Moomin fans will love this big, beautiful plush — and thanks to the Moomin series’ 75th anniversary, he could be yours!

As someone who splits my life quite evenly between England, Japan and the United States, I often stumble on what cultural touchstones I share with people…especially cartoons. You see, I spent my childhood surrounded by British characters like the Poddington Peas, the Wombles and Penny Crayon, but would be greeted by blank stares whenever I brought them up to Japanese or American friends.

One fun partial exception was the Moomins, the characters from Tove Jansson’s beloved illustrated story books of the same name. The Moomins series has been adapted to TV series numerous times by Japanese anime studios, but the 1990s series received a British dub and was broadcast throughout the U.K. As the series was never licensed to broadcast in the United States, the franchise is much less famous there when compared to Japan and Britain.

▼ 2019 brought us a new series called Moominvalley, and no, it hasn’t aired in America either.

Still, you don’t need to be intimately familiar with the lore of The Moomins to appreciate how gosh darn cute the Moomintroll characters are. Big, round snouts, tiny pointed ears and deft little hands, not to mention those dewy round eyes; Moomins are pretty much the cutest non-Pokémon characters around. Plush versions of the trolls are sold all over Japan, from tiny charms to  gigantic troll behemoths: and as with all plush, bigger equals better!

Allow us to introduce one of the best upcoming Moomin plush, courtesy of Japan’s dedicated Moomin fan club store Kokemomo no Kodo. To celebrate 75 years since the publication of the first graphic novel, The Moomins and the Great Flood, they are offering you the chance to buy a Sitting Moomin who stands — er, sits — 75 centimeters (29.5 inches) tall!

Doesn’t he look just majestic?

This Moomin stuffed animal is of a similar stature to the fuzzy family plushies staff keep on hand at the Moomin Café, to keep solitary diners company while they eat. However, this Sitting Moomin is a very limited run item: only 75 will be made in the whole world, and each one will wear a beautiful golden pendant bearing its print number to prove it.

With only 75 of these guaranteed, competition is bound to be fierce amongst die-hard Moomin fans. And that’s exactly who this product is targeted towards; all the items for sale on Kokemomo no Kodo are locked behind a member login screen, and before you order you must write in a secret code told to you by the fan club admins. Once you’ve done all that, you’ll be given the lucky chance to order the Sitting Moomin when pre-orders go live as of December 6. Oh, and did we mention he costs 65,000 yen (US$597.60)? At least shipping and tax are included!

The Sitting Moomin plush is not only beautiful, but he’s limited to a run of less than one hundred products, comes with a beautiful piece of jewelry and costs more than a fashionable kimono set. Surely you’ll keep this perfect paragon of plush in storage for centuries, or until a Moomin series airs in America, whichever somes first. Right?

Well, actually, the Kokemomo no Kodo staff want you to do the opposite of that. The cheery blurb accompanying the product insists this Moomin can stay with you through the happy times, the sad times, the bitter times, the rough times, and he’ll always be ready to give you a warm cuddle.

▼ “Oh, Moomin… I just spent half my rent on you, but you’re so soft and warm!”

They also urge you to have him sit on your sofa, give him piggy-back rides and even sit across with him to dine, just like his siblings working at the Moomin Café.

If you don’t happen to have 65,000 yen on hand, why not purchase a cheaper plush at the Moominvalley Park that opened in Japan this year? Just as cute and just as huggable, though we can’t guarantee they’ll perch as perfectly on a chair.

Source: Moomin Shop Kokemomo no Kodo via Netlab
Images: Moomin Shop Kokemomo no Kodo
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