Design allows you to go from no Totoros to all the Totoros with a flick of your wrist.
When designing anime-themed fashion items, the easy route is just to take an existing piece of apparel or accessory and slap an illustration on it. If you want to make something really special, though, you go the extra mile and make something that not only has the look of its source material, but the feel of it too.
So yes, these Totoro tote bags from Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku are filled with likenesses of the famous forest spirit, but they’re also embroidered such that they’re soft and fluffy to the touch.
Between the rows of Totoros are lines of acorns, appropriate not only because they’re a recurring visual motif in My Neighbor Totoro artwork but also because Donguri Kyowakoku’s name translates to “Acorn Republic.” As further proof of the care put into the designs, instead of just switching the base colors, the brown and white bags actually have different patterns, with the brown one sporting an extra-large Big Totoro and the white bag keeping them all of similar stature.
The Totoro Hokomoko (“Fluffy”) Embroidery Series Lunch Tote Bags, to use their full name, measure 37 centimeters (14.6 inches) in width, so they’re viable options if you’re packing a light picnic or some snacks to enjoy in the crisp late-autumn open air. They close with a magnetic snap, and there’s also an interior pocket for some extra organization options.
Also, should you suddenly find yourself in a situation where you don’t want all those Totoros on display, either because you’re self-conscious or simply don’t want to make everyone around you jealous, the bags’ backsides are unembroidered.
The patterns are also available on 20-centimeter zippered pouches.
As with the tote bags, all of the Totoros here have congregated on one side, though in the case of the pouches both the white and brown patterns have a brown field on the back.
And yes, the pouches are sized to slip easily into the tote bags, since if you like one, odds are you’ll like the other too.
The pouches are priced at 3,630 yen (US$24.20) and the tote bags 4,620 yen. They’re all available once again following a restock and can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)
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