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!
Special thank you to Trinie for the Space Series bag that is the beautiful backdrop for today’s photoshoot!! These shopping bags are so meaningful to me because as a Rilakkuma fan who depends on online ordering, I rarely get the special edition bags for every series! Especially as a fan who loves the illustrations, I am so appreciative – thanks a ton, Trinie!!
Speaking of the Space Series, next up is Space Series Rilakkuma!
Greetings from outer space!
His space suit has a similar color scheme and belt as the Space Series Store Exclusive Rilakkuma, but with different designs: this suit features a different Rilakkuma logo as well as a dango with its planetary rings!
Rilakkuma’s space suit is completely attached to his body so no signs of the back zipper typical of Rilakkuma, but there is somewhat of a replication of his back zipper on his helmet!
Amazingly cute embroidery in the back, with a little planet as the dot in the “i”! I also love the three stars embroidered throughout the suit and helmet, which represent the 3 colors of the Rilakkuma team’s suits (yellow for Rilakkuma, pink for Korilakkuma, and blue for Kiiroitori).
His helmet is removable by the back zipper, and can be transferred to any other standard collectible sized bear so they can play astronaut, too! Though the helmet is not the easiest to get on and off due to Rilakkuma’s ears haha
Hahaha I think this is the only Rilakkuma I have who is truly covered from head to toe! Well except for his little paws peeking out hehehe.
Like the JAXA collab, the Space Series came out in July 2014.
Since I went a little nuts this summer on Rilakkuma, I decided to restrain myself and only get the brown bear from this set. I think Bear Nation has a pretty thriving space program between this astronaut, JAXA Rilakkuma, planet Rilakkuma, and the 3 space explorers (Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori, and Kumartians) haha.
As a JINS PC follow-up: have you seen their super cute promotions and interviews?
Make sure you check out the Rilakkuma page at the JINS website for more cuteness – my favorite is definitely the interview with one of the physicians endorsing the product (lots more adorable photos at the source!).
Kiiroitori turned into a swan paddle boat! Like the Egg Series, Kiiroitori transforms into another bird species haha. Miniplushies 1,500円 each.
These plushies look really cute and clever hehe, I always love when the designs deviate a little from standard – sitting on things, different facial expressions, etc. The different color theme swan boats (yellow for Rilakkuma, blue for Kiiroitori, and pink for Korilakkuma) is a great touch! I really like how Korilakkuma got her own swan boat crown too haha. These plushies will be available on October 11!
As always, I do love how culturally relevant these anniversary plushies are! Swan paddle boats are a popular attraction at Inokashira Park (井の頭恩賜公園) in Kichijoji.
One day, I hope to visit every Rilakkuma Store, but I especially want to visit Kichijoji because the Ghibli Museum is also in Inokashira Park! Do you like Studio Ghibli films? My favorite is Spirited Away! Though really, I haven’t met a Studio Ghibli film I didn’t like!
Cats love Rilakkuma, too! This photo was taken by Jemolian’s Store, who sold Rilakkuma merchandise at the event!
According to the event page, Bon Japan holds this themed Rilakkuma cafe event every year, and this year, the event was held on August 30 at the Cat Cafe to celebrate the upcoming Cats Series! Hahaha what a clever collaboration!
The Cat Cafe is a cafe that allows you to play with cats while you dine and relax, and part of the proceeds were donated to the Cat Welfare Society!
At this year’s event, a man proposed to his girlfriend of 11 years – in a Rilakkuma suit! Check out a few videos and photos over at Stomp.
I have my first exam of my second year of medical school next Friday on cardiopulmonary diseases so things will be quiet from me until then! Until then, take care!
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.
Rilakkuma as the groom, and Korilakkuma as the 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円 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!
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!
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!
New additions: Rilakkuma as Dr. Yellow plushie and hugging pillow, and Rilakkuma Store exclusive Dr. Yellow train operator!
Love these two! The hugging pillow is for my sister, and the smaller plushie was chosen by Simon!
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!
“T4” stands for the set designation of the Class 923 Dr. Yellow! Hehehe I think these look kind of like faces.
And a shoutout to their series name on their backs!
Ready to work! The Rilakkuma Store Exclusive (my pick, hehe): Classic Model 923!
With a super cute Dr. Yellow car cross-body!
A wonderful hat to match his friends’!
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!
Looks like they’re flying Rilakkuma Airlines! Plushie for 1,680円, and phone charm plushie for 740円.
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!
On each day of December, take a new ornament out of its pocket…
… and place it anywhere on the tree! And have a fully decorated tree on Christmas Day!
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!
Rilakkuma turns into a bullet train! Keychain for 1,300円, and plushie for 1,900円.
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!
Cute souvenir plushie for 2,000円, and his keychain counterpart for 1,480円 – wow, these bears are getting pricey!
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!
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 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!
His bottom swings around when you move him!
Look at this fluffy Tonkatsu plush coin purse with a Hokori zipper pull!
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:
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:
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!
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!
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!
It’s kind of the opposite of sweater weather around these parts nowadays, but say hello to Striped Knit Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma!
What a lovely pair! Though it looks like Rilakkuma got a little bored with our photoshoot hehehe
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!
Rilakkuma looks so cozy in his orange sweater… so cozy that he sat down and took a nap.
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.
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!
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?
RilakkumaLifestyle 