Category Archives: Collection

Flower Bouquet Korilakkuma!

Wow, it’s getting warmer here and finally feeling like spring!

On that note, check out this cute Flower Bouquet Korilakkuma!

Flower Bouquet Korilakkuma - full

Perfect for springtime!

Flower Bouquet Korilakkuma - flower detail

What a beautiful bouquet!

Flower Bouquet Korilakkuma - tag art

Tag art! Wow, this was back when Green Camel was all over Rilakkuma goods!

Adorable! And really so fitting for the season! She was really quite perfect for Valentine’s Day this past weekend!

This elegant plushie was released by Fansclub back in 2006 – wow, what a long time ago! What’s so special about this plushies is that the inside of the tag even has a little color chart of what the flower colors represent: since this bouquet is orange, this Korilakkuma represents cheerfulness – hooray! Pretty accurate, I think – receiving this Korilakkuma certainly made me cheerful!

Endless thanks again to Trinie, who so kindly sent this cheerful springtime Korilakkuma – she’s so pretty and a perfect fit! <3

In other news, the Rilakkuma world has been abuzz with great new things too!

Check out the new Lawson x Rilakkuma collaboration: the Vegetable Series!

Vegetable Series - Rilakkuma

Carrot and Cabbage Rilakkuma!

Vegetable Series - Korilakkuma

Tomato and Eggplant Korilakkuma!

Vegetable Series - Kiiroitori

Onion and Green Pepper Kiiroitori!

I love these! When have I disliked a Rilakkuma food theme though, hahaha. The little crates are so cute, and I do like how each of them have other veggies in their crates too (though I think tomatoes are technically fruits? hahahaha).

The whole set of 6 is 9135円 (tax included) online, but I believe Lawson stores will be selling them individually at 1450円 (tax not included), too, starting March 14. I might try to get my hands on 3 of them (1 of each), maybe the carrot, eggplant, & onion, but haven’t been able to decide yet – what do you all think? I really love this set a ton!

Lawson is also releasing a bunch more goods like nap cushions, phone cases, and bags that go along with the newest Stripes Stripes Everyday Series too, but I think the veggies are really the ones I’m personally looking out for!

And hey, Kiiroitori is getting a special set all for itself this spring, too!

Kiiroitori Set - banner

So many Kii’s!

Kiiroitori Set - set

And a bunch more!

Even though I’m a Rilakkuma fan through and through, I love that Kiiroitori is getting some solo time!

The plushie and set are expected to come out sometime in mid-April, and they will also be releasing some housewares as lottery prizes at Lawson at the end of March – how special!

I do love the motif of Kiiroitori wearing the Rilakkuma ears hahaha it reminds me a lot of the Kiiroitori from the I Love Rilakkuma Series from 2011 – and it looks like they’re still continuing the 10th anniversary theme with Kiiroitori’s coins! Speaking of which…

Attentive reader Jennifer noticed a super-cute Sumikko Gurashi x Rilakkuma crossover in one of the latest San-X Fan Club books!

Sumikko Gurashi x Rilakkuma - 10th Anniversary

Shirokuma as Rilakkuma, Neko and Tonkatsu as Korilakkuma, & hahahaha Penguin as Kiiroitori!

Wow, how amazing is that! Two of my favorite series, celebrating together :D Great find, Jennifer!

Last but not least, check out this great footage of the Yamanote Line x Rilakkuma model train!

Wow, it looks so realistic, and it’s 1/150 of the actual size – incredible!

This cute model train set is made by Kato Models, and celebrates the Yamanote Line x Rilakkuma collab from back in the summer of 2013! The 11 car set is a cool 30,450円  and the 3 car set is 12,600円 (tax included), but it’s certainly worth it for a model train enthusiast with an eye for stunning detail and Rilakkuma :D

Anyway, I’m so glad to be done with exams for now! It’s so nice to be back and active in the Rilakkuma world, especially since the weather is getting sunnier and sunnier :) I thought the exam went well, but grades haven’t come out yet, so we’ll just have to see! Now onto the next module of immunology and microbiology :O

Would love to hear what you think about the many new developments in the Rilakkuma world recently! I hope everyone’s local weather is warming up, too!

