smol round birb

My Doki Doki box came today. It was a surprise because they sent an e-mail saying that because they'd moved to Japan (apparently to avoid some customs hang-ups they had before importing stuff), the boxes would take longer and they gave a "March 8-16" delivery date. Maybe they were wrong and meant "February" but it showed up today.

It was a nice box. It had candy in it but this time it's candy I can eat (chocolates with a strawberry center - last month there were hard candies that were not labeled so I didn't know if they might contain something like pistachio or mango I can't have). It also had a little item or two I can include as a giftie in a swap box I'm doing through Ravelry - they are nice items but I don't totally, totally need them and they are relevant to my swap-partner's interests, so I think it's meant to be.

There were also Totoro chopsticks - really rather nice ones, the reusable kind (bamboo, and finished - not like the cheap ones you get from take out places). I may repurpose them as hairsticks instead, I don't know. And some fuzzy "My Melody" socks which I THINK will fit me (the size range given was 22 to 28 cm and supposedly, according to an online size check, my feet are 24 cm).

And the obligatory Hoppe Chan. (I am not a big fan of Hoppe Chan. I wish one of my friends had a small girl who was in love with her because then she would get alllllll my Hoppe Chan stuff).

And a cherry-themed hair clip, which I might just wear as long as it's not too heavy for my hair (I bought some really sweet rhinestone hair clips at Ulta but found when I wore one the other day to hold down my "Starlight Glimmer Swoop," I kept having to adjust it because it slid down - it's heavy and it doesn't clamp that tightly.) The cherry hair clip is very Penny Garcia in its aesthetic but I'm reaching the point of not caring if people think I dress a little oddly.

And the best item was the little plush toy. But then, I pretty much always think the best item in these boxes is the little plush toy.

Her name is Beri (short for Berry, I guess - her boyfriend, which some people got in their boxes instead is named Mango). She is small and round and a bird so she is my smol round birb and that amuses me a lot. (The pink thing on her head is a heart. She is supposed to be a lovebird).

Oh! And the last box (last month's) had a little Daruma-san of "Julie," their cat character:

She came with both her eyes so I guess you can't use her as a luck-bringer (the idea with the traditional ones is that they're sold without eyes, you paint one one him, and you "promise" him when your goal is achieved or your desire comes true, he gets his other eye. Yes, clearly a little bribe never hurts...)

This is the "original" Julie, for comparison. She's probably my favorite of the characters Doki Doki created for their boxes.

They're all kind of little (so they fit in a box that will more or less fit in a standard mailbox) but also being little means you don't have to try so hard to find space for them - most of these live on my sofa, which I don't use all that much to sit on these days)



The Doki Doki boxes are a LITTLE expensive (though no more than a fancy dinner out, especially if I were buying a bar drink) but they make me so happy - it's a little good surprise once a month and I need little good surprises. And some of the things in the boxes go on to be little gifts to people which is also fun.