April Cute Things

Hello Everyone! Wow... it's been absolutely ages since I last blogged, and for a second there, I wasn't sure if I was coming back. Not gonna lie, 2023 hasn't started off great for me. Sorry to begin a cutesy themed post like this, but I don't want to sugarcoat things. Mental health struggles are unfortunately common and if me being open about my own struggles helps just one person feel not so alone, or gives them that little push to be open about what they're going through with their loved ones or a therapist or something, then it's worth it. Up until my early 20's, I used to be one of those people who hid what I was going through, but my OG readers will know I'm pretty open about the mental health conditions I have; I've even written a few posts about them in the past as well. Anyhow, this year has brought with it many unforeseen circumstances that have had a big impact on my already messy mind, and my ability to get-up-and-go all but vanished, until literally last week. So, here I am FINALLY with a new post, something short and sweet, as the saying goes (well, I'll try to keep it short but overexplaining is part of my package deal, haha!). I hope you all enjoy reading! 

Back in late December when I was doing what a lot of us do, thinking about our goals for the new year ahead, I came up with a post series idea. I used to share several posts a week at one point, but reality check: going from nothing to that just wasn't happening. I was trying to wrack my brain for ways to still talk about all the things that make my day-t0-day life that little bit brighter, whilst only sharing something once a week. Eventually, I thought why not do a sort of round up post at the end of each month, to share with you all anything cute that I might have bought or watched or whatever. I feel like most of you folks are here for that anyway! I'm not sure if the title will stay the same, but getting back to writing took enough energy without attempting to come up with a catchier name... I mean, does it really need one? We'll see :) 

Since today's post has more of a catching up vibe, I'm going to be sharing all about the cutest additions to my life since Christmas Time. Some might think it's a little late for that now, but the last few months have felt like one giant never-ending month. Somehow simultaneously speeding by and dragging at the same time! Who can relate? Plus, I think all my cutesy acquisitions deserve to be celebrated. I know I'll enjoy talking about them and remembering the joy I felt when I first got them. Fingers crossed it's still a fun read for everyone else! 

Decided to start off with these embroidery pieces. Aren't they gorgeous!? They were made for me by my wonderful blogging bestie, Natalee from ThereMightBeCoffee. Embroidery has been a new hobby of hers for several months now and she's made some lovely pieces, including these which she surprised me with for my birthday last Autumn and for Christmas. I know that I said I was just going to be featuring things from Christmas onwards, but I couldn't not show both pieces off,  because I'm absolutely over the moon with them! Both these characters are special to me, as Lily is my favourite villager from the Nintendo video game series, Animal Crossing, and Hamtaro holds a big place in my heart from my childhood. It was an anime series that I really adored growing up, so much so that I even named a pet hamster of mine after the main character. If you're also a fan of this little cutie, you should check out my previous post all about the Hamtaro Nendoroid :) Which is your favourite of the two pieces Nat very kindly made for me? I feel so loved because I know how much time these pieces take to put together ♥ I cannot wait to get them up on the wall in my bedroom! 

It wouldn't be a Raiin Monkey life update if it didn't include something about plushies! I am addicted to buying them, always have been and don't think I'm gonna be stopping any time soon, with new releases and collections popping up all the time. I have my eye on Jelly Cats now, so watch this space, haha! I've actually added a couple more to my collection this year, but I thought I'd leave something for the next edition of my monthly Cute Things series. Which of the plushies below pulls on your heartstrings the most? 

I have been aware of this lovely little froggy character since the early days of the internet, at least the early days for me which would be the early 2000s. I have always been very fond of frogs, but the obsession hadn't quite taken hold back then. I was all about Sanrio and San-X, especially some of the less talked about characters nowadays, such as Chi Chi Monchan. I would occasionally see this froggo around the kawaii enthusiast communities, but I didn't have a clue who it was until a few years ago. Its name is Pickles, and even though I have a tendency to refer to plushies as 'he', something cool about this frog is that, according to the info I found on wiki, its gender is a secret. I think that's really cool. Back in January, a new store was brought to my attention on Instagram called Disco Waffle. They sell plushies that can be quite tricky to source here in the UK, and as soon as they announced that they were stocking Pickles, I had to have one! I chose yellow, because it's just such an eye-catching and cheerful colour, and I am very happy with how well-made this plush is. 

I said I was going to attempt to keep this post short, but that ships already sailing... I can't help myself. I have to tell ALL THE DETAILS :D 

Another plushie that I got back in January was this fabulous Cinnamoroll from the Build A Bear Workshop. When BAB announced that they would be bringing out a Hello Kitty plush for the iconic character's 40th Anniversary, I was super excited, however, I wasn't a fan of the silver design choices they went for. I still have the original Hello Kitty plush they released when I was a teenager (it was my second ever purchase from them), so I didn't really need another, but the anniversary release had me hoping for a new series, like they seem to be doing a lot over the last several years, with the Pokemon collection for example, that seems to be still going strong! It was the prospect of more Sanrio characters that made me snap up a Cinnamoroll as soon as I spotted an ad on the stores instagram. I don't usually buy white plushies, just because of how quickly dust and stuff shows up on them, but I couldn't say no... he's sooooo cute! I love his little cinnamon bun shaped tail and squishy, floppy ears. They make up for the fact that whoever stuffed him did so so thoroughly that he can't be put into a sitting position, making him tough to display with my other plushies. Oops! Are you hoping for anymore Sanrio BAB's? Kuromi is my fave, so I'm hoping for a plush of her, but I'm also super curious how they would design Pom Pom Purin to make sure he's the chubby cutie we all know and love. 

