The Best Studio Ghibli Toy Sets and Figurines

Enthusiastic fans of Japanese animation (or anime), are very familiar with the amazing anime house Studio Ghibli, and though they were once only available in Japan, some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines can now be found online.

One might be forgiven to associate the anime and merchandise as merely for kids, but there is recognition that Studio Ghibli’s anime and products have an unmistakable appeal to just about every age group and gender.

So whether you are a fan of the anime from Studio Ghibli, or just a fan of some really fun and unique figures and toy sets, come join us as we take a look and showcase what we found.

**This post may contain affiliate links which means we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click a link and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please check out our Disclaimer for more details.

A brief history on Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli Inc. (Japanese: 株式会社スタジオジブリ, Romanize: Kabushiki-gaisha Sutajio Jiburi), is a Japanese animation film studio founded on June 15, 1985, by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, located in Koganei, Tokyo

Best known for its animated feature films, the studio has also produced many short subjects, television commercials, and two television films. They have also collaborated on the visual development of some games with a number of video game studios.

The studio’s mascot and their most recognizable symbol is a giant spirit character name Totoro, inspired by the raccoon dogs (tanuki) and cats from their 1988 anime film My Neighbor Totoro.

Among the studio’s highest-grossing films are Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Ponyo (2008).

The Best Studio Ghibli Toy sets and Figurines

For the fans who are familiar with Studio Ghibli anime, they would know very well many of the toy merchandise available from the studio, such as plushy stuff figures of many of the cute anime characters, in all manner of sizes.

Or the many collectable sets of small plastic figurines depicting the anime characters in a variety of poses, all in bright colors and detail enough to be instantly recognizable.

However, for the sheer fun and playability factor, especially when they depict many of the Studio Ghibli anime characters, we can say with certainty, that the following are some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines that we have found so far.

My Neighbor Totoro, the story

Arguably one of the most well known and well love anime from Studio Ghibli, My Neighbor Totoro is an endearing and warm story of a university professor and his two young daughters during 1950 post-war Japan.

The story begins as they move into an old house in the countryside to be closer to the hospital where the girls’ mother is recovering from a long-term illness.

Adventure ensues as the innocence and curiosity of youth draws the girls to explore their new surroundings, which also includes the forest behind their house.

Eventually the girl’s explorations brings them to encounter the unique forest spirits that dwell there.

These memorable spirits come in all types and sizes and the one that the girls eventually befriend, which is in the form of an overly large racoon dog, is call out by the younger girl as Totoro.

The adventures the girls (mainly the younger one) get into are neither dark or scary or too exciting.

But rather range from, the mundane family chores, to waiting for the bus in the rain (with Totoro), to the panic of searching for the lost child, to the fantastical ride in a Cat Bus…just everyday normal situations for an animation.

All told, the story is a blend of the life of a family going through some changes, mix with the innocence of youth, and the subtle concoction of fantasy fun.

It is this amazing formulaic story telling that leads to what the director Hayao Miyazaki ascribes as giving the audience a warm gentle lingering memory long after they finish watching.

Amazing animation begats fame and…the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines

That lingering memory after the movie opened in 1988 exploded to critical international acclaim leading to numerous anime and film awards.

The film and its unforgettable characters have become cultural icons and made multiple cameo appearances in a number of Studio Ghibli films and video games.

Totoro also serves as the mascot for the studio and is recognize as one of the most popular characters in Japanese animation.

Stemming from all this fame, the animation film has also fostered countless merchandise catering to fans the world over.

Currently some of the coolest and the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines base on the My Neighbor Totoro animation are describe below.

My Neighbor Totoro Tilting Figures Collection

This set of the three versions of Totoro, the small white, medium blue, and large grey Totoro characters are colorful figurines all base on traditional Japanese toy dolls that date back to at least the 1300s.

The fun playable nature of the figures are such that when the figures are push or dropped in any way, the figures would straighten up again (or get back up) without any external help.

These figures range in size from about 5 cm to 8 cm tall, with each painted in their respected colors.

They make for wonderful display figures or as play pieces in such games where two or more of the figures are toss onto the ground or held down simultaneously. Which ever figure tilts back up fastest wins!

Not only are these figures of Totoro great figurines but they are also very playable making them one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figures to collect.

You can purchase this set of fun figures by clicking on either of the following buttons.

My Neighbor Totoro Stacking figures set #19, Forest fun

If the tilting figure set is not fun enough, there is also a set of stacking figures that are a delight to play with.

There are actually a number of stacking figure toy sets based on the My Neighbor Totoro characters.

Created by the Ensky company in Japan for their Nosechara line of toy figures, their My Neighbor Totoro stacking figure set #19 is a wonderful collection of stackable figures of the forest spirits.

This set consists of the large grey Totoro, a medium size blue Totoro, three smaller white Totoros, a number of the black cinder ash balls, and quite a lot of forest accessories such as mushrooms, acorns, a large leaf, and a long tree branch.

Besides being adorable small collectable figurines, the set poses the challenge that to have more fun with the figures and accessories altogether, try to stack them in any number of poses.

The back of the box that the figures come in illustrates some examples of how you can pose and stack the figures. The combinations are endless but the tough part is stacking the figures in such a way as to make them stay stacked.

If the stack figures tumble or fall apart, there is no fear of breakage since they are of tough Polyvinyl Chloride plastic with just the right amount of color.

One can spend endless fun hours just stacking and posing these figures in any number of ways which makes this set one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to play with.

You can purchase this set of fun stackable figures by clicking on either of the following buttons.

