You’ll need skills at a different kind of game to get your hands on these video game plushies.
There’s a lot to like about the design of the original PlayStation. Not only did Sony’s bet that the future of gaming would be polygonal and disc-based position the company for nearly instant success as it entered the video game console arena, the PS1’s form factor was pretty much perfect. A mix of hi-tech flourishes with invitingly soft lines to its disc lid and buttons, plus a playful splash of color within the PS logo itself, quickly conveyed that you were getting something both cutting edge and fun.
Just looking at a PS1 is enough to fill old-school and retro gamers with warm fuzzy feelings, but today we’re looking at a PlayStation that is, itself, warm and fuzzy.
That right there is the Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStation, part of toymaker Banpresto’s line of super (“mecha”) fluffy (“mofu”) and huggable (“gutto”) stuffed animal crane game prizes. Given the PlayStation’s overall rectangular shape, though, it probably makes more sense to call it a PlayStation cushion.
The attention to detail is impressive. Rather than just pick out a PlayStation-gray shade of fabric and slap the logo on it, Banpresto’s designers made sure to faithfully recreate every single line that was present on the actual console, including details that would have been easy for anyone but hardcore fans to overlook, like the reset button or the little rectangular strip in front of the power button that illuminated when the system was turned on.
Also present and accounted for are controller and memory card plug-in ports.
▼ That’s right, kids, wireless controllers didn’t become the industry standard until the time of the PS2.
Had Banpresto stopped here, the Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStation would already by a very satisfying piece of huggable plush nostalgia. And yet, as you might have guessed from looking at the side view of the cushion, they weren’t done just yet, because they needed to represent the series of ridges that were found on the system’s flanks.
And since they went that far, naturally they were going to keep going and recreate the hookups for the AV cables, power cords, and even the covered expansion port, which never ended up serving any major purpose but which Sony’s hardware team included just in case.
Finally, on the bottom, you’ll find illustrated versions of the PS1’s rubber padding, closure screws, and airflow vents.
▼ I’m sorry, original PlayStation air vents, if you had to do more work than you’d counted on after I modded mine to play import games.
At 42 centimeters (16.5 inches) in width, the Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStation is longer than an actual PS1, and softer too, of course, but it’s otherwise an extremely accurate recreation of Sony’s pivotal hardware release from 1994. Its monumental success lead to the PlayStation 2, a system that’s also earned a special place in the hearts of many gamers…and has now earned a Mecha Mofu Gutto version too.
▼ It’s always nice to see siblings getting along so well.
The PS2’s physical form was in many ways simpler than that of its older brother, with the side bearing the PS2 logo being basically a flat plane. Still, it has its own characteristic design points, like the splash of blue surrounding its front USB ports or the secondary power switch and cooling fan at the back.
Though the actual PS2 was slightly bigger than the PS1, the cushions are the same size, with the PS2 also 42 centimeters along its longest side.
▼ The Mecha Mofu Gutto PlayStations with a standard 500-mililiter (16.9-ounc) water bottle for scale.
As these are crane game/UFO catcher prizes, they have to be won, not bought. Our photo shoot here shows off the pair won by friend of the site Marcus Lai of video game website Punch Jump, and if you’re hoping to obtain your own, the Banpresto site has a list of arcades where the prizes have been stocked can be found here and here.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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