Let’s have a look at what’s happening at Japanese kawaii brand San-X for October with new themes for Rilakkuma and Sumikko Gurashi, plus a debut collection for Lie Detective Tomanto. Shopping links and info is at the end of the post and some of the collections also have free wallpapers.
Lie Detective Tomanto is the latest in a long line of weird San-X characters, a sensitive tomato who unexpectedly became a detective as he has a talent for seeing through outright lies. He’s the star of a new anime series that will be shown on trains in Japan so look out for that if you’re visiting soon. It should be shared on Youtube later too.
Round yellow Pucchi the cherry tomato (self-proclaimed most-capable assistant in the world!) might be my favourite new character and I really need a plushie. Other characters include Police Inspector Nasunbo, a careless egglplant, plus more residents of Furucity and Vegitown. As well as plush, there’s pouches, stickers, acrylic standees, keychains and lots of stationery.
Rilakkuma and friends are also getting a new anime series next year called Stay With Me and there’s some merch to get you excited. It features original illustrations and comic-style doodles from the series artists and is themed around Rilakkuma’s beloved pancakes.
As well as the usual plush and stationery, you’ll find some fluffy bags and a mug, oven mitts and apron for the kitchen. The little plush that can stand up are too cute and I love that you can buy Korilakkuma’s duck toy as well.
Sumikko Gurashi get a mini Retro Sweets Parlor collection with so many kawaii plushies, including re-releases of some designs from the past ten years. I’m kind of glad I’m not in Japan or I would buy everything. There are also outfits to dress your plush in, fruit-shaped keychains that fit a plush inside and a big pouch shaped like a fruit sando!
The rest of October’s releases are smaller multi-character collections and my favourite is Sushi Goods with everything you need to recreate a Rilakkuma or Sumikko Gurashi-themed sushi bar at home. There’s plates, cups, bowls, soy sauce dispensers and more, plus lots of cute plushies and some fun stationery too. I love the chopsticks that turn into a pen!
Nui Photo Series is a range of accessories featuring photos of San-X character plush so you can enjoy having them around in your daily life while the real ones stay safely at home. There’s various characters from Rilakkuma, Sumikko Gurashi, Sugarcocomuu and Ishiyowa-chan on keychains, phone grips, bags and glasses cases.
I also have to include this adorable video for the Rilakkuma by Your Side plush. If you don’t want a Rilakkuma roommate by the end of this video, you’re stronger than me (and I already own a similar one!)
How to buy San-X
All the products for October are in the San-X shop now with most available to buy now but you’ll need to use a forwarding service outside Japan. Otherwise you need to keep an eye on official resellers, who may also have items that are already sold out at San-X. AmiAmi (JP) does pre-orders before release, Kawaii Republic (JP) and Meccha Japan (JP) do both pre-order and in stock items, while Very Goods (JP) usually add most items within a few days or 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. US fans also now have an official San-X store on Amazon, mostly with products made for the US market.
Leave a Reply