New! Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma marry! (sorta)

OOOOH check out the new Rilakkuma Bridal Series!

Rilakkuma Bridal - cover

I love this theme!

Rilakkuma Bridal - Rilakkuma groom, Korilakkuma bride

Rilakkuma as the groom, and Korilakkuma as the bride!

Bridal Series - Korilakkuma groom, Rilakkuma bride

Korilakkuma as the groom, and Rilakkuma as the bride!

Wow wow WOW I really love this set, especially how Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma both get to be bride and groom – how sweet! Break those gender norms!

And whoa, this is the first time I’ve seen Korilakkuma bigger than Rilakkuma in the same size class – awesome!

These lovely boxed sets will be available September 13 for 6,000 at all Rilakkuma Stores, including the Net Shop and mobile site!

I might have to pick one up for myself, probably the one with Korilakkuma as the groom and Rilakkuma as the bride (hmmm… what happened to me spending less on Rilakkumas?).

Quick post, but just couldn’t wait to share – how awesome!

Space Rilakkuma Plushies – Kiddyland Exclusive! + New! Sapporo 3rd Anniversary design!

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!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - full

The Rilakkuma space exploration unit!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - yellow kumartian 1

With Rilakkuma, there is a cute yellow Kumartian you can move in and out of the spaceship – hello!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - yellow kumartian 2

… 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).

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - pink kumartian

Korilakkuma has made friends with another set of Kumartians – check out this pink Kumartian saying hello!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - blue kumartian

And a lovely aqua blue Kumartian on her other side as well!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - Kiiroitori closed

Who could be inside here?

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - Kiiroitori open

It’s Kiirotori in a hovercraft! And as a nice completion detail, Kii’s feet are still intact as well!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - Kiiroitori bottom

The bottom of Kiiroitori’s hovercraft!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - tag all full

Tag art! Three beautiful designs that match each of the plushies!

Space Rilakkuma Store/Kiddyland Exclusive - Korilakkuma tag art

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!

In other news, lots of new releases coming! The Cat Series leaked a few months ago, but check out the new official Rilakkuma Cat Series page!

Cat Series - cover

Meow!

Cat Series - standard plushies

I love their little paws and whiskers, and that they’re all different kinds of cats! Standard plushies for 1,680円 each

Cat Series - pouch and tissue box

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.

In addition, the Sapporo Rilakkuma Store is celebrating their 3rd anniversary!

Sapporo Rilakkuma Store 3rd Anniversary - full

Can anyone tell me what Kiiroitori is holding?

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!

And finally, for something a little different, check out these new Rilakkuma lace bracelets!

Lace Bracelets - Nordic

How fashionable!

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!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow plushies! + New! Airplane Rilakkuma + Christmas 2014 Net Shop Exclusive!

Hello again! Now that I’m settling back into the swing of things, I’m so happy to share my new Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow plushies!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - full

New additions: Rilakkuma as Dr. Yellow plushie and hugging pillow, and Rilakkuma Store exclusive Dr. Yellow train operator!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - hugging pillow and train plushie

Love these two! The hugging pillow is for my sister, and the smaller plushie was chosen by Simon!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - train side detail

For the train plushie and hugging pillow, lovely decals on the side that make them look like real Dr. Yellows, with the JR logo, too!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - front detail, cars

“T4” stands for the set designation of the Class 923 Dr. Yellow! Hehehe I think these look kind of like faces.

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - back

And a shoutout to their series name on their backs!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - store exclusive full

Ready to work! The Rilakkuma Store Exclusive (my pick, hehe): Classic Model 923!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - pouch detail

With a super cute Dr. Yellow car cross-body!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - store exclusive hat detail

A wonderful hat to match his friends’!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - tag art

Tag art! The design is the same for all of them, but their border color is different! The hugging pillow is grey, the Rilakkuma Store Exclusive (with T-shirt) is blue, and the Rilakkuma as Dr. Yellow plushie is white – if you have another item from this set, what color was your tag?

I love the bright yellow, though their color scheme reminds me a lot of a big yellow school bus hehehe.

These fast and furious bears were part of the Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow Series, released in July 2014! As I mentioned in a previous post, the San-X Net Shop crashed when I tried ordering on release day, so my sister was kind enough to order the hugging pillow and train plushie on my behalf when I was in the Dominican Republic! Also, happy to add another Rilakkuma-themed San-X box to my collection too hehehe.