ETA (2/19): The Fukuoka 4th Anniversary Plushies have been announced!

Fukuoka PARCO 4th Anniversary - announcement

I didn’t even know they went to school…

Looks like they’re graduation themed, and they’ll be available at Rilakkuma Stores everywhere on March 15 for 1,300円 each. What a cute surprise! I really love the cherry blossom petal motif on their tails as well as the border on the ad hahaha

Rilakkuma 3rd Anniversary Fansclub Plushie!

I am absolutely ECSTATIC to share this plushie with all of you!

It’s the Rilakkuma 3rd Anniversary Fansclub Plushie!

Rilakkuma 3rd Anniversary Fansclub Plushie - front

It’s my party, I can relax if I want to~

Rilakkuma 3rd Anniversary Fansclub Plushie - hat detail

A 3 on his party hat for his 3rd birthday!

Rilakkuma 3rd Anniversary Fansclub Plushie - side

Rilakkuma’s relaxing on a giant birthday present!

Rilakkuma 3rd Anniversary Fansclub Plushie - tag art

Tag art! I got extra excited because this plushie has the old authentication sticker, too! And it’s so interesting to see how differently the illustrations looked back in 2006!

Doesn’t Rilakkuma look so relaxed for his 3rd birthday? I really love his pose – it’s so unique with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed!

This incredible plushie came out in August 2006, making this the oldest plushie in my collection! Wow!

Since Rilakkuma’s 10th anniversary just passed last year in 2013, it’s amazing to see plushies like this from ~back in the day~ when Rilakkuma was only 3 years old! Here’s to many more years with Rilakkuma!

Whew, it was an adventure trying to hunt down a web source for this plushie since the Fansclub website, despite being very thorough in cataloging their more recent releases, doesn’t go all the way back to 2006. I love going through Rilakkuma history!

In other news, check out this Forest Series Rilakkuma lanyard!

Forest Series Rilakkuma Lanyard - full

Yay, mushrooms! I’m sure Mushroom Rilakkuma (Mush-kuma?) would love him :D

Like the plushie, this lanyard has great and special history, too! It was released as a lottery prize at Lawson for the Forest Series in September 2010!

We have to wear our med school ID badges all day, so I’m happy that I can jazz mine up now with some Rilakkuma! Yay – I can’t wait to show it off at school!

Also super appropriate because I actually grow my own mushrooms (Shiitake) at home :D

These next few posts here on Rilakkuma Lifestyle will be dedicated to the reader who so generously and thoughtfully sent me these plushies and Rilakkuma things: Trinie!! You’re a wonderful friend, and I’m so honored and appreciative for the opportunity to write about these plushies and share them with the Rilakkuma community! Thank you so so SO much!

So much more to come soon! Our big anatomy/physiology/histology/embryology exam is going to be weighing me down for the next week or so, but I am really so excited to share all these new Rilakkumas with you – stay tuned!

ETA (9:30 EST): Check out this penguin duo! Penguin Rilakkuma and Penguin? from Sumikko Gurashi at the 2014 Tokyo International Gift Show!

Tokyo International Gift Show 2014 - Penguins

2 adorable penguins!

Super glad to see Sumikko Gurashi get a costume suit – in the big leagues now! Can’t wait for the Rilakkuma Penguin Series!

Nisetsumuri (にせつむり) plushie, a guest blog, and more Rilakkuma Art!

A slight deviation from our regular Rilakkuma program: it’s Nisetsumuri (にせつむり), from Sumikko Gurashi!

Nisetsumuri - front

Hello!

Nisetsumuri - tag

Tag art!

Nisetsumuri - held by bear

The little elastic band means all of my Rilakkumas can hold onto him :D

Tonkatsu - stickers 2

Jennifer also included some incredibly cute Tonkatsu stickers: here are two of my favorites!

