Get ready to fall in love with Sumikko Gurashi!
I've seen Sumikko Gurashi merch, but I didn't really know that much about them
And I saw some really cute gachapon when I was in Tokyo
If you haven't seen them already, have a look at my videos from Tokyo
I went to the Studio Ghibli museum
Saw the giant Gundam
I found an anime shrine
So take a look, they're all on my channel
Sumikko Gurashi are from San-X, which is the company that make Rilakuma and Tarepanda
And my favourite Afro Ken
Who you don't really see around that much any more
Anyway, if you don't know that much about them, get ready to fall in love with Sumikko Gurashi
Their stories are adorable
Sumikko Gurashi means "corner living"
And this little group of friends don't have much confidence
They're all outcasts in their own way
They just like to hide away in the corners where they feel safe
And they've all got their own personalities
That maybe you can relate to, if you ever feel like you just want to hide away in a corner.
Shirokuma is a white bear who ran away from the north
He's always cold and he's scared of strangers
And he just likes drinking tea in the corner
Penguin? has so little confidence that he has a question mark after his name
He used to wear a plate on his head, but he took it off because it made him look like a kappa, which is a type of Japanese monster
Tonkatsu is a pork cutlet gone wrong
He's 1% meat and 99% fat
And nobody wants to eat him because he's so greasy and oily
Poor Tonkatsu!
Neko is a shy cat who likes to scratch
Tapioka are the bubbles left over from bubble tea
They look so sad!
Zassou is a weed, who dreams of being in a beautiful bouquet in a florist
Hokori is a dust ball - they should have made him a dust bunny!
He looks so happy!
Furoshiki is a wrapping cloth and he belongs to Shirokuma the bear
He's what he wrapped all his things in when he ran away from the north
Nisetsumuri means fake or deception head
You may think he's a snail, but he's actually a slug with a shell!
They were the original crew, and then they added 3 more characters
Suzume the little brown sparrow
Ebi furae no shippo, or Shippo-chan
who's a fried shrimp tail
He's good friends with Tapioka and Tonkatsu because they're all food that no one wants
Isn't it heartbreaking?!
And Tokage: a dinosaur who pretends to be a lizard, so he can fit in and not get caught
Which one is your favourite?
It's so hard to decide which is the cutest!
Let me know in the comments.
Can you imagine walking along the street and seeing this cute truck?
It also plays the song from the Sumikko Gurashi videos
You can buy loads of character goods
There are so many themed series, probably as an excuse to bring out more merch
But they're all very cute!
A nautical themed range
They're pretending to be at sea, but really they're still just in the corner at home!
A hot springs series
With a cute Mount Fuji, who's sad because he can't join them in the water
There's even a cute Christmas series
But my favourite is this series, where they're all wrapped in sushi rolls
So cute!
And Nisetsumuri's got a sushi roll as his shell
To celebrate their 3rd birthday they've formed a band
In association with Tower Records
Shirokuma's on the keytar
Tonkatsu's on the drums
And Tapioka are dancers
Tokage is their manager
And Shippo-chan's on the decks
There's also a ghost who works for Tower Records
I don't know what they're trying to say about their staff?!
And you can also get a plushy stage playset
And of course there's a theme cafe
Which is open in Tokyo right now.
Bubble tea is on the menu
But would you have the heart to eat poor little Tapioka?
A sparrow's tears
Or a really really small amount of something
If you like my t-shirt and want to warn other people that the Alpacalypse is coming,
You can get it from my website cakeswithfaces.co.uk
Remember to subscribe for more All the Best Stuff is from Japan
And more from Tokyo aswell
See you next time
Bye bye!