Studio Ghibli adds new Jiji’s baby plush toy to its anime merchandise range in Japan

Kiki’s Delivery Service steals the spotlight with exclusive plushies… and jewellery that would make Kiki jealous.

We all know that young witch Kiki is the star of Studio Ghibli’s 1989 film Kiki’s Delivery Service, but the titular character’s star power is often eclipsed by her black cat and familiar, Jiji.

Being the kind-hearted soul she is, Kiki likely wouldn’t be fazed by Jiji’s worldwide popularity – in fact, every time Ghibli specialty chain Donguri Kyowakoku releases a new line of merchandise related to the feline, we can imagine Kiki herself lining up with the rest of us to purchase the goods so she can proudly share her love for Jiji.

If Kiki were to jump out of the anime world and into the real one, both she and Jiji would likely be making a beeline for the store right now, because Donguri Kyowkoku has released a new plush toy in honour of…

▼ … JIji’s baby!

This is an unusual release for the chain, as the spotlight is usually set firmly on Jiji rather than his offspring, whom we only meet briefly in the closing credits of the film. This late introduction of Jiji’s children, whom he shares with girlfriend Lily, can leave viewers wondering what adventures they get up to next, and this new release gives us a way to answer that, as we can now pick this baby up to keep us company at home.

If Kiki and Jiji were able to see this plushie, they’d be cooing over the gorgeous details, with the large, youthful wide eyes and perky pink ears making it look like a younger version of JIji.

▼ Pair it with a Jiji plushie from the same chain and you get a charming family scene.

Called “Jiji’s Baby Plush Toy“, the soft plushie has a velour-like smooth texture that’s said to be so pleasant to touch you’ll want to keep petting it. Measuring 16 centimetres (6.3 inches) in height, the baby is priced at 3,300 yen (US$20.85).

As an added bonus, Donguri Kyowakoku has also added another unusual plushie to its lineup, by restocking the “Looks Just Like Jiji” plushie (2,750 yen).

As fans will know, this plushie recreates the one that appears in a wicker basket in the film, which looks uncannily like Jiji.

Kiki is tasked with delivering the toy as part of her delivery service, where it’s meant to be a gift for Ketto, but she ends up losing it.

This leads to a humorous sequence of events, where Jiji has to step in to pretend to be the plush toy, while Kiki’s friend Ursula sews the damaged plushie back together.

Those stitching details appear on the plush toy, making it seem like the real one from the world of Kiki’s Delivery Service.

The love for everything Jiji-related continues with the restock of a collection of jewellery in honour of the cat, and the Guchokipanya bakery where he and Kiki spend much of their time in the movie.

▼ This beautifully crafted jewellery line is called The Guchokipanya Bakery Series.

▼ Jiji’s love for jam is depicted in the “Jiji Clinging to a Jam Jar” necklace (2,970 yen).

In the “Jam Jar and Jiji” earrings (available in pierced and clip-on varieties for 2,970 yen per pair), the cat can be seen with a whole piece of bread in his mouth.

▼ The earrings let you dangle Jiji from one ear lobe…

▼ …and a jar of jam from the other.

All the items are so beautiful that Kiki herself would want to buy them all, but as always they are only being produced in limited quantities so you’ll want to step into a Donguri Kyowakoku store or purchase them online (links below) before they sell out.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
Featured image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
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