A very Ghibli way to travel. 

Studio Ghibli co-founder and director Hayao Miyazaki loves aeroplanes and flying. It all stems from his childhood, where his father ran a business manufacturing parts for old fighter planes, and not only is the studio named after a plane, pretty much every film from the acclaimed director features at least one scene that takes place in the sky.

One of the films that centres most on flying, however, is Porco Rosso. Not only does the storyline revolve around an ex-fighter pilot who pursues air pilots, but the movie itself was originally designed to be a short video screened inside planes during flights. However, when it was found that the video would exceed 60 minutes, it was turned into a feature film instead, produced in collaboration with a number of companies, including Japan Airlines.

With air travel so prominently connected to the movie, the studio has outdone itself by creating a new product that perfectly ties the two together — the Mamma Aiuto Lifebuoy Neck Pillow (5,500 yen [US$39.04]).

Designed to look like the lifebuoy-esque lifeboat seen in the movie (top left, below), this neck pillow is made with a low-resilience urethane material that gently and firmly supports your neck.


Image: Studio Ghibli

▼ Slip a carabiner into the top loop and the pillow will easily attach to your bag while travelling.

▼ When you’re not travelling, the pillow comes in handy for chair naps and it also looks good as an interior decoration.

As the above image shows, the neck pillow isn’t the only Porco Rosso product you can use to brighten up your interior, as the studio has released another soft item — the Dabohaze Cushion Cover (4,400 yen).

Inspired by the Dabohaze airship used by the Mamma Aiuto gang, this cushion cover may have a simple design but it has a luxurious feel, due to the Gobelin weave. This style of weave creates a strong fabric that’s commonly associated with tapestries and upholstery, and it’s long-lasting so you can enjoy the cushion cover for years to come.

It has a double-sided design that allows you to display either side, with the skull on the front…

▼ …and the camouflage pattern of the Mamma Aiuto aircraft on the back.

Image: Studio Ghibli

▼ The pillowy items will help you float off to gentle slumber, where you can dream about flying high above the clouds.

The new pillows can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online (neck pillow here and cushion cover here). If you’d like to immerse yourself even deeper into the anime world of Porco Rosso, then you might want to check out all the behind-the-scenes trivia and Easter eggs from the movie…and these Porco Rosso and Donald Curtis punching puppets!

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