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Since 1990, Studio Ghibli's Totoro Foundation has worked to preserve the area that inspired the setting of Hayao Miyazaki's beloved 1988 film, My Neighbor Totoro. Recently, Ghibli unveiled a new pair of Totoro-themed T-shirts created to raise funds for Miyazaki's foundation.
Donguri Sora’s new navy and white Totoro Fund Goods T-shirts allow Ghibli fans to show off their love for Ghibli’s iconic mascot while raising money for a good cause. Featuring designs created by Miyazaki himself, both shirts feature a cute, chibi-style illustration of Totoro relaxing on a burdock plant. The soot goblins – the reclusive spirits of dust and chimney ash that appear in My Neighbor Totoro – are also featured. Notably, the Totoro Fund previously used the illustration for an exclusive collection of Totoro-themed watercolor-style postcards, which returned to Donguri Sora’s digital catalog earlier this year. Available in small, medium, large, and XL, the Totoro Fund T-shirts feature a “ribbed design” that makes them less prone to wrinkling. Including tax, the estimated retail price is 3,960 yen (US$24.64) each.
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Hayao Miyazaki's Totoro Designs New Grace T-Shirt to Raise Funds for the Environment
The National Trust for Totoro (renamed the “Totoro Foundation” in 1998) was established to protect Sayama Hills — a lush area located along the Tokyo-Saitama border in Japan. Like the setting of My Neighbor Totoro, the area is dotted with dense forests, reservoirs, and old-fashioned rice paddies. Over three decades, the National Trust for Totoro has collected funds from philanthropic donors and used them to purchase much of Sayama Hills, ensuring that the area’s natural beauty remains untouched by industrial development. As of April 2022, the Totoro Foundation has preserved more than 108,000 square meters of Sayama Hills for the benefit of current and future generations.
Studio Ghibli's Totoro has become a globally beloved film and instantly recognizable mascot.
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, My Neighbor Totoro centers on Mei and Satsuki Kusakabe, two sisters who move to the countryside with their father after their mother is hospitalized for illness. While settling into their new home, the two girls discover that in addition to the surrounding forest, there are many nature spirits that only children can see. After Satsuki starts school, Mei is playing in the yard when she comes across a small ghost-like creature carrying a bag of acorns. This creature eventually leads her to the lair of the film's main star – a giant bear-like forest spirit that lives inside an ancient camphor tree. Although Satsuki initially doesn't believe Mei's story, she eventually meets Totoro, leading to some fun and quirky adventures. A globally recognized anime icon, Totoro is now beloved by audiences around the world.
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Viewers in the US and Japan can stream the entire Studio Ghibli film library, including fan favorite My Neighbor Totoro, on Max. Additionally, other iconic Ghibli films like Princess Mononoke are expected to return to theaters across the US this year as part of Ghibli Fest 2024. Netflix already offers these films in most other major territories, including Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
My Neighbor Totoro
When two girls move to the countryside to live near their ailing mother, they have adventures with magical forest spirits living nearby.
Release date April 16, 1988
Studio Ghibli Studio
Cast Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi
Running time 86 minutes
Extend
Donguri Sora: White Totoro Fund Shirt, Navy Totoro Fund Shirt