I can’t wait to share this Rilakkuma with you – it’s La Japonaise Rilakkuma!
Beautiful vivid colors, just like Monet was famous for! And good to finally see a Rilakkuma turning to his right side hahaha
Kiiroitori standing in as the fearsome samurai!
Rilakkuma holds a beautiful red, white, and blue fan – and even the white crescent matches the original art!
A parallel metallic leaf motif, and of course Rilakkuma would be hiding away a dango in his left paw!
Tag art featuring the illustrated Rilakkuma interpretation of the original piece! Looks like Kiiroitori hopped off the kimono for this one haha
Simon also drew this sketch of La Japonaise Rilakkuma today – I love it!
What do you think? Does the Rilakkuma interpretation capture the essence of the original work to you? I think the Rilakkuma version is much more adorable hehehe
This Rilakkuma design is based on Claude Monet’s La Japonaise (above). As I wrote about in a previous post, this Rilakkuma plush is especially exceptional to me because it’s such a subversive take on the Western gaze upon Japan that was so dominant during the era of Japonsime. Besides being exceedingly cute, this plushie design has so many layers to it as a Japanese take on a famous Western piece inspired by Japan.
This plushie commemorates Looking East: Western Artists and the Allure of Japan, an exhibit at the Setagaya Art Museum in Tokyo this summer where Monet’s La Japonaise was displayed! The exhibit will also be moving to Nagoya in January, and I’m guessing this Rilakkuma will be following La Japonaise there as well!
Pull the toy mouse from Rilakkuma’s ear and watch them come back together again! 1,680円.
Kiiroitori is interactive too! 1,680円.
Korilakkuma sadly doesn’t have an interactive component to her, but she does still have a little kitten to play with! 1,380円.
Wow! I love how interactive these plushies will be!
These plushies will be released October 4th. Wow, can’t believe October is so close – guess I have to start looking for a Halloween costume!
In American news, San-X was recruiting for Rilakkuma lolita girls to staff their NYC events on October 10-11! Darn, official Rilakkuma events always seem to be so far away, but one day, I hope to be able to cover an event like this in person to share with all of you!
Whew! I am so glad to be done with that cardiopulmonary exam – what a doozy! Now that I’m in the endocrine/reproductive module, I feel much more relaxed like Rilakkuma!
Totally an impulse buy, and such a steal! I usually browse through the Rilakkuma auctions on Yahoo Japan for stress relief haha, and grabbed this guy for just 500円 – that’s less than $5 USD!
Speaking of buying, there are a couple of sales going on in the Rilakkuma fan community!
For sale by Ane!
For Rilakkuma fans in the United States, Ane is selling:
Staying Up Late (夜ふかし) Rilakkuma (with tag) and Kiiroitori (without tag), both in good condition, originally released October 2009. Discounts available if both are purchased together.
Fansclub Sweets & Sweets Rilakkuma (new with tag), originally released February 2012.
And furthermore, famed and former Rilakkuma blogger Mary/Moggymawee is selling her ENTIRE Rilakkuma collection!
All for sale by Mary!
Check out her collection on Facebook – a few of her plushies will be listed on eBay, too!
Her collection is super expansive with lots of amazing plushies from throughout the years. All of her plushies have never been played with, and all have their original tags.
Wow! In addition to a taiyaki Rilakkuma (YAY), I also spy some giant Korilakkuma/Kiiroitori cats, a lounging Rilakkuma with kitten, a kitten Korilakkuma in a box, and Kiiroitori in a sailor’s outfit! What other new designs can you spot?
Looks like there are a lot of great things to come in the up coming year for the Rilakkuma world!
San-X also had a lot of other cool displays at the Gift Show this year:
A display about their awesome collabs from this year! JAXA, JINS PC, and Rilakkuma’s tribute to Claude Monet’s La Japonaise – beautiful! (I have 2 of these bears!)
And all of their transportation-themed bears! (I have one from each of these series!)
Fantastic! I love seeing Rilakkuma displays so I can get ideas for my own home display hehehe.
Have you heard about the Hello Kitty convention coming to the US at the end of October? I hope Rilakkuma will get popular enough to have a convention in the US eventually, too!
What a incredibly cute design! Love the little Santa Shirokuma sneaking around hehehe.
Hehehe look at this cute little story!
Couldn’t let Rilakkuma and friends have all the fun this year!
As always, the details are incredible! From the little crane claw in the corner to the pickle in the stocking (I especially love that the home is made of soft bricks), everything is so adorably cute and detailed!
This handsome set is 7,500円. Pre-orders are open from now until September 30, with delivery expected in December.
Haha lots of holiday news recently – do I have to start getting into the holiday mood? It’s still in the 90’s here in Florida, so it still feels like summer!
School has really geared up in the past few weeks, so my apologies for the infrequency. But without further ado, check out the Space Rilakkuma Rilakkuma Plushie – Rilakkuma Store Exclusive!