My Neighbor Totoro Stacking figures set #81, More forest fun

Complementing set #19 is another stacking figure set #81, where we get more figures to play with.

Set #81 comes with the large grey Totoro, a medium size blue Totoro, three smaller white Totoros, one black cinder ash ball, and quite a lot of forest accessories including a ladybug, butterfly, an assortment of flowers and leaves, and a large tree trunk.

Once again all the pieces are adorably shape with wonderful colors, and incredibly durable.

Given the shapes and sizes of the pieces, they provide a whole new challenge to stack them together carefully.

You can also combine sets #19 and #81 together to build even bigger figure stacks in all manner of combinations.

With so many forest spirit figures either stack or unstack gives an amazingly fun display which makes this set #81 another of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to play with.

Be sure to combine with set #19, by purchasing set #81 by clicking on either of the following buttons.

My Neighbor Totoro Stacking figures set #51, Here comes the Cat Bus?

Obviously being such a monumental and iconic animation, there just had to be another stacking figure play set base on the My Neighbor Totoro film, but set #51 is a bit different from the previous two sets.

NoseChara set #51 focuses on another of the well love spirit figures from the animation, that of the Cat Bus in all its multi-leg glory.

In the My Neighbor Totoro story, the Cat Bus plays a short but pivotal and fantastical role in searching and transporting the children to safety, with help from the large grey Totoro.

For these memorable moments from the animation the Cat Bus gets to have its own play set of stacking figures.

Set #51 contains the main figure of the Cat Bus, one small white Totoro, one black cinder ash ball, one frog, one open umbrella, a bus stop sign, and one small ear of corn.

The nature of having the Cat Bus along with all these different new accessories is to also allow the player the opportunity to recreate any number of scenes from the animation.

For example, if the player also has some of the other collectable figures of the girls and the big grey Totoro, they can combine them with this set to recreate one of the iconic scenes from the animation.

That of showing the girls waiting in the rain next to the bus stop sign with the large grey Totoro standing with them holding the umbrella.

In addition, to the fun of recreating scenes, you can also combine with any of the previous two sets, or all of them together, in order to create more stacking figures. The innumerable stacking combinations will make for an amazing fun time.

Hence, the figures themselves are not only incredibly adorable, but when put together in any number of stack poses, especially combine with the other sets, makes this set one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to play with.

You can pick up your box of set #51 by clicking on either of the following buttons. And be sure to combine it with set #19 & #81.

My Neighbor Totoro Matryoshka Nesting Figures

It is amazing to see the variety of toy sets that can be imagine for any one story and Studio-Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro has certainly provide a whole industry to benefit from.

One of the more creative toy sets takes its inspiration from the classic Russian Matryoshka Nesting doll sets.

Instead of the standard round wooden and colorful dolls that open up and have smaller dolls hidden inside, Studio Ghibli and the Ensky company takes the Totoro character and makes a nesting doll set out of it.

Since there are so many versions of Totoro and their smaller spirit friends, the very idea of making a Matryoshka doll out of them appears perfectly suitable.

Hence what we find is an adorable Totoro nesting doll set made up of 6 characters.

The largest doll is a green Totoro figure standing about 16 cm tall. Next inside is the smaller grey Totoro, follow by the smaller blue Totoro, of which inside is the smallest white Totoro, which has inside an acorn, and finally inside that are two tiny black cinder ash ball characters, no bigger than 22mm.

Stack together into one big doll or taken apart to have all six figures stand together makes for an adorable display.

And since these are stacking dolls with hollow spaces, they can also do double duty as storage for all manner of small valuables or trinkets.

Which ever way you use them, either to play with or as handy storage space, or both, this wonderful Totoro Nesting doll set shows up as one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to collect.

You can purchase this Totoro Nesting Doll set by clicking on the following button.

Spirited Away, the story

Another Studio Ghibli animation film, Spirited Away, is as famous as My Neighbor Totoro, if not more so because after it was release in July, 2001, it was receive with huge international acclaim grossing $395.8 million at the worldwide box office.

In Japan alone, Spirited Away became the most successful and highest-grossing film in Japanese history with a total of ¥31.68 billion ($305 million).

Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, unknowingly enters the supernatural world (inhabited by spirits of Japanese Shinto folklore).

This was due to her parents unwittingly trespassing into what they thought was an old abandon theme park, and after gorging on free food, the parents were turn into pigs by the witch Yubaba.

At the behest of a concern spirit friend called Haku, Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba’s bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

Chihiro’s adventures and experiences in the spirit world are both fun and exhilarating, and Studio Ghibli’s animation is breath-taking as they bring many of the familiar Japanese folklore spirits to life.

With so many endearing characters in the animation, it is natural that they would eventually become some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to ever come out of an animation.

Great spirit characters become some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines

Naturally being such a big hit in both the domestic and international markets, you would think that the amount of marketable merchandise would be massive.

However, as it turns out Studio Ghibli only agreed to have Disney market the film in North America, while they retain the merchandising rights to the film and characters.

So while Disney did market a limited amount of merchandise such as stuff toys, printed materials such as posters, t-shirts and key chains. The majority of the better merchandise was mainly marketed in Japan.

And in Japan is where we find some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to ever come from this film.

Granted, after twenty years since the film was introduce, a lot of the merchandise did eventually find its way into the international markets by way of imports, and now in online stores.

Spirited Away Tilting Figures Collection

Similar to the tilting figures from the My Neighbor Totoro film, the Ensky company continued their Studio Ghibli line of toys for the Spirited Away film.

