Toy car based on a boat adds some Ghibli whimsy to the Tomica lineup.

Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy has a creative partnership with Studio Ghibli in which the anime production house’s films serve as the inspiration for models in Takara Tomy’s Tomica line of toy cars. Since the collaboration is part of the Dream Tomica lineup, in which whimsical creativity is more important than real-world automotive engineering principles, the Ghibli Tomica models sometimes challenge our preconceived notions of what is and isn’t a car, and that concept-expanding activity continues with the newest entry, the No Face car.

Instead of a coupe or sedan, the Spirited Away scene-stealer’s mode of conveyance is a tarubune. Also called tarukaisen, tarubune are traditional boats with a construction that resembles a barrel, cask, or bucket. They’re also not too far off from the washbuckets provided at old-school Japanese public baths and hot springs, which seems like a fitting motif for a character from a film that primarily takes place in a bathhouse.

▼ With no rudder or sail, tarubune are controlled with an oar alone, and keeping the boat on course takes a fair bit of coordination and stamina.

This being a Tomica model, though, No Face’s tarubune is meant to be played with/displayed on dry land, with wheels cleverly hidden in its underside so that you can easily slide it across a hard surface.

▼ You can take No Face out of the car/boat too, and at 5.2 centimeters (2 inches) in height, he’ll make a nice little decorative figurine.

The No Face Tomica was first announced in November, and after two full months of waiting, it’s finally officially on sale, priced at 1,320 yen (US$9.10) and currently available through the online shops of both Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku (here) and Takara Tomy (here), so now you can have both No Face and Pikachu cars on your shelf.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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