With a break in all of the new announcements and the wait for Zelda Amiibo still dragging along, I thought it is a great time to review something new and of interest to Nintendo fans.  I have talked about plush in several Figure Buying Guides but never actually reviewed any before.  After getting this adorable Kirby for Valentine’s Day, I thought why not take a closer look and see if this is something someone who only collects figures would recommend to others.  The gift was a total surprise and reviewing it was a fun challenge so I hope you enjoy reading this.

Design – How do you take a circle and make it into something that can stand up on its own?  That was the challenge San-ei faced with Kirby and the way they solved the problem is to make Kirby’s a little less of a perfect circle and to make the bottom of his feet completely flat so it rests on the ground easily.  While it isn’t a perfect representation of Kirby, having a Kirby that will sit perfectly on your shelf is great and a trade-off I will gladly make.  It doesn’t hurt that Kirby looks ready to give you a hug which is kind of the point of a plush/stuffed animal too (in my opinion anyway!).

Texture – It is easy to imagine that Kirby is soft even though that has never been declared by Nintendo to my knowledge and this plush lets you experience that firsthand.  Because Kirby doesn’t have fur or long hair, the texture is a soft and gentle feeling for lack of a better way to put it.  That makes it easy to want to touch this Kirby.  One thing that a figure collector may find difficult to accept are the seam lines on a plush.  Kirby has quite a lot and almost reminds me of the stitching on a basketball.  While Kirby obviously does not have any of these in any video game and they are somewhat noticeable, they are something you have to live with and the more I look at this Kirby, the more accepting of them I am.

Details – Even with the seams, Kirby still has nice details.  All of his face has threaded features almost like a patch which actually reminds me a bit of the art style in Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Yoshi’s Woolly World.  While simple, they look great and help bring the character to life.  My biggest complaint is the “scar” on the side of Kirby’s face near the eye.  That is not a seam and almost looks like a cut or a mistake in the fabric.  Kirby does have a hook so he could be hung up (probably mostly used in retail stores) and he has a tag.  From what I understand, there are a lot of fake plush out there, especially anything that is low-priced and from China so if you buy something like this, do make sure you’re getting the real thing because collectors will always want that over a counterfeit.  One of the best ways to check is the tag.  If it looks like it is official Kirby and Nintendo merchandise then that is probably a good sign.

Size Comparison – If you haven’t owned a plush before or seen many in stores, it is surprising how affordable they are for their size.  Kirby is much, much bigger than an Amiibo (or a Nendoroid) and I’m pretty confident he would be bigger than a Figma or 6″ figure too.  It is neat seeing your favorite character in a larger size and if you have the room, getting at least a plush or two or three (if you don’t mind risking a new addiction forming!) could spice up your Nintendo collection.

Closing Thoughts – I received my Kirby plush from my significant other on Valentine’s Day so I love it for what it is and for the thought behind it.  I’ve never really considered buying a plush before but now that I have one, I would absolutely considering buying more, especially for characters that are especially cute or not seen in figure form.  Kirby is perfect for plush and so many of his powers have been turned into plush that he is an ideal character to collect this way.  I hope you enjoyed this review and if people like these kinds of reviews, I would be happy to do more in the future!