How sweet are the squishmallows!? The standard sized one on the right was bought for me by my sister off my Christmas wishlist. It's supposed to be a beluga whale, one of my favourite sea creatures, and his name is Laslow. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him, but the name also had a nostalgic appeal to it. I've been trying to think of where I'd heard the name back when I was a kid, and my sister made me remember the Cartoon Network show, Camp Lazlo, so I'm thinking that might be the one! Again, as I'm not generally a fan of white plushies, I am really glad that Squishmallow decided to shake things up and make Laslow a pastel lilac and blue colour, and to give him what I call the uwu mouth, that classic :3 face. It's so cute! The tiny squishmallow was gifted to me by my lovely friend, Sophie, and it was the perfect surprise because I'd been thinking about getting the standard sized Maggie the Stingray squishmallow for a while. If it wasn't due to the fact that my room is slowly being overtaken my plushies, I would have so many more squishmallows by now, but I'm trying to only get the ones I really have a mighty need for, so it's great that I now have a pocket-sized Maggie instead :) No matter how long it's been since I bought my first squishmallow, I am still amazed at how soft they are everytime I touch one! 

I thought I'd include some snippets from my instagram of other cute things I've been buying. There's just something about pez dispensers that makes me never able to walk away whenever I see one of my favourite characters. So, I had to grab this Bulbasaur when my sister spotted it in B&M. And of course because I have no self control, when she mentioned that they had a Pikachu in stock, I got that one, too. Do any of you guys like pez? Have you kept any from your childhood? The rug I got from Kenji when I headed to Manchester City with my best friend in December last year. I'd spotted these fabulous little rugs/mats back in September when I had visited the Trafford Centre store for the first time, and very much regretted not picking one up then. The Arndale store didn't have the Oppy the Frog one I wanted, so I got my second favourite Tiny K character, Dorothy the witchy cat. I was really impressed by how soft these rugs were, and love that they aren't fluffy so will be easy to clean. They were £8 each as far as I remember! 

I have the most fantastic of friends!! All but one of these items was a gift from one of my loved ones :') Thank you for being amazing, guys!! 

So, the only item above that I purchased myself was the stationery blind box with the adorable strawberry pig on the front. During my Christmas Time trip to Manchester, I popped into Miniso to see whether the rumoured Sanrio collection had been stocked yet. Unluckily, it showed up not long after we'd been! Because I was a little gutted, I was determined to find something to buy, but it's a pricey store so I was almost ready to admit defeat, when I spotted these little Miniso X Penple Toys boxes not far from the till (and discounted!). I have no idea what's inside yet, as I've been meaning to unbox it on the Tiktok I made just for sharing my toy collecting and unboxing hobby. I've not posted on there in ages, but hoping to change that very soon. So if that's your cup of tea, please give my account a follow. 

My friend Sophie, along with the tiny ray squishmallow gave me a gift bag filled with all sorts of lovely things when we met up in February (thank you!! ♥). Due to covid and just general life getting in the way, we hadn't seen each other for a ridiculously long time so it was so great to finally get a chance to hang out! We had lunch at a cute little tearoom in my hometown, and then headed to a local park to feed the ducks and have a wander about. It was a really nice day! And thanks for her, I now have my first Cats VS Pickles blind bag!! It's been so tough not to open, but I'm trying to save things for my tiktok. Everyone cross your fingers for me that there's a super cute cat inside! Lovin' the Winnie the Pooh initial mug she got for me, too. I really like the old style illustrations of A.A. Milne's charming characters, vs the cartoony ones :) 

Another of my awesome blogger friends, Kim from ChimmyVille, surprised me at Christmas Time by getting me something off my amazon wishlist. She's been buying me a gift off there for my birthday and Christmas for a few years now, because she's such an incredibly kind person ♥ I really appreciate it! This time, she got me the Jolteon Funko Pop, so I now have all three starter Eeveelutions thanks to her getting me the electric baby :) Really chuffed about that every time I look at my Pokemon shelf! 

How adorable is that Tiny K notebook from Kenji!? When we went to Manchester at the end of 2022, my best friend wanted me to pick something for my birthday and christmas presents, and this was one of the things I chose. Kenji has been my favourite store for a long time, and I am so delighted for them that they have grown so much that they are doing partnerships/collaborations with other companies and also expanding out of the north, with a few stores now popping up in the midlands. Go Kenji! We spotted this notebook in HMV, and I absolutely adore that it features most of the store's original characters, apart from the frog and the orange cat. It's also a really thick notebook and has the cream pages that I prefer. Only time will tell if it ends up being added to my hoard of notebooks that I can't bring myself to use, haha! 

Look how precious these babies are!! It's been well over a year now since these endearing Pucky X Pop Mart figures became my new favourite collectable blind boxes, and if it wasn't for the fact we've been experiencing a cost of living crisis in the UK since then, I'd have so many by now! These adorable little vinyl figures are always so well detailed and brilliant quality. I love that many of them come with tiny accessories, too, and the fact that there's loads of versions available. My most sought after collection is the Animal Tea Party Pucky Babies, which is where the two figures above come from. My sister bought me these for Christmas and I couldn't wait to open them in all the festive excitement. I probably should have included a photo of all the different figures you can find inside these blind boxes, but the ones I wanted most were Ducky Baby and Poker Rabbit Baby (as it looks like the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland!). It must have been the Christmas magic because I only went and got Ducky Baby in my first box!! What a sweetheart he is with his tiny duckling mug!! I'm obsessed with how each of these cuties come with their own mug for the tea party. I was just as happy to get Squirrel Baby because there's not one Pucky Baby in this series that I don't like. A big thank you to my sister for making my Christmas Day so wonderful! 

