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Plush-tastic Ads

Posted on by Anna

On my last day in Japan last month, I was in a crowded JR train and noticed TWO ads featuring cute girls and plush mascots, one right across from the other in the car.

They’re advertising completely different things, and neither of those things are toys.

This girl and her panda puppet want you to drink Kirin green tea.

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The panda seems more interested in eating the cap, though.

And this girl and her giant frog are hawking loans, of all things.

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As cute as that frog is, I’m not sure if it would motivate me to take out a loan from this particular company. Then again, I’m not Japanese.

Mochimochi Class at Loops, Tulsa!

Posted on by Anna

I’m very excited to announce the first-ever Mochimochi Land class at Loops yarn store in Tulsa! If you’ll be in the Tulsa area on Thursday, June 19th, or Saturday, June 21st, sign up now for one of the sessions by calling Loops at 918-742-YARN (9276). (See the website for full class info.)

What’s more, the class will also be the debut of a new Mochimochi Land pattern: Looper, the cuddly creature with a prehensile tail!

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Looper will be exclusive to Loops through the end of the year. The printed pattern will be available both in-store and online starting in late June, so if you’re not in the area, you’ll still be able to get one!

Retailers of Mochimochi Land Kits

Posted on by Anna

These lovely retailers in the US and other countries stock Mochimochi Land kits and patterns. If one is in your area, check it out!

And if you’re a retailer interested in carrying Mochimochi kits or patterns, please email info@mochimochiland.com for wholesale information.

Online

Purl Soho

California

The Knitting Tree LA
6285 Bristol Pkwy
Culver City CA, 90230

Firebird Yarns
3122 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117

Atelier
10128 Donner Pass Road
Truckee, CA 96161

Illinois

Yarnify
47 W Polk St
Chicago, IL 60605

Maine

Mother of Purl Yarn Shop
541 US Route One
Freeport, ME 04032

Indiana

Three Loves
138 S. Midland Blvd
Nampa, ID 83686

Massachusetts

Gather Here
370 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139

Hip Stitch
1276 Washington Street
Newton, MA

and
20 Church Street
Wellesley, MA

Minnesota

Knit & Bolt
2833 Johnson Street NE
Minneapolis

Missouri
Yarn Social
Kansas City, MO

New Hampshire

Scratch Maker Space
18 Hanover Street
Lebanon, NH 03766

Smitten Yarn Co.
86 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

New Mexico

Hacer Santa Fe
311 Montezuma Ave
Santa Fe, NM 87501

New Jersey
Yarnia
127 Watchung Ave
Montclair, NJ 07043

New York

Knitty City
208 W. 79th St.
New York, NY 10024

Purl Soho
459 Broome St
New York, NY 10013

North Carolina

Cheers To Ewe! Yarn Shop
9856 Gilead Road, E105
Huntersville, NC 28078
Phone: 704-706-9425

Ohio

Gwen Erin Natural Fibers
44 North Main Street
Hubbard, Ohio 44425

Oklahoma

Two Unravelled Chicks & a Llama
120 Thompson Dr.
Norman, OK 73069

Oregon

Cozy
285 E 5th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401

Pennsylvania

Stitch Your Art Out
235 E Pine Grove Rd
Pine Grove Mills, PA 16868

Texas

Yarn Texas
1122 Morgan Ave
Corpus Christi, TX 78404

West 7th Wool
3612 West 7th Street
Fort Worth, TX 76107

Washington

Ugly Baby
1430 Western Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

Wisconsin

The Sow’s Ear
125 South Main Street
Verona, WI 53593

CANADA

La Maison Tricotée
751 rue Gilford
Montréal, Québec H2J 1N8

JAPAN
Eylul Yarns
1-28-25 Hannan-cho, Abeno-ku
Osaka-shi, Osaka 5450021

Bear Kacha Toy

Posted on by Anna

How about another dose of cuteness?

In Japan I picked up a miniature capsule toy machine, somewhat akin to the Frog Style toy that I blogged about a while ago. But this one is Rirakkuma!

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Some assembly is required, with stickers to decorate the outside of the machine and stickers to put on the inside of teeny tiny capsules (that actually open).

After assembly…

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I love the detail involved with this toy. It even comes with a tiny clip that you can use to attach two capsule machines together, as in a bank of machines that you often see.

Turn the crank and the capsules pop out!

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If you’re wondering where you can get this awesome toy, I have just one more, and you can WIN it by entering this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest! I’ll be announcing all the details in early June (check out the details from last year’s contest here), but you can go ahead and start entering now by uploading your photos to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr pool.

Hello Kitty Edamame

Posted on by Anna

My friend Kana just came back from a visit to Yamagata prefecture in Japan. Apparently that region is known for its delicious edamame, so I got the cutest cell phone strap as a gift!

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Peas have an extremely high cute factor to begin with, so Hello Kitty peas are off the charts! The little pod is just about one inch long.

Save the Merpeople

Posted on by Anna

Last year, husband John worked with the nonprofit organization Oceana to write and direct a humourous commercial about the plight of the merpeople, whose habitat and chances for a hot date are being destroyed by reckless overfishing. The idea was that the fake campaign would encourage people to get behind a real (and very important) cause.

The finished commercial and accompanying website are now online for all to see. (My friend Sarah Ries stars in it as the lovely-but-desperate “Merbachelorette.”)

If you like what you see, please visit the website to find out how you can help protect ocean life and ecosystems. The merpeople will thank you.

Lucky (or Splat?)

Posted on by Anna

Since I made it for the “Plush You” show at Schmancy last year, I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries about Squirrel-Infested Tree. I was happy to find that there was interest in a pattern, but since I made it as a one-of-a-kind toy, there is no pattern for it (and the toy has since been sold). But I love trees, especially less-than-happy trees, so I recently made another to be available as a pattern.

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This is Lucky—or maybe Splat, I haven’t decided yet. He’s not having such a great day, but the birds tell him that to be pooped on is a sign of good luck. He’s not convinced.

Any preference on the name? Or if you have other name suggestions, I would love to hear them!