In their Spirited Away Tilting figure set, we find three of the cutest characters from the film turned into playable tilting figure toys.

One figure is of the tragic-comedy character No Face, a black garbed spirit wearing a clownish mask where his face should be.

Next is the rather large baby-turn-into-mouse Boh along with its friend harpy-turn-into-crow sitting on the mouse’ head.

And finally the last figure is call Otori sama, a stately spirit figure in the form of a large yellow bird that frequents the bath-house in the film.

All three spirit figures are about 2-3 inches tall and are so roly-poly round as to be perfectly suitable as tilting figures.

Colorful and durable, these adorable figures will not only bring hours of fun but are suitable to display on any desk or shelf, or even as cake toppers for a fun birthday cake.

Making this Spirited Away Tilting figure collection one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to collect.

You can purchase this set of fun figures by clicking on either of the following buttons.

Spirited Away Stacking figures set #72, Fun with No Face!

The popularity of the Spirited Away animation film continues to generate a plethora of toy figures that provide no end of fun.

And the Ensky company’s Nosechara line of stacking figures follows this trend by creating a set of stacking figures base on some of the cutest and most fun characters from the film.

In Nosechara set #72, we find a simple and pleasing, but still very fun, set centered on the tragic-comedy character No Face.

The No Face figure appears in a semi seat position and he is accompanied by the smaller baby-turn-into-mouse Boh figure, the smaller still harpy-turn-into-crow figure, and one of the small round black cinder ash figures that has some candy stuck to it.

The rest of the set has such accessories as four pillows, a small basket, and three small balls of yarn (for when No Face helps spin yarn in the film).

The illustrations on the back of the box for this set show any number of fun positions that you can stack these figures in, all incredibly cute and adorable.

And when combine with the other stacking figure sets, there is no end to what fun positions and predicaments you can pose the figures in.

Either in a stack or place separately on display, this Spirited Away stacking figure set is sure to be one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to play with.

You can purchase this set of fun stackable figures by clicking on the following button.

Spirited Away Matryoshka Nesting Figures

When you have an animation film about spirits from folklore, you pretty much have an open season on what kind of toys can be imagine from such characters.

Trust the Ensky company to come up with the idea to incorporate a host of the Spirited Away characters into a figure set that takes its cue from the old Russian folklore Matryoshka nesting figure sets.

In this case, the Spirited Away nesting figure set uses some of the most obvious round characters from the film and builds a five nesting figure set that is both whimsical and fun.

Naturally the largest of the nesting figures is one of the biggest and roundest spirit characters from the film, known as Oshira-sama, the white radish spirit.

Next fits inside is the big yellow bird looking spirit call Ootori-sama, follow next inside by the rather fat but smaller No Face.

Next inside is the smaller baby-turn-into-mouse Boh figure, which always seems to have the smaller still harpy-turn-into-crow figure on its head.

Lastly, inside the baby-turn-into-mouse Boh figure are two of the small round black cinder ash figures with candy stuck to their heads.

Either display as one nesting figure or have all the figures outside, this wonderful set can also do double duty as handy storage sets for small items, jewelry, and knick-knacks.

Who knew that such spirit nesting figures can be so much fun. Which makes this Spirited Away Nesting figure set one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines you can find with plenty of spirit…ahem pun intended.

You can purchase this Spirited Away Nesting figure set by clicking on the following button.

Kiki’s Delivery Service, the story

Release in 1989, Kiki’s Delivery Service is a Japanese animated film, adapted from the 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono. It was written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten,

The film tells the story of Kiki, a young witch who moves to a new town and uses her flying ability to earn a living.

Although still a young witch in training, Kiki does the best with her abilities and learns to adapt and grow in her new environment.

At first she is lost and unsure of what to do, but thanks to a kind couple who provides Kiki lodging, she in turn volunteers to help the couple with their bakery and eventually comes up with her delivery service for the bakery.

Her experiences are mainly with all the new people she meets in town and as part of her service. And like every good business person, her zeal to do her best can sometimes get her into some trouble, but she gets through it and slowly grows up.

The producer, Hayao Miyazaki, intend for the movie to portray the gulf between independence and reliance in teenage Japanese girls.

But in general the overall portrayal can be applicable to just about every young person who goes through similar life experiences as they grow up and become independent.

Unlike other Studio Ghibli films, Kiki’s Delivery Service didn’t go too much into fantasy, where the only fantasy was flying witches and a talking cat.

But instead dealt more with a young person with special abilities learning to cope and grow in an adult world.

Nonetheless, there is still plenty of opportunity from this film to inspire some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to ever come from the anime house.

Kiki’s Delivery Services inspires some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines

The setting in which the animation finds itself in is a rich, diverse, and incredibly colorful townscape that can resemble any one of the vibrant french, spanish or italian port towns.

Such picturesque scenery provides for an abundant number of merchandise that cater to such animation, such as puzzles, posters, framed pictures and anime cells.

However for toy sets and figurines, the only characters to focus on in the film are Kiki and her cat. This may not be much but is enough for some fun toys.

Kiki’s Delivery Service Tilting Figures Collection

It must have been difficult for the Ensky company to decide what characters they can use from the Kiki’s Delivery Service film in order to create a tilting figure set.

Unlike the other films that have available large and round characters who lend well to being tilting figures, Kiki’s Delivery Service revolves around actual people in a port town that doesn’t really have any large round characters.

But since the only fantasy-like characters are Kiki and her cat, both of which are neither round or fat, some creative imagination was employ in order to come up with a tilting figure set.

