Danica Davidson
November 30, 2021 
Beginning tomorrow in Japan, all Donguri Kyowakoku stores in the country are getting new vending machine capsule toy collections. The Donguri Kyowakoku chain is all about selling Studio Ghibli merchandise, and these latest products are from the iconic movie My Neighbor Totoro.
A brief, musical video will give you an idea of what’s going on.
The toys come in five different capsules, and four of the capsules are soot sprites. But they’re not all the same, as each soot sprite has its eyes looking in a different area. The last capsule is a little Totoro.
Each capsule in itself is worth collecting for many fans because of the character design, but the capsules aren’t the main thing. Open them, and inside you’ll find one of four possible Totoro keychains.
The capsule toys are called “Makkuro Kurosuke Dete Oide!” Translated to English that means, “Come out, Soot Sprites!” and it’s a direct line from the movie. They’re priced at 500 yen, which is about $4.41. They are only available at the vending machines inside Donguri Kyowakoku stores, so you can’t buy them from the Donguri Kyowakoku website the way you can buy lots of other Ghibli goodies.
My Neighbor Totoro is one of Studio Ghibli’s most successful films, and Totoro is the mascot of the studio, so this is joining a lot of already existing merch.
GKIDS gave this description of the original movie:
“From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family.
When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in one of their earliest roles.”
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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