Go to the future, Rilakkuma!
One of my favorite details: a stack of pancakes with a star-shaped butter pat on top – mmmm!
Ooooh Rilakkuma is also holding a delicious dango with it’s own planetary ring system and star!
I think they did such a great job with his spacesuit – usually glittery fabric tends to have a coarse texture, but this one (and all the other plushies in this set) have maintained their soft and smooth texture!
More fantastic details: a cute scarf, embroidered Rilakkuma space insignia, and bear-shaped belt buckle!
Tag art: Rilakkuma promoting space and time travel!
Teehee I really love this bear! I love all the tiny details they put into each plushie in this series, and can’t wait to see all the cool details for what San-X has in store for us next!
This planetary plushie was released in July 2014 as a Rilakkuma Store Exclusive design for the summer Space Series. Since I loved so many of the designs from the Space Series, I limited myself to just the brown bear from this line – I think even then, Bear Nation has a pretty thriving space program!
Rilakkuma and friends off to the masquerade ball! 1,800円 each.
A beautiful playset! My favorite detail is the kuma ghost in the window (and the giant candy doesn’t look too bad, either). 10,000円.
Fantastic! I really love the direction they took with this year’s line – a masquerade party sounds spooky and fun (I’ve never been to one!). These Halloween bears will be released this weekend on September 6.
But wow, aren’t we just starting September? Preparing for Halloween now seems a little pre-emptive to me (though Halloween costume shops are beginning to pop up around my town), but maybe this is a sign that I should start working on a cool costume. Last year, Simon and I went as eggs & bacon! What do you hope to dress up as for Halloween this year?
Four awesome designs to match Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori, with unique designs on the temples! 4,900円 each
Awesome miniplushies with their own mobile devices, and a tag with a kuma wearing glasses, too! 1,300円 each.
This is such a cool collab! These glasses are specially designed to protect your eyes from the light from your PC and mobile devices, and the color themes are meant to match Rilakkuma and pals – and don’t they just look so smart in those glasses?
Of course, this isn’t the first time Rilakkuma has donned eye protection – the Aloha Rilakkuma series from last year also featured a bespectacled Rilakkuma!
Doesn’t kitten Korilakkuma look so sweet in her basket? Oooh a little plush taiyaki too! 2,700円
So cute! Looks like Lawson specials are starting to develop a pattern of their exclusives being in pot-like containers – last year, it was a pie for the Happy Natural Time Series, and this year, it’s a basket! It’s a cute motif, I think.
Pre-orders for this set are now open, but they aren’t scheduled to be delivered until January 19, 2015 (wah). Conveniently, Lawson specials like this are generally available online, so Tenso might be a good resource for international Rilakkuma fans looking for a good price!
The movie comes out November 1, and if you purchase a ticket in advance, you can get your hands on this lovely keychain plushie! Wow, I would love for American movies to have promotions like this hehehe
Browsing around the official Clover website, looks like the story revolves around a hotel employee who falls in love with her boss, and it is based on a manga series of the same name – not super sure how the movie has to do with Rilakkuma but haha Rilakkuma does look rather cute in green :)
WOW AND YUM! They’re takoyaki themed! I think Rilakkuma’s ear detail is my favorite part! 1,500円 each.
Excellent! Takoyaki (たこ焼き) is a yummy breaded octopus ball served with sauce and bonito shavings that was first invented in Osaka in 1935!
My family went to Osaka last year and had lots of takoyaki – mmmm! As Umeda is the major business district of Osaka, seems fitting to celebrate the oldest Rilakkuma Store’s 6th anniversary with such a tasty part of its history!
These plushies will be released on September 13 (same day as the Bridal Series). Looks like San-X will be continuing with mini-plushies for its anniversary lines – I have yet to get one of these mini-plushies, but I do have good memories of takoyaki from Osaka, so I might just have to jump for these hehehe.
Quite delayed posting about them on my part, but I blame school for that haha: check out the Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive Space Series Rilakkuma plushies!
The Rilakkuma space exploration unit!
With Rilakkuma, there is a cute yellow Kumartian you can move in and out of the spaceship – hello!
… and you can stick the little yellow Kumartian into the spaceship – so cute!! Also, looks like San-X has been promoting a lot of designs with this Rilakkuma pattern (clinging onto something with his head turned to the left).
Korilakkuma has made friends with another set of Kumartians – check out this pink Kumartian saying hello!
And a lovely aqua blue Kumartian on her other side as well!
Who could be inside here?
It’s Kiirotori in a hovercraft! And as a nice completion detail, Kii’s feet are still intact as well!
The bottom of Kiiroitori’s hovercraft!
Tag art! Three beautiful designs that match each of the plushies!
Korilakkuma’s is one of my favorite designs! Look at them trying to communicate in Kumartian language of dango and triangles haha. Though minor discrepancy, in this illustration, the Kumartians have 1 and 3 antennae, but they both have 2 in the plushie!