Tonkatsu - sticker designs

Here are the rest of the sticker designs – I love how new character Ebi furai no shippo (えびふらいのしっぽ) is included. And… do I see Tapioca in the top right squirting sauce onto Tonkatsu? Hahaha

Hilariously, Nisetsumuri (にせつむり) translates into something like “fake head” or “deceptive head” – because it is actually supposed to be a slug who just wears a shell! What a cute backstory haha.

And Tonkatsu (とんかつ), forever ignored because he’s the fatty end of the pork cutlet, is featured in this sticker set trying to become more appetizing with sauce, I suppose.

This Nisesumuri plushie was released in April 2013, and the Tonkatsu sticker set was released in September 2013! Glad to see such longevity in the Sumikko Gurashi line!

This set was a generous gift by reader Jennifer – thank you so so much for your support and thoughtful gifts, they never fail to cheer me up when school get busy and hectic!

Riding on the wave of Rilakkuma art from a previous post, check out this beautiful rendition of a Rilakkuma 7th Anniversary scene by dulcetart!

Dulcetart - Rilakkuma art

Beautiful!

Really fantastic colors! This is really one of my favorite scenes/series in Rilakkuma history – I even made a GIF of this scene around 3 weeks ago, so perfect timing! Definitely check out the rest of dulcetart’s incredible art at her tumblr!

My Kawaii Life - Guest blog post

How old is my first Rilakkuma?

In other news, I know I’ve never really written about how I got into the Rilakkuma world, so if you’re curious, I did a little guest blog post over at My Kawaii Life! There are also a few snapshots of my apartment Rilakkuma shelf, which is currently overflowing with plushies haha.

Thanks so much for the opportunity, Jen – I’m so honored to have been featured! If you’re interested in cute things of all types (like Rilakkuma), make sure to check out the rest of her amazing blog as well!

Lunar new year is coming up! Can’t wait to celebrate again!

Royal Rilakkuma Art, A Winter Hearts Discovery, & Holiday Wrap-Up!

Hey, check out this Rilakkuma art created by Simon!

Rilakkuma Art - Royal BD Bear

How regal!

Wah super cute, I can’t believe it! Thanks for sending this in, Simon! (First of many more to come, I hope!)

This piece of art is inspired by the Rilakkuma 10th Anniversary Sofa Throne Series and Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Ice-T – ha!

My (M Classic) Rilakkuma plushie sat in as a model for this portrait – he looks a lot like my Fansclub Royal Rilakkuma plushie, too! Super handsome :)

In plushie news, has anyone ordered the Winter Hearts Series? Diligent reader Jennifer noticed that the fur on these plushies is slightly longer and fluffier than that the regular plushies – a happy medium between the regular plushies and the My Only series!

Winter Hearts fur - full

Jennifer’s snuggly Winter Hearts Rilakkuma plushie (right) compared against a super cute Bonjour Series Caravan plushie (left)!

Winter Hearts fur - face

See the difference in the face?

Winter Hearts fur - feet

Super noticeable difference in the feet!

Incredible discovery! Thanks so much for sharing, Jennifer!

I wonder if they’ll be using more of this texture in the future? Maybe they’re testing out this new fur on the market to see how people like it. It’ll be exciting to see!

Also, I’m sure the shaggier fur keeps them nice and warm during this cold winter!

In other news: for Christmas, my mom turned one of my Rilakkuma Lifestyle photos into a blanket!

BD Blanket - 1

Beautiful!

Wow! I think the colors turned out really well – this is definitely one of my favorite photos :) This photo really doesn’t do justice to the massive scale of this blanket – it’s even bigger than my queen-size bed!

I’m so thankful and fortunate to have a family that is so appreciative of Rilakkuma!

This came at a great time because we’re feeling the polar vortex a little even here all the way down in Florida, so it’s nice to have a warm Rilakkuma blanket to snuggle up to!

I hope everyone is surviving the cold!

Year of the Horse 2014 Rilakkuma Store Exclusive Plushie!

