Series: Dragon Ball / Dragonball Z
Company: Banpresto
Year: 2007-2008
Size: various
Main distribution: Japan (as price only)
This is a series of plush made by Banpresto of Dragonball and Dragonball Z. It is simply called “Collection Plush”. These could be won in arcades in the crane and UFO machines.
Several characters were made in this line of several sizes.
In 2007 a set got released of Puar, Mr. Popo, baby Goku, Goku in orange gi and Korin.
In 2008 another set was released with Goku in blue gi and Puar. I think there are another 3 in this set as well.
I have seen a sleeping Goku in orange gi, but not sure which year or set it belongs to.
I have seen similar plush of Oolong and Pilaf as well, but they didn’t have tags so unsure if from this series. There’s probably more of them as well.
They all carry the same tag. It has a young Goku on it, with Dragonball on it. The Japanese simply reads “Collection Plush”. It has a blue border.
In 2008 a set for Dragonball Z was also released, with a red instead of a blue border around the tag and Majin Buu instead of Goku on it. It has the Dragonball Z logo on it, and also simply reads “Collection Plush”.
This line had a Trunks in Fusion pose, Goten in Fusion pose, King Kai, Bubbles and Majin Buu.
I got 2 of these, from the 2008 Dragonball line; Goku in blue gi and Puar.
2008 Dragonball Collection Plush
Goku
It’s a small plush of a young Goku in his blue gi. He has the Power Pole on his back. His expression is very happy, with ^^ eyes and a D smile.
The plush is of low quality, with the Power Pole, tail and front of hair made out of cheap thin felt. His belt string is 2 pieces of ribbon glued on. The wrist bands and boot rims are ironed on. The stitching is messy, and very visible on the back of his hair. His face is embroidered which is a nice touch, although the finish is less so as his nose and eye are connected by a thread.
It is one of the smaller plush of the line, and about 10cm. At the top of the plush is a ball chain with a suction cup, to hang it from a window or another smooth surface.
His tush tag is next to his tail on his back. It has the Banpresto logo on one side, with BP. 2008 on it.
The Dragonball logo is on the other side.
Puar
It’s a small plush of Puar. He is in a sitting position, with his feet up and his arms sideways. His expression is very happy, with a D smile.
Due to Puar’s simplicity, he looks a lot better than Goku does. The stitching is still wonky though, as seen on the back. His face is embroidered which is a nice touch, although the finish is less so with his eyebrows kinda wonky above his eyes. His whiskers are also a bit odd looking.
It is one of the smaller plush of the line, and about 10cm. At the top of the plush is a ball chain with a suction cup, to hang it from a window or another smooth surface.
His tush tag is on the left side of his butt. It has the Banpresto logo on one side, with BP. 2008 on it.
The Dragonball logo is on the other side.
I never really liked anime plush. They always looked weird to me. I think it’s because plush are soft and fuzzy, and people’s skin is not, so human plush just look weird to me. And of course, being a Dragonball fan, the anime plush I saw the most were the old ones from Dragonball Z, which look… basic.
One day in 2009 I walked passed a small arcade in Sydney with crane machines. It wasn’t the best arcade I had found in Sydney, but occasionally I walked in to see what prices they had. And that day they had a machine filled with little Puars and Gokus. I wasn’t keen on Goku, but Puar looked kinda cute. And the machine looked easy. So I threw 1AUD in and grabbed and… won a Goku! Somehow the claw missed Puar and ended up catching a Goku. So I threw another coin in and got Puar as well.
They are a bit derpy, but I kinda like them. Because they’re so small and cheap, I don’t mind them as much. It’s almost as if the bigger they get, the weirder they get.
Later I found the larger plush for sale in Sydney, but they were quite expensive. The humans looked kinda weird again, but there was a Majin Buu, kinda chibi looking, that looked alright. My younger brother was a fan of Majin Buu, so I got him that one. They also had a baby Goku, which looked really cute, but I could never justify the price. Kind of regret that now, as I never saw it again. Despite being a human plush, he was in a fetus position, with his little Saiyan tail curled up and nicely embroidered face, which kinda made him look alright to me.
There’s something nostalgic about these plush. And they give me memories of Sydney. So I’m keeping them. Maybe I’ll find more of these tiny ones. Or maybe I’ll get that baby Goku one day.
If you like anime or Dragonball plush, these are kinda cool, derpy and nostalgic. If you prefer something of more quality, you’d be best to avoid.
Got any more details / information you think I should add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own the same plushies? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!