different designs (Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma). Also, if you were one of the lucky first 200 at each participating restaurant to order, your pizza would come in a special Rilakkuma pizza box!

Pizza Hut - campaign ad

Cute and simple box design!

Pizza Hut - dessert bowl designs

2 dessert bowl designs – Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma!

Sadly, the official images are super tiny, but thankfully, others have posted larger pictures of their prizes here, here, and here.

Also, I was peeking at the Pizza Hut – Japan’s side menu online, and it looks like the dessert bowl campaign might still be on but now, you can also get a Rilakkuma soup bowl with your purchase of soup!

Pizza Hut - soup

Sweet Corn or Minestrone Soup!

I’ll order it all!

Sometimes I think I have the least healthy eating habits ever, but Rilakkuma makes me feel better because it looks like his diet is pretty similar (pizza, donuts, and macarons?).

Maybe I should stop writing posts while I’m hungry; this is starting to turn into a Rilakkuma + food crossover blog hahaha.

Hara Roll & Rilakkuma!

So while I was researching Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma, I ran into another cute collaboration: Hara Roll and Rilakkuma!

It’s the same company as Hara Donuts, but they’re MACARONS! I love macarons! Looks like these were announced in back in February 2012 as the second time Hara Donuts has teamed up with Rilakkuma (the products featured in the last Hara post were from the third collaboration). The campaign is impossibly cute, as always.

Hara Roll - macarons

Came in strawberry, chocolate, and soy milk flavors.

Wow, I really need these in my life; maybe because there aren’t any macaron shops where I live? These might be in the territory of “too cute to eat” though.

Machadango has a ton a beautiful pictures of this collab – check it out! The reading experience will likely be better if you can read Chinese, because sad fact: Google Translate sometimes converts “Rilakkuma” into “sloth bear” since the Chinese translation of “Rilakkuma” they use is literally 懶熊 (懶 meaning lazy, slothful, or indolent; 熊 meaning bear). Doesn’t have the same gusto, does it? I’ve seen 轻松熊 (where 轻松 means relaxed), 松弛熊 (松弛 meaning relaxation), and 拉拉熊 (“lala”) used too.

Another fun fact, “macaron” in Chinese is 馬卡龍! Literally “horse card dragon”, but it’s pronounced “mǎkǎlóng” – sounds pretty close!

Rilakkuma Hawaii!

So San-X announced the Rilakkuma Hawaii Series a few weeks back, which is set to be released in February 2013.

Aloha Rilakkuma Series

Ready for the beach!

Because it was announced before I even started this blog (!), I wasn’t originally planning on making a post about them until their official release, but San-X just announced that they’ve teamed up with H.I.S., a Japanese travel agency, to offer a special Rilakkuma-themed Hawaiian vacation! You get a Rilakkuma travel tote filled with gifts, and the room is fitted with Rilakkuma plushies everywhere!

Rilakkuma Hawaii - Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Room

Rilakkuma Hawaii - Sheraton

Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Room

Seems like paradise to me!

Wishlist – Misdo Rilakkuma! (ACQUIRED!)

Thinking about the donuts from yesterday made me hungry! Here’s a plush I’ve recently been yearning for: the Mister Donut (Misdo) Rilakkuma! From my understanding, during the course of this campaign, you would receive a scratchcard with a Misdo donut purchase of more than 100円, and this plushie was a gold level prize.

Misdo Rilakkuma - Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma

Misdo Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma

Rilakkuma partnered with Mister Donut during Winter 2010, where they gave out a ton of other merchandise with donut purchases like tote bags, squish toys, and even a special Christmas set!

They also came out with this wacky TV commercial featuring Japanese star Hiroshi Tamaki:

History lesson: Mister Donut was established in the 1950’s in the US, but after being acquired by Allied-Lyons, most stores in North America were converted into Dunkin’ Donuts (Donutses? Donuts’?). However, the franchise kept its name in Asia (after being acquired by Duskin), and it’s now the largest donut chain in Japan! No wonder Rilakkuma likes them so much!

Anyway – I wrote and queued this post up around last week, and yesterday, Simon ordered him for me!! I’ll post pictures as soon as he arrives! YAY!

ETA (12/11/12): Acquired!

Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma!

To celebrate the Happy Holiday Picnic Rilakkuma plushie featured yesterday, let’s take a look at another collaboration project: Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma!

Rilakkuma partnered with donut company Hara Donuts starting around November 2011. Hara Donuts uses a more minimalist approach to donuts, creating handmade donuts with all-natural ingredients. With their beginnings in a raw tofu shop in Kobe, their donuts use fresh, local tofu in their homemade recipes. Hara (はら) means “original” or “raw” in Japanese.

During the Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma campaign, they had a special Rilakkuma themed donut menu based on the Happy Holiday Picnic Series, and some great themed merchandise!

Hara Donuts - reference image

How cute is it that Rilakkuma brings donuts to a picnic?

Hara Donuts - donuts

Sweet & Sour Lemon Chocolate/White Chocolate Donuts

Hara Donuts - cell phone charm

Hara Donuts & Rilakkuma Cell Phone Charm

Cute! They also came out with a selection of coffee mugs and tote bags. I would’ve loved if they released a plushie so I could add him to my collection!

Rilakkuma Enherb Collaboration!

It’s been getting mildly chilly here (not objectively cold – it’s just Florida), so I was thinking about drinking hot tea regularly again.

As if on cue, San-X recently announced a new collaboration they have with Enherb for the holiday season. Enherb is an herb company that uses time-tested recipes and techniques to craft their soothing teas, fragrances, and skincare products. Their philosophy is that using the finest herbs regularly and drinking high quality herbal teas are essential to one’s well-being.

For this Rilakkuma Enherb collaboration, they released a special holiday tea and tea products (even a diffuser!). Ah, San-X – always aiming straight for my heart.

Enherb - Lemon Ginger

Limited Edition Holiday Release – Lemon Ginger Tea

Enherb - 3 teas

Other Rilakkuma-themed teas: Chamomile & Spearmint, Ginger Herbal, and Lavender & Rose

Ebherb - tumblers

Enherb Rilakkuma tea tumblers!

From what I understand, they even gave out a special holiday-themed Enherb Rilakkuma folder for customers who bought a tea package. This whole set seems so relaxing – a perfect fit for Rilakkuma!

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days!

In honor of Honey Bee Rilakkuma from yesterday, here’s a great moment in Rilakkuma history: Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days! Every so often (i.e. all the time), Rilakkuma will have collaboration projects with other companies. For this collaboration, Rilakkuma teamed up with Pancake Days, a Japanese pancake chain that likes to put happy faces (like Rilakkuma’s) on fancy pancakes, in 2011.

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days featured the Honey and Smile Series in their promotional campaign – they even had a special Rilakkuma-themed menu!

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - 5 tier stack

5 Tier Pancake Stack

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - chocolate and orange stack

Rilakkuma’s Chocolate & Orange Stack

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - strawberry stack

Korilakkuma’s Strawberry Stack

Rilakkuma meets Pancake Days - honey and sweet potato stack

Kiiroitori’s Honey & Sweet Potato Stack

Also, if you spent more than 1,000円 at the Rilakkuma Stores in Harajuku or Kichijoji, you would a receive a postcard that you could show at Pancake Days for a free take-home 7 cm Rilakkuma pancake. Looks delicious!