Happy 2014 everyone!

I’m so proud to have this plushie in my collection! It’s the Year of the Horse 2014 Rilakkuma Store Exclusive Plushie!

Year of the Horse - full

Happy New Year, Rilakkuma!

Year of the Horse - back saddle

Back of the saddle says “Rilakkuma” while the front says “2014”!

Year of the Horse - Rilakkuma detail

Rilakkuma can be removed from the hole, too!

Year of the Horse - horse detail

Horse face! Though its snout kinda looks like a face in itself.

Year of the Horse - tag detail

Tag Art! Looks just like the plushie!

Year of the Horse - bag

Haha a little belated, but this is the Rilakkuma Store bag – Heartful Happy Christmas! So beautiful and detailed! I love the bear ornaments :)

This plushie is the Rilakkuma Store Exclusive plushie for the Year of the Horse 2014 Series, and was released December 7th, 2013.

As I mentioned before, I was born in the year of the horse, so this plushie is extra special to me! They were so perfect to have on display during my family’s new year celebration :) What’s wonderful too is that they get another special celebration later this month for lunar new year, too!

Wow, I can’t believe another year has passed already! So many wonderful Rilakkuma-related things have happened in the past year, from visiting Japan (and a real Rilakkuma Store!) for the first time, to attaining my dream Rilakkuma plushie, 2013 was a rollercoaster of great Rilakkuma things!

Here’s to another year living a Rilakkuma Lifestyle!

Royal Rilakkuma Plushie! + Winter Updates

Christmas came early this year!

Hello Royal Rilakkuma!

Royal Rilakkuma - full

Lookin’ regal!

Royal Rilakkuma - crown

A fluffy Rilakkuma crown!

Royal Rilakkuma - dango detail

Dango fit for a king!

Royal Rilakkuma - keychains

Also two super adorable Rilakkuma keychains and a bookmark (for all my med school textbooks hahaha).

Wow! This set really shows a diverse representation of Rilakkuma over the years! This regal Rilakkuma is a Fanclub UFO plushie from their 10th anniversary series released in August 2013! The bookmark shows the classic Rilakkuma design, while the keychain features Rilakkuma from the 2011 Rilakkuma Meets Honey Series! The relaxing Rilakkuma plush keychain is also a Fansclub Rilakkuma plush from their Happy Picnic release from March 2013 – doesn’t he look a lot like the Happy Picnic Caravan plushie from 2012? Hehehe he’s so cute and relaxed!

This beautiful set came from the super generous Jennifer! Thanks so much again and again for all of your support, your generosity really cheers me up when times get tough, and your warm wishes always brighten my day!

What else is new in the Rilakkuma world?

Rose Series - set

Oh, how pastoral!

Rose Series - individual plushies

Like an early Valentine’s set!

Rose Series

This release really took me by surprise!

San-X will be opening a temporary Rilakkuma Store in Nagoya as a special event from December 26 to January 6 where they’ll be selling plushies and other merchandise from the new Rose Series! After the event is over, the other 8 Rilakkuma Stores will be selling these plushies on January 11.

The set with all three (top) will be 5,000円, and the individual plushies will be 1,780円 each.

How special! The temporary store set-up is pretty interesting, and I don’t recall San-X doing an event like this before. Ariel at Rilakkuma Desu suggested that maybe they’re testing the waters for opening a new Rilakkuma Store there soon? We’ll see!

Rilakkuma x Yamanote - cushion

Choo choo!

Rilakkuma x Yamanote - XL plushies

Large plushies for this release!

Rilakkuma x Yamanote - toy train

Wow, a Rilakkuma toy train!

Rilakkuma x JR Yamanote Line

YAY I’m so glad San-X has decided to expand on this line – it’s one of my favorites! The collaboration between Rilakkuma and the JR Yamanote Line began in the summer, but I guess it was successful enough to merit an additional release of merchandise!

