The newest character from Studio Ghibli is out to charm us all with official merch.

After 20 years in the making, Ghibli’s Boro The Caterpillar was finally released last week, and along with the first screening came a collection of new merchandise for fans.

Available only at the gift stores inside the Ghibli Museum, where the short film is being exclusively shown, these goods are some of the hardest to get, so we made sure we stopped by to see what was available after our recent visit.

Whether you’re a fan of Ghibli or simply a fan of cute goods, this new range of merchandise is sure to put a smile on your face!

▼ The Mama Aiuto gift store inside the museum is
named after the sky pirates in Porco Rosso.

The store sells a whole heap of exclusive Ghibli merchandise you can’t buy anywhere else, but now they’ve got a new lineup of products in store, dedicated to Boro The Caterpillar.

First up, we have a clear stationery file for 350 yen (US$3.34), which captures the moment Boro lands inside a bright yellow groundsel flower, which is one of the most adorable scenes from the film.

If you’ve been to the museum store before, you’ve probably rifled through the drawers in the big chest which has dozens of pin badges featuring all sorts of characters from different films. Boro is the latest character to appear in the extensive pin badge collection, with two varieties available for 583 yen each.

▼ This one shows Boro emerging from his egg,
gazing out wide-eyed at the new world around him.

▼ And here Boro is pictured on a green leaf,
which is one of his favourite things to eat.

If you’re into scrapbooking, or simply want to add some flair to your gift-wrapping game, this cute masking tape is sure to do the trick.

▼ Priced at 467 yen, this adorable little piece of
stationery is covered in images of Boro.

He can be seen trundling about in nature, surrounded by leaves, pollen, flowers and delicious squares of blue “air jelly”.

The most expensive, and cutest, piece of merchandise is a tiny toy plushie of Boro the caterpillar, which retails for 1,050 yen.

The adorable palm-sized soft toy might seem a little on the expensive side at first, but once you feel his hard stomach and take a look at his posterior, the reason for the high price becomes clear.

It turns out that this little Boro actually moves! Simply pull the cord out of his bottom and he’ll start to vibrate and move forwards.

The clever arrangement of feet and threads underneath the toy add to the realistic caterpillar-walking effect.

Take a look at Boro in action below!

▼ Who knew a tiny brown caterpillar could be this cute?

Mama Aiuto is not the only gift shop at the Ghibli Museum, so if you’re interested in the art of animation, head over to the Tri Hawks bookstore on the third floor to pick up the “pamphlet”, which is really a 10-page colour booklet with lots of juicy background information on the process behind making the film, including plenty of beautiful images from the movie.

▼ At 432 yen, this booklet is a bargain!

Still, if you’re keen on stocking up on Boro merchandise, Mama Aiuto should definitely be on your list of places to go. They also stock a sheet of stickers and a set of postcards, all featuring the character of Boro and scenes from the film, so be sure to have a good look around next time you’re in the store!

As with many of the shorts, the entire range of goods will only be available for a limited time, while the movie is showing at the museum’s Saturn Theatre, from 21 March-31 August. Tickets to the museum for March and April are already sold out online, but May tickets go on sale from 10 a.m. (JST) on 10 April so you’ll still have time to see the movie if you’re planning a visit to Japan.

And for more Boro news, don’t forget to stop by here to check out our spoiler-free look at the new film, which has all the details about what you can expect to see, and hear, during its 14-minute-20-second runtime.

Photos ©2018 Studio Ghibli ©SoraNews24

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