In the previous photo, I featured another of the Animal Tea Party blind boxes and that's because the other gifts that my best friend got for me were Pucky Babies blind boxes!! Thank you so much, Jess ♥ I was super close to choosing two of the Tea Party ones as there was a deal on 2 in the Kenji Arndale store; I can't remember the price though, but I hope they keep that deal as a permanent thing! However,  I was so intrigued by the packaging of the Pucky Festival Babies! Each figure is dressed in a traditional outfit to represent elements of a festival celebrated in Asia, and they all have a gorgeous design! I'll get around to opening them on my tiktok soon, so keep on the lookout, fellow toy fans! 

Well, that's all I've got for you today, guys! I really hope that this was an interesting read and that I had you all thinking 'AWWW!' at some point thoroughout. Please let me know your thoughts on this new monthly series idea :) I am very glad that talking about some of the cutesy things I've gotten over the last several months with you all has pulled me out of that blogging slump that I was starting to worry would never end. It's good to be back, and I hope I can stick at it! Much better than I can stick at keeping my word count down... I think that one's an impossible hurdle for me though! Wishing you all an excellent month of May (in addition to being a fan of the adorable things in life, I am also a Eurovision Song Contest fan so I'm very much looking forward to that!). 

Thank you for reading! 

♥

What's the cutest thing you've bought lately?

Also, tell me what you're looking forward to next month! 

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Hamtaro Nendoroid | Review

Hi guys! I hope you have all had a lovely start to your week. I finally got my first Nendoroid!! And I've been sooo looking forward to sharing my excitement with you all :) I waited to unbox it until yesterday because I had to move some things around and clear a space on my bookcase for the little cutie to go, and procrastination is a part of my personality at this point. But that just means the hype is fresh in my mind, so it's the perfect time to write all about it.

In case anyone is wondering why it took me so long to step into the wonderful world of Nendo collecting, it's because I literally collect so many other figures and, as many of you guys will know, Nendoroids can get pretty pricey! I was certain that when I eventually did get my first Nendoroid, it would be the Kirby one, as I've wanted it for a super long time, but then the Good Smile Company (who makes these awesome figures) announced they were releasing a Hamtaro version. So after freaking out, I knew now was the time! I couldn't be more thrilled!

Before I get into my first impressions and whatnot, let's backtrack a little. I almost forgot to even explain what Nendoroids were! It's easy to assume everyone who's been on the nerdy side of the internet for a while will have seen them before... oops. But anyhow, Nendoroids, or Nendos for short, are a type of vinyl figure made in Japan. They were originally of anime characters, then game characters, and now you can get other popularised characters, such as Elsa from Disney's Frozen. They are super detailed for being figures on the smaller side, and so photogenic, too! As someone who partakes in toy photography as a hobby, this made them appeal a lot to me. Have a google of the different Nendoroids you can get after reading my post; you'll not be disappointed. 

I also wanted to introduce Hamtaro :) If you're a fellow lover of kawaii culture, then you may have come across the most adorable hamsters and not even released that there's a whole anime series surrounding them. Hamtaro: Little Hamsters, Big Adventures began airing in Japan in 2000 and didn't take long to arrive in Australia, the US and across Europe. I first watched it on the channel Fox Kids, and I was obsessed from the get-go! 

I remember having a sketch book that I filled with drawings of all the different ham-hams. I would record the episodes on VHS tapes and then pause them so that I could draw the characters. Can anyone relate to this? I was already a lover of Syrian hamsters, having had two as pets before I ever watched the show, and you can bet I got another and named him Hamtaro :D He ended up being the sweetest, most friendly little ham-ham I ever had the pleasure of knowing, too. I still have many of the tiny Hamtaro character pencil-topper figures I got back then, as well as two Hasbro plushies. One is of Hamtaro and the other is Bijou, a little white hamster with two ribboned pigtails and a French accent, from 2002. 

Hamtaro will always be a fond favourite of mine when it comes to anime, and of course, I couldn't pass up on getting the main man Hamtaro in Nendoroid form!! I will end up talking about my love for the franchise all night if I let myself, so here goes... brace yourselves for some cuteness overload! 

As the back of the box shows, you can style this Nendoroid in four ways. The set comes with three faces: a chubby cheeks version, a standard open eyes look & a happy, closed-eye expression. You also get two body options, standing up and sitting down. There are various accessories and tiny hands that match with the different face parts, such as a hand for holding onto a tiny sunflower. This is one of my favourite things about Nendoroids! That you can style one figure in so many different ways because of all of the parts that come with it. They remind me of my Pennywise the Clown figure by Neca, but obviously a smaller, more chibified type of figure, haha! (I think I need a chibi Pennywise in my life though... *quickly google searches for horror Nendos*). 