I don’t know, there’s something about these train bears that I’m really drawn to haha; I can’t stop myself from ordering all of them! I never thought of myself as a huge transportation fan, but as it turns out, I think I have the most plushies from the transportation/train series than any other in my collection.

Of course, like these Dr. Yellow bears, the train of Rilakkuma keeps on rolling! Following the transportation theme, check out the new Airplane Series!

Airplane Series - plushies

Looks like they’re flying Rilakkuma Airlines! Plushie for 1,680円, and phone charm plushie for 740円.

Airplane Series - travel items

Of course, travel items for your flight! The design and color scheme reminds me a lot of the Bonjour Series from 2010! Neck pillow for 2,000円, slippers for 1,500円, and eye mask for 1,000円.

Looks like these will be available at the major Japanese airports throughout the year – what a cool collaboration!

My mom usually has a layover on her way to the Philippines, so maybe I’ll ask her to scope these out for me when she makes her next trip!

Looking forward a few months, check out the new Christmas 2014 San-X Net Shop Exclusive – WOW, it’s a Rilakkuma advent calendar!

Christmas 2014 Net Shop Exclusive - both sides

So festive!

Christmas 2014 Net Shop Exclusive - calendar detail

On each day of December, take a new ornament out of its pocket…

Christmas 2014 Net Shop Exclusive - tree full

… and place it anywhere on the tree! And have a fully decorated tree on Christmas Day!

Christmas 2014 Net Shop Exclusive - ornaments

A sample of the plushie ornaments! I don’t really understand that half Rilakkuma in the pile down there – looks like his bottom half is missing!

So clever! Pick a new Rilakkuma plushie ornament for each day in December leading up to Christmas to decorate the tree! Really cute – I love the little snowbears hehehe.

Alternatively, you can attach the little plushie ornaments onto a keychain, and just use them for festive decoration.

My family has an advent calendar, and it’s so fun to use every Christmas!

It seems a little early to think about Christmas for me, but haha who knows? This festive advent calendar costs 18,000円, and the San-X Net Shop is taking pre-orders for this cute set until September 7.

Whew! In other news, today was my first day back in school starting my second year in medical school! We’re jumping right in learning about cardiopulmonary pathophysiology – I hope this year was as good as the last’s!

As always, more bears to post about, which is only bound to get more severe as I have recently took on a paid tutoring job at school haha. Stay tuned!

New! Rilakkuma & SHINKANSEN collaboration + Tokyo Souvenir Series!

Hi everyone! I’m back from the Dominican Republic finally, and whew it is wild being back in the States again!

But wow, lots of cool things have happened while I was out!

First up, a Rilakkuma & SHINKANSEN collaboration!

Rilakkuma & SHINKANSEN - plushies

Rilakkuma turns into a bullet train! Keychain for 1,300円, and plushie for 1,900円.

Rilakkuma & SHINKANSEN - folders and pens

Folders for 300円, and pens for 600円 – cute!!

I picked up the Dr. Yellow version of this plushie, so I’ll probably try to get my hands on this version since I’ve traveled on this Shinkansen before!

The Shinkansen (新幹線) is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan, and it’s oldest network is the Tōkaidō Shinkansen (東海道新幹線), which celebrates its 50th birthday this year! Happy birthday Tōkaidō Shinkansen!

A first wave of these items will be sold at Tokyo Station beginning August 19, and then these products will eventually be available in Rilakkuma Stores all over Japan starting August 23.

How cool that they are continuing the success of the transportation theme, which was started by the Yamanote Line collaboration (also with a 50th anniversary theme) from last year!

Speaking of the Yamanote Line, a big congratulations to Rilakkuma for winning an award for excellence at the Transit Advertising Awards 2014!

Following the tourism theme once more, check out the new Tokyo Souvenir Rilakkuma!

Tokyo Souvenir Series - plushies

Cute souvenir plushie for 2,000円, and his keychain counterpart for 1,480円 – wow, these bears are getting pricey!

Tokyo Souvenir Series - stickers and folders

What a lovely pattern! Stickers for 300円, and folders for 350円.

In addition to the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building, this design also features Tokyo Tower (the second tallest structure in Japan behind Skytree) and the Kaminarimon (雷門, an outer entrance gate leading to the Sensō-ji in Asakusa).

I have the Marunouchi Rilakkuma that is really similar in design, but I might pick this one up too for completion’s sake – hard to say no to these camera-wielding Rilakkumas!

