Domo, Gloomy and their Peeps wish everyone a very happy Easter!

Here's to hoping that you enjoy lots of TV, that you don't encounter any wild animals who can't help themselves but to kill you, and that you aren't forced to engage in a war where you're spinning around and around while you get fatter and fatter.

And then, of course, there's this classic commercial for your enjoyment.

not Japanese, but still funky and still cute

OK, I've told you about little boxes of joy, and I've told you about the mostly-defunct Yesterdeer, and I've told you about Domo, and I've told you about Tofu Robot, and I've told you about Gloomy (and yes, Gloomy counts as a cutie), and I've told you about other fun Japanese things.

Well, apparently, the Japanese haven't quite cornered the market on cuteness. A friend came across some products in a store and then found that they're available online. They're a bit more expensive than normal plush, but then, these are hand-made. I also like the descriptive write-ups of each plush.


According to the website, Mummy was "once an Egyptian queen, [but] she’s now content with running the local candy shop and giving out advice."


This is Frank - "He has multiple personalities from all the different people he’s made up of. One day he’s Einstein, the next he’s a little boy."


This is Devil, who has a detachable tail, kinda like Eeyore, I guess.


Gingerbreadman is pretty cute, but he must be pretty tasty because he's got a bite taken out of him!


This is Zombie, who has a bit of his brain poking out, which I think is funny, not to mention that "he is constantly stressed and goes to the mall, but can’t remember why." I wonder if he also likes going to jamborees.


Speaking of Zombie, he happened to have taken a bite out of Brian the brain, but Brian has forgiven him, and they're best friends. Brian's actually my favorite of the bunch.


Bat is pretty cute, but I don't think I want any gifts from her. Yes, if you read her description, you'll understand.


This is Vlad the vampire. Doesn't he look spiffy all dressed up?


Marshy isn't a Peep, but he's still pretty cute, and he's much less fattening!


When I saw that he was named Gimp, I was wondering if he was going to have only one leg or a bum leg or something like that. Nope, so I have no idea why that name was picked for him. I love this part - "His mouth is a working zipper with red satin inside. ... He is hyper, talkative and often has to zip his mouth to keep from saying too much." I know y'all are thinking the same thing about me!


This was something where only two were made, and I found reference to it on CRM's MySpace blog. Nice combo of zombie and bunny! I wonder if that would still scare Anya. She must have encountered some zombies in her time. But then there's that whole "twitchy little noses" bunny thing.


The March 27, 2007 news entry on CRM indicates that a licensing agreement was made with a company to mass produce the plush. Subsequent news entries indicate that the plush was going to be sold at Hot Topic stores in November 2007, so I wonder if they're still carrying them?

it's a Gloomy world

That's Gloomy. He can often be found in a box, waiting for a good home. Isn't he just adorable? Don't you want to take him home and adopt him?

The husband and I were in Japantown about a week ago, and that's when I learned of the existence of Gloomy. The husband brought over a plush of Gloomy. But Gloomy didn't look like the picture above. He looked a bit more like this next picture.





The husband also showed me that you could just buy Gloomy's bloody arm. As you can see, Gloomy comes in many different colors.





OK, so what's the deal with Gloomy? Well, they also had some grab-bag style little boxes (sound familiar?) with Gloomy merchandise - I think they were keychains. On the side of the box were a bunch of pictures that showed the story of Gloomy. I've found a reproduction of the picture story and am including it below.





So, of course, when we got home, I had to find out more information about Gloomy and Pity, the little boy who adopted him.

Here's a blog entry with more information about Gloomy, including the origin of his name. And here's a blog entry that kind of explains the premise behind Gloomy.

This is the home page of the guy who created Gloomy Bear. Love the animation! :) Click on "main" from the home page. They had the Hannibal Lecter-looking design on one of the boxes, and I thought that was too cool. When you get to where the animation stops, you'll notice that the page is interactive if you click on the picture of Gloomy/Pity. I know, it's sick, but it's funny too!

Here's another article about the Gloomy phenomenon.


Well, in browsing around the net, I found all kinds of cute Gloomy merchandise. Wanna see some of them? Yeah, I knew you would.




Gloomy Halloween. He's my favorite. I might have to actually find him before Halloween.










Gloomy reindeer. He's just too cute!












Gloomy mecha. He looks very different from all the others, because he's mecha. Love the Godzilla feel to his look.











Gloomy witch or wizard, whatever you prefer that Gloomy be. I love the outfit.













Gloomy mummy. I think he looks more like Gloomy bandaged. I wonder what he fought that HE got the short end of the stick?










Gloomy with Pity. As you can see, Pity made a terrible mistake. But he still loves Gloomy nonetheless.












This Gloomy is able to stand, and he's poseable as well!




This is a cute stationery set. If it only had notecards, I would totally get it, but since I rarely ever handwrite letters anymore, I don't need letter stationery.




This mug is just too funny for words. Great use of the heat-sensitive technology. Definitely go and read the description.




Here's a Gloomy hoodie that you can order. I would consider getting this as a Halloween costume, but I think it might just be for kids.




Isn't he adorable? I so want one of these. Here's the article that talks about them. I love the following quote from the article.

Maybe someone dressing him up in a bunny costume was the reason he turned so violent? I know that would turn me gloomy.

And then here's a link to a Gloomy action figure. Again, I love the writing.

Look at the cute cuddly bear! Why is his name Gloomy Bear? He’s so soft and cuddly I bet people give him hugs all the time. That should cheer anyone up. Gloomy Bear what is that on your hands and coming out of your mouth? It looks like blood…why do you have blood on your cute little claws Gloomy Bear? Gloomy Bear why are you looking at me like that? Gloomy Bear…Gloomy Bear you look upset. Gloomy Bear would you like a hug? Oh no….aaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! gurgle blurg sploosh death ... If you wanted a softer version of Gloomy Bear you might check this version out. Softer as in plush…he will still kill you.

This is Gloomy with mauling action, which includes a Pity doll.


I stopped by a Power Anime store by work tonight to see if they might have any Gloomy merchandise. They didn't, but I did ask the clerk just to be sure. He said that Dark Horse had U.S. distribution rights to Gloomy, and he was expecting a ton of Gloomy merchandise in about three weeks, so I'll definitely be going back to check.


Here's a Gloomy Bear LiveJournal community that I found. I haven't browsed it too much yet, but from what I've read, it's just a riot.


And of course, Gloomy is on YouTube!


Gloomy bear - sick and funny at the same time.





This video tells the story of Gloomy bear and includes a chat with Gloomy's creator, and there's even a live pink Gloomy!





Here's video of a battery-operated pink Gloomy bear toy that walks around.





And speaking of walking around, I so want a Gloomy bear like this!!!!!!!





Look at this video of him as a walk-around character.



This last picture is from gloomybearstore.com. I think it perfectly embodies the spirit of Gloomy!





Have a Gloomy day!