LOOK HOW PRECIOUS THIS NENDO IS!!!! I love him so much. He's going to be so fun to use in photography scenes and I can't wait to get creative with that :) As you can see, the colour is so vibrant, and the eyes are so expressive and eye-catching (well duh). His little tail and paws are the cutest! I love the way all the interchangeable parts were organised in the box, and was impressed by how securely everything was packaged with tape and tiny bags and such. 

Here are all of the main pieces, not including some of the tiny additional hands. All Nendoroids come with a stand, along with a thing to connect the figure to the stand, so the figures are easier to display. I've decided to display my new Hamtaro in a sitting pose so I'm not currently using the stand, but it's still very handy to have. Honestly, collecting figures is a nightmare sometimes when slight vibrations can send a figure flying off your shelves, often knocking over several other figures on its way to the ground :D I'm looking at you Tokidoki...

One of my favourite things about the Hamtaro Nendoroid has to be the sunflower seed 'accessories'. If you watched the show or played the video games then you'll understand the significance of these seeds, they are like a bone to a dog. It's really cool that Hamtaro gets to be surrounded by one of his favourite snacks! 

I mean, have you ever seen anything more adorable in your life!? He looks so happy having his cheek pouches stuffed with yummy sunflower seeds! This is definitely my favourite of all the poses/styles, and the one that I have chosen to display my figure with. I really like the rosy hue that the designers have decided to include on Hamtaro's cheeks, because it helps to add even more character to the figure! And the point of the sunflower seed in Hamtaro's hand lines up so perfectly with his mouth, giving the impression that he's just about to devour it. So sweet! 

Here is another of the styles that you can arrange this Nendoroid in. Hamtaro with a gleeful expression and arms held up high, as if he's exclaiming 'I found a pretty flower! LOOK!'. The sunflower has a lovely, simplistic design to it, which I think will be great for summertime photography :) You have to attach a specific hand that has a tiny hole it in for the sunflower to sit in. And as some of you will have guessed from the gap between the base of the arm and the body, all of the parts of Nendoroids are moveable, and as I realised quite fiddly. I have never been great at assembling things. My fine motor skills are so bad. And this figure in particular has been very awkward to put together, as my friend let me know when I messaged her struggling with the pieces XD I got there in the end, although apparently not before I took this photo, haha! 

This is how the Hamtaro Nendo looks when attached to the stand. The part used to secure the figure to the base looks like it was made for a robot because of the screws and I love it :D That part, too, can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but I like that it's clear and again, it's always good to have the option of using a stand. Hamtaro's side profile is so damn cute! Check out that tiny 'snout' and pointed nose. Awww!

Another feature I adore about this figure is the open mouth expression! In the series, Hamtaro and his hamster friends speak to one another like humans do, however they also have this little ham-ham language (I think it's called 'Ham Chat'), with specific sounds and words for things. This expression makes me imagine that Hamtaro is saying 'Oopaa!', which is something the hamsters say when they see something they want and are excited. 

This is the third style that you can display your Nendoroid in. Adorable closed eyes, and paw posed in the V-sign/Peace Sign, that is so iconic in Japanese animation and kawaii culture. This style just makes Hamtaro look so precious and friendly and like he's posing for a photo. I also think it makes him look kind of shy, and with the slight rosiness of his cheeks, he could totally be blushing. What's not to adore? 

Which is your favourite of the variations you can display this super cute Nendoroid in? As I mentioned, mine is the chubby cheeks, sitting down version, but I like all of them for different reasons, and think that it's awesome to have so many options. Overall, I am very impressed with my first Nendoroid, even if it is a little tough to pull apart and put back together! It has opened up a whole new rabbit hole for me and I can already hear my bank account screaming. 

I was so delighted to be able to get this figure so easily here in the UK, as I know it can be difficult to source certain Nendoroids without ordering directly from Japan. I got mine from Gamersheek, after the recommendation of a friend who preordered hers from them (shoutout of Nat, for always helping me bring kawaii goodies into my life!). The figure is available for £49.95, and there's an option to pay in 3 with PayPal, which I was very glad about. I'm pretty sure that the shipping was free as well. Thank you Gamersheek, for the quick delivery and for helping me to add this absolute gem of a figure to my collection! 

I took SO MANY photos in preparation for this blog post, as it was just impossible not to! This smol guy deserves to be shown off, but I have done my best to refrain from filling this post with all the photos! I just had to add this one in at the end. Some final thoughts I would like to mention about this figure is how smooth the material is, the quality just feels so good, and all of the little details add so much to the finished look, e.g. the whiskers, the dash of blue in the eyes, the fluff on the edge of the inner ears. I couldn't get a photo I liked showing the front of the box, as it was too bright and the light was reflecting off the plastic screen, but the Nendoroid is No.1615. 

I hope you all enjoyed reading today's post :) It's been fun to nerd out over figures again, as I feel like I've not properly done that for a while. Let me know if you'd like me to do the same when I get my second Nendo. I'm crossing my fingers that the Good Smile Company release all of the main characters from the Hamtaro series, if not all then at least Oxnard and Bijou. Who else has watched the show? Do you have a favourite ham-ham? My favourite characters growing up were Sandy and Cappy, so I would love to see them in Nendoroid form some day! 

Thank you for reading!

♥

Do you own any Nendoroids? Which one is at the top of your wishlist?

