Dragon Ball DAIMA Chibi Plushies Coming Soon! We Interviewed One of the People Behind these Cute Plushies!
Dragon Ball DAIMA is coming to Bandai Namco Nui's popular Chibi Plushie line!
These amazing plushies will be released in Japan starting from late January, 2025!
The lineup includes not only Goku (Mini) and Vegeta (Mini), but also lots of other DAIMA characters! Enthralled by these adorable plushies, we Dragon Ball Official Site staff had no choice but to go straight to the source of such overwhelming cuteness: Bandai Namco Nui!
Ms. Ooishi is in charge of planning and development for these plushies, so we interviewed her to get the lowdown and to hear the highlights of the creation process!
Bandai Namco Nui Ms. Ooishi
In charge of everything for production of the Chibi Plushie series, including planning, product research, oversight and supervision, and scheduling.
A fan of the Dragon Ball comic and anime since childhood, her favorite character is Bulma from the early days of the series.
Sit These Chibi Plushies Down and Enjoy!
—So, what exactly are Chibi Plushies?
They belong to a line of plushies made by Bandai Namco Nui. They're each about 14 to 15 cm tall, and what's really special about them is that they're designed to be able to sit upright.
What this means is they make great desktop decorations, or you can take them outdoors, set them down in a spot you like, and have a nice photoshoot. The possibilities are endless!
—Even sitting up like this, they're really stable.
Right! We achieve that by using beads as filling to give them some weight, which helps keep them upright and stable.
Each and Every One is Handmade
—Can you tell me about the production process for these plushies?
First, we submit a proposal, and if that gets approved, we then prepare a three-dimensional illustration of our image for the final product. Next, at our factory, we create a pattern, choose fabrics that best fit our design, and make decisions about the smaller details. After all this is done, we can finally begin production.
—So, you start with an image of the final product, not a pattern.
That's right! The most important thing is accurately recreating the characters, so there's a lot of back and forth with the supervisors to go through and corrections to make before we can start production. Plus, we have several inspections and tests to run to ensure product safety.
The actual production takes place in our factories. The fabric is cut according to the pattern, embroidery is added, the fabric pieces are sewn together, the cotton filling is added, and there you have it: a Chibi Plushie is born!
—There are a lot of fine details on these plushies! Is everything done in a factory?
Well, when I say factory, I don't mean that we're just setting up the fabric and letting machines do all the work. Each piece is sewn together with a sewing machine, or if it's hard to sew, it's stuck together with high-strength adhesive. Either way, it's all done by hand.
—I'd never have guessed so much work was done by hand!
Of course we do have standards and guidelines, but if you take a close look at the plushies on store shelves, no two have exactly the same expression. I really recommend checking each plushie's face carefully and choosing the Chibi Plushie you like best!
The Perfect Balance of Dragon Ball and Plushie
—What really surprised me is the attention to detail put into the expressions of the miniaturized characters!
The Dragon Ball series has fans of all ages, so when it came to recreating these characters in plushie form, we wanted to make sure we got it right.
Depending on the target audience, sometimes we'll aim for a design that highlights a character's cuteness, but in this case, we went with more of a standard chibi-fying approach.
—Speaking of recreating characters, I can see a lot of work went into Goku's hair.
Although Goku and other Saiyans are recognizable by their spiky hairstyles, we still wanted to bring cute features and some level of softness to these plushies. To do that, we employed French seams, which helped us preserve the overall shape of the hair while keeping it soft.
This plushie was designed with a perfect balance between
the Goku we all know and a cute plushie, even down to the hairstyle!
—How about your favorite character, Bulma?
Bulma's eyes are drawn quite round, so we wanted to preserve that, while also considering the shape of her face and the overall balance. For her hairstyle, she has something of an undercut going on, so we added more fabric on top to really make the distinct layers of hair visible.
Even the back of her head shows an amazing attention to detail!
Baby Poses for Baby Characters
—Baby Goten (Mini) and baby Trunks (Mini) sit a little differently from the other plushies, don't they?
In our usual Chibi Plushie designs, the legs don't look much like a baby's when sitting, so we made the legs in more of a cylindrical shape to be more baby-like. The heads and faces are sewn together in more of a round shape than usual too, which gives them that spaced-out expression babies tend to have.
Enjoy Taking These Plushies Out and About
—In addition to the plushies that can sit upright, there are also ones with hooks attached, right?
The Chibi Plushie Keychain Mascots have a plastic hook, so you can attach them to your bag or anywhere else as an accessory! The color orange comes up a lot in the Dragon Ball series, so we thought it would be a good color for the plastic hooks!
Made by Fans, for Fans
—How did you feel when this Chibi Plushie project got the approval?
I've been a fan of Dragon Ball since I was a child, so I was honored to have a hand in creating a Dragon Ball product. Although, I was incredibly nervous too, of course.
—What were some things that made you nervous?
Dragon Ball is a series with fans from all around the world, so there's a lot of pressure to recreate these characters as plushies that fans will recognize and love. Compared to figures, the level of accuracy we can attain with plushies has its limits, so...
I have to debate whether to focus on the cuteness aspect of plushies or stay as faithful as possible to the original design every time, but I think we've struck a good balance here!
Make Your Plushie Your Very Own
—Let's say I've gotten my hands on a Chibi Plushie of my own. How should I take care of my new plushie?
These plushies are meant to have a variety of uses, like as decorations for your home or taking them with you while you're on the go, so if they get a little dirty, you can just wipe them down with a damp cloth. Oh, and this is something unique to plushies, but make sure to give your plushie's face a good squish or two.
—What happens if I squish its face?
It actually makes a huge difference in the plushie's expression. So, for example, if you prefer your plushie to have a sharper look to it, hold your hands vertically and give the left and right sides of its face a good squish. Or if you prefer a rounder, more youthful look, give it a squish from the top and bottom. I think making little adjustments like this with your own hands will help you develop a fondness for your Chibi Plushie.
Life is Better with a Chibi Plushie by Your Side
—Finally, do you have any words for readers who are looking forward to getting a Chibi Plushie of their own?
Our hope for the Chibi Plushie series is to help fans take a moment and de-stress through their cuteness.
Everything from the materials and texture to the appearance has been designed to provide maximum relaxation for owners of these plushies.
Oh, and of course, please take your Chibi Plushies out and about with you and be sure to take plenty of photos! In the future, you'll be able to look back at these photos and think to yourself, "That's right, I went to this place with this character," or, "Oh yeah, I really liked this series". It would make me really happy to think that a product I helped design has a place in the memories of Chibi Plushie owners!
—I can't wait to add more Chibi Plushies to my life! Thank you so much for your time today!
An interview with Ms. Ooishi will also be published in V Jump's super-sized February edition, coming December 20th, 2024. Make sure to check it out!
Pre-order your Dragon Ball DAIMA Chibi Plushies and Chibi Plushie Keychain Mascots here!
https://www.shopnui.jp/shopbrand/ct588/
*Due to the nature of the plushies, the actual product may differ from the photos shown.
©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION
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