Hence, the result of such creative thinking was that the tilting figure set focus prominently on Jiji the black cat, in addition to his eventual partner, Lily, the neighbor’s white cat.

While this tilting figure set consists of only two pieces, they work quite well. As one figure is of Jiji in a bird cage highlighting an incident in the film. And the second figure is a whimsical pairing of Jiji with his partner Lily, that occur near the end of the film.

Both figures in the tilting set fit well in the overall scheme of the set from the film and like previous sets, these figures are both colorful and durable and extremely cute to collect.

So combining with the other tilting figure sets will make for many fun moments as they are either put in play or put on display for all to see.

This makes the Kiki’s Delivery Service tilting figure set one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to play with.

Be sure to purchase this tilting figure set by clicking on either of the following buttons.

Kiki’s Delivery Service Stacking figure set #28

Continuing with the trend of using the black cat, Jiji, as the main focus of a toy like that of the tilting figure set, this next Kiki’s Delivery Service stacking figure set #28 aims to make it more fun with Jiji.

As is with previous stacking figure sets, there is just a whole lot of stuff involve and it is not just about Jiji, the black cat.

From the stacking figure set #28, we find there are actually two figures of the black cat Jiji, a large sitting figure, and a smaller figure that appears to be in a walking or climbing pose.

In addition, there are three versions of Jiji’s eventual partner, Lily, in a variety of poses, from a sleeping position, to a standing and sitting pose.

The rest of the set consist of a large broom, a large paper bag with the name of the bakery printed on it, two loaves of bread, a carton of milk, a mug with the picture of a black cat on it, a jar of jam, and a small portable red radio with straps.

All these items relate to the many items as seen in the film and each have a small part to play in Kiki’s various experiences and adventures.

So when playing with the stacking set as either stack against each other or place on display, the intent of each item in the set is to invoke a familiar scene or situation from the film making us remember the film with those long lingering warm feelings.

Similarly each piece can be place together to recreate another familiar scene, or just to create new situations for the cats to get into. The back of the box for this set provides all sorts of examples of how to stack the cats with their accessories.

There is no end to how hilarious a situation you can stack the cats into and part of the fun challenge is making them stay on the stack without toppling over.

One can imagine the stack set is like a reverse Jenga game, which makes this Kiki’s Delivery Service stacking figure set one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to play with.

Pick up this fun Kiki’s Delivery Service stacking figure set by clicking on the following button.

Rare Kiki’s Delivery Service Licca Rize Takara Tomy Doll of Kiki

Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service animated film is one of the few films from the studio that did not incorporate a great deal of fantasy or spirit characters, but dealt more with a young girl growing up in an adult world…albeit as a witch with powers.

So besides all the small collectable plastic figurines that come standard from such a film, we find the rare occasion that a doll making company, Takara Tomy, came up with a doll of the main character, Kiki.

Dolls hold a very special place in Japan compared to North America, and as such every detail is meticulously design to be as close to the anime character as possible along with all the necessary accessories.

So in regards to the Kiki character, the doll is a spot on image of Kiki with her big hair and big red hair bow-tie and her standard witch’s attire dress in black.

The collectable Doll set also comes with a number of accessories that includes Kiki’s pair of shoes, her flying broom, her big satchel bag, a red portable radio, a wooden stool, her pet cat Jiji, and a display stand to complete the set.

Every piece is lovingly recreate from the film such that they can be properly place on the doll which can pose in any number of ways recreating many of the scenes from the film. From Kiki pose flying on the broom to sitting on the stool with Jiji.

The doll figure is not so big, at about 8.5 inches tall, but is the right size to display on just about any shelf or desk.

Even the box that the doll set comes in has a decorative front frame clear display cover and the back has a charming water color style illustration of Kiki looking at herself in the mirror.

With so many wonderful accessories along with a doll that can be pose in any number of ways makes this rare and highly collectable doll set one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to have on display.

Such doll sets were originally never made available in North America, but thankfully with online stores this wonderful doll set can now be easily ordered with just a click of the button.

Order your special doll set of Kiki from the Kiki’s Delivery Service film by clicking on the following button.

Laputa, Castle in the Sky, the story

Release in 1986, Laputa, Castle in the Sky is a Japanese anime fantasy adventure film that is written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

The first film that Studio Ghibli produce, base on a reference in Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” to a fantastic floating island-city called Laputa. Miyazaki took that reference and built an incredible story around it.

The story is set in the fictional late 19th century, following the adventures of a boy and girl who try to keep a powerful crystal, that the girl inherit, from various hostile and unpleasant parties, such as the army, a group of secret agents, and a family of pirates.

All this while searching for a legendary floating castle, to which legend describes, contains a vast store of treasure and immense power.

There are many elements in this film that makes it fun and fantastical to watch which makes it so endearing to so many fans of Studio Ghibli.

Even after so many years since it first came out, the animation and story is still fresh and fun for fans of all ages.

Laputa, Castle in the Sky inspires some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines

Being the first animation movie produce by Studio Ghibli, this film set the standard by which many of the later films would follow.

Since the story contains both elements of fantasy and science with a dash of old school slap stick humor, there is no limit to the fun you can have from it.

But credit Studio Ghibli to also address a lot of the adult issues in the world by way of pitting the innocence of two kids as the heroes up against over-the-top power hungry adult villains hell bent on world domination.

Needless to say with so much going on in the film, it’s hard to figure out what could become a good toy set, unlike the other films.

Fortunately, a couple of well known toy companies came up with some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines from the Laputa, Castle in the Sky movie.