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Toys For A Pound Haul

Hi guys! Here I am again, bringing you a post about another thing that I should have written ages ago. Story of my life... better late than never should be etched on my tombstone some day XD Oops, getting a little dark there... a little too much spirit of Halloween, haha! Talking of Halloween, I can't believe it's only 4 days away. *cry cry* I don't want my favourite month to end! Should we start a petition to make every month Halloween? :) My entire year is filled with lots of spooky goodness anyhow, but I want to hold off the colder months a little longer. As much as Autumn is my favourite time of year, the latter part of the season is usually dreary, the trees loose all of their fiery foliage, and the colourful leaf-littered ground becomes coated in brown, decaying sludge. Oh, and Seasonal Affective Disorder comes along just as I begin to mourn the crisp, crunchy piles of colour underfoot whenever I venture outdoors, making it easier to brave the cold. Well, this is becoming a miserable intro XD I'm sorry guys, but I'M REALLY GONNA MISS ALL THE PRETTY AUTUMNAL VIBES! T_T

So, on a brighter note, today I want to tell you all about a fabulous little online store I stumbled across earlier this year, thanks to an Instagram ad. As you have probably guessed from the title, the website is effectively a pound store, however it has some great bargains on there, a lot that I personally haven't come across in any pound stores I've visited before. I thought I'd share my haul/review with you guys and bring Toys for a Pound to your attention :) Enjoy! 

Toys for a Pound is such a great website for picking up stocking fillers or small gifts for your loved ones. I mean, the intended audience/recipients are children, so it's mostly got toys that cater towards them; however, there are some gems on there that kids who've never grown up, like myself, will love! The standard shipping is £2.99 so it's best to only do an order if you are buying several things, in my opinion. I personally find it a great resource for when I'm looking for some goodies to fill the Christmas shoeboxes I put together for charity each year. Plus, it's nice to have access to a virtual pound store when you're living with chronic illnesses/ disabilities and don't get out as much as you'd like. 

Almost everything on the site is £1 each, although there's sections of items up to £5, but they are such brilliant deals that should be snapped up and put away ready for December :) Just a heads up... they update their stock pretty regularly so it's best to pop anything that catches your eye into your basket as soon as possible. Most of the items I'm sharing in this haul are no longer available (sorry for my delay in posting!). Nonetheless, they have many wonderful items at the moment. I actually placed another order the other day, which I have to thank for giving me the kick up the butt to finally get this post up. Proof that retail therapy has its benefits! 

Well, here's what I picked up from Toys for a Pound... 

Look at all of this adorable stuff that I managed to get for only £10!!! How could I pass up Funko products for only a pound each... that's amazing!! I have seen a few Funko products here and there popping up in my local Pound stores and B&M for the same price but they are few and far between, as well as being for franchises that are a lot less popular nowadays. However, the ones I found at Toys for a Pound were fantastic!! And they even had Pint Size Heroes, another Funko product, too! I've never seen these in pound stores before. Have you? 

As much as I adore Funko, which you'll know if you've been a regular reader of my blog for a while (I own well over 200 products by them now, 107 of them being Pop! vinyl figures... I have a problem XD), my favourite find has to be these Eevee ears!! As someone who enjoys cosplaying, these are perfect! And Eevee is one of my all-time favourite Pokemon. They were an absolute steal at just £1... they are made by TOMY (so they are great quality) and usually retail at around £8.99+. 

So these are all of the blind boxes/bags that I bought; they were the main reason that I visited the website in the first place since the fact that Toys for a Pound were selling Funko products is what popped up in the ad I saw, whilst scrolling through Instagram. Some people get annoyed by ads, but to be honest, I love that they keep bringing products to my attention based on the things I search/buy online. They seem to be a lot more tailored over on Instagram, VS other platforms like Youtube. I respect why people have ads on their videos, but oh my gosh, do they get annoying! Before I go off topic, haha... I was delighted to find that Toys for a Pound had such a variety available, because I honestly expected to find maybe five products at the most. 

Since getting very into my toy photography... I mean I've always been into it but ever since finding the toy photography community over on Instagram and setting up my own dedicated account (find it here), I have found that I am happy to collect figures from franchises that I might not have bothered buying otherwise. This is because it's always nice to have a varied collection of figures to use for different photography themes, etc. I'm finding a lot of cool new figures this way, but my bank account isn't impressed :D My addiction to buying blind boxes has intensified, oops! 

Here are the Funko Mystery Mini's that I found inside my boxes. This post is apparently also an unboxing, as well as a haul and review... but I couldn't not show you guys what I got! I am a big fan of fun surprises so I wasn't too bothered about which of the figures I got. Nonetheless I still had my favourites and least favourites. I am very happy with my finds when it comes to the Warcraft and Barbie boxes, but I did get the figure I liked least of all from the Suicide Squad box. Nevermind, that's the nature of blind boxes! 

I was never much of a fan of Barbie growing up, although I did love the horses and would always ask for the sets with them and then just ignore the barbie doll to play with the horse :) I did love the 'working out' barbie that I had when I was around 6 or 7, but that came with a soundtrack tape and so I was bound to enjoy it. Did anyone else have this? But yeah, I was still intrigued by these mystery minis because a) they are adorable, and b) because they have an interesting history based theme. Each of the figures in this collection are themed around a date, and are designed to resemble a barbie doll that was popular in that particular year. 

The ones I loved most were 1971 (which is the one I got!!) because she's dressed in hippie fashion, the 1980 because she is designed after the first Black Barbie doll, 1986 because she's lookin' fabulous in her 80's outfit that makes me think instantly of Cyndi Lauper, and 1992 because it would be cool to have a figure designed after the year I was born :) I feel like I'm rambling... I just get so excited about toys! 

