This premium official keyring brings a touch of tenderness and magic straight from the wonderful world of Studio Ghibli. This functional collector’s item celebrates the most unusual and memorable mode of transport in Japanese pop culture.
The design incorporates the unique stylistic features of the Japanese Nakayoshi collection, specially designed to evoke the tenderness and comfort of childhood. This accessory combines the playful charm of a soft mini soft toy with the practicality of an everyday keyring. Its outer texture, made from polyester fibres, offers a wonderfully delicate tactile experience in the palm of your hand.
The accessory pays close attention to its distinctive physical features, faithfully reproducing the iconic silhouette of the famous bus-cat. Its comforting little face is finely embroidered with its huge, knowing smile, large, bright yellow eyes and small, pointed ears. Its miniature design carefully highlights its numerous paws and unique structure. It features a sturdy metal fastening (ring and carabiner), ideal for securing your keys or for clipping onto a rucksack as a decorative accessory.
Technical specifications
- Manufacturer: Semic / Semic Studio
- Range / Type: Plush keyring (Plush Keychain)
- Supplier reference: S-6203
- Licence: Studio Ghibli
- Sub-licence: My Neighbour Totoro
- Character: The Catbus (Nekobasu)
- Materials: 100% polyester fibres (plush) / metal (attachment ring)
- Product type: Keyring / 3D bag charm
- EAN code: 3760372331542
- Packaging type: Sewn-on official licence label and cardboard display stand
Origin and character lore
In Hayao Miyazaki’s eponymous masterpiece released in 1988, My Neighbour Totoro, the Catbus — whose real name is ‘Nekobasu’ — is a bizarre and fascinating nature spirit. This imposing, gleaming cat has the unique feature of a hollow body fused with the structure of a bus, complete with windows, ultra-comfortable fur seats and twelve legs that allow it to run at phenomenal speed. Capable of moving invisibly through the countryside, leaping along power lines and cutting through forests without ever felling a tree, he is visible only to children or spirits like Totoro. At night, it lights its own path using its headlamps and glowing mice that serve as position lights. An iconic character from the Ghibli universe, it makes a heroic appearance at the end of the film to help Satsuki find her lost little sister, Mei. This keyring perfectly captures the whimsy, originality and profound kindness of this cult figure from Japanese animation.