Laputa, Castle in the Sky Stacking figure set #31

Of all the characters that could have been a stacking figure set, you have to give the Ensky company credit for coming up with one of the most creative stacking figure sets in their Nosechara set #31.

In hindsight it should have been obvious as to what character would be best as a stacking figure set from the Laputa film.

Since the film has a bit of science fiction built into it, there is include, as part of the flying island castle legend that alludes to its ancient powerful science, a character in the form of large robots that inhabit the castle.

From the story, these robots are employ in a number of different roles, from combat soldiers to simple gardeners. All existing peacefully on the island castle until the main villain starts to control them with the power gem for his evil purpose.

These robots are simple large humanoid in shape but can change form depending on the necessity of their role. Their arms are overly and comically long but can instantly widen and lengthen to become wings for flight.

The robots head and body are somewhat egg shape and the whole figure of the robot can roll up into a compact form when sitting down.

So as you can see, with so many forms that the robot can take, it’s no wonder they lend immensely well as part of a stacking figure set.

What we find in this stacking figure set #31 are six Laputa Robot figures in various poses, from sitting, flying, to walking or standing. With so many different poses, the figures can be stack in many ways as examples on the back of the box show.

Included with the robot figures are four important accessories that show in the film.

Three are large cubes, and each has engrave onto each cube side many of the hieroglyphs or symbols shown in the film.

And lastly a large blue color plastic tetrahedron representing the girl’s power crystal so sought after in the movie.

The illustrations on the back of the box show some pretty hilarious and fun examples of how the robots, cubes, and crystal can be stack up in all manner of poses.

If you combine this with some of the other stacking sets previously mention there can be endless fun just stacking and posing in so many ways.

But even by itself, this Laputa, Castle in the Sky stacking figure set can still be one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to ever stack. and that says a lot about it.

You can purchase this immensely fun Laputa, Castle in the Sky Stacking figure set by clicking on the following button.

Rare Laputa Castle in the Sky Licca Rize Takara Tomy Doll of Sheeta

Another of the rare and collectable dolls that was only available in Japan is this Laputa, Castle in the Sky doll of the main female hero character, Sheeta, by the Takara Tomy company.

Similar is size and detail as the Kiki’s Delivery Service doll, this doll of Sheeta is very much a wonderful rendition of the brave character in the film.

What makes this particular doll set so special is that it comes with a separate outfit along with a pair of shoes and belt for the doll to change into.

The reason for this being that in the film, one of the ways that the story wanted to distinguish between the normal people living on the ground as oppose to those that (use to) live on the island castle in the sky is by the different fashion that they wore.

When we first see the girl at the start of the film, she wore a regular dark blue dress that regular villagers wear.

But when she is capture by the villain and brought to the castle, she is force to wear the clothing of her original heritage, that of a colorful and brightly yellow color puffy top with an equally puffy red pants.

Rounding out the castle outfit is a belt with a metal buckle and the ever important crystal necklace signifying her has a person of royalty heritage from the castle in the sky.

This doll set is truly a work of art as everything from the outfits to the figure with its well cut hair and two large braids and red hair band are made to resemble the character in the film as best as possible.

Even the box of the doll set shows a colorful front frame clear display cover and the back is a wonderful water color style illustration of one of the early scenes in the film where the girl is caught by the boy as she floats down.

Which makes this doll set from the Laputa, Castle in the Sky film one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to collect.

Be sure to purchase this rare collectable doll by clicking on the following button.

Laputa, Castle in the Sky Robot Soldier, Full Action Version, by Bandai

Whenever you have a Japanese animation show that has big robots or some form of really cool mechanics, like say…a giant space battleship, you can be sure that the Bandai toy manufacturer will be there to make some really cool toy out of it.

The Laputa, Castle in the Sky film is no exception because, yes, it has neat looking giant robots, and really cool steam-punk style vehicles and airships. Check, check, and check. Bandai has it covered.

Although Bandai did previously create some model kits out of some of the mechanics from the Laputa film, such as the flying vehicle flown by the boy or the flying pirate airship, which were all great models.

What sets Bandai’s Laputa Robot Soldier action figure apart from all others are three words, “Full Action Version“.

Those three words on any Bandai product are liable to cause great frothing spasms of excitement from any toy collector.

The reason is that Bandai is recognize as an innovator in the toy world, particularly in the world of science fiction toys.

They are more well known for their legendary line of Yamato Space Battleship models and toys and equally legendary massive line of Gundam models and toys and a host of other toy lines from multiple animations.

But when they focus their attention on a specific animation and its mechanics, especially one from an iconic animation house as Studio Ghibli, and decide to place the “Full Action Version” moniker on it, this shows they are serious.

Meaning that Bandai is placing the full weight of their designers and hi-tech manufacturing facilities into designing, prototyping, and to final production of a product that is as near a reproduction of the anime character/mech as possible.

In the case of the Laputa Robot Soldier Action Figure, Full Action Version means every possible detail that can be design into the action figure would be built into it.

This includes full articulation built into all the joints of the robot, from the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, torso, waist, hips, legs and feet. So the robot can be place into innumerable positions as shown in the film.

Any special effects such as when the robot’s arms transform into wings may not be possible from a toy transformation aspect but the next best thing would be to include a separate set of arms in wing mode that can easily replace the regular arms.

Other accessories include a wire and plug pack that can be attach to the back of the robot to show it recharging in a seated position, and a display stand

And finally all finishing details from the color of the robot to the royal crest etch onto its chest is as accurate as the film version.

