Let’s have a look at what’s coming up at Japanese kawaii brand San-X for October. There’s cute new themes for Rilakkuma, Sumikko Gurashi & Pokantotan, plus a return for some nostalgic favourites. Shopping links and info is at the end of the post and the collection pages also have free wallpapers.
I’m starting with Pokantotan as I love this “forgetful but it’s okay” bunny. The new theme is translated as What’s wrong with Pokanton? as they forget to charge their phone, bring their wallet and write a letter, but also how good sushi tastes! They even forget the milk for so long that a triangle of cheese appears, who becomes a new friend of course.
The collection has a lot of useful items and my favourites are the little faux leather cheese pouch and phone bag. The plushies look so soft and you can choose from Pokantotan or his goat and dog friends (and don’t miss the extra wallpapers of the plushies if you can’t afford one). There’s also a few plush keychains, pencil case, mug, hand towel and stationery.
Sumikko Gurashi get 2 mini themes this month. The Sumikko Gurashi Drawing theme has a lovely hand-drawn sketchy style and the video above is so sweet. It imagines the daily lives of the characters as they “laze around, squish, and spend their time freely”. There’s a lot here for stationery collectors, though much of it is not listed on San-X and you may need to check resellers. I love the mug too and there’s also pouches, bags and charms.
The Sumikko Magic Salon theme is all about a longing for magic and has sparkly pastel plushies with jewels, pearls, bows and even magic wands. There’s also some incredible display sets – including a mirror! – and a pouch and backpack with display windows for your plush.
Rilakkuma is going back to basics with a simple graphic collection of Favorite Things. It’s all about daily life – doing laundry, watering the plants, watching TV, eating and lounging around. The plush are my top picks here – you can get Rilakkuma & Korilakkuma holding their favourite things, which can be removed so they can hold your phone or other items instead – or mini plush including yet another kawaii trash can! There’s also some home goods like a laundry hanger, bags and mugs, and loads of cute stationery.
And finally, exciting news for old school San-X fans as Friends of those days brings back Tarepanda, Kogepan, Afro Ken and Nyan Nyan Nyanko for a small collection. The 3D tile stickers are so cool and you’ll definitely feel nostalgic looking at the plushies and mini bags.
Nyan Nyan Nyanko was my earliest San-X fave so I’m very happy to see this. Hopefully it means other neglected characters (hello, Mamegoma?) will get some new stuff soon too.
How to buy San-X
All the available products for October can be viewed on the San-X shop now so you can be ready to order from next Wednesday (2nd October at 10am JST) but you’ll need to use a forwarding service outside Japan. Otherwise you need to keep an eye on resellers. AmiAmi (JP) does pre-orders before release, Meccha Japan (JP) does both pre-order and in stock items, while Very Goods (JP) usually add most items within a few weeks. International shops can take longer, from weeks to many months – we recommend Cuteness (EU – also do preorders), ARTBOX (UK) and Oshoppu (UK). Use our guide to The Best Kawaii Shops Worldwide for more options (sadly most US shops mainly stock San-X products made for the US market) or search on Ebay and Amazon Japan.
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