The Space Series is really one of my favorites!! Excellent craftsmanship (as always), and I can’t believe how adorable the Kumartians are!
I keep playing with the yellow Kumartian and putting him in different places throughout the day hehehe. How fantastic that Bear Nation now boasts a successful space program :D
This cosmic set was released as a Rilakkuma Store and Kiddyland exclusive for the Space Series on July 12!
I love their little paws and whiskers, and that they’re all different kinds of cats! Standard plushies for 1,680円 each
And of course, lots of other assorted goodies! Multi-function pouch for 1,500円, and tissue box cover for 2,980円. Since my allergy means cats make me sneeze, the tissue box cover is rather fitting (and useful)!
So lovely to see the marketing for this series starting up – we can expect this series to come out some time in October of this year, so stay tuned! I’m still crossing my fingers for a taiyaki-themed special edition plush!
The official name for this series is のんびりネコテーマ, which roughly translates to “relaxing cat theme” – pretty straightfoward haha.
Looks like Rilakkuma and friends are getting in touch with their agricultural side, and donning denim overalls for harvest! Super fitting, as Hokkaido ranks first in Japan for agricultural production, and is home to the Sapporo Agricultural College!
These mini-farmers will be a cool 1,500円 each, and will be released on September 6th!
So interesting! Apparently, these bracelets can withstand water and rust, and are meant for people who have metal allergies – how thoughtful! I think these look light and fun for the end of summer!
These bracelets will be available in many different stores, and will be 1,000円 each. Hehehe, if I got these, I’d probably just let my kumas wear them.
I have a few more bears (space and otherwise) to write about, but in the meantime, what do you all think of the new releases? I would love to hear!
On the school side, my school work is really ramping up! I’m studying heart sounds and murmurs all day now, so hopefully I’ll be a pro soon!
Have you been eating healthy lately? Well if you need a little health food inspiration, check out these Vegetable Rilakkuma plushies!
So cute in their own produce crates!! Dang, it’s good to see Korilakkuma in a pair of shorts – usually it’s Rilakkuma hahaha.
Wheee look how adorable Rilakkuma’s little carrot shoes are!! :D
Along with holding the vegetable they’re dressed as, they are also accompanied by an additional veggie in the crate that’s another costume in the series: cabbage for Rilakkuma, tomato for Korilakkuma, and carrot for Kiiroitori!
Tag art that mimics produce price tags! Each tag has the portrait of the character, and the veggie! These tags are held by a standard plastic tag ring in the back corner of the crate.
I really love them! They’re so great in their little produce boxes, and they certainly make me hungry just looking at them mmmmm
And look at these alternative designs – bears as cats you can fit in the palm of your hand, and ones big enough to hug!
And of course, a beautiful illustration to go with the products! I love the little non-costumed kitty they’re with, too!
Yum!! Looks like Cat Rilakkuma loves taiyaki!
Meow what a cool concept! Looks like San-X is sticking to animal suits for their fall series as they’ve been doing for the past few years. No official dates yet, but I would estimate October based on the pattern of previous years? San-X usually gives us 3 months to recuperate after the yearly July wave haha. I’ll keep you updated when San-X starts to release official news updates!
Thanks so much to reader Jennifer for the tip!! I’m actually pretty severely allergic to cats, so it’s probably fitting that the main cat I’d be able to interact with in person is a Rilakkuma cat hahaha.
And since it looks like Cat Rilakkuma loves to eat taiyaki (鯛焼き), a Japanese sea bream-shaped pastry dessert with yummy filling, we’d probably make fast friends! From the looks of it, Rilakkuma likes the chocolate-filled ones, just like me hehehe. I’ll probably try to pick up at least one item from this series, and I’m hoping one of the caravan or store exclusive plushies features taiyaki!! :)
Well, the Rilakkuma rains don’t show signs of stopping haha, as even more waves of news follow the Space Rilakkuma announcement from last week! Check out the Space Rilakkuma Caravan design!
Whaaaat – ! I totally would’ve gotten this set if it were released with the rest of the Happy Natural Time series last year! They do look so cute eating their pies haha.
The whole set is 6,800円 – dang, bad timing for me with all of the other releases going on now, but maybe I’ll try looking for it again when the July buzz dies down a little.
And finally, to come full circle with the food theme I began this post with, San-X also released more merchandise with the Purple Yam and Green Bean pattern!
Perfect colors for the summer!
Yum! Recall that the first iteration of this purple yam and green bean pattern was back in May, and featured fans and smartphone cleaners – glad to see they expanded it into pouches and kitchenware! A pretty fitting application for this pattern, I think!
Importantly, haha, it’s great to see that Rilakkuma eats a balanced diet with lots of vegatables! Who knew Rilakkuma could become my food inspiration hahaha
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