For all its incredible design and detail to be as accurate as the film version, this Laputa Robot Full Action Version is no display queen. Unlike other toys which may be just as fancy but are also fragile. Bandai designs robustness into their toy.

Thus Full Action Version also means that the toy is also very playable. Because no matter how detail or complex is the design of the toy, Bandai has never forgotten that the toy must always be, first and foremost, playable.

So being tough and playable, as well as being incredibly detail and faithful to the animation version. makes this Laputa, Castle in the Sky Robot Soldier Action Figure one of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines to ever come from Bandai.

Be sure to purchase this Laputa, Castle in the Sky Robot Soldier Action figure by clicking on the following button.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the story

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a 1984 Japanese post-apocalyptic fantasy anime film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on the first few volumes of the manga he started in 1982. His epic manga would not be finish until 1995.

Though the film was made before Studio Ghibli was founded, it is still considered a Ghibli work, and was released as part of the Studio Ghibli Collection DVD and Blu-ray range.

The film receive critical acclaim, with praise being directed at the story, themes, characters and animation. It is the highest ranked Japanese anime in a survey published by the Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2007.

Taking place in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, the film tells the story of Nausicaä, the young teenage princess of the Valley of the Wind, a tiny independent kingdom existing by the seaside on the periphery of a poisonous forest.

Nausicaä, although being a royal princess, is strong will, sometimes naïve, hardworking, and much love and respected by the people in the small kingdom.

When a neighboring kingdom’s cargo ship crashes in a field, Nausicaä and her subjects attempt to give aid but find the ship is carrying a dangerous cargo illegally looted from another kingdom.

Soldiers looking for the cargo ship immediately descend on the valley and quickly escalates the situation resulting in the murder of the Valley’s king, who is also Nausicaä’s father. Enraged, Nausicaä attacks them but is becalm by the resident hero.

Nausicaä soon finds herself embroiled in a struggle with the invading kingdom, Tolmekia, that is trying to use an ancient weapon they took from another kingdom, in order to eradicate the poison forest along with its swarms of giant mutant insects.

Eventually, Nausicaä sacrifices herself in the attempt to stop all the war and carnage cause by the Tolmekia kingdom, but is save by the insects that the Tolmekia forces were trying to destroy.

In the end, Nausicaä’s deep respect and love for all life and her actions and sacrifice puts a stop to all the madness and everyone is able to return back to their kingdom in a renewed peace.

The dominant themes that Miyazaki was highlighting in both the film and his manga are anti-war and environmental issues which is bold for an animation film from the mid-1980s. Miyazaki never shied away from such issues in his films.

By addressing all these serious themes in the form of a science fantasy animation film, Miyazaki attempts to convey the message that war and progress is futile especially when the method to achieve and resolve both involves even more conflict.

Apart from all the seriousness in the film, the creative spark in the science fantasy film does present some unique opportunities to come up with some pretty amazing toys.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind inspires some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines

The Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind film is truly an imaginative and engaging piece of animation.

Although it is considered a Studio Ghibli film, it does not exhibit many of the qualities of what we would come to expect from a Studio Ghibli film, that of a positive feeling film fill with warm inspirational messages and cute characters.

Which is what sets the Nausicaä film apart from the rest due to its exploration of the horrors of war between people and nature and the costs and sacrifices of that war in all its horrendous and self fulfilling ways.

Given the nature of the film, it’s no wonder that early on, we don’t really see too many toys inspired by the movie, much less any cute or fun toys.

What normally came out were mostly prints, anime cels, posters, and the occasional static model kit figures of the princess Nausicaä in a number of situations, such as flying on her glider or standing next to one of the insect creatures from the forest.

There have been some cute stuff toys of Nausicaä’s pet fox squirrel but the true inspiration comes from all the imaginative mecha and animals developed for the manga and movie.

Time and inspirational creativity by none other than the multi-talented Bandai Toy company would eventually produce some of the best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines we would ever see.

After 38 years since the Nausicaä movie first open, it would seem the techniques for making toy merchandise have finally caught up to a level to make these toys from the movie truly a joy to collect and play with all day long.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Galleria Mowe Glider with Nausicaa Figure : Full Action version

Once more, Bandai has come up with a mechanical toy and figure set that has no equal in the toy world.

Base on the amazing white glider that Nausicaä often uses in the film and manga, it is describe as a one-person jet assisted gull-wing glider with folding wings.

According to the film book release in Japan, the glider is call Möwe ( Mēve, or “mehve” in the English manga), from the German word meaning gull.

In both the manga and movie, Nausicaä is considered a gifted glider pilot and Möwe is her own personal means of transport in which she naturally and effortlessly uses to glide on the air currents.

Absent of any wind, the glider also has jet power, going from standstill to full flight in seconds…wish I had one…

In any case gliding among the air currents is Nausicaä’s first passion but when push comes to shove, she can easily fight with the glider on jet mode, albeit with an old fashion rifle stowed in the glider.

Given the design aspect of the glider, apart from being a simple tailless wing design in the shape of the wings of the seagull, it is a unique piece of mecha design from the story that is much admired by fans the world over.

Full Action Version treatment for the Möwe glider

The Möwe glider plays such a large part in the film that you can easily consider it as another important character in the story.

Which is why I believe Bandai decided to give it a “Full Action Version” make-over from their previous plastic model kit.

Because the glider is so significant, it makes sense that Bandai would want to make it a unique “Full Action Version” toy set. And this toy set is not a fancy model needing assembly, but a fully built toy ready to play and display out of the box.