As for the Warcraft blind box, I am super happy with the figure that I got because he looks wicked! If you haven't seen the movie (and played the World of Warcraft game that it was inspired by), this character is Blackhand, he's an Orc and is a warchief known as The Destroyer. The mystery mini of Blackhand is so detailed; I absolutely love it! I think it is brilliant that one of the dragons skulls on his armour has a septum piercing like he does :) I'd love to add more Warcraft figures to my collection because in my opinion, they all look epic! 

I was hoping to get one of the badass women from the Suicide Squad: Harley Quinn, Katana or the Enchantress (I like the Captain Boomerang figure, too), but I got Diablo and I just don't like his design at all. Oh well! Hopefully, I'll be able to trade him for another figure some day :) 

I couldn't not get a couple of pint size heroes. There were a few different ones available at the time but I opted for a Power Rangers bag & a Street Fighter one. These two franchises are super nostalgic for me! I had a lot of fun playing Street Fighter on my PlayStation back when I was a kid, and loved the Power Rangers as well. I absolutely adore the design of Funko's Pint Size Heroes! They might be one of my favourites of all the figures that he brand has brought out, and would love to see more in the future! 

So the figures that I wanted to get most from these blind bags were the yellow Power Ranger as she was my favourite. There's two versions of the characters available... in their full suits and also without their helmets so you can see their faces. I would have been happy with either versions of the yellow ranger. I got the green guy though, which is still cool. Green is my favourite colour at least :) For the Street Finger figures, I wanted Chun-Li or Ryu the most as I always played as them in the games. I got Guile, who I didn't really care for as I think his design is the worst one from the collection. But again, that's the catch with mystery toys, and he'll still be fantastic for photography, especially when I get some of the other characters. 

It was lovely to find some other non-Funko blind bags on the Toys for a Pound website. As soon as I spotted these Super Mario keychain/dangler charms, I immediately popped one into my shopping cart. I was trying to keep as close to a tenner as possible or else I would have bought more of these cuties. I wish I had now! Out of all of the available keychains, I wanted Toad in the Tanooki (Raccoon/Raccoon Dog) outfit, Mario riding Yoshi, or Tanooki Mario. Toad is my favourite character from the franchise so I was over the moon that I got him!! 

Awww, how sweet is he!!? I really love his design with the Racoon ears and tail, and he is surprisingly detailed for such a tiny figure. I am a little scared to actually attach him to my keys or one of my bags because I feel like he'd be so easy to lose. Those chains with the little balls aren't very sturdy either. He's just going to live on one of my shelves :) Which figure would you have most liked to get in this blind bag?

The Toys for a Pound website even has a party supplies section, which is where I came across packs of the prettiest confetti ever!! It's table confetti so it's a lot bigger than other types of confetti and is made from cardboard so it's more sturdy and durable to be used on a party table where there are likely to be lots of mayhem, such as spilled drinks! I just had to get a pack of these mermaid ones (they also had fairy and unicorn themed packs), because they are so colourful and cute! You get lots of confetti too, and I've seen similar packs in craft stores for £3+.

I'm going to using them in both my photography and also to add a pinch into any snail mail I send :) I say that, but then I don't know if I'm going to be able to bring myself to use them as they are so gorgeous!! I also picked up the unicorn pack in the recent haul that I mentioned earlier... it was a bargain that I just couldn't ignore, especially after seeing how much more pretty the mermaids confetti was in person. I even picked another mermaid pack for my sisters birthday as she's a mermaid lover! 

So that was my entire haul from Toys for a Pound. I was very impressed with the products that I received. They all arrived in great condition, however I feel like I was just lucky because there wasn't any protective packaging inside the box such as noodles/bubblewrap/ brown packing paper, and in my latest order, my items were sent in a much bigger box and one of the item's packaging arrived all squashed, which wouldn't have been great if it was intended for a christmas present. But based on my first order, everything was fine and I was pleasantly surprised that the Funko mystery mini boxes were in such excellent condition considering they were being sold for £1, when their RRP is anything from £4.99 upwards. I was super happy with everything I received and I would certainly recommend them! I will definitely be doing more orders in the future :) 

Oh, as usual, I forgot to individually photograph an item, and this time it was the Triceratops figure that you can see above. This wonderful little dinosaur is an official Jurassic Park figure, and sort of arrived like a mystery bag considering you couldn't choose which dinosaur you wanted on the website. I wanted a Raptor because those are my favourite species. Nonetheless, I'm glad I got a Triceratops because they hold a nostalgic place in my heart, due to the amazing Land Before Time movies. Even though Cera the Triceratops wasn't my most loved character, I loved that she had the same name as me! Although, I know now as an adult that it was spelt Cera, I didn't at the time so I thought it was fantastic! Maybe I should start spelling my name as Cera….. 

I'll finish up today's post now before I get carried away even more than I already have! Thankyou to everyone who reads my posts because I know they are long! I can't help it, it's so hard for me to stop writing once I get going :D Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed reading all about my haul. Let me know if you place an order with Toys for a Pound, I'd love to hear all about what you buy :) Also, let me know in the comments guys.... which were your favourite items from my haul? Which of the mystery figures would you have liked to get? 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥ 

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Banpresto CraneKing Figures | Japan Award Haul

Hi guys! January is officially going to be the month of catching up on posts that I've been meaning to write for a while! Better late than never, right? :) I'm so happy to finally be sharing this post because I've been really looking forward to showing you all the absolutely marvellous figures that I purchased through one of my favourite YouTube channels, Japan Award! It's seriously been so hard not to share any photos of them on social media, but that would have ruined the surprise! 