Interestingly, these products will be available at all Rilakkuma Stores from August 2 – August 31, but starting from September, only the Rilakkuma in the Tokyo prefecture (Tokyo Station, Tokyo Skytree, Harajuku, Kichijoji) will be stocking these items – which makes some sense since these are supposed to be Tokyo souvenirs anyway hahaha.

Wow, San-X has been really focusing on the tourism and transportation angle recently! In addition to these new designs, San-X is also expanding on their Dr. Yellow line to include socks, chopsticks, and other merchandise now as well – cool!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - chopsticks

Wow, Dr. Yellow-shaped chopsticks for 650円!

I’ve already made quite a few purchases on this line, but super cute nonetheless!

In other news, all of my Space Series Rilakkumas have arrived! I just got back from the Dominican Republic recently, so please be patient as I try to get my bearings back here in the United States!

Redditgifts exchange! + A San-X Net Shop Server Problem! + More photos from the Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe!

Redditgifts is an international Secret Santa gift exchange with different themes throughout the year. Recently, I participated in their “Rilakkuma and Friends” exchange, which was San-X themed!

My Secret Santa (G-Honey) sent me a shiny new Rilakkuma phone charm, and an adorably soft Tonkatsu plush coin purse!

Reddit Gifts - Rilakkuma charm

His bottom swings around when you move him!

Reddit Gifts - Tonkatsu coin purse

Look at this fluffy Tonkatsu plush coin purse with a Hokori zipper pull!

Reddit Gifts - full

What a lovely gift – I’m so grateful!

Oooh the Rilakkuma is really so cute and shiny – anyone know exactly what he’s holding in his paw? Looks a little like a jug of milk to me haha.

Also the Tonkatsu coin purse is so soft, dirty old coins don’t deserve him! Haha maybe I’ll put little Starbursts inside of him or something ;)

This is my first time participating in Redditgifts, so thank you so much, Santa! Check out the other San-X gifts people received at the Redditgifts “Rilakkuma and Friends” gallery!

In international Rilakkuma news, the San-X Net Shop server crashed during the Dr. Yellow / JAXA release – yikes!

I anticipated the server being slow because it’s a big and exciting release, but I’ve never seen the site quite like this before! I bookmarked the products I wanted ahead of time, and I refreshed my page exactly at 10:00AM JST (9:00PM EST on Friday for me)… the loading time was super slow which was expected, but what was the strangest was that I couldn’t get to the payment page.

The first time around, I was online waiting for pages to load for about an hour when I finally got to check out, logged in, and confirmed my address – when my cart would be mysteriously cleared! This happened about 5 more times over the course of several hours (I was adamant to get these bears haha) until 3AM my time, when San-X released an official statement that their site was unable to handle any orders.

The San-X Net Shop has informed the public and apologized via Facebook, email, Twitter, and their website:

San-X Net Shop Crash - screenshot

Screenshot of current San-X Net Shop webpage

Wow, the server must have been really overloaded from all the kuma fans!

I really appreciate their transparency, and I wish them luck to get their site back up and running soon – get well soon, San-X Net Shop!

Anyway, here were the three plushies I was planning on ordering:

San-X Net Shop Crash - order

JAXA Rilakkuma, Dr. Yellow Rilakkuma hugging pillow, and Dr. Yellow Rilakkuma plushie.

Hopefully I’ll get my hands on them soon! Another attempt will be made next week :)

The San-X Facebook page has been posting really cool photos of the JAXA / Dr. Yellow collaboration, which makes me extra excited! Can’t wait to finally place an order next week because they look great!

Dr. Yellow / Jaxa - 1

Wow, look at that mountain of JAXA kumas!

Dr. Yellow / JAXA - 2

I always love these Rilakkuma statues!

Also, be sure to check out Reddit Rilakkuma fan angelacarpediem’s personal photo album of the Rilakkuma Factory Tower Records Cafe in Shibuya! Wow!

According to angelacarpediem, each table there has a Rilakkuma plush – they are really lovely and high quality photos, so definitely check them out! I really want to go someday!

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe - angelacarpediem's photo album

Sneak peek! Lots more incredible photos from the cafe in angelacarpediem’s photo album!

I hope one day my kuma photography skills will be that good, too! Thanks so much for sharing these great photos with the Rilakkuma community, angelacarpediem!

In other news, I’m heading off to the Dominican Republic next Friday for medical service work, so might get a little quiet on this end. I might try to squeeze in another post before I go, but if not, see you in August!

Fansclub Striped Knit Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma Plushies! + A JAXA Rilakkuma Update!

