You may or may not remember the Rei "UFO catcher" toy that I got a while back. As a quick recap, back in the early 1990s, Banpresto made a series of Sailor Moon plush toys to be won as arcade prizes in Japan. These little darlings were found in the crane-type machines, known as UFO catchers. This particular set has Sailor Moon's four friends in their civilian forms, going about their everyday lives. I would like to complete this set, but had the worst luck finding Minako (my favorite, if you haven't already guessed). I ended up finding her by complete luck; my dear friend Miss Momo belongs to a Sailor Moon-themed buy-sell-trade group, and one of the members decided to sell off her plushie collection. And what should happen to be in there?
BE STILL, MY BEATING HEART.
It's Minako and her cat guardian, Artemis, just chilling. Like they do. My guess is that they're sitting on a yellow cushion on an orange carpet? Minako is doing her best ojou laugh, and Artemis looks concerned, so this is probably everyday "Minako daydreaming about her crushes; Artemis wonders why the fate of the world rests in this weirdo's hands" sort of life.
I gotta appreciate the mad detail put into Artemis, especially his itty-bitty plastic wire whiskers. This is solid craftsmanship, especially considering it's a mass-marketed plush toy.
The tag, giving you an idea of when this hit arcades...
...and the Toei sticker letting you know that it's legit. I had to search for it, though.
It even comes with a convenient hanger in case you want to...uh...dangle it from your rearview mirror? IDK, it's for whatever you want.
I'm stoked, though, because this is awesome. It's about the same size as the Rei plush, and the quality is great. I love her sheet of felted hair! They're a little hard to find, so if you're looking for a Sailor Moon plushie, you might be better off getting one of the more recent ones that are in plentiful supply. But if you like collecting rarer merch, this series is SO WORTH IT.
My "Miss Scarlett Suggests" is going to be the same as for the Rei plush, so I'll just sign out now! See ya later!
