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Snowman Totoro, other self-righting dolls never stay down, will always keep your spirits up【Pics】

Casey Baseel Dec 12, 2023
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Ghibli mascot turns into okiagari koboshi dolls, and there’s an easy way to get the whole set.

In anime, it’s usually the shonen action protagonists and team-leading magical girls who are held up as shining examples of keeping an optimistic attitude at all times. But if we’re making a list of Japanese animation characters who never let a frown settle on their face, we’ve got to include Totoro, right?

The Ghibli forest spirit’s mood is a near-perpetual mix of cheerful and relaxed, and that matter-of-fact positivity is also reflected in the set of Totoro okiagari koboshi dolls.

Okiagari and koboshi translate loosely to “get up” and “fall down,” and okiagari koboshi dolls are a type of self-righting figurine with a long history in Japanese handicrafts. These Totoro dolls, from Studio Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku, come in six different designs.

One of those is naturally, the standard big gray Totoro, and the blue and white Totoros are here too (though they’re the same size as the gray, they do have the distinctive ears of the medium and small Totoros seen in the anime film). There’s also a green Totoro and a brown one, neither of which appears in the anime but which sometimes show up in merch lines.

But it’s the adorable snow man Totoro, or snow Totoro, that steals the show here, with leaves and what appear to be little acorns for his traditional tummy markings.

▼ The snow Totoro figure is reminding us of the Totoro snowman someone actually made in Hokkaido a few winters back.

Now, if you’ve spent much time collecting anime merch or other Japanese pop culture trinkets, you’ve probably already guessed that this sort of variations-on-a-theme format means that these Totoros are being offered as blind buys, with the design you’re getting kept a secret until you open the box.

So while 880 yen (US$6.10) will get you one the Totoro self-righting dolls, there’s no telling how much you’ll have to spend to get the one you want, or, even better, to have the whole set in the palms of your hands, right?

Nope! Because in addition to individual figurines, Donguri Kyowakoku is also offering a six-pack set that guarantees one of each design. They don’t even charge extra for it, as the “box set,” as they call it, is priced at 5,280 yen, exactly the same as six individual figures would be.

Individual figures can be purchased through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here, and the box set here. At roughly 5 centimeters (2 inches) tall, they make great stocking stuffers and also a great Christmas present to yourself if you’re looking for a symbol of heartwarming encouragement to keep on your desk or inside the snow Catbus you build your front yard.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2)
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