Bandai is famous for tackling those special mecha, which otherwise would never be consider by other toy companies, to turn them into incredible toy sets.

With Nausicaä’s Möwe, Bandai did not hold back and created a truly special and faithful rendition of the white glider, including a wonderful poseable and “to-scale” figure of the heroic princess which can be pose riding the glider just like in the film.

Bandai made sure to capture every aspect of the white glider. Every detail including the shape and white finish of the glider, movable flaps, the leather harness which Nausicaä uses to ride with, the storage spaces for her rifle and hammer weapon.

And just to take it up a few notches, Bandai added a few extra special features to make the toy glider truly amazing.

Internal LED lights, power by watch batteries, can be turn on so as to show a glow from the front intake and rear exhaust simulating the glider on jet mode, just like how it functions in the movie!

And the wings themselves have been design to stretch out and angle forward as if in some sort of high speed mode. A form that never actually shows in the film or manga, but nonetheless, kinda makes sense, making the toy even more amazing.

Full Action Nausicaä figure

The figure of princess Nausicaä is also given the special treatment. Dress in her famous blue warrior outfit, the figure is fully articulate so it can pose in any number of ways, so as to recreate the scenes from the movie.

Two different heads are provided, one bare face looking every bit like the anime princess, and a second head wearing the face mask meant to protect the princess from breathing the poisonous miasma emitted by the forest in the movie.

There are also several different hands included to allow the figure to grip and hold both the glider as well as various accessories that come with the set.

The accessories include a rifle, a hammer weapon, straps for the glider, and a uniquely small wind whistle that the princess uses in the manga and movie in order to calm the insects.

To complete the toy set, a display stand is include to showcase the glider, but this stand comes in the form of the unique wooden piece shown in the manga and movie, which is use to quickly catapult and launch the glider in an emergency.

The toy glider itself is not so big, having a full wing span of about 25.7 cm, and the princess Nausicaä is only about 6.7 cm.

So for such a small size toy set, you certainly get a lot of playability from this Full Action version.

This wonderful “Full Action Version” toy set is so well design and incredibly poseable in a scale that can display really well on a desk or shelf. Which makes it one of the Best Studio Ghibli Toy sets and figurines that we have ever encountered.

Don’t hesitate to purchase this amazing Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Glider and figure set by clicking on the following button.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Galleria Triuma, Master Yupa and Horseclaw Action figures set

It never ceases to amaze me just how incredible the progress of technology has come in making toy figures.

There was a time when small toy figures were made by just filling molds in the shape of the figures with molten plastic and when it dried, you get a simple all plastic rendition of the figure, and it still needs painting.

Now with the state of technology in generating plastic forms and 3D form printing, virtually any type of figure can be made in amazing detail.

Hence the next toy set is from the toy company Bandai again in their Galleria line of action figure sets for the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind animation film.

Similar in detail and made to be in the same scale as the previous action figure set of Nausicaä and her Möwe glider, this next action figure set is a set of three figures who all play a significant part in supporting Nausicaä in both the movie and manga.

Full Action Master Yupa figure

The first figure in the set is that of Master Yupa, who is introduce in the film and manga as a master swordsman, explorer, the resident hero in the Valley of the Wind kingdom, Nausicaä’s teacher, and typical cool uncle that everyone loves to hang out with.

As cool as he is in the movie and manga, Master Yupa is also the one key character they can rely on in a fight or be the one to clobber everyone’s head in order to calm things down.

So as a significant character in Nausicaä’s life and adventures, Master Yupa is given the full action treatment by Bandai with a fully articulate figure, just like Nausicaä in the previous set, in his familiar tan color master swordsman attire.

The Master Yupa figure comes with two heads, one showing the head and face in all its bearded glory and crop top which a hat can fit on, and a second head wearing the distinctive mask to protect him from the poisonous forest air.

This figure also comes with a separate cape shape as if flowing behind when Yupa rides the horseclaw in full gallop, and there are three pairs of different hands to swap out in order to hold a number of accessories.

These accessories include a long rifle, a short dagger and long sword, each with their scabbards, short and long reins for both horseclaws, and finally what looks like the clear eye dome from one of the forest insects.

Full Action Horseclaw figures

The two horseclaw figures are call Kai and Kui, male and female horseclaw partners belonging to Master Yupa.

At the beginning of the movie, we see Master Yupa riding one horseclaw while leading the other on their way back to the Valley of the Wind. Nausicaä meets them halfway on the desert route returning the same way after exploring the forest.

After the ensuing chaos by the invading Tolmekia forces, Nausicaä is compel to join the invading army in their quest, via an ancient pact, representing her father and the small kingdom.

Master Yupa then bequeaths his two horseclaws to Nausicaä in order to help her in her adventure, as she trusts them with her life and have known them since they were just chicks.

For this figure set, the two horseclaws are sculpt and define looking exactly has they look from the movie.

The horseclaws have varying degrees of articulation mainly with their heads, jaws, neck, legs and claws, so the can be in any number of positions, from standing regal still to running at full gallop (with the help from some clear plastic display stands).

Each horseclaw comes with two separate heads, one as a regular horseclaw head, and a second wearing large gas masks to protect them from the poisonous forest air.

They also wear the proper saddle and stirrups and each has two satchels attach to each side of the saddle. They’re ready to go into action when needed.

Since this full action three figure set is in the same scale as the previous Nausicaä and glider action set, you can combine the two sets and up the playability factor.

