Category Archives: Plushies

I love Rilakkuma plushies!

The Tale of Four Rilakkuma Stores!

Hello! I’m more than halfway through my Japan trip and I finally have time to sit and blog for a bit about what’s happened so far!

Thank you everyone for your well wishes – we arrived safe and sound at Tokyo!

The plane was really nice – I had so much space that my Rilakkuma even had a platform to himself hahaha

Rilakkuma on Airplane - window view

Descent into Tokyo!

Anyway, for the first two nights, we were in Tokyo, just minutes away from Tokyo Station!

We were kind of in a hurry to get to dinner rather late at night, so we didn’t get to shop but! we did get to check out the Tokyo Station Rilakkuma Store! Ariel already made a post on this store recently, but it’s really quite incredible to see a Rilakkuma Store in person!

Tokyo Station Rilakkuma Store - front

Will shop here for real soon!

We’re going back to the Tokyo Station area for a day before we leave Japan, so I will be sure to shop there for real next time!

The next day, we went to the Tokyo Skytree Rilakkuma Store!

Tokyo Skytree Rilakkuma Store - front

I got one of those Skytree plushies with all three of the Rilakkuma crew!

Tokyo Skytree Rilakkuma Store - cashier

Paying the Rilakkuma Store workers’ salaries in one fell swoop.

This was the first time we got to spend a great deal of time at the Rilakkuma Store. They had a bunch of Skytree specials (though the Tokyo Station one also sold a few Skytree plushies), and I feel like I circled the store over 20 times analyzing everything before paying and leaving.

I’ll post close-ups of what I bought at a later post (they’re all stowed away in luggage right now booo), but here’s the list of the Skytree haul:

The small 22cm watermelon anniversary plushies were sold out, but there was no shortage of the XL version – I wonder why?

Strangely enough, there were even Halloween 2012 Kiiroitoris still in stock?? Hmmm…

Whew! Then the next day, we ran over to the Harajuku Rilakkuma Store!

Harajuku Rilakkuma Store - front

It’s the Rilakkuma half of the floor! I love how the entrances to each Rilakkuma store is slightly different.

Harajuku Rilakkuma Store - side Korilakkuma

Look who’s hiding on the side!!

Here at Kiddyland, half of the fourth floor is devoted to Rilakkuma! Even the bathroom is painted with a Rilakkuma theme haha

The plushie haul from Harajuku:

They’re gearing up for their anniversary on the 29th – so sad I’ll miss it!!

Finally, on our way out of Osaka, we stopped by the Umeda Rilakkuma Store!

Umeda Rilakkuma Store - front

Hello, Rilakkuma!

Even more plushies to be bought here!

I didn’t even know what the Holiday collab was, or what Holiday even is but I snagged one anyway since I was already there. Turns out it’s some clothing brand haha, so cute!!

I was really shocked to see that they had some of the Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary plushies there (I wasn’t even in Fukuoka!) – guess they had a few left over? I always assumed the anniversary plushies flew off the shelves like hotcakes.

There was also a healthy stock of Rilakkuma apparel that the other branches I visited didn’t have, so my family stocked up on some Rilakkuma shorts haha.

Whew! That’s 4 out of 8 Rilakkuma Stores! I know during the next trip, I’ll have to stop by the Fukuoka, Sapporo, Sendai, and Kichijoji branches!!

I’ll have to write more when I finally get the time to photograph each of them, but that’s all for now!!

All’s quiet on the Rilakkuma front until the Wonderland release, I’m guessing!

Wishlist – Rilakkuma Wonderland Limited Edition Playset!

WOW check out the new Rilakkuma Wonderland plush set!

They’re supposed to be little floats in a parade celebrating Rilakkuma’s 10 year anniversary :)

Rilakkuma Wonderland - store exclusive

OMG so detailed!

Looks like Rilakkuma is singing into a dango microphone on a bear-shaped cake-themed stage with a full band, Korilakkuma’s in a pink castle (with goat and bunny Koris peeking out), and Kiiroitori’s in a birdcage (lol) with other little Kiiroitoris. Love how each float also has little wheels so it looks like they’re actual parade floats! And they have crowns like they’re royalty hahaha

This incredible set will be released as a store exclusive on July 13th!

