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Beautiful Totoro diorama box flower sets offered for Mother’s Day, but look great all year long

Casey Baseel Mar 18, 2024
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Sure, you could buy these for your mom, but you could also buy them for yourself.

What with all the magical creatures Mei and Satsuki meet and the mysterious adventures they go on in My Neighbor Totoro, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the whole reason they’ve moved to the enchanted countryside is to be closer to the hospital where their mom is convalescing. That familial connection gets reinforced in the film’s final act, though, and so Ghibli specialty shop Donguro no Kyowakoku is releasing a new line of beautiful Totoro items just in time for Mother’s Day, although they’re really suitable for any Ghibli fan in your life (including yourself).

Though the tradition originated overseas, in Japan carnations are very strongly associated with Mother’s Day. Because of that, Donguri Kyowakoku is offering gift sets consisting of carnations and Totoro “diorama boxes.”

Now, you might be wondering why they’re called “diorama boxes” instead of just “planters” or “flower pots.” That’s because while they’ll hold flowers, they can also hold plenty of other things too.

Even if you don’t put anything inside, it’s still a joy to look at, thanks to all the little details and expressive facial features on the three differently sized Totoros.

In addition to the bucket-style diorama box shown above, there’s also one where the Totoro trio congregates around one of Mei’s rainboots.

▼ We can tell it’s Mei’s because her name (めい) is written on it in hiragana.

Oh, wait, did I say Totoro trio? This is actually a quartet, because in addition to the little white Totoro dozing where the wearer’s toes would go…

…there’s one climbing up the back, too.

The big gray Totoro is actually a completely separate figure who comes bundled with the set…

…and the beautifully rendered dewdrop on the tip of the medium blue Totoro’s umbrella leaf might just be the coolest touch of all.

Donguri Kyowakoku also has a carnation and diorama box set for fans of Kiki’s Delivery Service, graced by black cat Jiji and, ostensibly, one of his kittens who appears in the Hayao Miyazaki-directed anime’s ending credits.

Here, the container is fashioned after Kiki’s messenger bag, and you can spot her delivery service emblem on the back.

Each diorama box also comes with a postcard, which you can use to write a message to your mom or whoever else you’re giving it to.

▼ In the case of the Kiki’s one, you’ll probably want to make sure the recipient is familiar with the source material before giving her a card addressed to “Miss Witch,” especially if you’re giving it to your mom.

The boxes’ materials are listed as polyester resin, PVC, EVA, and iron. Size-wise, they’re around 18.5 centimeters (7.3 inches) across and 13 to 17 inches tall. Pricing for the sets, which includes the diorama box, carnations, and domestic shipping, is 10,780 yen (US$73) for the Mei boot and Jiji versions (available through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here and here), and 12,100 for the Totoro bucket (available here). And if you’re interested in just the boxes, not the flowers, Donguri Kyowakoku plans to start offering them by themselves sometime next month.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3)
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Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’s still grateful to his mom for taking him to see My Neighbor Totoro in the theater when he was a kid.