Random Sights

The 80s are alive and well in Japan, or at least with respect to cartoon inspired toys. I wasn't really surprised to see that Care Bears are all the rage here, but was extremely surprised to see Popples. Any other children of the 80s remember these lovable, wanna-be Care Bears? I had a Popples sleeping bag as a kid and even a couple of stuffed  animals, so they hold a special place in my heart. Random factoid- did you know that both Popples and Care Bears were nothing more than a creation of American Greetings to sell greeting cards? I wonder if the creators  had any idea that their brainchild would have such a profound impact on  generations of children around the world. 

Additionally, Kewpie dolls seem to be fairly popular here, but only in miniature form, like as a cell phone toggle. We've seen Kewpie in a peanut shell and Kewpie with a mustache and dressed like a Samurai, but I have only seen two "regular" sized Kewpie's in an antique store.  I haven't noticed them for sale in America in my lifetime, and only know about them because my Aunts had a few of the plastic dolls. Apparently they were popular in the 1900s and the plastic versions were first created in 1949. The only connection I can find to Japan is that Kewpie was a logo for Q.P. Japanese mayonnaise.Who knew? 

And lastly, this reminded us of a Quilted/Japanese/Kimono version of a Snuggie...