A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail: Studio Ghibli short anime film gets a new merchandise collection

Now you can own some of Ghibli’s rarest and cutest anime characters.

Studio Ghibli has become famous around the world for its animated feature movies, with its latest even winning a Golden Globe, but many fans might be surprised to know the studio has also created a series of 10 short anime films, which can only be viewed at two places in the world — Ghibli Park and the Ghibli Museum.

Given their rarity — the films are shown on monthly rotation at most so they can’t be viewed all at once — these short movies are arguably even more special than the studio’s more famous films. Having seen all of them, this writer can say that one of the best is a charming 12 minute and 55 second-long work known as Chu Zumo, or A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail in English.

Created in 2010, this short movie is based on the Japanese folk tale The Mice’s Sumo Tournament, and tells the story of an old couple who live together in the mountains and work hard on the fields every day. One night, the old man secretly follows a group of mice and discovers they’ve been holding sumo tournaments. When he learns that the mice from his home field have been losing, he and his wife prepare a feast for them to help build their strength, and even create red mawashi (sumo loincloths) for them. The movie culminates in the final sumo match, overseen by a frog acting as the gyoji (sumo referee).

As one of the lesser-known movies in the studio’s repertoire, goods related to A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail have been sadly few and far between. However, that’s all changed now, thanks to a new range of beautiful goods from the Ghibli Museum.

Two of the most beautiful items in the range are the figures, with one showing Jii and Baa (“ojiisan” and “obaasan” are common Japanese terms for “old man” and “old woman”) and the other showing Frog, in his animated referee pose.

These figures are based on the papier-mâché models made by director Akihiko Yamashita during production of the film. All the details in the original models were carefully reproduced, right down to the light hues of the watercolour brushstrokes and the carefully drawn hair and wrinkles.

▼ The figures look just like the characters from the film.

▼ Each figure has “Chu Zumo” (“ちゅうずもう”) printed on the base.

▼ The Jii and Baa figure retails for 7,870 yen (US$52.48)…

▼ …while Frog is priced at 4,840 yen.

The other star characters from the film are, of course, the sumo-wrestling mice, and they can be seen on a tenugui towel and yunomi teacup.

The Kimarite Yunomi (“kimarite” is the term for a technique to win a match in sumo, while “yunomi” is the Japanese word for a tall cylindrical teacup) retails for 1,650 yen.

The cup shows the mice demonstrating a variety of kimarite moves, along with the names by which the moves are known, printed in Japanese.

▼ These moves are also shown on the tenugui, which is priced at 1,650 yen.

▼ Frog even makes an appearance, overseeing the proceedings.

Tenugui are cotton cloths that can be used around the home for a variety of tasks like wiping dishes, wrapping items, or simply as wall decorations.

If you’d like to cuddle up to the cute little mice wrestlers, the Chu Zumo Mascots are waiting to receive your love and attention.

Priced at 1,595 yen, these mice are so cute you’ll want to buy a bunch of them to create your very own sumo stable!

▼ You can keep them at home or attach them to your bag for company on daily outings.

▼ Another adorable way to dress up your bag is with the Pin Badge, priced at 550 yen.

If you’d like to dress up your stationery, this cute Sticker Roll (660 yen) will do the trick.

The stickers in this pack are dedicated to some of the most popular characters from Ghibli’s short films.

Some of the characters include Boro from Boro the Caterpillar, and  Mei and the Baby Cat Bus from the film of the same name.

And if you’d like to get the next best thing to the actual film, then the Movie Pamphlet and Soundtrack Set is a steal at 1,547 yen.

The Movie Pamphlet (top, below) is more like a book, with screenshots and background information on the film.

If you love Ghibli movies, Japanese sumo and traditional fairytales, A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail will steal your heart with its touching storyline and loveable characters. It’s currently being shown at the Ghibli Museum until the end of March, so be sure to catch it if you can, or otherwise enjoy some of the magic with the merchandise range, which can be purchased at the museum store or online (links below), where you can also pick up a stunning mini replica of the museum and its wooden signs.

Source: Ghibli Museum online shop
Top image: Ghibli Museum online shop
Insert images: Ghibli Museum online shop (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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