Back at the end of October, I blogged all about my first time playing Ichiban Kuji, which if you didn't know is a Japanese lottery game where you buy tickets and are guaranteed to win a fabulous prize each time you play. You can learn more about kuji and see my prizes here. I mentioned in that post that I had some other items to show you guys and that is what is going to be the subject of today's post. I also said I'd blog about them a week later, but we all know how fun 2018 was for me, so yeah, that never happened... :') But it's happening now, and I hope you all enjoy! 

I was so over the moon to have stumbled upon the Japan Award channel one day through my recommended videos; not only is the channel super fun to watch, but after years and years of wishing I could get the amazing products from Japan that I so desperately wanted in my life, I now had the chance!  Of course, there have always been a few ways to source products from Japan online, but I could only ever find sites that were pretty pricey and this is all back when I was still a student, so I couldn't really afford to pay what they were asking! 

I love ordering through Japan Award because Horacio & Lin, the YouTube hosts, are super friendly and lovely people! They make you feel really welcome and together with all the other followers, it feels like one big happy kuji-loving family :D As cheesy as that sounds, if you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I have anxiety disorder and this means that I have a really tough time interacting with people, but they are very approachable and sweet, and I can't thank them enough for making it easy for me to get in touch :) 

Anyhow, before I get carried away with myself, let's get onto the toys!! *insert lots of heart-eye emojis here*. Something that I think is absolutely amazing about Japan is their arcades. Honestly they are so fantastic, and the quality of the games and the items that you can win there is wonderful! Yes, all of these figures come from an arcade game! You know those grabber-machines? The ones that in British arcades are always filled with cheap plushies, that are most of the time really difficult to win because they are rigged? Well, those crane machine arcade games are where my beautiful figures came from!! How brilliant is that? (Why can't we have awesome prizes like these T_T ). Can I get a drumroll please... because now it's time to show you what these figures look like out of the box! I'd like to just say how much I love the presentation of these items too. The boxes are almost just as pretty as the figures themselves! This post is going to get pic heavy from this point on, because I can't not display the figures at every angle, obviously XD

~ Super Saiyan Vegeta ~

I have been a fan of the Dragon Ball anime franchise ever since I was very young. I must have been around 7 years old when I watched Dragon Ball Z for the first time and I immediately fell in love with it! Especially when it comes to the character of Vegeta, with his sarcastic, grumpy personality which I thought was hilarious and for some reason, endearing. I have always been more drawn to the darker characters, the misunderstood ones, the types that were labelled as 'villains'. I love how multi-dimensional these characters were, and they were so much more interesting to me than heroes, as much as I liked them too! Vegeta started out very much as a enemy of the main protagonist of the anime, and little Sarah decided he was her favourite character. Adult Sarah still agrees, haha! 

I have always wanted a figure of Vegeta, and I was super happy when Funko started making Dragon Ball characters... I mean I love my Vegeta Pop! Vinyl figure and even though I am a collector of Pop! and love them, there's just something so much more special about having a more realistic figure. After watching countless kawaii and nerdy bedroom tours on YouTube, and seeing people's Japanese figure collections, I wanted some for myself so badly. I loved how eye-catching and incredibly detailed they were. So, you can imagine how happy I was when I saw a post over on Japan Award's Instagram showcasing the new Dragon Ball Z Absolute Perfection collection of figures by Banpresto. I had to have it! 

As soon as I took my Vegeta figure out of his box, I was blown away by how detailed he was! It's really amazing how much detail has gone in to a figure that you can win for around £20-£25 (obviously sometimes it takes more, like any arcade game it's all about luck and perseverance!). From his muscles and the parts of his armour/uniform that are taut, to his epic iconic hair and the badass look on his face, he just looks incredible and I am so happy to have added him to my toy collection. This might sound weird, but I don't care, even the butt on this figure looks good XD When they named these figures absolute perfection, they weren't kidding ;) 

The colours used for Vegeta are so bold and vibrant; I mean, look at that blue! It just pops, and he's going to be tough to miss when he's displayed up on a shelf in my room. Not only do you get the figure himself but he also comes with a base to attach to, a super cool looking rock featuring the awesome flame that surrounds Saiyan's when they are in full power, fight mode.  The design of and the shade Banpresto have used for this flame attachment matches perfectly with his hair. Another thing that is so fantastic about this figure is that there's no damage, the paintjob is amazing, and he just looks so clean, which as a collector of Funko products, I can say really surprised me because we all know how annoying they are with their manufacturing errors (ugh >.<). Okay, here's one more photo of Vegeta... it's so hard to not show you guys every single small detail on this brilliant figure! 

~ Disney Q Posket Maleficent ~

Here is another type of figure that I have had my eyes on for a while, Disney Q Poskets! I first started seeing these super kawaii figures around on Tumblr and it took me a while to discover that they weren't something that was bespoke or designed by an independent artist somewhere in the world. I honestly believed that they were going to be really expensive and difficult to obtain, because they just look so beautiful! However, one day I randomly found them on a website, I think it was for a company based in Australia, and I learnt what they were and that they were in fact made by Banpresto. I was sad when I couldn't find many of them available in the UK and I didn't want to pay too much for shipping when I was just buying one figure, and not doing a haul or something. So I just resolved myself to the fact that I wouldn't be getting a Q Posket any time soon. But thanks for Japan Award, I now have one of my very own! 