(ETA 6/17: the San-X Net Shop says they’ll be stocking them too! Haha, too bad I missed that – definitely wouldn’t have pre-ordered from a seller if I knew!)

12,000 yen (~$124 USD) for the entire playset, I believe :O A little steeper than we’ve come to expect from exclusive playsets (the Aloha Rilakkuma Net Shop Exclusive was 10,500 yen), but worth the price for the level of detail, in my opinion!

Will you be getting these? I think I’m gonna go for them (but what’s new haha).

ETA: Here’s campaign page for the Rilakkuma special editions, including the ones riding horses!

I have to admit, when the Rilakkuma Wonderland series was first announced (or leaked I should say haha), I wasn’t the most excited about it for some reason – I didn’t even make a big post about it like I usually do. It was probably because I have bad memories associated with being in the marching band in middle school haha (old uniforms, absentee teachers, trying to avoid horse poop during a parade, ick).

But as more news about this kept rolling in, I got more and more excited – especially when San-X redesigned the Rilakkuma website and premiered a new flash animation – and with this new playset, I’m happy to say that I’ve jumped the fence and I’m a big fan of this series now and can’t wait for it to be released!

In other news… MORE LIMITED EDITION STORE EXCLUSIVES?

That’s right!

Rilakkuma Wonderland - store exclusive plushies

A drum (and one tiiiiny bugle) corp! Kori’s flag says “Smile & Thank you”

Looks like they each have tiny Rilakkumas on their shoulder?? Hahaha I wonder why.

They’re also to be released on July 13, and they’ll be a cool 1,600 yen each. They will be exclusive to Rilakkuma Stores, but from what I understand, the San-X Net Shop will be stocking Rilakkumas-only like they did before for the Aloha Rilakkuma store exclusive (I wonder why they do this…).

They’re super adorable though, but I’ll have check with my old friend Mr. Wallet to see if I can afford them when the time rolls around.

Wowww, the Rilakkuma plushie designers at San-X must be working overtime!

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma Plushies!

Woke up to a wonderful surprise today: new poncho-wearing watermelon punch kumas!

This design was released on May 22, marking the Tokyo Skytree Rilakkuma Store’s 1 year anniversary – happy birthday to them!

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - full

Oooh got some Tokyo Skytree bags, too!

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - back

Didn’t know how long the store’s full name was! So, happy birthday Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi Rilakkuma Store – whew! One really cute detail is that the pompom colors on Rilakkuma’s poncho are inverted on Korilakkuma’s!

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - tags

Speaking of differences: though tag art is more of Ariel’s thing, on these tags, Korilakkuma’s dollop of cream is pink, while Rilakkuma’s is white!

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - Rilakkuma seed detail

Their ponchos are decorated with a watermelon seed print – with one Rilakkuma shaped seed on the back!

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - watermelon seed detail

Cute starry watermelon detail! Their ponchos are lined with light blue fabric.

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - hood detail

Love the curly vine detail on top! The pompoms are supposed to represent little melon balls haha.

Tokyo Skytree 1st Anniversary - pins

Special pins to commemorate the Skytree Rilakkuma Store’s 1st anniversary!

So lovely! The watermelon punch theme is such a wonderful way to celebrate the summer!

Hey, what’s up with Rilakkuma’s nose?

Though this series was leaked a while back, the official page for the Rilakkuma Wonderland series is up!

This series will be released in July, and features Rilakkuma and pals in a marching band!

It might be too hard on my wallet to collect the entire series, so I had my eyes on drummer Rilakkuma with the dango drumsticks, but something’s a little off…

Rilakkuma Wonderland - full set

Do you see it?

Rilakkuma Wonderland - drummer

Part of his nose is missing!!

Aww, what happened? Photoshop error, one-time sewing mishap, or is his nose really going to be missing a chunk?

(ETA: Simon and my sister think he might be chewing?)

Regardless, I can’t decide if I’m gonna order this one yet – love how the Rilakkumas have different facial expressions though!

Rilakkuma x Lawson Keychain!

