Heartfelt melody and sweet design features capture the magic of Jiji’s shop.

At the centre of Studio Ghibli’s 1989 film Kiki’s Delivery Service is a young witch called Kiki, but in the years since the movie made its debut, her feline friend Jiji has been stealing the hearts of fans. The cheeky black cat, who has a charming ability to dole out advice and make us laugh with his antics, is the companion we all long for, and now he’s making an appearance on a new product from Ghibli specialty retail chain Donguri Kyowakoku.

Called the Kiki’s Delivery Service Music Box Jiji’s Shop Edition, this antique-style music box evokes a nostalgic atmosphere, with Jiji perched to one side as if he were running a shop.

▼ The product is said to be an antique version of the cash register at Gütiokipänjä, the bakery where Kiki works.

Image: Studio Ghibli

This beautifully made register-themed music box has a number of design features that fans will fall in love with, starting with the numbers on the display, which are a nod to the year of the film’s debut.

If you angle the music box just right, you can see Jiji looking directly up at you with one paw on a pile of coins, as if demanding payment.

Jiji isn’t the only feline to appear in the film, because during the closing credits we’re introduced to his four kittens, mothered by his girlfriend, a white cat called Lily.

▼ Three of their kittens are white, like their mother.

▼ One is black like Jiji, and just as cute and curious as him too.

This cat’s appearance on the till is designed to make it look as if it’s about to leap towards the receipt.

With Kiki nowhere to be seen, Jiji’s store is clearly a feline family affair, but instead of being stocked with products, it’s stocked with your treasured items.

Made from polyester resin, MDF, alloy, and iron, and measuring 12.8 x 16.8 x 13.7 centimetres (5 x 6.6 x 5.4 inches), the music box looks weighty but is only 680 grams (24 ounces).

▼ Tucked into the base of the music box is a drawer for storing accessories and small items, with a pull handle that has an antique look.

When you open the drawer, the melodic sounds of “Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara” (“Wrapped in Kindness“) ring out. It’s a beautiful choice for the music box, not only because it’s the outro song from the movie, but because it will remind you of the lyrics, “Taisetsu na Hako Kiraku Toki wa Ima” (“Now is the time to open this precious box“).

You can rest assured that your precious items will be wrapped in kindness with Ghibli’s anime cats looking after them. Priced at 22,000 yen (US$142.28), this is a magical way to bring the charm of a Ghibli movie into your home, and it can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online from 10 a.m. on 6 December, while stocks last.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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