I have never really been a particular fan of Maleficent to be honest, I love all Disney movies and very much appreciate their animation and story creation, so I don't dislike many characters at least, but I just got so overexcited upon seeing a Q Posket that I felt compelled to buy her right away, and I do not regret a thing! Again, as soon as I set eyes on this figure, I was in awe of just how pretty she was in person! The big eyes that brought the figures to my attention in the first place just made me adore chibi Maleficent, and then I looked at the rest of her design and just thought wow!. 

Seriously though, how cool is this figure!? I am lovin' every part of her, from the fabulous, flowing enchantress ropes, to her awesome sceptre/staff, and her headdress. Something I have always loved about Maleficent's look is her headdress, and how much it resembles demon horns. It's so unique to her character and we all know I'm all about that spooky stuff. I love the flashes of purple and red throughout her robes, and how it matches her red nails and purple eyeshadow. Can we just talk about how on point her make up is? I love how something can be both simplistic and yet so detailed in design at the same time. Her face just draws your eyes towards it, and I think it's so cute how she's got a little cheeky smile! 

There were actually two variations of this figure available in the arcades, one with Maleficent holding a golden staff and also the green one that my figure has. I much prefer the green one because well, green is my favourite colour but also because there's just something about the colour green that suites the magical aesthetic. Japan Award won me the gold variation and another follower very kindly traded with me so that I could have the green one :) Everyone in the Japan Award community is just super kind like that.

 It seems that after purchasing this figure, I am now seeing so many incredible photographs of other Q Poskets shared within the Instagram toy community and it's made me super excited to take mine out and about and get some proper photos of her. It has also added fuel to the fire, in the sense that I now NEED more Q Poskets :D At this point, I might have to sleep on the floor because figures are taking over my life!! Here's another shot of Maleficent to show you the stand that comes with these stunning figures; I like how they've even put a floral design around the base. Again, it's phenomenal how much attention to detail has gone into these figures, considering they are usually obtainable for less than £30!  

~ 25th Anniversary Jack Skellington ~

I actually purchased this figure along with my second haul from Japan Award, which I can finally blog all about later this month and show you guys more ichiban kuji goodness! If you are a fellow fan of Tim Burton's work and/or just someone who loves The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), then you will know that November 2018 marked the 25th Anniversary for the movie! In celebration, there were so many companies that made special releases, including Funko, who brought out lots more characters in Pop! form as well as Mystery Mini blind boxes and all sorts of other awesome toys. Banpresto didn't miss out on the occasion and released this marvellous anniversary figure of main man, Mr Jack Skellington himself. Look how beautiful he is! 

This figure of Jack is the tallest figure I have ever owned, he stands at 30cm in total and his super long legs look so impressive in his iconic pinstriped suit. I really like the design and how they've incorporated the stand, or podium thing, that Jack is leaning his arm against, that also acts as a support for the figure. As you can see, there's a stone at the top of this podium that says 25 Years, and I think it's great that they've included this. Of course, the most gorgeous part of this figure is the design of Jack, his outfit is perfect! It's wonderful how they made the end of his blazer/jacket looks like it's flowing in the wind, and that they made his collar so extravagant! I am lovin' how eye-catching the little cat detail is! 

Isn't Jack's facial expression super cute!? I have always loved how simple the design of his face is but how striking it looks nonetheless. One of my favourite things about this figure are Jack's skeletal hands, the detail is really nicely done and they look incredible, even in the way they are positioned. I wanted to show you guys what the base of the figure looks like; despite it being very plain, it really does look like the base of a podium, and I personally think it finishes the overall look of the figure very well.

The only downside to this figure in my opinion is how flimsy it feels. Not the figure itself, but in the way it attaches to the base. With my other Banpresto figures, they feel very secured once I have pushed all of the slots into their corresponding parts, and I can move the figure around without worrying that it's going to fall apart. However with this Jack Skellington figure, they feel very loose and the 'pegs' or whatever you call them are always popping out of the slots whenever I move the figure. It just doesn't seem to sit right, but to be honest, it's not a big problem, and when I have this figure up on a shelf or something, I won't need to move it other than when I want to photograph it. It was also very decently priced so I don't mind :) 

I just wanted to conclude this post by showing you all what the figures look like in full. Don't they all look super terrific!? I'd love to hear what you think about Vegeta, Maleficent and Jack Skellington in the comments. I am sooooo delighted with my first ever figures from Japan and I will treasure them! They are really pretty and I have never owned anything like them before. It's going to be a struggle to save money from now on :D RIP bank account. I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing all about these fantastic figures. Apologies if I got a little carried away with myself! I cannot recommend Japan Award enough, be sure to check out their YouTube channel & Instagram if you love all things Japanese nerd culture related! 

Next, I will be blogging all about what I got for Christmas, so pop back within the next few days to see that. I'll post a notification on my Twitter when it's up so go follow me over there if you don't wanna miss that :) 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What is your favourite figure out of the three I featured in today's post? 

Do you own any figures? If so, I'd love to hear all about them!