The train car cushion (3000 円) and the large stationmaster and fan plushies (5500 円 each) will be released on December 20 – they’ll also be available for purchase at the San-X Net Shop! In addition, they are also releasing little nameplate keychains, too. I already have the small Yamanote stationmaster and fan, but I might ask for the train car cushion as an early Christmas present hahaha

In addition, they’re also releasing a (non-plush) Rilakkuma x Yamanote toy train! They’ll be available at Rilakkuma Stores and department stores all over Japan for 2400 円 starting at the end of December. How cool! I usually only get the soft Rilakkuma products, but this is such a cute toy, and it even runs on toy train rails on battery!

Rilakkuma Recipe Book - pages

Some really beautiful dishes inside! These pages feature “Seafood Bowl”, “Rilakkuma-Spa Soup”, “Sweet Cupcake”, and “Ricotta Pancake”!

Recipe Book

Recently, there have been a few interesting minor releases here and there like the new exercise line with a Rilakkuma trampoline, a few Rilakkuma-themed pickles, and a potpourri of new kitchenware items like ginger graters, sausage picks, and ladle holders – but my favorite recent one is the new Rilakkuma cookbook!

Since I can’t read Japanese, the actual recipes would probably be of no use to me, but the photography and visuals are really quite inventive well done! It’s pretty cool because it seems like a lot of the recipes were inspired by existing Rilakkuma designs/plushies, like the cover! This cookbook sells for 1155円, and will be available starting December 13.

Really cute! Maybe I’ll try to pick one up if I end up at a Kinokuniya again :)

Year of the Horse - Rilakkuma Store XL plushies and coasters

Almost 2014!

Year of the Horse 2014 XL plushies

In addition to the regular individual plushies and the special Rilakkuma Store exclusive set, San-X will also be releasing their usual XL sitting versions of the individual plushies on January 2 in 2014 for 13800円 in Rilakkuma Stores as well as the Net Shop.

While I likely won’t be getting these XL plushies, I’m really quite partial to this series because horse is my zodiac sign, but also because the illustration with all 3 of them under the horse is just so cute and unique! I think San-X went in a really bizarre direction with it, but I think it paid off and I appreciate it a lot for the creativity! I’m expecting the set sometime soon, and I can’t wait!

In other news, both fortunately and unfortunately haha school has been picking up this week since we have a huge midterm next week that covers the past 10 weeks of anatomy/physiology/histology/embryology – our exam will last the entire day! Good news though, is that once it’s over, I have winter break with finally some time to relax with my Rilakkumas haha. I really felt like I’ve learned a lot this semester, and Rilakkuma has been with me the entire way!

Hope everyone’s enjoying the holiday season!

Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary Plushie!

Finally here – the Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary Plushie!

Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary - full

Just hanging out.

Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary - fish

Mr. Red Sea Bream says “Hello!”

Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary - Kiiroitori

Kiiroitori rides along in the back!

Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary - tags

Red fabric ribbon says “Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary!”

Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary - coasters

Plus some Halloween coasters! My first Halloween-themed Rilakkuma items actually haha

He kinda looks like a Christmas ornament, doesn’t he?

Oh my gosh, I pre-ordered him way back in September and just received him this weekend because I was waiting for the Happy Natural Time Series Caravan design to be announced for the longest time. Ah well, he is definitely worth the wait!

As I mentioned in a previous post, the first Rilakkuma Store (Umeda) opened five years ago – to celebrate, San-X released both an anniversary plushie specific to the Umeda branch (chestnut-themed) as well as an anniversary plushie for the Rilakkuma Stores as a whole (this guy!).

Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori are riding a big red sea bream (鯛, tai), a symbol of good fortune in Japanese culture. There’s also a Japanese proverb “腐っても鯛” (Kusattemo tai) which roughly translates to “No matter how spoiled/old, it’s still sea bream” because even when sea bream isn’t very fresh, its flavor lasts longer than most other fish so it’s still good to eat (turns out that the fish produces a substance, inosinic acid, that decomposes slower than most fish and helps it resist spoiling!). Following, this proverb reflects how even in dire circumstances or old age, a person of quality still has their worth.

