The enchanted Soot Balls are one of those characters that have made two appearances in Miyazaki films once in My Neighbor Totoro as Soot Sprites and the other in Spirited Away as Soot Balls.

Soot Ball

It is definitely not that they are out of ideas but there is something to be said about a director, regardless how dissimilar their films are from the each other they always seem to revisit themes and character types throughout their filmography.

This plush toy key ring represents the Soot Sprite from My Neighbor Totoro as stated on the tag of the plush. It measures about four inches round. It is made up of black plush material with felt disc eyes and plastic bead eyeballs. It comes with a chain key ring attached but it can be removed leaving just a small white loop. I bought this soot ball from a dealer at Frank and Sons for $3.00.

There is not much to say in reviewing an enchanted Soot Ball but it is a cute little item for those that are into Miyazaki related items such as myself. I believe the real humor in this toy is if one bought a few of dozen of these soot balls, as they are rarely seen alone in either film, and displayed them together as a large crowd. There would be some humor in that!

Who knows if Miyazaki would revisit the Soot Balls in any of his future films but at least we have two fantastic films to watch them in and a great little inexpensive plush toy.

Studio Ghibli toys and model kits are some of the most consistent releases when it comes to beauty, design, packaging and execution. I can see Hayao Miyazaki at his desk personally approving or disapproving toy prototypes of his characters.

Studio Ghibli toys and model kits are some of the most consistent releases when it comes to beauty, design, packaging and execution. I can see Hayao Miyazaki at his desk personally approving or disapproving toy prototypes of his characters.

Honestly I have never seen a bad Studio Ghibi or Hayao Miyazki related toy ever. Somehow each release captures the graceful and delicate lines and character of his drawings. This plush release of Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service is no exception.

This release features Kiki’s faithful friend Jiji, a witch’s black cat that apparently only Kiki can hear talk. Kiki is a young witch in training who at the age of 13 has to leave her family and town behind and complete her witch training by herself. Personally I believe that Kiki’s Delivery Service is Miyazaki’s greatest film and when I saw this plush I had to have it.

First off this toy was not expensive as I paid $6.00 for it a few weeks ago from a dealer at Frank & Sons in City of Industry. Jiji stands about 8 ½ high and is mostly made up of a thick black fabric and the nose and eyes made up of plastic. It also has a suction cup to hang up on a mirror or glass window in ones car.

Enough of the stats, this toy has character and personality! The designers captured the essence of Jiji beautifully, however one looks at it one cannot help but smile. I generally do not display my collection in the living room or kitchen but Jiji prominently displayed on my kitchen table next to my bottle of Duval and everybody who visits my home always comments on my faithful Jiji. A beautiful toy that I highly suggest purchasing.

CDX's first ever plush doll review! Oh, the HORROR!!!

Released in 1985 by the Traveler Trading company, this is actually a pretty cool doll for a plush toy. The overall presentation is quite nice looking. While the everything else is traditional plush, the head on Dracula is made of soft vinyl. While it doesn't represent the Bela Lugosi portrayal of Dracula, in many ways I actually like this toys appearance a great deal more. It really captures the classic vampire look. The fangs are apparent and the pointy ears and slicked back black hair scream "vampire", but it's the eyes I really like. Wide with bloodlust and a nice colorful blend of red, white and blue, the overall effect looks fantastic.

I also really like Dracula's cape, with the classic black exterior and red interior. The way the collar points up around the face is also nice.

Still, I probably would not have bought a plush doll if I didn't think it would display well with other toys. But because of the unique packaging for this doll, I think it will look great. The doll comes in a "coffin" box with a clear cellophane window on the front through which you can clearly see the doll. Each side of the box features two "handles" as part of the artwork. You can't actually grab them, they are just printed on for decoration. There is also some wonderful artwork on a flap on the back side of the box, showing Dracula leading a pack of bats with the words "Drac Bat" written in dripping blood red lettering.

One last gimmick that is included is a glossy sheet of paper containing Dracula's "death certificate". There are some rather silly answers to some of the fields, such as "Self employed vampire" for occupation.

The doll stands about 18" tall and looks surprisingly good displayed in his coffin. I normally wouldn't recommend a plush doll, but this one is pretty cool.