It’s kind of the opposite of sweater weather around these parts nowadays, but say hello to Striped Knit Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma!

Fansclub Striped Knit Series - full

What a lovely pair! Though it looks like Rilakkuma got a little bored with our photoshoot hehehe

Fansclub Striped Knit Series - Korilakkuma sweater detail

A beautiful pink and white sweater, for a beautiful pink and white Korilakkuma! Also, this is the first time I’ve noticed even the thread for Kobear’s red button is a pretty pink just like her paws, feet, and ears!

Fansclub Striped Knit Series - Rilakkuma sweater detail

Rilakkuma looks so cozy in his orange sweater… so cozy that he sat down and took a nap.

Fansclub Striped Knit Series - tag art

Tag art features a mysteriously sweater-less Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma.

Sleepy Rilakkuma is one of my favorite alternative faces, and I think the knit sweaters are really well done! In fact, I’d love to have one of these sweaters for myself so I can match – Rilakkuma is so stylish!

These snug bears were released as part of the Fansclub Striped Knit Series in in December 2013 – with that season’s polar vortex here in North America, looks like Rilakkuma and friends had the right idea for the peak of sweater season!

I also appreciate the stripes on these sweaters as a foreshadowing to the Stripes Stripes Everyday Series that was released just 3 months later – very clever! The standing Rilakkuma from this series even has the same color scheme!

Enormous thanks to generous reader Trinie for this snug pair of bears! During next winter, they’ll be the most prepared bears in my collection hahaha.

Also a little update on the JAXA x Rilakkuma collaboration! People were curious when this plushie appeared on the San-X Net Shop July lineup with no announcement, then mysteriously disappeared shortly after.

JAXA x Rilakkuma - back

Wow, how did they get him to stand up like that? Engineering at its finest, I suppose. One small stand for bear… one giant leap for bearkind!

Good news is that his page on the Net Shop is back up, and San-X announced a little more information about him!

As it turns out, not only is this plushie a collaboration between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Rilakkuma, but it’s also a special product for the Space Expo 2014: The Great Challenge of NASA · JAXA being held at Makuhari Messe (幕張メッセ) in Chiba – hey Ariel, is this anywhere near you?

As part of Space Expo 2014, this plushie celebrates the rich history of both American (NASA) and Japanese (JAXA) achievements in space exploration and engineering. I love this background, and now knowing more about the context, I think I’m leaning more toward getting this plushie!

In other news, interested in what a Rilakkuma Caravan event looks like? Check out Moriwaki’s video of this year’s Space Series Caravan in Kobe!

Rilakkuma looks so professional in his space suit!

I’ve always wanted to go to one of these events! It’s funny to see all those people rubbing his head when he’s leaving hehehe.

You know, it was watching Rilakkuma videos like this that actually first got me interested in Rilakkuma! Something about him waddling around like that around his adoring fans is really endearing! What’s your favorite Rilakkuma video?

Blue/Green Which Color Do You Like? Rilakkuma Plushie + New! Space Lawson Rilakkuma Plushie +Photos from the Rilakkuma x Tower Records Café!

Say hello to this Which Color Do You Like? Rilakkuma!

In this series, you can pick and flip between two colors – it’s like 2 outfits in 1!

Which Color Do You Like? Series - green full

Are you green with envy?

Which Color Do You Like? Series - disrobed

Laundry day?

Which Color Do You Like? Series - blue full

Flip the hoodie inside-out, and be blue instead!

Which Color Do You Like? Series - blue back

Looking fly from the back, too!

Which Color Do You Like? Series - lanyard detail

One interesting feature is that this Rilakkuma plushie has a lanyard attached by two lobster clasps to the top of his head (directly on the bear, not the hoodie).

Which Color Do You Like? Series - tag art

Tag art makes Rilakkuma the star!

One of my favorite details is the secondary star theme: a bear shape made of gold stars on the front, as well as stars on the back, tag, and lanyard.

In addition to being quite versatile, the hoodie is really well designed too, allowing lots of space for his ears to get in and out. The only major obstacle in changing colors is minding the paper tag.

This two-tone bear was released in May 2013 as part of the Which Color Do You Like? Series, which featured lots of cool and special edition colors in addition to this blue/green combo.

Though this bear was acquired last year when I was in Japan, I somehow neglected to write about this since he’s technically my brother’s Rilakkuma.

Hungry for more Rilakkumas in Space? You’ll love the Space Rilakkuma Lawson Exclusive!