Hopefully this Rilakkuma and sea bream will give me some good luck for my upcoming medical school years!

In other news, the Rilakkuma x Enherb collaboration is gearing up again!

Rilakkuma x Enherb 2013 - Winter ad

I love their ad this year!

Looks like they’ve extended their product line since last year with some honey/herb mix and bath salts, which is great to see!

The Enherb collab is close to my heart because (1) I love tea and (2) it was one of my very first posts on my blog!

Speaking of flashbacks to old loves, how CUTE is this new ad for the new Sumikko Gurashi tableware line?

Sumikko Gurashi - tableware ad

Too cute to eat?

Appropriately, Tonkatsu is positioned at the very end of the cutlet hahaha

So amazing to see San-X developing Sumikko Gurashi! My sister has the mini plush like the one in the photo, and we both have the larger/regular sized one too!

Tonkatsu has always been my favorite, and like Enherb, was also the subject of one of my blog’s earliest posts :D

Speaking of which, Rilakkuma Lifestyle’s 1 year anniversary is coming up on the 21st – wow, I can’t believe it’s been a year already!

Wagara Rilakkuma UFO Catcher Plushie!

It’s my pleasure to introduce Wagara Rilakkuma!

Wagara Rilakkuma UFO Catcher - full

Oh, hallo!

Wagara Rilakkuma UFO Catcher - right detail

He wears a scarf with a wonderful Rilakkuma design!

Wagara Rilakkuma UFO Catcher - left detail

This side says “リラックマ” (Rilakkuma) with a little dango icon at the end, just like his fabric tag!

Wagara Rilakkuma UFO Catcher - back

Lazy Rilakkuma in the back!

Wagara Rilakkuma UFO Catcher - stickers

And some absolutely wonderful Rilakkuma stickers, too!

This handsome plushie was a generous gift from reader Jennifer – thank you so so much, he is an absolutely adorable addition to my collection, and he fits right in with everyone else already! I’m so fortunate to have such wonderful readers like you!

He is a UFO Catcher plushie released by Fansclub in May 2013, and he is wagara-themed! Wagara (和柄) is a traditional Japanese pattern or design, and were traditionally patterns used for kimono or yukata.

So this Rilakkuma is wearing a wagara-inspired scarf, combining traditional Japanese pattern styles and modern & hip Rilakkuma! The other plushies from the same release have similar designs, in the forms of pillows and coin purses – I love it!

Whew, sorry for the complete radio silence on my end for the past few weeks: last week we had our first major final exam in biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics so I was a bit held up with studying.

We’ve starting anatomy/physiology this week: I’m really excited about it, but I’ve never taken anatomy or physiology before so I’m hoping it won’t be too overwhleming.

I’m still waiting on my Rilakkuma Store 5th Anniversary plushie because I told the seller to hold off until the Caravan design was announced, but dang, I didn’t think it’d take so long to get news on the Caravan! I kind of expected them to release the Caravan design this month, but I guess I’ll just keep waiting…

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma Plushie – Store Exclusive!

Ahhh I’m so excited to share with you all this plushie I received this week!

Hooray, it’s Sandwich Rilakkuma!!

Sandwich Rilakkuma - full

Sharing one big sub sandwich!

Sandwich Rilakkuma - Rilakkuma detail

Rilakkuma looks like he’s in a bit of a food coma haha

Sandwich Rilakkuma - Kiiroitori detail

Kiiroitori’s holding the Rilakkuma variation of the French flag!

Sandwich Rilakkuma - back

The back of the plush, with their little bear buns hovering in the air. Speaking of buns, the sandwich bun is incredibly soft and fuzzy!

Sandwich Rilakkuma - tag

Tag art! Looks like the illustration shows little kuma-toothpicks that hold the sandwich together, too!

Sandwich Rilakkuma - tomato detail

Wow, even the tomato slices hidden inside have little embroidered details!