Hey, look what my sister picked up in Japan: it’s a Rilakkuma x Lawson keychain!

Rilakkuma x Lawson - shopping basket keychain

Looks like he’s holding an onigiri – yum!

This guy is part of a mini-set that came out back in April – with Rilakkuma and friends hanging out in special Rilakkuma 10th anniversary Lawson shopping baskets! Cute!

Still waiting for the Rilakkuma x Lawson Aloha Rilakkuma plushie, which is supposed to be released in late June – I feel like I pre-ordered it AGES ago!

Also, as I mentioned before, my sister is in Japan right now, and she’s spied some more Rilakkuma at Lawson!

Lawson has an ongoing campaign featuring the Aloha Rilakkuma series where you collect stickers for prizes: Liemzie (Tea Two Sugars Please) and Ariel (Rilakkuma Desu) have posted about this campaign already – and thank goodness for those posts because otherwise we would have no idea what was going on with these stickers haha.

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Cheese Hamburger

“Cheese Hamburger”

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Teriyaki Burger

One of my sister’s favorites: Teriyaki Hamburger

Rilakkuma x Lawson - Cheese Bread

Cheese Bread

Just so you can be reminded of Rilakkuma all the time, even when you eat!

My sister’s running her own blog on her experience, so I’ll try not to steal too much of her thunder, just wanted to share some of her awesome Rilakkuma-centric photos!

I think my sister is aiming for the bag (20 stickers), but we’ll see how much she can collect before the campaign ends in June – what a great customer loyalty campaign haha.

Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma Plushies!

The Fukuoka PARCO (福岡パルコ) Rilakkuma Store turned 3 this year, and released these super cute strawberry shortcake themed Rilakkuma plushies!

Well I ordered these guys when they came out back in March from the Japanese auctions, but the package arrived the day my flight left so I had to wait a month and a half to see them – but so worth it!

Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary - front

Happy 3rd birthday, Fukuoka Rilakkkuma store!

Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary - back

The back: I was surprised that the embroidery was directly on their head

Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary - hat detail

My favorite detail: the straw-bear-ies on the hat! Though Kori’s is more of a bonnet because of the ribbon.

Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary - outfit detail

Of course, their lovely cake-themed outfits! Rilakkuma’s got some shorts (why is he always in these shorts nowadays?) and Kori’s got a nice stole.

Fukuoka 3rd Anniversary - mix & match

Since the stole is removable, I let Rilakkuma wear it for a bit so he could look like a layer cake hahaha

This is actually the only full set that I own – usually I only buy the Rilakkuma haha but I couldn’t say no to Kori this time!

I usually never crave cake, but having these guys around makes me wanna start baking!

I’m back!

Whew – I feel like I’ve been gone forever! So much Rilakkuma news has happened while I’ve been away!

But I was so excited to come home to a special Rilakkuma gift from the lovely Ariel at Rilakkuma Desu: the first Rilakkumagazine!!

Rilakkumagazine - front

Aloha Rilakkuma cover!

Rilakkumagazine - inside

The magazine folds out to reveal a ton of content! One side has a brief overview of Rilakkuma history, and the other side has details about the Aloha Rilakkuma series, along with some other Rilakkuma news (like the Baseball release).

rilakkumagazine-3

The back panel is my favorite! It features a Rilakkuma plushie adventuring around Hawaii – the photos are kind of like Rilakkuma Lifestyle tumblr style!

Such a wonderful way to be welcomed home! I hope they make more Rilakkumagazines in the future!

Also, my sister has officially started her study abroad program in Japan; you can read about all her (largely food-related) adventures on her new blog!

As a thoughtful sister understanding of my Rilakkuma addiction, she was nice enough to get a magnet set from the KFC x Rilakkuma campaign going on:

KFC x Rilakkuma 2013 - magnet

You can punch out the 4 magnets to make a photo frame!

Yay! Maybe I can snag a box too when I got to Japan next month to visit her :)

In other news, have y’all seen these new mascot towels?

Rilakkuma mascot towels - all

So cute how they can be wrapped to look like towel plushies!