Lawson Space Rilakkuma - 1

Astronaut Rilakkuma in outer space with Kiiroitori!

Lawson Space Rilakkuma - 2

Cute Kumartians with Korilakkuma under a pink bear planet!

Hey, pretty cool! Looks like Kiiroitori gets featured twice, that’s a good deal for him! The little poofs they’re sitting on are a nice touch.

They are each 1,944, and these suave Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma sets are available from HMV online, or through the Loppi system. You can make your pre-order now, but these plushies won’t actually be released until… November 19? Dang, it’s just like the time Ariel (Rilakkuma Desu) waited all that time for her Lawson Rilakkuma Wonderland playset last year, guess they’re doing the same thing again this year.

But in any case, they look really great, and could be worth the wait if you’d like this special set in your collection! I’m passing since I already way overspent on Rilakkuma this month, but let me know if you need help ordering.

In other news, while you’re waiting for your Space Rilakkumas to arrive, check out these photos of the Rilakkuma x Tower Records Café in Shibuya!

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe 2014 - 1

Enjoying a refreshing drink, Rilakkuma?

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe -2

What a cute welcome display!

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe - 7

“May I take your order?”

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe - 3

Looks like Rilakkuma would like to take a break at the café, too.

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe - 4

The Rilakkuma Factory plushie working hard as a paperweight… or is he pretending to be a cup, too?

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe - 5

We’ve seen a sneak peek of the rice Rilakkuma before, but ooh check out the desserts!!

Rilakkuma Tower Records Cafe - 6

Rilakkuma Factory x Tower Records Cafe products!

Whoa, so awesome!! As you may recall, this café is part of this summer’s Tower Records x Rilakkuma collaboration, and features a cute nod to the Rilakkuma Factory Series.

Definitely love this concept! I hope to visit Japan one day in the future when one of these is going on! Dang, I would even want to keep the plastic cup from this collab hahaha.

Reminds a little of the Rilakkuma themed café in Korea, Capi Capi Loom Loom! Oooh this blogger’s post shows that Capi Capi Loom Loom has Which Color Do You Like? Rilakkuma too! :3 Hopefully I can visit that café one day as well!

Also, if you’re curious, I’ve updated the Licensed Rilakkuma Plushie Collection page (so far: Fansclub, HNA, Mister Donut)- which made me realize I still have a ton more to photograph! So the page my reflects all the licensed plushies I’ve featured on my blog so far, but know that there is more to come!

Fansclub Strawberry Rilakkuma Plushies! + JAXA collab, Funny Parts Series, and more!

What better way to celebrate strawberry season than with these awesome Fansclub Strawberry Rilakkuma Plushies!

Fansclub Strawberry Series Part 2 - full

A handsome pair of strawbears

Fansclubs Strawberry Series Part 2 - strawberry crown

A beautiful crown of strawberries and strawberry blossoms for this Rilakkuma!

Fansclub Strawberry Series Part 2 - strawberry hood

And a snug strawberry hood for this bear!

Fansclub Strawberry Series Part 2 - tag art

Tag art featuring Korilakkuma picking up a huge heart-shaped strawberry!

Lovely! And what a dynamic duo! I like to think they became best friends over their mutual interest in strawberry headgear hehehe.

These blissful strawbears were released as part of the “Strawberry Series Part2” by Fansclub in March 2010.

Gigantic thank you to reader Trinie for this seasonally perfect pair of bears! What a splendid set, and they’re joining a strong and diverse community of strawberry bears!

Lots of cool Rilakkuma things to look forward to: check out the JAXA Rilakkuma plushie!

JAXA Rilakkuma - ad

Great jumpsuit!

I missed posting about this guy because I got swept up in the Dr. Yellow line, wow, isn’t he fly? Like the Dr. Yellow series, this cute JAXA worker comes out on July 19, and costs 2,484円.

As Ariel mentioned in her post, JAXA stands for “Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency” and they’re responsible for satellite launches, asteroid exploration and much more! With the Space Series coming out this month, this collaboration fits perfectly!

I actually live really close to the Kennedy Space Center – maybe I need to take my astronaut Rilakkumas for a visit hehehe.

In case you’re still craving more Rilakkuma news, San-X will also be releasing a new line of Rilakkuma merchandise for the Rilakkuma Funny Parts Series!

Funny Parts Series - 1

Wahaha I really like these phone cases, might be something I’d like to invest in (1,200円)

Funny Parts Series - 2

Now you can pretend to be Rilakkuma with the excuse that it’s just a pouch or a towel hahaha

Great concept!