You can have the Nausicaä figure riding a horseclaw like in the movie, or even try having Master Yupa ride the glider! What fun!!

Combine with the other full action figure sets or on its own, This Master Yupa and Horseclaws figure set is simply amazing and is one of the best Studio Ghibli Toy sets and figurines we have ever seen.

Be sure to purchase this amazing Master Yupa and Horseclaws action figure set by clicking on the following button.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Galleria Gunship with Mowe Glider

Bandai continues to issue ever more impressive desk top display sets as part of their Galleria series of mecha representations that appear in Studio Ghibli animations.

This next version of retro looking mecha from the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind animation film focuses on the two famous flying vehicles belonging to the Valley of the Wind Kingdom.

The first ship in the two piece set is that of the Valley of the Wind Gunship, a hard hitting gull wing jet that looks every bit like its titular name.

The Gunship, as described in the story, is a combat jet that almost every kingdom in the animation possesses in one form or another for self defense, where the Valley of the Wind Gunship is one of the most famous.

With the front of the ship looking like a two barrel shotgun attached to large gull wings and a stubby tail section, the whole thing appears unwieldy at first.

But in the animation, this tough jet is fast and maneuverable especially in the hands of a pilot as gifted as Nausicaä.

Although the Gunship’s only offensive capability are the two cannons with the ability to fire only two rounds of huge caliber shells, you can bet that when aimed and fired properly at its target, one or two rounds are all that’s needed for the job.

As deadly a weapon as the Gunship is, it is still a rare and prize possession for the Valley of the Wind so it’s main use is for defensive purposes only and sparingly flown unless in an emergency.

Which is probably why we don’t see the Gunship make too much of an appearance in the animation, but in the manga where the story line stretches several volumes, the Gunship comes into action on many occasions.

Previous versions of the Gunship by the Bandai toy company were in the form of model kits, and an older fully assemble plastic toy version of the Gunship under the FORMANIA brand was a fantastic rendition with spreading wings and mechanics.

But the FORMANIA set version of the Gunship is now older, rarer to find, and more expensive to obtain, but they are still available. Check it out here – FORMANIA Gunship

So it’s nice to see that Bandai has step up to provide an amazing fully assemble display version of the Gunship in a great two piece set which also includes Nausicaä’s Mowe glider in the same scale as the Gunship.

Gunship in full action version

Thanks to Bandai’s creativity and innovation, the Gunship in their two piece set is a wonderful reproduction of the plucky tough jet fighter in the animation.

Not only did Bandai go to great lengths to match the shape and profile of the Gunship from Miyazaki’s drawings but they also include many of the mechanical details that make this a unique display model.

Starting from the front twin barrel guns, to the shape of the main hump-back hull, to the distinctive gull shape of the wings, and the even more unique clear round observation domes on both sides of the main cockpit, no detail is amiss.

The special mechanics that Bandai design into this model include the ability to double fold the wings, the main wheels under the wings and the rear bogey tail wheel can all extend or retract, the main flaps are adjustable, and a number of hatches can be open.

Even the interior details in both cockpits (front and rear) display a fine amount of detail that is better than any model kit.

The only thing I find missing is the provision to include two of the massive gun shells to go into the gun barrels, and if at all possible, to have the mechanism to actually fire the guns…wishful thinking but maybe for the next version?

As part of the two piece set, there is also a nice scale version of Nausicaä’s Mowe glider in all its white glory flying as a companion to the Gunship. Unfortunately this set is of a scale smaller than the previous two sets above.

Whereas the wing span of the Gunship is about 24.5 cm, the glider wing span in scale is only about half as much.

Gunship and Glider Accessories

Bandai went so far as to include four small clear figures in the set, one of Nausicaä in pilot form to place into the front cockpit of the Gunship. A second sitting pilot fits into the rear cockpit of the Gunship.

Two other versions of Nausicaä can also fit onto the glider in flying form, one in her warrior uniform, and another in the dress she wore later in the story.

Rounding out the accessories in this set are a tow cable to attach the winch on the back of the Gunship to the glider.

And there is a solid display stand to hold the Gunship, and thinner clear display stand arms to attach the glider to the main stand which can be extended and bent to put the glider in any display position around the Gunship.

For its amazing attention to detail with the special mechanics design into the Gunship, along with the addition of Nausicaä’s glider as part of the display makes this Bandai two piece set one of the finest and best Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines we have ever come across.

Be sure to collect this incredible Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Gunship and glider display set by clicking on the following button.

Final Thoughts on the Best Studio Ghibli Toy sets and Figurines

For all the Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines we have highlight in this review, one can’t help but feel that they are just the tip of a very large iceberg.

Knowing that Japan has a passion for everything cute and their penchant for creating toys and fun merchandise from every animation film, you just know that we have just barely scratch the shiny surface with this list.

And we have only touch on five of the famous Studio-Ghibli animation films out of the dozen or more well known and less well known anime that they created. More films are in the works as Miyazaki has been rumored to have come out of retirement.

So you can be sure that there will be many more reviews of Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines from all the other films.

But probably not all at once as there are too many to mention, and we only have a limited time and space for such endeavor.

Thus we approach this with one of life’s lessons, often reflected in many of the Studio-Ghibli’s films, that is to take it one step at a time, or one bite at a time, and to thoroughly enjoy each step as a happy new discovery!

Such as it is, we hope you have had as much fun going through this humble review as we have bringing it to you.

If you enjoy our article, please be sure to leave us a comment below, and if there is any other Studio Ghibli toy sets and figurines that you would like us to review, mention that in your comment too! Many Thanks!