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My Neighbour Totoro is quite heavily merchandised (for a Ghibli film anyway) in Japan and stuffed toys, clothes, CDs, posters and other collectables are widely available there.  Unfortunately, as is always the way, not a lot of this gets imported and what does is usually quite expensive. 


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Stuffed Toys:  Unusually Totoro merchandise was created because of public demand and not to promote the film.  The first item made was a small Totoro stuffed toy, and its huge popularity meant the Ghibli have produced tonnes of Totoro plushes since!  The number of stuffed Totoro toys available is immense, and sizes range from just an inch tall to over a metre.  There are plenty of Catbuses and Mei dolls around too.
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Soundtracks:  You can buy the soundtrack for most films, but with Ghibli films you can buy several!  As well as the standard soundtrack and single, you can also get a symphonic score, an 'image album' featuring an earlier, unrefined score, a drama album that includes all the speech, and oddest of all the 'Hi-Tech album' which is done on synthesizers!
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Crockery:  The quality of Ghibli merchandise is always high, but we've always liked the fact that most of it is really practical.  As well as cutlery, aprons and chopsticks, you can also get superb Totoro crockery!  Cups, bowls, plates...all are available in various designs and sizes, including some made specifically for children.  The crockery is produced by the world renowned china manufacturers Noritake, and whilst they produce several beautifully decorated pieces for display they also make more practical items like side plates and teacups.  The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka uses Totoro crockery in its 'Straw Hat Cafe', and having used it we can vouch for it's goodness!
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Stationary:  Continuing on with the practical nature of Ghibli merchandise, Totoro lends his image to all manner of notebooks, folders, pens, postcards and envelopes.  You can get full letter writing sets and an diary is released every year with a fabric and leather cover.  Want a catbus pencil case?  You can get one!  A catbus sellotape holder?  Yep!  The quality of Studio Ghibli stationary is high, there are even wooden fountain pens that come in beautiful display cases.  The picture to the right is the more normal mechanical pencil.
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Obligatory Odd Merchandise!

Totoro Sofa:  There may be a lot of anime merchandise around, but we must admit to being surprised by this!  Furniture is something that has generally escaped anime branding (Hello Kitty and Gundam excepted) probably due to the expense of manufacturing it, but Ghibli are never one to follow the crowd!  So here we have a reclining sofa chair in the shape of Totoro, just waiting for you to follow Mei's example in the film and doze off on.  This one's unlikely to talk or fly, but it's the closest you'll get to the big forest spirit...
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Availability & Prices:

Plushes:  Stuffed Totoros are probably the most abundant type of Ghibli merchandise and are quite easy to get hold of even in the UK.  Most comic shops that sell anime goods will have a a Totoro stuffed toy of some kind, and they are easy to get hold of from online toy retailers like Tokyotoys, Mech-A, Anime On Line and Otaku UK.  Prices vary depending on size, and there are a hell of a lot of sizes - the smallest we've seen are just an inch tall (2.5cm), and the largest over 3 feet/1 metre tall!  For a more sensible sized Totoro expect to pay around £15-£25.  Be warned though, the popularity of the stuffed toys has made them probably the most heavily pirated anime merchandise available.  Keep alert for low quality fakes - check out Digital Anime's excellent Piracy FAQ for more info.

Soundtracks:  Unfortunately the soundtracks have yet to get a release outside of Japan, and therefore importing them can be a costly business.  They're not too hard to get hold of though, some specialist retailers stock them - Sheffield Space Centre usually have them and Forbidden Planet can get them in.  Online retailers are your best bet though, check out Otaku UK, Amazon, CD Japan and YesAsia to get them, expect to pay around £20 per CD though.  It is worth noting that larger branches of HMV sometimes get them in, so you may be able to order them in if you ask...

Crockery:  Tableware is something that isn't commonly imported so it can be a lot more difficult to get hold of.  You may be able to pick some up at London's Japan Centre, but your best bet is online action sites like eBay.  Expect to pay between £10 and £30 per item if you can find them.

Stationary:  Notebooks, diaries and letter sets can be picked up quite easily on YesAsia and eBay.  Other stuff can be harder to get hold of, but keep an eye on auction sites and in specialist retailers like Anime On Line and Otaku UK.  Expect to pay around £10 for the diaries, under £5 for pens and pencils, and around £5 to £10 for notebooks and letter sets.

Other Merchandise:  There's so much Totoro stuff out there, from artbooks to clothing, school bags to piano scores.  Prices and availability vary depending on what you're looking for, with statues and larger items costing £80+.  However, you can find aprons for about £30, and some books can be picked up for £15 or less.  Check specialist retailers like Otaku UK and YesAsia for the latest items, and your local comic shop may get the odd item in every now and again.  As always auction sites and conventions are the best places to pick things up (short of a trip to Japan!).

IMPORTANT!  The huge popularity of My Neighbour Totoro has made its merchandise probably the most pirated of any anime, with hundreds of bootleg DVDs, CDs and toys finding their way onto the market.  We highly recommend looking at Digital Anime's indispensable Piracy FAQ in order to avoid being ripped off, and always remember to take special care when buying from Auction websites.  __________________________________________________________________________