Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans

Retro telephone from the Guchokipanya bakery plays one of the film’s most iconic songs. Studio Ghibli movies are filled with intriguing characters that have the power to completely draw us into their

Retro telephone from the Guchokipanya bakery plays one of the film’s most iconic songs.

Studio Ghibli movies are filled with intriguing characters that have the power to completely draw us into their animated worlds, and in Kiki’s Delivery Service, it’s Jiji who often steals the show.

Now, the black cat is back in the spotlight, thanks to a new release from Ghibli specialty retailer** Donguri Kyowakoku**. Called “Kiki’s Delivery Service Music Box: A Message to Kiki”, this music box is modeled after the black rotary telephone at Guchokipanya, the bakery where Kiki begins her new life.

The product is beautifully designed, with the phone receiver shown off the hook, propped up against the black telephone. With Jiji leaning in, ears perked towards the receiver, as if wondering who might be on the line, it’s almost as if we can hear the faint voice of someone, perhaps a customer, or maybe even Kiki herself, greeting us from a faraway location.

▼ Is that you, Kiki?

The sound that really comes out of the phone, however, is “Rouge no Dengon” (“Message of Rouge“), the iconic opening theme song from Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Both the music and the design of the music box itself evoke the warm, nostalgic feel of the bakery, right down to the delicate lace detailing on the wooden-look base.

▼ The phone cord is soft and malleable, just as it would be on a real rotary telephone.

Measuring approximately 10.5 × 13 × 10.5 centimetres (4.1 × 5.1 × 4.1 inches) and weighing around 532 grams (1.17 pounds), the music box looks like it’s jumped straight out of the anime world of Ghibli. Whether you’re enjoying it as a music box or a decorative display piece, this beautiful product is bound to put a smile on your face whenever you lay eyes on it, and it can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores in Japan and online from 10 a.m. on 8 August.