Looks like this theme features our favorite parts from our favorite bears – look forward to this release in August 2014!

I think the Rilakkuma mug is really clever, though I guess you have to hold the mug up to your nose for it to really look like you have a Rilakkuma snout haha.

And for those interested, I’ve finished the first part of my collection page!

Bear Nation - June 2014

Always growing!

Just the San-X and Lawson ones are done right now, but I hope to finish the rest of the plushies over the next week or so.

One my webpage, my running collection will be recorded on the top menu bar (“Collection”), and provides information about series and release date, as well as their original posts on my blog and San-X page. Hope y’all enjoy it!

New! Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow!

Back from Charleston, and ready to get back into the (Rilakkuma) swing of things! I hope to post a few of my photos on this blog, once I get around to sorting through the hundreds of takes haha.

In what feels like news to welcome me home, San-X swarms us again with a dashingly cute collaboration with JR (Japan Railway) this summer: Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow!

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - cover art

“Rilakkuma’s ears and Kiiroitori’s body are yellow. The yellow color brings you happiness.”

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - Rilakkuma Store exclusives

Wow! Cheerfully yellow Rilakkuma Store Exclusives (from top left): collectible 22 cm plushie (1,900円), keychain (1,300円), standing plushie (2,100円), and camera strap (2,200円). Standing plushie and camera strap will both be available on the Net Shop as well.

dryellow-3

And this time, Rilakkuma even gets to be a Dr. Yellow!! And Kiiroitori gets to play stationmaster. Available at Rilakkuma Stores as well as select locations: Rilakkuma as Dr. Yellow (1,900円) and Kiiroitori (1,900円).

Rilakkuma Meets Dr. Yellow - face close-up

“Ready for my close-up!”

Now this was a collaboration I really didn’t see coming!

Dr. Yellow (ドクターイエロー) is the nickname for the high-speed test trains used on the Japanese Shinkansen (bullet train) – as the name implies, these train cars are “doctors” that help diagnose problems on the track, and sport a beautiful bright yellow! A lovely complement to the lime green theme from last year’s Rilakkuma x Yamanote Line collaboration.

And just like the Yamanote collaboration too, looks like Korilakkuma got left out again :[

Specifically for this collaboration, Rilakkuma represents a Dr. Yellow Class 923, as designated on his shirt and by the blue stripe.

No time to rest for this release y’all – these items and more (such as keyrings, storage boxes, and pens) will be available July 19! There will also be a special commemorative bag, and if you make a purchase over 1,900円, a commemorative sticker, too!

As a future doctor hahaha, I’m actually super drawn to this design, so even though my wallet is already tired from July, I feel like I have to have a bear from this series! But with the three different Rilakkuma designs, I’m having a hard time deciding which to choose! What are your thoughts?

New! Tower Records x Rilakkuma Summer 2014!

Well, seeing as the Tower Records collaborations come out around the same time every year, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore but WOW check out the new Tower Records x Rilakkuma collaboration for summer 2014!

Tower Records x Rilakkuma 2014 - cover

Oooh it’s 70’s roller disco themed!

Tower Records x Rilakkuma 2014 - standard plushies

Check out their fabulous outfits!

Tower Records x Rilakkuma 2014 - playset and keychains

Just like last year, there’s a playset featuring all 3 performing together on a bear-shaped stage! Looks like Rilakkuma only has one wheel per skate though haha maybe that’s why he’s too tired to stand.

Tower Records x Rilakkuma 2014 - cafe

In commemoration of this collaboration, Tower Records Café will also be offering a super cute Rilakkuma menu, unique products from the Rilakkuma Factory series, and a song book!

Wow, what a glam theme! I love the bright colors and outfits – I think San-X has really been showing their creativity this year! Such an interesting design choice to put Kiiroitori on a skateboard instead hehehe

The playset looks really lovely, and I appreciate that they’re continuing the “bear band” theme from last year! I wonder what they’ll think of next!

This flashy set will be released on July 10… because there just weren’t enough July Rilakkuma releases for us to juggle, right? Hahaha

My family will be taking a trip to Charleston, SC over the next week – I’m trying to enjoy every last vacation moment I have with my family!

I’ll be back soon though, still have lots of incredible plushies to share with all of you! Hopefully I’ll be able to take some photos of Rilakkuma in Charleston, too :) Until then, take care, and let me know what you think about this new design!