Aww they’re each holding 4 leaf clovers! They’re scheduled to come out on June 8 in Rilakkuma Stores.

PS Remember when I submitted a photo of my Rilakkuma for San-X’s Facebook photo contest?

Well, they announced the winners, and my photo wasn’t chosen T^T It’s a little confusing to me because most of the winners had under 10 votes, and some had no votes at all! I smell something fishy! I definitely saw a lot of other photos with a lot of votes that didn’t get chosen either – what a bummer.

Oh well… Thanks everyone who voted for me – I really appreciate everyone’s support, and I’m so incredibly happy to know there are so many great Rilakkuma lovers around :) Y’all are the best!

10th Anniversary Rilakkuma plushies!

Just saw these pop up on my Facebook feed: 10th Anniversary Rilakkuma plushies!

10th Anniversary Series - set

Loving the sequined blazers! No one’s wearing pants this time around haha

10th Anniversary Series - promo pic

Appropriately, Rilakkuma has 10 pancakes in his stack! (Wow, he must be so strong to be carrying it like that!)

These cute plushies are standard collectible size, and they’re a part of a big Rilakkuma 10th Anniversary event going on from April 24 – May 6!

As far as I can tell, you can place your order for these plushies at the event, and they’ll be delivered sometime in July.

They’ll also have a bunch of other awesome Rilakkuma merchandise as well, like t-shirts and coffee mugs! Eeeeee I love it!

Not sure if I’ll be springing for this set, but they sure are dapper and I love their sparkly blazers!

ETA: Rilakkuma x Lawson keychains! Looks like Rilakkuma and friends are hanging out in the shopping baskets :)

Rilakkuma x Lawson - basket keychains

Super snug!

Going to be released on April 26! Wow, so many new updates!

Update: Aloha Rilakkuma Net Shop Exclusive!

Hey remember last week when the San-X Net Shop Facebook page posted mysterious new Aloha Rilakkuma plushie designs?

Turns out, it really is an Aloha Rilakkuma Net Shop exclusive!

Aloha Rilakkuma - Net Shop Exclusive

Rilakkuma (17 cm), Korilakkuma (15.5 cm), Kiiroitori (13 cm) mini plushies are all removable from the giant Rilakkuma island! And it looks like the bear island doubles as a nice pillow :) and has a palm tree growing out of its ear haha

The pre-order for this plushie set is going on at the Net Shop until April 12, and is estimated to be delivered in June!

How special! I LOVE the Net Shop exclusives designs! They’re generally more expensive, but they usually come with a ton of great details like this one! Looks like the Net Shop’s continuing their trend of mini plushies, too :)

The only Net Shop exclusive I have is the Forest Series Squirrel Korilakkuma and Mushroom Rilakkuma plushies (which came out in 2010), but I may get my hands on a Christmas 2012 one soon too (out of season, I know haha). :O

Rilakkuma leftovers!

Here are the miscellaneous Rilakkuma things from the big, recent influx that didn’t quite fit in with the other posts but deserve a mention:

Miscellaneous - all

A Rilakkuma cell phone holder, Korilakkuma mug and plushie (most of these are my sister’s).

The blue envelope on the left and the Kiiroitori folder on the right came together, and were a gift to my sister from her generous Japanese friend: they’re part of an ongoing campaign celebrating a whole decade of Rilakkuma!

Each blue envelope has a mini-folder featuring a different Rilakkuma series inside – my sister lucked out and got a great throwback to a series that debuted in August 2005 that was centered around Kiiroitori’s life and activities! Old school Rilakkuma! Looks like Kiiroitori got stuck cleaning up after Rilakkuma’s mess though…

But that’s not all!

Miscellaneous - Korilakkuma mug

A Korilakkuma mug for Simon! The little tail in the back is so cute, but I think it’s kinda funny that Korilakkuma products with this theme are always just labeled “Rilakkuma” haha

Miscellaneous - towels

Hand towels!
Top row: Face theme (April 2009)
Bottom row: “Rilakkuma, Rilakkuma” (August 2012), Aloha Rilakkuma (February 2013), Let’s Play With Bunnies (December 2012)

Whew! All kuma-ed out for the time being.