Copyright soranews24
Mini clasp pouches double as adorable bag accessories. Japanese is a beautiful language, but when it comes to gamaguchi, you could make a strong argument that the English equivalent, kiss-lock, is much more eloquent-sounding. That’s because gamaguchi literally translates to “toad’s mouth,” and while that’s not an inaccurate description of the shape of the open-wide pouch clasps, the reference to the croaking amphibians does bring a certain amount of ooze-adjacent imagery to mind. But today we’re swapping images of swampy sliminess for soft fuzziness, thanks to a new line of Studio Ghibli character gamaguchi pouches. Obviously you can’t call a Ghibli gathering and not include Totoro. Rather than opening up his jaws, you access the pouch’s interior through a clasp at the nape of his neck. Officially, Donguri Kyowakoku, the Ghibli specialty shop offering these items, calls them Funwari (“soft and fluffy”) Mini Gamaguchi, as they’re all between 7 and 9.5 centimeters (2.8 to 3.7 inches) in height/length. That petit size and their attached ball chains mean that they can easily double as bag straps/accessories, and they’re also a nice size for carrying around loose change during your Japan travels. All three Totoros are accounted for, big (gray), medium (blue), and small (white). Ironically, the relative dimensions of the pouches are the reverse of their in-anime depictions, with the “big Totoro” the smallest of the bunch at 8 centimeters, the medium still in the middle at 8.5, and the small Totoro pouch 9 centimeters. Through some clever proportioning and positioning of their facial features, though, the designers have managed to still make the small Totoro visually feel like the tiniest. Also showing that other animals can get in on the gamaguchi style is the Catbus… …and rounding out the My Neighbor Totoro contingent is a Soot Sprite. Yes, Soot Sprites show up in Spirited Away too, but this one is designated as a My Neighbor Totoro example. Fans of the studio’s only Oscar-winning anime haven’t been forgotten, though, as the No Face gamaguchi pouch is perhaps the most character-appropriate of all. No Face’s ravenously covetous nature is his defining personality trait in the early part of the anime movie, and we soon find out that his mask isn’t really his face, as his mouth is located somewhere else in the indistinct mass that makes up his body. So when you open up the pouch’s clasp, it really does look like No Face is ready to devour whatever you’re putting in reach of the rim. Also appearing from Spirited Away is mouse-form Boh. Surprisingly, the actual frog character from Spirited Away, Aogaeru, isn’t getting his own gamaguchi pouch… …but that leaves room in the lineup for two other Ghibli classics to be represented, starting with Princess Mononoke’s San, whose battle mask looks just a bit less intimidating in its fluffy pouch reimagining. And finally, there’s a pouch for Kiki’s Delivery Service’s Jiji, who, as fans will recall, knows a thing or two about pretending to be a stuffed animal. The pouches are identically priced at 2,068 yen (US$13.80) and can be ordered through the Donguri Kowakoku online store here. Source: Donguri Kowakoku Top image: Donguri Kowakoku Insert images: Dongui Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), Studio Ghibli, Donguri Kyowakoku (8, 9) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