This set was the Rilakkuma Store exclusive for the Bonjour Series, and was released February 19, 2010, which was also the weekend the Tokyo Station Rilakkuma Store celebrated its 1st anniversary!

At the time, only the Umeda and Tokyo Station branches were open! Wow, and I was busy in the middle of my undergrad and hadn’t even heard of Rilakkuma back then haha how the times have changed.

This plushie is my ultimate dream piece, and has been at the top of my wishlist since I first started collecting. I love the Bonjour Series a lot (mainly because of its baguette-centrism), and I’m so lucky to have obtained two plushies I really dreamed for (this and the Caravan edition) during this past month!

This also means I’ll have to rebuild my wishlist again haha.

Huge thanks to Ariel for being so diligent in sending me links for Japanese auctions for this plushie!! I’ve seen 4 separate auctions for this plushie come and go (way above my price range) since the summertime, but I was finally successful with this one and it’s so perfect! Thanks again for keeping an eye out for me!

Of course, since these bears are French, we had to welcome them home with some croissants…

Sandwich Rilakkuma - with croissants

Any excuse to bake!

Hopefully one day in the future, I’ll get to visit France, and I’ll bring these two along – they’d blend right in, no problem!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma Plushie – Caravan Edition!

Bonjour Rilakkuma - box

Is it cheese? Is it honey?

Who could be inside this Cheese Honey box?

It’s Bonjour Rilakkuma – Caravan Edition!

This is a plushie I’ve wanted since I first started learning about Rilakkuma a year ago!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - full

Bonjour!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - baguette

Giant baguette!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - beret

Cute poofy beret!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - lining

And his pocket lining has both blue and red polka dots, compared to the usual light blue only spots!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - tag

Tag art! The Rilakkuma on the tag looks more like the regular release, but his paper bag says “La boulangerie de Rilakkuma” (Rilakkuma Bakery).

This plushie was released as a part of the French-themed Bonjour Series in March 2010. Appropriately, this Rilakkuma’s color scheme matches the French flag: red, white, and blue!

He is a Caravan plushie, which means that he was part of a special additional release during the Bonjour Series time. The Rilakkuma Caravan is a seasonal affair where San-X holds special Rilakkuma events at stores and locations all over Japan – not just the 8 Rilakkuma Stores! They bring out the big Rilakkuma/Korilakkuma/Kiiroitori suits, and there’s a chance to take photos. Most important (for me) is that they also sell these special plushies that are design variants of the major series of the moment. Right now, the caravan is Rilakkuma Wonderland themed!

This Bonjour plushie is my third caravan plushie (my others are the Aloha Caravan and the Egg Caravan).

Yay, I’m so excited to have won this! Liemzie (Tea Two Sugars Please) has the most incredible luck in the world and found not one, but TWO of these super rare bears (WOW) and put this one up on auction.

To celebrate this plushie, and maybe help him feel less homesick for France (hahaha), we baked some croissants!

Well so actually, croissants are thought to have originated in Austria, but they been of a staple of French bakeries for centuries! So welcome home, Bonjour Rilakkuma!

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - croissants

Yum!

Speaking of croissants, this is one of my favorite Disney shorts – it’s croissant themed!

Too cute!

In addition, I was also pleasantly surprised to find some extra Rilakkuma goodies in the box:

Bonjour Series Rilakkuma - extras

Rilakkuma Wonderland stationary and a Korilakkuma finger puppet!

Ahhh so awesome! Thanks so much, Liemzie!

Also hahaha, if you look closely at the stationary design second from the left, there’s a Rilakkuma riding a horse in the background that looks just like the Rilakkuma Wonderland Store exclusive… except he has teeth like the Wonderland Caravan plushie! I wonder if Rilakkuma’s teeth are going to be more and more visible now?

Whew! Opening my mailbox and finding Rilakkuma stuff always makes my week! :) :) :) Which is just in time because I have my first medical school exam tomorrow! Maybe I’ll bring a Rilakkuma along for good luck hahaha.