If you’re a Ghibli fan, you’ve definitely seen this scene before, just not during the classic anime film.

You don’t exactly have to be a hardcore otaku to take a look at this beautifully crafted figurine and say “That’s Totoro!”, and there’s a pretty good chance that you might follow that up with “It’s the famous scene from the anime where he’s waiting at the bus stop with sisters Satsuki and Mei!”

But only one of those statements is correct.

First off, yes, that is indeed the titular star of the beloved Studio Ghibli classic My Neighbor Totoro. But take a closer look and you’ll notice that, unlike in the anime’s rainy night scene, little Mei isn’t taking a piggyback nap on big sister Satsuki’s nap. As a matter of fact…

…that’s not even Satsuki!

If you’re thinking that even if this isn’t how the scene looked in the anime, you’re absolutely sure you’ve seen it somewhere, it’s because this figure isn’t actually recreating a scene from the movie, it’s recreating the original My Neighbor Totoro theatrical release poster.

It’s not something everyone notices, but the girl on the Totoro movie poster isn’t Mei or Satsuki, and she never appears within the film itself. That’s because the poster’s design comes from early-stage concept art for the anime, when Totoro creator and director Hayao Miyazaki was envisioning a story about just one girl befriending the furry forest spirit. At some point in the production process, Miyazaki realized he was going to need two characters to cover the variety of scenes and situations he wanted to depict, and the role of the girl on the poster, who has no official name, became split into Satsuki and Mei.

The mystery girl’s presence isn’t the only difference from how the scene ended up in the completed version of the film. In the poster (and the figure) there’s a Shinto shrine torii gate visible behind Totoro, but it’s nowhere to be seen in the anime either.

▼ Along with this raindrop, the texturing on Totoro’s tummy which makes it look like water is running down his fur, is a nice touch.

Officially, Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku, which has just restocked the figure, calls it the My Neighbor Totoro Theatrical Poster Art Light-up Diorama. There’s room for debate on whether or not this qualifies as a diorama, but the light-up part is indisputable, as the lamp comes on and flickers atmospherically at the press of a button. To even more immersively set the scene, pressing the button again produces the sound of falling rain from cleverly concealed speakers, as demonstrated in the video below.

The figurine, made of ABS, PVC, and polyester resin, measuring 15.3 x 18.2 x 13 centimeters (6 x 7.2 x 5.1 inches), and priced at 27,500 yen (US$184), can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku, Studio Ghibli
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