First off, I actually bought a plushie! It's been a long time since I did so, and it's one of a series that I've had my eye on for a while. I'm sure most of you are familiar with crane games? The game machines where you have to maneuver a robotic hand to pick up a toy, but most of the time it fails because they all are rigged and can barely grasp a feather? (Not that I speak from personal experience, noooooo) These are called "UFO catchers" in Japan (don't ask me why), and many contain prizes related to popular franchises...like Sailor Moon!
These are made by Banpresto, who still are in the business of making toys and games to this day. This specific set of plushies were made in 1994, evidently to push the promotion of Sailor Moon S. (Nerd moment: You can tell when these plushies were made by looking at the graphic on the tag. It's a still from the opening of S, with the logo for it and everything. But we can also narrow the release window down to between March and August of that year. Chibi-Moon isn't on the graphic (she showed up in the second half of the season), which means that these plushies were released during the season's first half.)
On the back of the tag is a picture of the whole collection. All five girls, plus the cats and Tuxedo Mask. The four main Inners are depicted in their civilian identities, going about their daily business. Only the two lovebirds, oddly enough, are in their superhero forms, seated on a crescent moon. It would have been cute to see them as Mamoru and Usagi, on a date maybe, but what's done is done.
Here, we see Rei in her traditional Shinto miko garb, cleaning the shrine. I am simply amazed at how much detail and creativity is put into these. How often do you see a plushie with a setting and activity? You see the torii gate behind her (sewn to her body to keep it standing up), showing where she is. The base she's standing on depicts the temple's front walk. It even has leaves on it. How cool is that?
Rei herself is depicted in a very common fashion for the time; Naoko Takeuchi would often depict Rei with red hair in various color manga promos for the series, and many Rei/Sailor Mars toys at the time would depict her as having red hair. I think it matched her red color scheme better, so that's probably why they did it. They did keep her purple eyes, although they are more lavender here.
The base is above five inches in diameter, and above 4 inches in height. They're on the small side, but not minuscule. She also has a loop of cord sewn onto her head, so you can hang her from something if you want. Having a base is nice, too, since she won't fall over.
An incredibly blurry picture of the tag that I talked about earlier. See the logo, and no Chibi-Moon in sight.
And here are all the lovely plushies you can win! These pop up on eBay from time to time; that's where I got this one. They average from $10-15, which is a decent price considering their scarcity and age. The Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask one is harder to find; there might not have been as many of them made. I'm trying to collect them all, so let's see how lucky I end up being.
That was something old, now for something new. I know I've been gushing about these for a while, but here's one finally in my possession. Re-ment are makers of collectible miniatures, and if I was a hoarder with a much larger income, I would own almost all of them. They're just too cute. As of late, they have partnered with Toei to make Sailor Moon-themed miniatures. Well, Sailor Moon Crystal, since that's the impetus behind the Sailor Moon franchise resurgence.
There will be at least three (so far announced), and the first collection is the "Cafe Sweets" line, depicting Sailor Senshi-themed food. There are about 8 different sets per collection, each about 600 yen apiece. With an entire collection selling for around 5000 yen, these can get pricey fast. So I will be collecting only the Sailor Venus-themed sets. She's my favorite (Venus-chan is best girl, no arguments.), so as long as I can have her, I'm happy.
I picked this one up on eBay; and I want to reiterate here to be cautious when buying on eBay. Do your research on the item. Know how much it should cost, and what it should look like. Research the seller. Look at their feedback, look at what they say about themselves and the items. If you have multiple customers giving negative feedback saying that the items are bootlegs--don't buy! (Also keep the flipside in mind, that many buyers will not know what the bootlegs look like. They may have bought a fake, not known, and put positive feedback.) There are many fakes coming out of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan--but there are also sellers offering genuine goods. Use your best judgment, and if you are not sure, always ask if an item is, say, "a genuine Re-ment miniature." Use the manufacturer's name when asking, because if you ask if something is an "authentic miniature toy," they'll say yes. Of course it's a miniature toy! But you ask if it's a Re-ment specifically...well, they will get in a LOT of trouble by saying that a knockoff is the real thing.
The buyer that I chose is based in Hong Kong, but has a long history of selling Re-ment miniatures, and assures buyers on their page that all items are authentic Re-ments.
As always, check for Toei's golden seal.
Here, you see the sets of sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. Looks like an ice cream soda, gelatin, tea and cookies, and cherry pie.
The other four sets are for sailors Venus and Chibi-Moon, plus a set for Tuxedo Mask, and one for all five Inners. You've got pancakes, a cupcake with petit fours, an ice cream sundae, and what looks like a cake with chocolate figurines. Everything about this line makes me hungry, although just looking at these pictures gives me diabetes.
All of the items included in the set are packaged in separate compartments. I guess that this way, they won't rub against each other and cause the paint to wear off? These minatures, by the way, are roughly Barbie-sized. I tried using my Venus Figuarts to pose with this, but it looked weird, so I didn't take any pictures. They would make a cute photo op if the Figuarts were bigger, though.
On one side, you can see what the set is supposed to look like. On the other, you can cut out a placemat, cup doily, and a standee with Sailor Venus, probably endorsing the meal. I refuse to cut these out and ruin it.
First, you've got the dining utensils. The plate has a rim colored to match Venus's uniform; orange with a blue bow. Her silhouette and name are printed inside. I would gladly buy a set of Sailor Moon collectible plates, Toei, just saying. The utensils are designed to look like her transformation pen. There is no Venus sigil inside the circle, though. Boo. The cup is Minako-blonde-yellow and has an adorable graphic of Artemis on the front. And his tail is the handle. I want this as a real cup, too. Toei, get on this. I'm giving you ideas for free here!
And then the food parts! Despite being so small, they don't feel fragile, and are actually easy to pick up and pose together. I was worried that these would be so flimsy, that they would refuse to stand up.
This is the meal properly assembled, so I can describe it better. The pancakes are cat-shaped, and draped in white icing, with further icing decorations to make it look like Artemis. There's a pair of apple slices cut to resemble her Sailor V mask, which I really want to do in real life. (Alas, I'd probably lose a finger.) The pancakes are topped off with a squirt of buttercream icing and a spun sugar heart; put together, it resembles her Venus Love Me Chain and her Rolling Heart Vibration attacks. Clever, clever. There is also a latte piece that goes inside the cup with foam art that looks like Sailor Venus in profile. Color me bewildered why the latte is a separate piece.
I absolutely love how creative this Re-ment line is! All of the pieces are well thought-out and beautifully executed. They feel sturdy and overall appear very well-made. I would definitely not recommend them for kids; way too many small pieces that not only pose a choking hazard, but that would get lost too easily. Re-ment are more aimed at teenage and adult collectors.
Miss Scarlett suggests: Whether you're looking for something old or new, there's plenty of Sailor Moon merch out there to suit anyone's tastes.
